DuBOIS, Pa. – The latest in a speaker series offered by the North Central PA LaunchBox, Penn State DuBois Continuing Education, and The North Central Partnership for Regional Economic Performance (NC PREP) will help industry and business owners to navigate recovery from the COVID pandemic.
"Education and Innovation coming out of COVID — The role education will play in the workforce," is planned for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26. Those interested in attending the webinar can register at this link.
This lecture will be conducted by Jim Fong, lead consultant and founding director of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, Center for Research and Strategy. Through his extensive work in research and market studies, Fong brings a unique perspective on the education field and the trends that are emerging during and post COVID-19. Fong is able to relate his knowledge to a variety of industries and help many companies develop their workforce strategy and market positioning so that organizations can take on new challenges that will emerge. What he will speak on stems out of the pandemic and how it has impacted K-12 and education and training trends.
According to Fong, the new and fast-moving economy that will have more automation and infrastructure will no longer be primarily dependent on three criteria to classify jobs, i.e. a college degree, high school degree, or not having a degree, but will be better defined based on new and emerging credentials that are both economically and demographically-driven. The emerging workforce of Generation Z and young Millennials will be essential to regional business growth and they carry with them more power and influence than other generations. The employer will need to factor this into the equation to attract, maintain, develop and grow a stable and essential workforce. Higher education, as well as new credential training efforts, will be critical to business success in the region.
The North Central PA LaunchBox and Penn State DuBois Continuing Education launched the LaunchBox Speaker Series to provide education and enlightenment during the COVID-19 pandemic, touching on important topics for healthcare, powder metal, education and retail. The series has been created with the help of grant money provided by PREP.
PREP is a statewide program launched in response to budget cuts that requires shared work programs among economic development agencies. The objective of the PREP initiative is to encourage a more coordinated and efficient approach to the delivery of economic development and business assistance. The North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission coordinates the partnership as one of four core providers in the area’s PREP consortium. Targeted service providers are encouraged to identify their unique assets and business assistance competences so that the group, as a whole, can identify where any critical gaps or duplications exist.
For more information on this upcoming event, or future programming, contact Lori Sabatose at 814-372-3020 or [email protected].
