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Froeschle
As workforce partners and educators alike prepare local youth for the post-pandemic labor market, new challenges and opportunities have arisen, resulting in a fresh new approach to creating a talent pipeline.
Hosted by Workforce Solutions of Southeast Texas, the Connect to Your Future Summit is scheduled for Sept. 28 at The Event Centre, Beaumont from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature a special luncheon presentation of current labor market trends and strategies for meeting the changing job needs of students and young adults.
Highlighting significant state and regional labor market trends, Rich Froeschle, Senior Labor Market Economist, Texas State Technical College is set to serve as guest speaker, emphasizing the methods workforce partners and educators can utilize to move from coordination to integration.
“Southeast Texas, and the state as a whole, has steady job growth, but the pandemic did change the needs of the workforce,” said Froeschle. “An increase in online shopping has created a higher demand for drivers nation-wide, and many companies that were forced to transition to a remote workforce, have retained that to some degree. Workers realized that they don’t have to be in the office 9 to 5, and because of this, the demand for a more flexible workplace is higher than ever.”
Froeschle said that, much like Southeast Texas, high schools nationwide are partnering with the workforce to make their students immediately employable, and students are finishing high school with a variety of certificates and actual work experience like never before. “
Events like Connect to Your Future seek to bring together the cogs of the workforce wheel, as Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas aims to continue building partnerships with employers, training providers, education and economic development and create pipelines to address labor needs,” said Mary Hammon, executive director of Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas.
There is no charge to attend the summit, but pre-registration is required at https:forms.office. com/r/C0rBRys82G. The event is a counterpart to Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas Youth Career Expo, which takes place annually in February, offering more than 3,500 high school students the opportunity to interact with prospective employers.