Cluster Meeting Planned In The Bitterroot – Hamilton- 2/19

2004-02-19 07:30:00
Bitterroot River Inn Holiday Inn Express in Hamilton

The Bitterroot Workforce System Community Management Team (CMT) is working with the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority (RCEDA) and The Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce to organize a business community meeting. This event is planned for February 19, 2004 from 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at the Bitterroot River Inn Holiday Inn Express in Hamilton.

The purpose of this meeting is to bring Ravalli County employers together to discuss our area’s workforce challenges and labor needs by industry clusters. All key industry leaders and representatives will be invited to participate.

The facilitator will be Dr. Leo Presley, of Presley & Associates in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Dr. Presley has a successful and distinguished background that includes work in organizational management, leadership training, and economic development. In 1998, the newly created Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board recruited Leo to guide the board through its critical start-up phase. In 1995, Governor Frank Keating selected Leo to serve as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Previously, he served as an Assistant State Director for Oklahoma’s nationally recognized vocational education system.

Dr. Presley is highly respected for his work with group process and facilitation techniques. He will lead us in developing a “Community Coalition” approach designed to determine the industry clusters and related workforce challenges for the Bitterroot Valley Workforce Development Area.

This focused coalition meeting will be for 3 hours and designed to accomplish the following:

A. Identify the industry clusters within the Bitterroot Workforce Development Area;

B. Identify the workforce challenges within each industry cluster;

C. Identify possible solutions to the workforce challenges;

D. Create industry cluster task forces to continue the work of identifying workforce challenges & creating solutions for each industry cluster.

A full partnership between business, industry, education, and government will help our rural community develop a proactive plan to create a workforce with the necessary skills and training that our current employers need to grow and prosper.

RSVP fax: 363-1823; e-mail: [email protected]; mail: 333 W. Main, Hamilton MT 59840; or call: 375-6044