Building a 21st Century Workforce

Last week during Saipan’s first “Workforce Development Summit” we had the opportunity to present a guest speaker, Rosemary Cowan from the Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration via Elluminate Live from San Francisco, CA.

Cowan gave her presentation from her office in San Francisco about "Building a 21st Century Workforce" and stressed the Power of E3- Employment, Economic Development, and Education, the need to create strategic partnerships, effectively leverage resources, and a definite need to be innovative and creative in finding solutions.

It was quite apparent from her presentation that without education you will not have economic development or employment. All 3 factors are twined together like a tightly twined rope.

Innovation applies to education as well as economic development. In education that means innovation in curriculum development using new methods and tools to teach old concepts.

The term “Think Outside the Box” has changed to “Think Upside Down.” Forward thinking -not backwards, think how things can be done through new methods. Just as we brought the presenter through a new method instead of her being physically present, turn your thoughts upside down. Use new social networking tools to build community, use new communication & media tools to meet and collaborate, and use new web 2.0 technologies to complete your work.

Have your students check out, Career Voyages and the DOL/ ETA site to help steer their career path.

This summit brought together the Saipan Public School System, the Northern Marianas College and island business owners to share ideas, to have conversations, and hopefully build partnerships to improve education, the economy and employment conditions.

The task is to ‘think upside down’, its not an easy task, but necessary to prepare for a 21st Century workforce with skills for their future.