K-12 education expert to speak on training tomorrow’s workforce

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The region’s community colleges will join Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’ Enterprise (FAME) in hosting a seminar in Rochester in January on how changes to public school standards will better prepare the future workforce.Willard R. Daggett, founder of the International Center for Leadership in Education, will speak at FAME’s College and Career Ready event on Thursday, Jan. 17, at Monroe Community College, R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center, Warshof Conference Center, Monroe A and B, 1000 E. Henrietta Road.He will discuss changes to New York state’s common core standards and how manufacturers can assist school leaders in meeting these changes. The event runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Entry is $25 per person, $15 for members of FAME and free for regional educators with advance registration.Register online at www.nyfame.org. Daggett is recognized worldwide for his proven ability to move preK-12 education systems towards more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge. He will specifically address the needs of the advanced manufacturing sector, which has changed significantly from the days of traditional assembly line manufacturing.
“Pushed by technology and global competition, the American workplace – and manufacturing in particular – is going through fundamental structural changes,” Daggett said. “There is no place left for the unskilled. In preparing students to be college and career ready by shifting to common core state standards and more rigorous assessments, schools are focusing on higher levels of learning and getting students to apply knowledge to solve predictable and unpredictable real-world situations.”Today’s advanced manufacturers use computerized processes to make precision instruments. Workers need training beyond high school, for example, an apprenticeship or a two-year community college degree.“Manufacturing is changing. It’s modern. It’s computerized. There is a growing demand for workers with new kinds of skills here in the Rochester region. This conference is about how we adjust our education system to meet this new demand,” said Lynn Freid, manager of business development and training at Finger Lakes Community College.Community colleges have created new advanced manufacturing degree programs designed specifically for local employers’ needs.Finger Lakes Community College offers a degree in instrumentation and control technologies, which prepares students to work as technicians in manufacturing, health care and other industries. Full-tuition scholarships are available for unemployed workers interested in training for the growing advanced manufacturing industry. Information is available at (315) 789-3131.The Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’ Enterprise (FAME) is a partnership of employers, educators and government agencies that works to attract and train skilled workers in advanced manufacturing. The College and Career Ready event is also hosted by the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board and Finger Lakes, Genesee and Monroe community colleges.