Keynote Speaker to Offer New Perspectives on Employer-Led Sector Partnerships at GWB Annual Meeting Tomorrow

PROVIDENCE, RI – Growing jobs and the Rhode Island economy will again be the theme that‘s front and center at the Annual Meeting of the Governor‘s Workforce Board (GWB) Thursday, May 21, from 8-10 AM at the RI Convention Center in Providence.

The GWB is the primary policy-making body on workforce development matters for the State of Rhode Island, with statutory responsibility and authority to plan, coordinate, fund and evaluate workforce development activities in the state. The event will bring together nearly 300 businesses, employment and training providers, and other partners in workforce development activities.

“The Annual Meeting brings together representatives from businesses, labor, educational providers, government, and community organizations who are all focused on preparing our workforce to meet the needs of employers,” said GWB Chair Constance A. Howes. “It also provides an opportunity to recognize our outstanding manufacturing Industry Partner.”

Governor Gina M. Raimondo and DLT Director Scott Jensen will greet attendees. In the keynote speech, Fred Dedrick, executive director of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, will draw on his group‘s experience developing regional, employer-led, industry sector “collaboratives” in 35 communities throughout the United States to empower both employers and workers to compete globally.

The Boston-based National Fund for Workforce Solutions itself is a collaborative – of employers, workers, communities, and philanthropy. The organization helps strengthen local economies by implementing demand-driven plans that create talent supply chains, advance primarily low-wage workers into family-supporting careers, and improve public-private workforce development systems.

Before leading the fund, Dedrick served as Pennsylvania‘s Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development. He drove an initiative that created employer-worker consortia in targeted industry clusters throughout the commonwealth.

Joining him as keynote panelists will be Wendy Mackie, executive director of the RI Marine Trades Association, Kathie Shields, executive director of Tech Collective, and Darin Early, chief operating officer of the RI Commerce Corp. Mackie and Shields have spearheaded successful, demand-driven, workforce development programs in their sectors. Early is formerly with Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., one of the country‘s leading commercial real estate firms, and worked with Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center.

Also, GWB will present its annual Innovation Award to Polaris MEP and the RI Manufacturers Association (RIMA). They have led the GWB‘s Manufacturing Industry Partnership since July 2012.

“In less than three years, Polaris MEP and RIMA have dramatically raised the profile of Rhode Island‘s manufacturing sector and increased public awareness of the many and varied career opportunities in manufacturing,” said GWB Executive Director Rick Brooks. “By doing this, they have increased the capacity of education and training providers to prepare current and future workers for manufacturing careers.”

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