Senate’s Economic Summit to highlight workforce development

PROVIDENCE – Lawmakers, educators, business leaders, and state and federal officials will gather on Monday to discuss workforce development and career and technical education at the R.I. Senate’s annual Economic Summit.

The event, to be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Providence campus, will center on the Senate’s “Rhode to Work” action plan unveiled in January to spur legislation tackling the state’s job crisis.

Led by Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, the plan advocates streamlining statewide workforce training programs under the Governor’s Workforce Board, freeing up an addition $1.2 million for job training programs, and re-imagining career and technical education in Rhode Island.

Paiva Weed and CCRI President Ray M. DiPasquale will deliver welcoming remarks at the Economic Summit, and the keynote presentation will feature Brenda Dann-Messier, assistant secretary of career and adult education for the U.S. Department of Education, who will provide the federal perspective on workforce training initiatives.

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Earlier in her career, Dann-Messier served as president and CEO of Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center in Providence and established the Rhode Island Welcome Back Center to assist immigrant professionals resuming work in their careers. She also served as a member of the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education, and chaired the academic and student affairs subcommittee for the board.

Following Dann-Messier’s presentation, Julian L. Alssid, executive director of New York think tank Workforce Strategy Center, will speak on the theme of “Competency-based Workforce Development.”

The summit will conclude with a panel discussion including Kyle Brenner, director of vocational and technical education at Worcester Technical High School; Robert Francis, regional manager for CVS Caremark Corp.; Constance A. Howes, chairwoman of the Governor’s Workforce Board; and Charles J. Fogarty, director of the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.

The event is free and open to the public, and no registration is required to attend.

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