Description

Are you an educator, parent or school board member interested in learning how your school can equip students with the skills needed by today's employers? Are you a manufacturing industry leader interested in developing innovative partnerships with schools to ensure you get the talent you need to grow your company? If so, the Automation Alley Education and Workforce Committee invites you to be part of an important discussion on a critical issue for the state of Michigan: bridging the gap in the manufacturing talent pipeline. Featuring a keynote presentation by Karen McPhee, senior education policy adviser for Governor Rick Snyder, the summit is intended to facilitate the formation of partnerships between the manufacturing business community and area K-12 schools, resulting in employer-backed school programming to promote manufacturing as a viable career path. The event will include case studies from Michigan school districts that have successfully partnered with manufacturing companies to create programs that expose students to manufacturing career paths. About Karen McPhee: Karen McPhee was named senior education policy advisor for Governor Rick Snyder in 2015. Prior to joining the governor?s office, Karen McPhee worked for the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District for 30 years, the last eleven as superintendent. The Ottawa Area Intermediate School District is the sixth-largest in the state, supporting 55,000 students in 11 school districts, six charter schools and 18 parochial schools. The intermediate district's programs include the Careerline Tech Center, which provides training in 24 career areas to high school students; futurePREP'd, a community and business-driven partnership focused on providing students with career exploration and training; and the Thompson M-TEC, which partners with Grand Rapids Community College and businesses in the region to provide training for adults. As senior education policy adviser, McPhee assists the Snyder administration in its efforts to improve reading programs in early grades, to help prepare high school students for college and careers and to improve academics and transparency in all Michigan schools. Additional speakers include: -Mary Kaye Aukee, Director, Career Focused Education, Oakland Schools -Kyle Dannenberg, Development Coordinator, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District -Jason Luke, Program Administrator, Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency -Alycia Meriweather, Executive Director, Office of Science; Detroit Mathematics and Science Center, Detroit Public Schools -Scott Palmer, Career Technical Education Consultant, Macomb Intermediate School District