Heldrich Center, WorkingNation to co-host town hall, Re-skilling the Mid-Career Workforce, August 8

July 18, 2017

The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development and WorkingNation will hold a Town Hall-style meeting,  “Re-skilling the Mid-Career Workforce,” at 4 p.m. on August 8 at the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.

Space is limited and RSVP is requested.

The 90-minute event aims to shed light on the fact that the future of work and employment is changing faster than we ever could have predicted and that most American workers will need to actively re-skill themselves for the jobs of the future or risk becoming obsolete in the modern workforce.

Moderated by PBS anchor and correspondent Hari Sreenivasan, the event will convene an esteemed panel of experts in economic and workforce development to discuss how to address the growing skills gap in the United States, what can be done to properly train Americans for the jobs of the future, and other important topics.

“Never before have we faced the possibility that nearly every worker over age 45 may require re-skilling,” said WorkingNation founder and CEO Art Bilger. “Our goal with this event is to shine a light on this issue and begin to connect the dots for companies, workers, other organizations, and communities seeking solutions.”

The panel will include:

  • Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center;
  • Maria Heidkamp, director of the Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network
  • Jane Oates, WorkingNation Executive Committee member and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor;
  • Kimberly McLain, CEO of the Newark Alliance;
  • Amanda Mullan, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of New Jersey Resources Corporation.

The audience will include area residents, New Start Career Network members and mentors, university faculty and students, selected influencers, business leaders, not-for-profit stakeholders, and others all coming together to participate in a dynamic conversation about the issues and solutions.

“As we are learning from our New Start Career Network, thousands of job seekers age 45 and older – even those who are highly educated – are struggling to reconnect to jobs,” Heidkamp said. “Many of them will need to acquire new skills and to become adept with new technologies in order to succeed in today’s changing labor market. We hope this Town Hall will help raise awareness of the challenges they face and identify strategies to help.”

The panel lineup is subject to change. To register for the event, click here. Space is limited so act fast.

Recent Posts

The Biggest Barrier to a Vibrant Second-Hand EV Market? Price

New policies and broader subsides are needed to help lower-income buyers afford used electric vehicles, according to a Rutgers study As early adopters of electric vehicles (EVs) trade up for the latest models, the used EV market is beginning to mature in the United...

New Paper on Affordable Rental Housing by NJSOARH

Local Landscapes of Assisted Housing: Reconciling Layered and Imprecise Administrative Data for Research Purposes The New Jersey State of Affordable Housing (NJSOARH) project seeks to understand the state of rental housing affordable to low-income and very low-income...

NJSPL – Extreme Heat, Coastal Flooding, and Health Disparities

Extreme Heat, Coastal Flooding, and Health Disparities: Climate Change Impacts on Older Adults in New Jersey By Josephine O’Grady New Jersey is facing a myriad of climate challenges, including extreme heat, heavy precipitation, coastal flooding, and more natural...

New Paper on Foreclosure Crisis by Prof. Eric Seymour

Prof. Eric Seymour co-authors Judged by Their Deeds: Outcomes for Properties Acquired by Contract Sellers Following the Foreclosure Crisis in Detroit Abstract Prior research has documented the reemergence of predatory land contracts in majority-Black neighborhoods in...

EJB Talks with Professor Michael Smart

Transportation, Urban Planning, and Racial Bias: Insights from Professor Michael Smart In this episode of EJB Talks, Stuart Shapiro interviews Professor Michael Smart, beginning with how he became involved in transportation planning and its impact on poverty and...

Upcoming Events

Bloustein Honors Research Program Poster Session

Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

The members of the 2023-24 Bloustein Honors Research Program cohort will be presenting their individual research projects in two formats.

Korea Development Institute Policy Paper Presentations

Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

All members of the Bloustein community are invited to the final presentation of policy papers by our Korea Development Institute students. Faculty, staff, and students are all welcome to attend.  Light […]