This year’s NCWE Conference was held in Clearwater Beach, Fl. On September 26-27. The theme for the conference was “Smooth Sailing – Success Through Partnerships.

The National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) provides a national forum for administrators and faculty in workforce education and basic skills, as well as representatives of business, labor, military and government.

NCWE also provides the link between policy and workforce education and economic development by providing support, research, and critical information to members on current and future trends and policies.

The following provides some images and comments from key presenters from the conference.

NCWE’s President, Dr. Girard Melancon

In president Melancon’s welcome address, he indicated effective partnerships with industries and innovative community-based organizations are the solutions to our workforce problems. We seeks to build partnerships with our constituents and learn about the workforce challenges and successes they experience in their communities, noted Melancon.

St. Petersburg College’s President, Dr. Tonjua Williams

President Williams gave a warm address to the attendees at the conference. She noted that “educators must become more innovative in meeting the needs of their customers including the “gig” nation.” This generation wants jobs for a short period of time to build their portfolio rather staying with a single company until retirement. We can’t afford to do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result, noted Williams. Peirce College in Philadelphia is an example of her message. The college created an online degree program to provide flexibility in course offering.

Katrina Ling, Senior Global Practitioner – Blue Ocean Strategy Network

As keynote speaker, Ling focused on ways educational leaders can use strategies from the book “Blue Ocean Shift” so they can outperform their competition and offer unprecedented value to their customers. According to Ling, you have to learn how to attract your non-customers because buyers have multiple options to satisfy their needs.

Kelli Jordan, Talent Leader – IBM New Initiative

Jordan was a keynote speaker at one the conference’s general sessions. She talked about blue collar jobs that don’t necessary require a four-year degree but require a certain skill-set. She emphasized the need for community colleges to provide awareness and exposure to students about career paths since there is a shortage of graduates with college degrees who have the necessary skills for employment. Jordan highlighted the value of IBM’s blockchain course and apprenticeship program that prepares candidates for 21^st century jobs. The program is currently offered in 10 states such as North Carolina, Texas, and California, noted Jordan.

NCWE’s 2019 conference will held in San Antonio, Tx. on October 2-3. The theme for this conference is Mission Possible: Preparing a Future Ready Workforce. The website for NCWE is www.ncwe.org