Fairfax Chamber, George Mason University, and Fairfax County Government Partner to Ensure Competitiveness of Work Force:

4^th Annual ISSUES FAIRFAX Forum Brings Together Civic, Corporate, and Government Sectors

MCLEAN, Va. – The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, George Mason University and Fairfax County brought together more than two hundred stakeholders from our county’s business, government, civic, and non-profit sectors for the fourth annual Issues Fairfax forum today at Capital One.  The topic of this year’s forum was “Leading the Creative Economy: Is the Workforce Ready?”

The goal of the day-long event was to engage attendees in a community dialogue about finding real-time, market-based solutions to the challenge of creating and maintaining a creative and globally competitive workforce. 

“Today we find ourselves at a crossroads. Companies, non-profits, and government face an increasing need to leverage their knowledge assets and compete in the global economy. In order to be competitive employers and employees alike must define and respond to changing economies, recognize new risks and opportunities, and be motivated to find creative solutions to remain competitive,” explained Becky Parker, Vice-President of Ferris Baker Watts and Chairman of the Fairfax County Chamber.  “The quality of life in Fairfax County is frequently cited as being among the best in the nation and sustaining it requires a fresh look at the skills required for improving our position in an increasingly global economy.”

The forum kicked off with a panel discussion on how we can develop our workforce to meet the needs of the global economy.  The panel included Dr. Jack Dale, Superintendent for Fairfax County Public Schools; Dr. Robert Templin, President of Northern Virginia Community College; Suresh Shenoy, Executive Vice President, IMC, Inc.; and Sara D. Watson, Senior Officer of Pew Charitable Trust and Dr. Steven Fuller of George Mason University’s Public Policy Department. The panel emphasized the spectrum of learning – from early childhood development to “just-in-time” training for emerging technologies required in the global economy.  A key point was the interdependence across the entire spectrum of imparting skills and preparedness so the workforce can effectively learn throughout their careers. 

Stakeholders engaged in interactive dialogue during break-out sessions which focused on each element of the spectrum of learning.  The sessions identified consensus about priorities in preparing the workforce, identifying the challenges of achieving these priorities and opportunities for private sector partnerships to achieve shared goals.

The keynote speaker Ray Uhalde, Director of the Workforce Development Program at the National Center on Education and the Economy and former Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor. Mr. Uhalde provided a challenging view of the nation’s declining position is many of the skills required for future competitiveness in the global marketplace while making his case for comprehensive and systemic change in how we prepare our future workforce.

“This forum set in motion the critical steps for building the partnerships within this community for sustaining our economic competitiveness,” Parker concluded.

Established in 1925, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce is a privately operated, nonprofit membership organization that represents northern Virginia’s premier businesses. The Fairfax County Chamber leverages its access, influence and relationships to advance the economic vitality and quality of life in the northern Virginia region. For more information about the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, visit the Chamber’s Web site at www.fairfaxchamber.org.

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PARTNERS: Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce George Mason University Fairfax County