CAREERSOURCE BREVARD’S LISA RICE REPRESENTS FLORIDA’S WORKFORCE IN D.C.

Building effective local strategies to boost quality job creation, employment and participation.

An International Perspective–Held November 18th-19th, 2014, Washington D.C.

Brevard County, Florida– Lisa Rice, President of CareerSource Brevard, the area authority on workforce development, was asked to participate in the U.S. Department of Labor-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD )Workshop on Workforce Development and Local Job Creation in Washington D.C.

Rice was one of 75 high-level policy makers and workforce and economic development and education practitioners selected in the United States and internationally to ensure the voices of local stakeholders were well represented.

The workshop presented an opportunity to examine how linkages between workforce development agencies, economic development organizations, employers and educational institutions can be further developed to boost the quality and quantity of employment, and labor force participation. The workshop highlighted both key international and U.S. research findings and experiences from the OECD’s work on this topic. The event also provided an opportunity to discuss how best to take forward the Group of 20 (G-20) policy priorities on local job creation.

G-20 is the name given to the group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 of the world’s largest economies, which includes 19 countries and the European Union. The G-20 meets periodically to discuss important issues related to the global economy, such as international trade agreements, global energy markets and the impact of population on world-wide commerce.

“Key findings from the OECD’s comparative project in 12 countries (how employment and training agencies can contribute to creating more and better quality jobs) when placed in US context, found the US to be rated higher than almost every area studied when it comes to workforce initiatives and outcomes. However, countries such as Australia, Sweden and Ireland are showing a greater employment success with people with disabilities and showing higher outcomes with their apprenticeship programs. Something the US certainly needs to address. With the information gathered from the workshop, CSB will be applying international best practices to further develop its capacity to deliver exceptional workforce services.” said Lisa Rice, president of CareerSource Brevard.

Workshop speakers included: Chris Lu, Deputy Secretary of Labor and Sylvain Giguère, Head of Division, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development program. Sessions included: Effective local strategies to boost quality job creation, employment and participation, and how to better align skills and training systems with current demands.

The workshop was hosted by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, The Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and with the support of the European Commission DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion.

For more workshop information, www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/workshop-washingtondc-workforce-ljc.htm

For more information on CareerSource Brevard, www.careersourcebrevard.com.