Attendees at the county-wide Education and Workforce Summit to be held tomorrow at the Roane State Community College Theater will learn about what’s being done on education and workforce issues, and be able to voice their opinions on these issues. The summit will be held from 9 am through 2 pm, with lunch provided to all pre-registered participants complements of sponsor World Interactive Network (WIN) of Kingston. If you have not registered but are interested in attending it is not too late – but you must arrive before 9 am tomorrow at the check-in station located in front of the theater.
“This summit is about the importance of education, and the many programs in our schools that are supposed to give our students the best education possible; including educational programs and learning opportunities available after high school graduation,” said Allen Lutz, Education and Workforce Development Specialist for the Roane Alliance. “This summit is also about listening to what Roane County residents have to say about education and workforce issues,”
“We are a global community and our children are in competition with hundreds of thousands of college-educated Indians and Chinese, not just students from other parts of the US,” said Leslie Henderson, President/CEO of the Roane Alliance in explaining why wide participation at this Summit is so critical. “The jobs they need to prepare for are no longer available to those with few skills. Even manufacturing positions now require a year or two of post-secondary training. The world is high-tech now and we have to get prepared for it. Receiving education and training beyond high school is needed to be successful.”
Summit participants will be participating in group sessions on five different topics:
- Early Childhood Education (Pre-K, Head Start, Literacy Program)
- Parental Involvement in Education
- Race to the Top (includes TN Diploma Project, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) information)
- Workforce Training and Post-Secondary Education
- Adult Enrichment Programs (education, work and social)
“These sessions are information-sharing and discussion meetings to identify our successes and explore opportunities for improvement. Session topics reflect the importance of life-long learning,” says Danice Turpin, Chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee and the Director of the Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman.
Buzz Thomas, the President of The Great School Partnership and the former Director of the Niswonger Foundation is the Summit’s keynote speaker.
“Dr. Toni McGriff, Director of Roane County Schools, recommended Thomas because he is an excellent and inspirational speaker, and is well-known within the educational community,” said Turpin.
McGriff said, “The education our students receive in school from K-12 is very important, but should not be the only place and time learning happens,” says McGriff. “Learning is a life-long process which begins before a child ever sets foot into a classroom. Learning should never stop; to be successful in today’s work environment, continued learning as an adult is necessary.”
“Dropouts,” said Matt Murray, economics professor and associate director of the Center of Business and Economic Research, at a recent Roane County Chamber luncheon, “is the single most important problem in this country.” Roane County residents seem to agree. “Anyone not graduating [from high school] in my opinion is [one] too many,” was a common sentiment expressed by many Roane County residents who responded to an education/workforce survey conducted earlier this year.
“The survey covered a wide range of topics from early childhood education to job training programs after high school graduation to adult and senior education programs,” says Turpin. “We wanted to hear from county residents their beliefs about how important educational activities and opportunities are within Roane County and how successful the county is in addressing them. We had an excellent response to the survey. The survey results will be presented at the Summit.”
“The need for our students to ‘graduate from high school’ was identified as the most important issue on the Education and Workforce Survey completed by more than 850 Roane County adult residents responding,” said Lutz. “To achieve the Tennessee state goal of a 90% graduation rate, which counts all high school students, it will take a tremendous effort by teachers, parents, and students. The reality is that having even 10% of students not graduating is a tremendous loss to those individuals and our community.”
The survey also asked about education and training after high school graduation and other workforce concerns. One area that respondents believe we can do better in is providing ‘training opportunities for unemployed, laid-off workers, or under-skilled workers.’ Representatives from Roane State Community College, Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman, and the Tennessee Career Center in Rockwood plan to address these concerns in the workforce session at the Summit.
The sponsors of The Education and Workforce Summit are: The Roane Alliance and its partner, the Roane County Chamber of Commerce; the Roane County Schools; Roane State Community College; Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman; and the Tennessee Career Center in Rockwood.
This event is one of several components of The Alliance’s “Education Matters!” initiative, which is funded by the Knoxville Oak Ridge Innovation Valley – a regional economic development organization.