City officials and business leaders recently unveiled a new
workforce development plan for the Memphis region, and they have hired a workforce whiz to lead the charge.
Glen Fenter, President of
Mid-South Community College, will head the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce, which aims to align businesses with training programs, and job seekers with necessary skill requirements.
Fenter has served as MSCC president since its inception 1992. He is currently hiring staff and plans to open a new office in January.
"I'm incredibly excited to be leading this initiative that will transform our region and grow our economy by helping ensure that the skills of our people are more consistently matched with the hiring needs of industry," he says.
Fenter is nationally recognized for his work at MSCC, says Willie Gregory, GMACW Chairman and Global Community Impact Director for Nike Inc. Fenter has raised $66 million in federal funds over the past 10 years.
Working with a five-year, $5 million budget, GMACW will use a series of metrics to gauge its effectiveness. On the employer side, it will look for a decrease in open jobs, a decrease in the length of time taken to fill open jobs, and employer satisfaction. On the worker side, it will look for increased job placement and retention, increased program completion and increased program enrollment.
The GMACW is the lead initiative of the Memphis & Shelby County Regional Economic Development Plan, which is part of the
Memphis Fast Forward portfolio. The plan has been devised to develop Memphis as a global leader in the development, production and distribution of high-value goods and services and a model of broad-based cooperation and inclusive growth.
The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program provided consulting support to the plan. It chose Memphis, along with six other communities, to participate in a national economic development planning project.
Amy Liu, Co-director and Senior Fellow with the Brookings program, says Memphis is wise to leverage its logistics capabilities for growth in other industries, such as medical devices and biologistics.
"Your focus on workforce development--with your lead initiative being Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce--is what will have the most impact on the future of your economy," Liu says.
The focus of the alliance is regional and will work with job seekers and employers throughout Memphis, Shelby County, North Mississippi and Eastern Arkansas. A major component of the program will be connecting community colleges and public schools to employers.
The vision of the GMACW is to provide employers the talent they need to compete in their individual marketplaces while providing applicants with the necessary skills for jobs. It will work to align training and education programs with employers' skill requirements, connect employers to cost-effective training and hiring support, and drive coordination and improved outcomes among providers serving job candidates.
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