15th Annual UCEA Workforce Development Forum

Dear UCEA Member,

We invite you to attend the 15^thAnnual UCEA Workforce Development Forum (details below).  Please forward this e-mail to anyone you know who may be interested in attending.  Thank you.

January 7-9, 2009 at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach, FL

NOTE: For more information about the Forum, visit the Forum website at http://www.ucea.edu/profdev/seminars/2009forum.

To register, go to http://www.regonline.com/2009forum.

For more information about the Forum hotel, go to http://www.ucea.edu/profdev/seminars/2009forum/2009forumhotel.html.

Keynote Presentations

Michael Renner, Senior Researcher at Worldwatch Institute and co-author of Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World (commissioned by the United Nations Environmental Program, International Labor Organization, International Organization of Employers, and International Trade Union Confederation), will discuss the emergence of the “green economy” and its impact on workforce development.

Ray Schroeder, Professor Emeritus of Communication and Director of the Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning (OTEL) at the University of Illinois at Springfield, will discuss educational technologies that are transforming workforce development.

Who Should Attend?

UCEA's 15^thAnnual Workforce Development Forum is for leaders from business, government, non-profit, economic development, and academic sectors interested in workforce and economic development, including:

• Deans, faculty, and senior administrators at two-year and four-year higher education institutions
• Directors of professional and continuing education units
• Corporate chief learning officers
• Workforce investment board officials
• Regional and state workforce development professionals
• Labor organization leaders

Forum Overview

Competing in today's global knowledge economy requires high quality human capital, particularly for regional economies looking to expand into emerging fields, such as “green jobs,” homeland security, renewable energy, and biotechnology. UCEA's 15th Annual Workforce Development Forum will take place just prior to the opening of the 111th Congress and the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. The Forum will bring together leaders from the business, government, non-profit, and academic sectors to discuss workforce trends, public policy directions, partnership models, and education programs. Thus, the 2009 Forum will explore the following major themes:

• Regional and Global Workforce Needs
• Technology-Supported Workforce Training
• Learning Programs for Diverse Populations
• State and Federal Workforce Policy

Pre-Conference Workshop

The Importance of Workforce Development in Advancing Sustainability

Sustainable development - the interdependence of economic, environmental, and social development – has become increasingly important as regions seek to balance economic development with cleaner living standards. Rising energy prices, growing metropolitan populations, and declining job opportunities in fossil fuel industries are contributing to the need for local, state, and federal governments, as well as businesses, to invest in “green” technologies and industries – to foster job growth, advance regional economic development, and transform employee training to grow the green economy. This workshop will examine how economic development, workforce development, and sustainable development inter-relate. Pre-conference sessions will discuss: job growth in sustainable industries; government, business, and venture capital investment in green technology; and the education and training required by employers to work in sustainable industries.

Venue Information

This year's Forum will be at the Sandpearl Resort, 500 Mandalay Avenue, Clearwater, FL. Call 877-726-3111 or 727-441-2425 to reserve a room. Be sure to indicate that you are attending the UCEA meeting in order to receive the special rate of $174 per night (rate is subject to 7% sales tax and 5% room occupancy tax). The cut-off date for the special rate is December 5, 2008. Visit the hotel's website at http://www.sandpearl.com/.