News Releases for August 2004
August 6, 2004
For further information, please Contact the Governor's Office
Governor Announces 2004 Workforce Summit
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced the Governor’s Workforce Summit 2004, the first statewide forum for creating strategies for building and maintaining a competitive workforce. The summit will be held Sept. 30 - Oct. 1 at the Radisson Inn in Fargo and will be hosted by the Governor in partnership with the North Dakota Department of Commerce and the North Dakota Workforce Development Council.
“This summit addresses what employers and industry representatives have been telling us are key issues in accessibility to an available and trained workforce,” Hoeven said. “Our focus is to work in partnership with our business and industry sectors, local developers, educators and legislators in developing strategies to meet the demands of maintaining a competitive workforce.”
The Workforce Summit is designed to be an interactive, dynamic conference offering practical and realistic demand-driven solutions for today’s workforce challenges. Business executives, policy makers, educators, economic developers and workforce professionals from across the state are expected to attend.
The summit format includes nationally recognized keynote speakers, a variety of workshops on new and emerging workforce development initiatives, best practices for meeting workforce challenges and a panel discussion featuring legislators, agency directors and business representatives.
Keynote speaker Mason Bishop, deputy assistant secretary in the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, will open the summit, along with Hoeven and Lee Peterson, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce. The agenda also features Rebecca Ryan, founder of Next Generation Consulting, Inc.; Marilyn Moats Kennedy, founder and managing partner of Career Strategies; and Jeff Thredgold, president of Thredgold Economic Associates, a professional speaking and economic consulting company.
“Ultimately, our goal is that the summit will launch new partnerships to drive positive change in today’s workforce,” said Jim Hirsch, director of the Workforce Development Division at the North Dakota Department of Commerce. “We want to create strategies for an empowered workforce that meet the demands of North Dakota businesses and the needs of a new generation of employees.”
For registration information, go to www.gnda.com or mail your request to:
Governor’s Workforce Summit 2004 Registration
c/o North Dakota Department of Commerce
P.O. Box 2057
Bismarck, ND 58502-2057
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