More than 100 local business and education leaders attended “The Future of Workforce Readiness” at Troy Middle School on Oct. 23.
The program was presented by the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Questar III BOCES and Center for Economic Growth – and sponsored by CSArch and CapCom.
The morning program featured a panel discussion moderated by Greane Tree Technology President Annmarie Lanesey. Panelists included Steve Janack from the Janack Group, Reg Harnish from GreyCastle Security, Bob Horan from Schodack Central School District, Kelsey Kohler from Momentive and Bruce Potter from the Berkshire Union Free School District.
Schodack Superintendent Bob Horan, who serves on the Chamber board, said the event offers much needed insight from the business community to educators.
“It’s important to be able to go back and talk to my teachers and say these are the things that we’re finding out we’re lacking in how we incorporate these into our curriculum.”
Following the panel discussion attendees had the choice of two breakout sessions on curriculum brainstorming, high school business competition, student and teacher internships, workforce readiness and nurturing passion into STEM field jobs.
“Schools do a phenomenal job preparing students for colleges but we need to do more to prepare them for careers,” said Horan, who helped organize the event. “We need to encourage our teachers to get out of the classroom and visit businesses so they know the types of skills students need for careers of today and tomorrow.”
Edwin Anker, principal of CSArch, an Albany-based architectural firm who facilitated a session on internships, said this event helps make the connections that will set students up for successful employment after high school.
“It’s critical that the students that we’re going to bring on as a member of our team have the skills, not only the STEM skills, but the personal skills, being able to be productive in a career environment, and this is a real good opportunity to discuss those things with other like-minded individuals in the business community but also making a bridge to the educational community as well,” Anker said.
“Let’s make sure our doors are really, really open,” said Horan. “Let’s get businesses in schools to help us better prepare our students.”
During the panel, local business leaders discussed the kinds of skills they’re seeking when hiring.
“Increasingly, for technology skills we need to reach further and wider for employees,” said Kelsey Kohler, Organization Leader for Momentive Performance Materials. “We would like to be able to hire locally.”
“Students need to understand that when we talk about STEM, we’re not just talking about careers in science but all fields,” said Steve Janack, Principal for the Janack Group, a public relations firm.
“Soft skills are also important,” added Reg Harnish, Chief Security Strategist for GreyCastle Security. “Communication skills are critical. Curiosity is one of the greatest skills we look for. We need people who are hard workers and passionate about what they do.”
Horan hopes this is the first of a series of events bringing together local business and education leaders.
“One of the things that we run into too often is that educators will do an event like this and it’s done, no follow through. Everybody is excited, everybody wants to continue, so we’re going to move into at least two more series that will get us to a full year and three different opportunities.”
Visit our Facebook page to see photos from the event.
