MEDIA ADVISORY: SEATTLE STUDENT AND BUSINESS LEADERS MEET TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF SEATTLE REGION’S ECONOMY

Discussion will examine degree attainment and workforce readiness

Student body leaders from the greater Seattle-King County area will be meeting with Seattle business leaders at North Seattle College on Wednesday, March 18th to identify shared challenges and potential solutions in navigating local skills gaps.

Nationwide, the economy needs more college graduates, yet attaining a degree has never been more financially daunting. Recent studies found that 96 percent of colleges’ chief academic officers feel their graduating students are ready for success in the workforce, yet only 11 percent of business leaders agree. The roundtable will explore how these trends affect Seattle economic recovery and how the two communities in partnership with the workforce development system can collaborate to solve it.

The goal of the meeting is to learn about local challenges and facilitate greater dialogue and collaboration between these critical constituencies. The discussion will provide a unique opportunity to learn from each other about needs, identify common goals, and drive innovative workforce solutions.

This roundtable discussion is part of a larger series that the National Campus Leadership Council (NCLC) is hosting called the Students Speak Series. NCLC will facilitate similar conversations in 14 other cities including Detroit, Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, Boston, Atlanta, and Columbia, S.C. Local partners supporting the Seattle session include the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County.

WHO:              Michael Zuckerman, Robert Half Technology

                        Aimee Green, Yoh Services, LLC

                        Kristina Hayek, Hexcel Corp

                        Bryan Price, Red Dot Corp

                        Teresa Stanberry, Boeing

           Alex Shockey, Empres Healthcare Management

                        Julie Dunn, King County

                        Maribel Centego, City of Seattle

                        Laura Yanez, Student body president Highline College

                        LaTonya Brisbane, Speak of the Caucuses Highline College

                        Ruth Krizao, Student Vice President Highline College

                        Mitchell Gustin, Student Body President Cornish College of the Arts

                        Morgan Elrod, student Cornish College of the Arts

                        Makenna Gadient, student Cornish College of the Arts

                        Sarah Baker Student Body President North Seattle College

                        Anya Gepfrich, student North Seattle College

  Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County

WHEN:           Wednesday, March 18, 2015           

                        10:30 a.m.

WHERE:         North Seattle College

                        Opportunity Center for Employment & Education, Room 142

                        9600 College Way N

                        Seattle, Washington 98103-3514

To RSVP as a media attendee, please contact Regina Martel at regina@nationalcampusleaders.org.

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