Where will the jobs of the future come from and how will the people who hold them be trained for the task? If you have thoughts on the workforce of the future or would like to hear a professional take on that subject, the League of Women Voters of Berrien & Cass Counties have a forum with you in mind.
The League will host a public forum on Thursday, March 21st, on how to stimulate new businesses and jobs in our area starting at 12 noon in the Lawrence Room of the Lincoln Township Library located at 2099 West John Beers Road in Stevensville. The forum is open to the public, and citizens will have the opportunity to ask questions. Attendees will pay $10 at the door to cover the cost of the lunch being provided by the League.
John Austin will lead the discussion. For 16 years he served on the Michigan State Board of Education—the last six as its President. Anticipating the types of jobs that would be available when students entered the workforce was important to his work then, and it remains his focus now, in his current position as Director of the Michigan Economic Center, as well as in his work with the Brookings Institution and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is also a lecturer on the economy at the University of Michigan.
At the public forum on March 21st, Austin will offer ideas on how to stimulate new businesses and jobs in our area. He says that in the last century, American business developed ideas, products, and processes that led to economic dominance and, along with it, good jobs. Today, however, he contends that we face a tough new question: Where are the new jobs to replace the hundreds of thousands lost to automation and global competitors? Austin will offer insights and suggestions to answer that question on March 21st.
While the forum is open to the public, the League is requesting reservations because they are necessary for luncheon planning.
Reservations should be made now (but no later than noon on Monday, March 18th) by providing your name and the name of anyone else coming with you by email to jraymond42@frontier.com or by calling or texting 269-208-4043. The charge for lunch, $10 per person, will be taken up at the door.
