LAS CRUCES, NM – The single greatest barrier to the long-term well-being of our community and state is consistently identified as the need for a skilled and ready workforce. While some progress has been made, there is an incredible opportunity to make even greater, faster progress when we connect what students learn with what they can earn through Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways.
Kevin Fleming, passionate advocate for ensuring all students enter the labor market with a competitive advantage, and Janet Bray, former Executive Director of the Association for Career and Technical Education, will headline the 2017 Pathways to Student Success Summit on Saturday, April 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oñate High School, 5700 Mesa Grande Dr.
Other featured speakers include Celina Bussey, New Mexico Secretary of Workforce Solutions, Debbi Moore, President & CEO of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, and a panel of local graduates discussing the importance of CTE pathways in their own career success.
Co-sponsored by the Daniels Fund, US Bank, The Bridge of Southern New Mexico, and Doña Ana Community College, this Summit convenes business leaders, community leaders, and educators to better understand the power of Career and Technical Education in boosting high school graduation and college completion rates and building the skilled and ready workforce our state desperately needs to succeed.
“These pathways are the path forward,” said Dr. Greg Ewing, Las Cruces superintendent of schools. “Thanks to unprecedented alignment between our county’s institutions and community partners, students in Doña Ana County are positioned to succeed like never before.”
Dr. Renay Scott, president of Doña Ana Community College said, “Even at the national level, one of the few things that has achieved bi-partisan support is recognition that students are not being prepared for entrepreneurial and employment success, and the answer lies in Career and Technical Education.”
Fleming is the producer of the viral animation video “Success in the New Economy,” and author of the bestseller, “(Re)Defining the Goal.” He supports over 40 Career & Technical Education programs as a Dean of Instruction, CTE at Norco College (part of Riverside Community College District, California). He also serves as the Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Supply Chain Automation (Washington DC). Previously, he analyzed industry trends and workforce needs while providing customized geospatial labor market research for the largest higher education system in the world: the California Community Colleges.
Janet Bray is the Chief Strategist and founder of Bray Strategies. Previously she served as the Executive Director of the Association for Career and Technical Education, a not-for-profit association representing over 30,000 professionals across the United States. She provided leadership on a broad spectrum of education and workforce issues and directed the strategic public policy and public awareness efforts of the association. Janet currently provides her expertise and knowledge with the Industry Workforce Needs Council, the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation, Manufacturing Skills Standards Institute, The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, National Coalition of Certification Centers, Career Readiness Institute, Pathways to Prosperity project, Global Pathways Institute, Ideagen, Innovate + Educate, the National Association of Workforce Boards, Department of Labor work on career pathways, ed2go/Cengage and The Hope Street Group.
To learn more about the Summit, visit The Bridge of Southern New Mexico’s website and click on the News & Events button at the bottom of the page, or by calling 575-541-7325.