The Education and Workforce Summit will take place on March 24 at 8 a.m. in the Knoxville Convention Center.
Everyone in the community is welcome and encouraged to come -- parents, educators, students, business people, community leaders and faith-based institutions.
To register, click here.
The goals of the daylong summit are to outline what the region's future workforce looks like, to identify the barriers that may be standing in the way of achieving such a workforce, and for each attendee to leave with a plan of how he or she can individually contribute to the overall goal of developing a skilled and educated workforce.
Note: This release was sent from the National Academy of Engineering, who is launching a new program to help with engineering workforce development efforts, especially for young women.
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), in conjunction with National Engineers Week, has launched a new Web site to encourage academically prepared girls to enroll in undergraduate engineering programs.
"This Web site is part of a national effort to inform high school girls, and those who counsel them, about engineering through personal and informative sketches about women's experiences as engineers," said NAE President Charles M. Vest.
At www.engineeryourlife.org, high school girls can "virtually" meet young women engineers and learn about their careers. Twelve women tell their inspiring stories on the Web site: about working with their communities; solving real problems; and, how they came to choose engineering as a profession. Eleven engineering fields are described at the site, with information on possible engineering projects, starting salaries, resources, and additional young engineers talking about their careers in their own words. A third section explains how to prepare for college engineering programs, with information on what high school classes to take, the experience of being an engineering student, and choosing an engineering program.
Engineer Your LifeTM is a production of WGBH Educational Foundation and NAE, in partnership with a coalition of more than 50 engineering and educational organizations, including ASME. For additional information, see nationalacademies.org.
In its continuing series of guest columns on education, this week's Knoxville News Sentinel featured Bob Hirche, president of ICMAS Inc.
Hirche's suggestions on education are two-fold: allocate monies to necessary programs such as reading programs for elementary schools, and look at how teachers are respected by students and as seen by the benefits given to those in the position.
Hirche mentioned that Ireland had a superior method of education in which teachers were paid more and were respected by the community and the students.
Hirche writes, "I would suggest that what we need to do to improve public education in Tennessee is already out there; we just need to have the will to adopt and execute."
Science Magazine recently featured a story about a Chicago utility company and its executives donating money to a open a math and science charter high school.
The company hopes to both do good in the community and prepare students for the types of positions the company knows that it needs to fill in the future.
According to the article, the executives are taking a hands-on approach to the school and monitoring its success.
Knoxville's workforce and education initiatives are being noticed by bloggers around the country.
Ed Morrison of Cleveland, Ohio, praises in his "Brewed Fresh Daily" blog the Knoxville Chamber and local business community's initiatives in workforce development and education.
Morrison writes, "When it comes to leadership in education and workforce, here’s what chamber involvement looks like. The Knoxville Chamber and its volunteers have developed a framework of the skills and attributes that will be required to ensure the economic advancement of this area. They are now beginning to build an education process that drives in that direction."
The (Maryville) Daily Times recently had an article about Dr. Matt Murray, Chairman of the Economic Development Board, who wrote a book called "Education Crossroads" about the economic and social benefits of a good education.
Ultimately, according to the Daily Times, the book describes that, "a better-educated workforce means greater regional prosperity. The book found labor force participation and population growth are stronger in counties where educational attainment is high."
The News Sentinel, in its weekly series of community columnists on education, carried a piece from Mitch Steenrod, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Pilot Corp., who discussed raising the bar in academic preparedness for students.
He writes that the current market in East Tennessee hits the mark for some industries. But, he says that many of the higher wage providers are choosing other areas due to the available workforce. East Tennessee, he says, lacks an abundance of workers with the necessary skills to meet these companies' needs.
Steenrod finishes, "This retooling and re-engineering of the educational curriculum must begin and it must begin quickly. The bar must be raised in the educational high jump. We need to continually challenge our youth to set the next goal after accomplishing the immediate goal. We need to instill a learning environment that continually pushes for higher accomplishment."
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