April 2001 Summit

Executive Summary

Various reports have identified the educational inadequacies of Philadelphia's workforce as a major deterrent to business attraction. In an effort change this statistic and reverse the perception, on April 25, 2001, the Mayor's Commission on Technology formerly TPAC convened a Technical Education Workforce Development Summit at the Community College of Philadelphia. The Summit stimulated discussion on ways to develop and retain the city's human capital to meet biotech and other new technology sector business requirements region-wide. Specific Summit objectives were to:

  • Identify and showcase educational programs in Philadelphia that can deliver to the business community a workforce with the technical skills they require; and
  • Forge strategic alliances to produce both broad-based and targeted solutions to fill gaps identified in our current offerings.

The Summit was structured to elicit information and promote collaboration among Summit attendees to work toward helping the Mayor achieve his goal: to propel Philadelphia into the ranks of the top 10 cities in the country with a reputation of being able to satisfy the workforce needs of current and future employers in a growing technology-based industry.

TPAC Executive Director, Carole I. Smith, opened the Summit focusing on specific industry sectors, noting that despite the economic downturn, opportunities for growth and expansion continue to exist and we must prepare our citizenry for them. Stating that building a technical workforce will be key to maintaining the city's competitiveness, she emphasized that the city must focus on identifying and acquiring resources from the public and private sectors to:

  • enable it to spend more on education and training
  • provide more economic incentives such as scholarships, and;
  • encourage closer university and corporate cooperation to focus education and training in the areas of science and engineering where the needs are greatest.

Keynote Speaker, Stephen Gaus, Regional Director, Siemens Enterprise Networks, spoke to regional workforce needs, the concerns of area businesses, and stressed the need for training programs that develop a combination of skills - technical and soft - to improve employability.

Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, provided the perspective of the average citizen and problems elected officials face using technology in their need to know. Of key concern to her were the problems with helping citizens understand the practical applications, uses and benefits of technology in their everyday lives, at work, home and play.

Expert panelists in Summit Issue Sessions focused on sectors determined to be critical growth areas in the city and region. E-Business/Call Centers because doing business electronically is becoming the norm, and Philadelphia's position on the East Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region gives it a strategic advantage for distribution and call center operations. BioTech/Life Sciences because these are the technology business development targets for the City and State. Electronic/New Media because the Internet is increasing demands for interactivity, and the industry appears to be growing in Philadelphia. And, Infrastructure/Community because the right physical, professional, promotional and motivational resources must be in place to enable the development and coordination of multiple and related technical education and workforce development initiatives.

Describing their technical education and workforce development efforts to date and plans for the future, Deidre' R. Farmbry, Ed.D, Chief Academic Officer, School District of Philadelphia; Stephen M. Curtis, Ed.D, President Community College of Philadelphia; Dr. Thomas Hindelang, CPA, Dean, Graduate and Professional Studies, Drexel University; and Peter Joyce, Workforce Development Manager, Cisco Systems; provided a wealth of information in the Closing Session, Planning for the Future, Developing a Pipeline.

The amount and diversity of information provided during the Summit verified the need for:

  • a technical education clearinghouse and resource guide;
  • better collaboration in developing and implementing training programs targeted to industry needs;
  • improved communication mechanisms to reach all levels of the community.

Summary | Opening Remarks | Sessions
Closing Remarks

 
 





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