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WorkingNation and Heldrich Center for Workforce Development co-host Town Hall on jobs crisis

The event, “Re-skilling The Mid-Career Workforce,” will feature a panel of experts discussing issues related to the rapidly expanding skills gap in the United States and potential solutions.
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WorkingNation and the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, will hold a Town Hall-style meeting on August 8, entitled “Re-skilling The Mid-Career Workforce.”

WorkingNation, a national not-for-profit campaign dedicated to preparing the American workforce for the changing employment demands of the U.S. economy, has partnered with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University to produce the event as part of an awareness campaign tied to Labor Day weekend.

RELATED STORY: WorkingNation/Heldrich Center Town Hall recap

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.

Town Hall Host and Moderator Hari Sreenivasan, Anchor and Senior Correspondent for PBS NewsHour. Photo – Jonathan Barenboim

Moderated by PBS NewsHour 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.”

One of WorkingNation’s core principles is a belief that solving the jobs crisis must start at the local level with cooperation between municipal governments, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations.

The panel will include:

  • Carl Van HornFounding Director of Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, and Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
  • Maria Heidkamp, Director, New Start Career Network, and Senior Researcher, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University.
  • Jane Oates, WorkingNation Executive Committee Member and former Assistant Secretary – Employment and Training Administration, US Department of Labor.
  • Kimberly McLain, CEO of the Newark Alliance.
  • Amanda Mullan, Senior Vice President and Chief of Human Resources at New Jersey Resources.
  • John Colborn, Chief Operating Officer of JEVS Human Services.

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. 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,” Heidkamp said.

The event will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 4 p.m. at the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.

The panel lineup is subject to change. To register for the event, click here. Space is limited so act fast.

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