(Back to the index) (Back to the beginning of this issue) © 2009 CORD	The theme of this year's conference—"Thriving in Challenging Times"—was chosen to encourage our members and other conference attendees to persevere in their dedication to the success of the nation's students. Many attendees remarked on the positive and encouraging atmosphere that pervaded the event. Attendees at the opening general session on Thursday afternoon were introduced to a new joint publication by NCPN and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. That document, titled Thriving in Challenging Times: Connecting Education to Economic Development through Career Pathways, provides an overview of career pathways (including adult career pathways) and describes seventeen programs from across the country. For more on the document, see the opening article of this newsletter. Each attendee received a complimentary copy. A downloadable PDF is also available here. Dick Hinckley, CORD's president and CEO, spoke about the importance of the career pathways concept in providing a means for unemployed and underemployed adults to get a second chance in public education. (This was the topic of a preconference session on Thursday morning. For a copy of the session presentations, go here and scroll to "Partnering with Business to Address 'The Skills Imperative.'") As Hinckley pointed out, the adult career pathways (ACP) concept is different from career pathways in more traditional student settings. ACP programs call for a special effort on the part of employers, who must be willing to hire ACP students for part-time work, provide release time, and/or help in meeting personal needs, to mention only a few of the many factors involved. Lydia Logan, ICW's Vice President and Executive Director, discussed the importance of career pathways from the businessperson's point of view. ICW is an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents thousands of businesses nationwide. Logan made the point that jobs are available but can't be filled because businesses can't find people with the necessary skills. "We have an obligation to train our young people to be globally competitive," she said. "Career pathways provide relevance and give young people a sense of direction." Deborah Lyons, Director of the Georgia Governor's Office of Workforce Development, spoke about Georgia Work Ready, a new statewide initiative based on skill assessment and certification for job seekers and job profiling for employers. The program has designated six Georgia Work Ready regions, one for each of the state's fastest-growing industries—aerospace, advanced communication, advanced manufacturing, bioscience, energy, and logistics. Each region has assembled an industry network to ensure that its growth plan meets businesses' current and future needs. (For more on this initiative, visit www.gaworkready.org and see page 9 of Thriving in Challenging Times.) The session's keynote speaker was noted author, educator, and business consultant Stedman Graham, who shared the success process outlined in his New York Times bestseller You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success. Graham grew up in a poor community where some people said he would never amount to anything. That challenged him to push himself, as a basketball player, college student, and businessperson. Today he speaks all over the world, helping organizations and individuals improve their performance and leadership skills. Graham challenged his listeners to be the best at what they do, even in low-profile careers. "If you can't be a tree, be a bush," he said. "But be the best bush you can be." Graham also challenged the attendees to stop doing the same thing every day and pursue their dreams. In his view, most people never really engage their minds. "We limit our potential because we are afraid to step out of our small circles. The challenge is to change the way we think within the 24 hours we all have each day." Graham concluded with a reading of D.H. Gober's inspirational poem "The Race," which describes a young runner's determination to finish a foot race after falling down. No matter what happens, Graham said, "keep rising." A special thanks to Atlanta's Carver High School for providing the opening color guard. Back to the index     © 2009 CORD	Mark Whitney is CORD's manager of publication services and editor of Connections. His email address is mwhitney@cord.org.