Each year over 300 workforce development professionals from across the state come together for the Commonwealth Workforce Coalition (CWC) annual Sharing Skills~Building Connections conference.
The CWC, a new program in McCormack Graduate School’s Center for Social Policy (CSP), is the largest provider of capacity building for workforce development organizations across the state.
The center is coordinating the May 11 conference to provide agency staffers from across the Commonwealth with the opportunity to improve their workforce programs and practices, build connections across the range of provider systems, and share skills and experiences.
To be held at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center, the conference features 27 sessions arranged in six different tracks from career pathways to program development and evaluation.
Ronald G. Marlow, vice president for workforce development at the National Urban League and a McCormack Graduate School student pursuing a PhD in public policy, will deliver the keynote address on “Meeting the Needs of Disadvantaged Populations.” He comments, “The publicly-funded workforce development system and the nonprofit driven workforce development system meet the needs, tremendously, of the clients they were designed to serve. The value both systems deliver can be augmented when and where we work to create greater synergy between the two. The CWC Conference is a great place at which to engage this discussion, plan this effort, and from which to launch this greater realized value.”
Undersecretary of the Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce Development Jennifer James will also present a lunch-time talk offering an update on the state’s implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Susan Crandall, director of the Center for Social Policy, promises an exciting conference. “This 14th annual conference is a win-win for service providers and their clients. The day-long professional development summit features skills workshops and networking opportunities and equips participants to better provide employment services to all who are moving toward economic self-sufficiency.”
Registration is still open; the final registration deadline is April 21.