8:00 AM – 9:00 AM REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING BREAKFAST
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM WELCOMING REMARKS
Kathie Mainzer, Project Director, Workforce Solutions Group
FEATURED SPEAKERS
The Honorable Senate President Stan Rosenberg, MA State Senate
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM ISSUE PLENARY: Preparing the 21st Century Workforce The talent of our workforce is the state's top competitive advantage. It is our calling card in Massachusetts. In our highly competitive, mobile, technology-driven global economy, the pressures facing employers and educational institutions are more acute than ever. Disruptive technological advances are changing entire industries before our eyes. The nature of work and the ways we prepare students and adult workers to succeed in this new paradigm must also adapt. Are we preparing students and workers the right skills? How can we ensure that we prosper from innovation, rather than get run over by it? What are the specific skills, experiences and attitudes students and workers will need to be successful?
Moderator: Linda Noonan, Executive Director, MA Business Alliance for Education
Robert Johnson, President, Becker College
Marty Meehan, President, University of Massachusetts
Ellen Kennedy, President, Berkshire Community College
10:15 AM-10:30 AM NETWORKING BREAK
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM ISSUE PLENARY: The Future of Work: Better Outcomes for Job Seekers and Employers
Governor Baker's Skills Cabinet will discuss their vision for improved
access and accounability in the education and training systems in the
Commonwealth. With a strong team focus on expanding economic
opportunity, this panel will share their specific strategies and engage
in a robust discussion about the state's economic and workforce
goals.
Moderator: Donna Cupelo, Regional President of New England at
Verizon Communications, Inc.
Jim Peyser, Secretary of Education
Jay Ash, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development
Ronald Walker II, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM LUNCH PROGRAM
Attorney General Maura Healey
WSG 2015 Workforce Champion Awards
1:15 PM - 1:30 PM NETWORKING BREAK
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM MINI-PLENARY SESSIONS:
Session 1: Automation and the Impact of Technology on the
Workplace
The future is here, now what? The pace at which technology is erupting and disrupting creates a unique opportunity and challenging problem for business and workers. Automation and high tech play a crucial role for business productivity, efficiency and competitiveness and create a disruptive means to meet customer needs faster. At the same time the pace at which business and technology move makes it difficult for workers to learn and maintain skills that make them relevant and competitive in the job market. In many cases technology is replacing workers and the culture of the workplace is shifting dramatically as a result. This session provides multiple perspectives from the business that uses technology to meet customer needs to the jobseekers looking for their own competitive edge while navigating the jobs search process and employment practices.and disrupting creates a unique opportunity and challenging problem for
business and workers.
Moderator: TBA
Ken Tomasetti, President/CEO, Act Fastening Solutions
Phil Jordan, Economic Advancement Research Institute
Professor Ofer Sharone, MIT, author of Flawed System/Flawed Self: Job Searching and Unemployment Experiences
Session 2: The Changing Nature of the Workforce
Employment Arrangements in the New Economy
More and more jobs in Massachusetts and around the country are outsourced through staffing or temp firms, engage staff through multi-layered contracts or by classifying workers as independent contractors. In an attempt to adapt to this new reality both labor advocates and innovative companies have worked to create new protections and new staffing models. This panel will highlight best practices from both the employers and policy perspectives.
Moderator: Darlene Lombos, Executive Director, Community Labor United
Donna Levin, Co-Founder and Vice President, Care.com
Palak Shah, Social Innovations Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)
Stuart Coleman, Partner and Sr. Managing Director for WinterWyman's Financial Contracting
Session 3: Best Practices in Youth Employment
Research shows that having a meaningful work experience early on enables youth to achieve higher lifetime earnings, greater access to employer sponsored benefits, and increased educational attainment. Yet unfortunately, too few young people are achieving meaningful employment. Youth employment in Massachusetts has dropped to crisis-level lows over recent decades. According to a 2013 Commonwealth Corporation report, since 1999, the share of employed teens in Massachusetts plummeted from 53% to 26.8% during 2012. The problem is staggering and real. So what can be done? This workshop will explore best and promising practices for youth employment, including career vocational technical education programs, Commonwealth Corporation’s Signal Success soft skills curriculum and State Street’s Boston WINs initiative.
Moderator: Marybeth Campbell, Executive Director, SkillWorks, and the Coalition for Vocational Technical Education
Michael Scannell, Senior Vice President, State Street Corporation
Nancy Snyder, President and CEO, Commonwealth Corp.
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Business Plenary
Rick Lord, President, Associated Industries of Massachusetts
JD Chesloff, Executive Director, MA Business Roundtable
Final Remarks and Wrap-up