Octobber 10, 2007
Chamber Acttive to Impro
C
ove Educatio
on
W
Working
to Id
dentify Work
kforce Needs
s
The Institute for
T
f Emerging Issues Busin
ness Committe
ee on Higher
E
Education
me
et in Charlotte
e last month. Ann
A Goodnight (Chamber
b
board
membe
er), and forme
er GlaxoSmith
hKline CEO Bob
B Ingram
(
(Chamber
Co
ornerstone me
ember), chaire
ed the commiittee.
A
Additionally,
N
North
Carolina
a Chamber Chairman
C
John
n Atkins is a
m
member
of the
e committee, and both he and our Cham
mber’s Vice
P
President
of Governmenta
G
l Affairs, John
n McAlister were
w
in
a
attendance.
The committe
T
ee was formed
d following the 2007 Emerging Issues
F
Forum
(hosted in Februaryy), which indiccated a clear need for
b
business
lead
ders to conveyy their workfo
orce prepared
dness
c
challenges
an
nd needs to th
he leaders of our state’s institutions of
h
higher
learnin
ng and to help
p those institu
utions make meaningful
m
c
changes
to meet
m
those nee
eds. The com
mmittee develo
oped a set of
d
draft
recomme
endations and
d the purpose
e of the meetiing was to
s
share
those re
ecommendations with business and education leade
ers
f
from
across th
he state to ge
et feedback be
efore presentting them to th
he
s
state’s
higherr education lea
adership.
Long-standin
L
ng Partnersh
hip Helps
M
Meet
Membe
ers’ Educatio
on Expectatio
ons
North Carolina
N
a Chamber President
P
and CEO Lew Eb
bert participatted
last month in the Public Scchool Forum’ss Board Retre
eat in Durham
m.
T
This
long-stan
nding partnersship between
n our Chambe
er and the
F
Forum
helps us
u meet our members’
m
exp
pectations aro
ound ensuring
g
a world-class workforce forr the new eco
onomy in our state. The
F
Forum
facilita
ates the coope
erative effortss of business, government,,
a education
and
n leaders to im
mprove North
h Carolina’s public school
s
system.
Our Chamber
C
is pleased to be part of this im
mportant group
p.
Our Chambe
O
er Applauds the
t Durham Chamber
D
Durham
Reco
ognized for Workforce
W
D
Development
Success
The City of Durham was honored at the US Chamber’s Institute for
a Competitive Workforce (ICW) annual Education and Workforce
Summit in Washington, DC last month. Durham was honored with
ICW’s first annual Community Competitiveness Award, and the
Institute also recognized the Greater Durham Chamber of
Commerce for its part in Durham’s success.
According to the ICW, a strong factor in selecting Durham were the
efforts put forth by the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce,
Durham Technical Community College, the Durham Public School
System, and the local business community. ICW particularly
acknowledged the creation of the Superintendent’s Business
Advisory Council, which has helped to increase communication
between leaders in business, education and public policy. Also
recognized was the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce’s
commitment to developing a skilled and qualified workforce. With
initiatives ranging from pre-kindergarten to the 50+ worker, the
Durham Chamber is a leader among employer organizations
nationwide.
North Carolina Chamber President and CEO Lew Ebert attended
the ICW’s annual Summit as part of a national effort to promote
effective and sustainable business and education partnerships. The
Summit brought together more than 300 leaders in business,
education, and workforce development to discuss issues which are
vital to America’s competitiveness. It was an excellent opportunity
to compare best practices across the country when it comes to
workforce development and preparedness programs and policies.
Now, more than ever, the future of business in the U.S. depends on
our education and workforce training systems and their ability to
adapt to changes in technology, demographics, globalization, and
other forces affecting our society and our economy.
Help Develop our 2008 Competitiveness Agenda:
Seeking Direct Input from Chamber Members
As our Chamber begins its 2007 GRASSROOTS NETWORK Area
Meetings this week, we are asking you to encourage your members
to attend and/or offer their input through our Business Ballots.
These “listening sessions” and Business Ballots will help our state
Chamber and Chamber Federation partners craft a member-driven
agenda to unite North Carolina businesses of all sizes and types to
deliver results next year in the NC General Assembly.
Click here for a comprehensive schedule and to register for the
North Carolina Chamber’s GRASSROOTS NETWORK Area
Meetings.
Click here for our Chamber’s Business Ballot, which can be faxed
back to the North Carolina Chamber at 919-836-1425.
As always, ou
A
ur state Cham
mber is interessted in hearing from you. To
T
o
offer
feedbackk on anything
g in this newslletter or our North
N
Carolina
a
C
Chamber
Fed
deration, pleasse email or ca
all our state Chamber’s
C
Vicce
P
President
of Governmenta
G
l Affairs, John
n McAlister, at
a
[email protected] or 91
19-836-1400.
T
This
message
e was originallly sent to .
To view this eN
T
Newsletter on
nline, go to
Click here to SE
END a copy of
o the Federation Insider to
t a Friend.
Click
C
here to be
b ADDED to our Federatiion Insider mailing
m
list.
Click
k here to be REMOVED
R
from the Federration Inside
er mailing list.
Copyright © 20
007 All Rightss Reserved
No
orth Carolina Chamber of Commerce
70
01 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 400
Raleig
gh, N.C. 2760
07
919.836.14
400 [email protected]