The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development and WorkingNation will hold a Town Hall-style meeting, “Re-skilling the Mid-Career Workforce,” at 4 p.m. on August 8 at the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.
Space is limited and RSVP is requested.
The 90-minute event aims to shed light on the fact that the future of work and employment is changing faster than we ever could have predicted and that most American workers will need to actively re-skill themselves for the jobs of the future or risk becoming obsolete in the modern workforce.
Moderated by PBS anchor and correspondent Hari Sreenivasan, the event will convene an esteemed panel of experts in economic and workforce development to discuss how to address the growing skills gap in the United States, what can be done to properly train Americans for the jobs of the future, and other important topics.
“Never before have we faced the possibility that nearly every worker over age 45 may require re-skilling,” said WorkingNation founder and CEO Art Bilger. “Our goal with this event is to shine a light on this issue and begin to connect the dots for companies, workers, other organizations, and communities seeking solutions.”
The panel will include:
- Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center;
- Maria Heidkamp, director of the Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network
- Jane Oates, WorkingNation Executive Committee member and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor;
- Kimberly McLain, CEO of the Newark Alliance;
- Amanda Mullan, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of New Jersey Resources Corporation.
The audience will include area residents, New Start Career Network members and mentors, university faculty and students, selected influencers, business leaders, not-for-profit stakeholders, and others all coming together to participate in a dynamic conversation about the issues and solutions.
“As we are learning from our New Start Career Network, thousands of job seekers age 45 and older – even those who are highly educated – are struggling to reconnect to jobs,” Heidkamp said. “Many of them will need to acquire new skills and to become adept with new technologies in order to succeed in today’s changing labor market. We hope this Town Hall will help raise awareness of the challenges they face and identify strategies to help.”
The panel lineup is subject to change. To register for the event, click here. Space is limited so act fast.