Economy/Business

Confronting the Skills Gap: The Texas Experience

March 8, 2016
Austin, TX

Demographic changes are redefining the nation in many ways. From education to employment, who makes up the workforce is changing as well. At the same time, technological advances in industry require workers to be more highly skilled and advanced than workers of past generations. To ensure that the U.S. has the pipeline of skilled workers necessary to maintain the country’s global competitiveness, experts say that there is an urgent need to tackle the nation’s skills gap.

In this forum, The Atlantic brought together educators, employers and policy makers in Texas – one of the most diverse and economically prosperous states in the nation – for a discussion about workforce development efforts in the Lone Star State. How can Texas grow the job market for all of its citizens? What is needed to better equip the state’s new workers with the skills they need to be successful in today’s economy? How can Texas forge a workforce necessary to drive the state’s economic engine?

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Speakers

The Honorable Steve Adler Mayor City of Austin, TX @MayorAdler
Andres Alcantar Chairman and Commissioner Representing the Public Texas Workforce Commission
Ron Brownstein Editorial Director Atlantic Media @RonBrownstein
Amanda Chiampi Director of Sustainability AT&T @amandachiampi
Emily DeRuy Senior Associate Editor The Atlantic @Emily_DeRuy
Annette Enriquez Graduate
John Fallon Chief Executive Pearson @johnfallon
Gerald B. Hallford Student Lone Star College Tomball
Troy Kettell Chief Coordinator Alamo Academies
Eduardo Manzano Student Texas Southmost College
Bryan Miller Principal Eastide Memorial High School
Juan Sanchez Muñoz, Ph.D. Senior Vice President and Vice Provost Texas Tech University
Raymund Paredes, Ph.D. Commissioner of Higher Education Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Jeffrey Parks Dean of Business and Technology San Jacinto College @SanJacCollege
Sterling Woerner Student Texas A&M

Agenda

Note: All times are CT

Tuesday, March 08
9:00 a.m.Welcome RemarksMargaret Low Smith, President, AtlanticLIVE
9:05 a.m.The Atlantic Media/Pearson Opportunity Poll Presentation Ron Brownstein, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
9:15 a.m.A Capital OpportunityThe Honorable Steve Adler, Austin Mayor
9:45 a.m.A New Model for High School: Alamo AcademiesAnnette Enriquez, Graduate, Alamo Academies
Troy Kettell, Chief Coordinator, Alamo Academies
With Emily DeRuy, Senior Associate Editor, The Atlantic
10:00 a.m.Real Life: The Student Experience
Presented by our underwriter PearsonJohn Fallon, Chief Executive, Pearson
Gerald B. Hallford, Student, Lone Star College Tomball
Eduardo Manzano, Student, Texas Southmost College
Sterling Woerner, Student, Texas A&M
10:15 a.m.Pathways to SkillsAmanda Chiampi, Director of Sustainability, AT&T
Bryan Miller, Principal, Eastside High School
Juan Sanchez Muñoz, Senior Vice President and Vice Provost, Texas Tech University
Jeffrey Parks, Dean of Business and Technology, San Jacinto College
With Ron Brownstein, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
10:50 a.m.Under the Dome: The Role of Government and the Skills Gap Andres Alcantar, Chairman, Texas Workforce Commission
Raymund Paredes, Commissioner of Higher Education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
With Emily DeRuy, Senior Associate Editor, The Atlantic
11:25 a.m.Closing RemarksMargaret Low Smith

Underwriter

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