Sponsored by the NGA Center
Co-Sponsored by the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC

This year's Workforce Development Policy Forum featured a dynamic, interactive format for addressing the theme, Competing in an Innovation Economy. A combination of traditional panels and interactive breakout sessions, discussions examined the realities of economic, global, demographic and structural trends and the effect on the nation's workforce and employers; defined innovative policy approaches for succeeding in this changing environment; and laid the ground work for exploring a proactive agenda for workforce development in a changing national environment. Listed below are descriptions of the Forum's plenary sessions, followed by brief explanations of the breakout discussion sessions.

For the first time, NGA adopted a multi-media approach (written notes, video documentary, still photography) for capturing the proceedings and posted those elements on a “wiki” especially designed for that purpose. The wiki serves as a repository for all of the summary notes from the Forum, as well the video and still photography documentation and other resource materials. You can access the wiki by clicking the HERE.

PLENARY SESSIONS

Viewing the Landscape—Myths and Realities about the Current and Future Economy and Workforce (Session Notes)

Speakers

• Julia Lane, Senior Vice President, Director, Economics, Labor and Population Department, National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago (Presentation)
• Vivek Wadhwa, Wertheim Fellow, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School and Adjunct Professor/Executive in Residence, Duke University (Presentation)

Moderator: Larry Good, Chairman of the Board, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

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Sunrise Session – Washington/Legislative Update

Update on Trade Adjustment Assistance

Speaker: Hun Quach, International Trade Analyst, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate

Washington Update

Speaker: Lee Foley, Managing Partner, Foley, Maldonado and O'Toole

Respondent: Joan Wodiska, Director, Education, Workforce and Early Childhood Committee, National Governors Association

Moderator: Katy Cashen, Consultant to the NGA Center for Best Practices

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Are the workforce and education systems prepared to address current and future workforce and economic challenges?
(Session Notes)

Speakers

• Paul Osterman, Nanyang Technological University Professor of Human Resources and Management, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Anthony Carnevale, Research Professor and Director of the Global Institute on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University.

Moderator: Stephen Crawford, NGA Center for Best Practices

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Lunch with Keynote Speaker

Speaker: Emily De Rocco, Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Moderator: Martin Simon, National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices (Opening Remarks)

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Re-imagining Workforce Development to Meet the Challenges of Competition and Innovation: Drawing Lessons from Best Practices at the State and Local Levels (Session Notes)

Speakers

• Robert Sheets, State of Illinois, Director of Research and Development, Business and Industry Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Roderick Nunn, Director of Education and Workforce Innovation, State of Missouri
• Nancy Snyder, President, Commonwealth Corporation, Massachusetts

Moderator: Larry Good, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

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Getting Beyond the Myth of “Silver Bullet” Solutions: Customizing Workforce Policy and Practice to Particular State Needs (Session Notes)

Speakers

• Debra Lyons, Director, Georgia Governor's Office of Workforce Development (Presentation)
• Andy Levin, Deputy Director, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth (Presentation)
• Keith Bird, Chancellor, Kentucky Community and Technical College System (Presentation)

Moderator: Sarah Oldmixon, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Center for Best Practices

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Getting a Running Start: Synthesizing the Elements of a Policy Framework to Prepare for Change Opportunities on the Horizon

Synthesizers

• Christopher King, Director, Ray Marshall Center, University of Texas at Austin
• Jan Urban-Lurain, Senior Advisor, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
• Mary McCain, Vice President and Principal, Tech Vision 21

Moderators

• Martin Simon, NGA Center for Best Practices
• Larry Good, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION SESSIONS
Using small group discussion, the intent of these sessions was to facilitate participant discussion and interaction, synthesize learning from the preceding plenary session and allow for more in-depth exploration of specific topics. While each breakout session, with the exception of the “Open Space” exercise on Day 2, focused on one of three main topics: workforce, economic development, or the social contract, the discussion questions pertaining to each topic were roughly the same across all three sessions.

Breakout Discussion Session Notes

DAY 1

Sample Questions Explored During Breakout Discussions:

• What are the key risks associated with today's environment?
• What opportunities are there for new thinking?
• What prevailing assumptions do these risks and opportunities challenge?

DAY 2

Sample Questions Explored During Morning Breakout Discussions:

• Breakout #1: How well positioned are workforce and education systems to deal with demography changes and changing skill demands in the labor market? Should states focus their investments on certain populations?
• Breakout #2: How do current workforce and education systems align with the economic competitiveness challenges facing states? What are the major gaps and where are things succeeding? How effective are these systems in engaging business and connecting to their needs?
• Breakout #3: How do supports need to change as we move from lifetime, large company employment models to expectations of people having multiple employers and careers? How do we assure the income of workers during transitions? What is being done or can be done to ensure quality jobs?

Afternoon Concurrent "Open Space" Breakout Sessions
In this set of breakout sessions, in the group of the whole, participants identified specific topics for further exploration, and participants chose the discussion they wanted to join.