by Lisa Ventriss, President, Business Roundtable
The Roundtable and strategic partners[1] in the Vermont Talent Pipeline Management[2] project (VTPM) are heavily involved in the roll out of two employer collaboratives, one in construction and the other health care, aimed at increasing the availability of and access to skilled workers for the most critical roles in these vital industries. Taken together, over 50 geographically-diverse companies have agreed to engage in a demand planning process that creates short-term projections of job openings based on a set of assumptions chosen by the employers. Those data will be aggregated and talent flows analyzed to determine where their best hires are being produced, then competencies and credentials will be communicated to the education and training provider communities across Vermont with the express goal of closing our workforce gaps. Already, 40+ public/private/not for profit educators and workforce training providers have stepped forward to indicate their strong willingness to partner on VTPM.
The enthusiasm and commitment to this project from groups around the state has been extremely gratifying. VTPM is a pillar of the Agency of Commerce’s strategic work plan; the State Workforce Development Board (SWDB) has endorsed this initiative; and the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, has awarded funding during our pilot phase. The Roundtable has adopted college and career readiness and VTPM as our strategic foci for the next several years. Indeed, the flywheel has begun spinning in a more coordinated fashion. (more…)
