Conference offers cues for keeping businesses in business and putting workers to work
The Rocky Mountains served as an appropriate backdrop for a meeting where ambitious goals and steep challenges set the agenda. As a member of Massachusetts task force for Expanding Business Engagement (EBE), CareerWorks Senior Employer Services Representative Andrea Kingman was invited to Reaching the Business Summit 2014, a business development conference held this past April in Colorado. The conference brought together representatives from throughout the country to learn about ways that Colorado has successfully implemented a federal Department of Labor initiative designed to help businesses survive and thrive through transitions.
Massachusetts is one of thirteen states involved in the EBE initiative, and Kingman is tasked with connecting to businesses in the Bay State and promoting services which strengthen both the numbers and the skills of the state's workforce. These services can help businesses keep workers employed during periods of downsizing, help them access training programs to enhance their employees' skills, and assist them with locating and acquiring new facilities during growth and expansion.
"It was interesting to see how Colorado and Massachusetts are similar in what they're accomplishing through the EBE grant," Kingman said. "Their AddONE campaign, which challenges each business in Jefferson County to hire just one new employee, is an effective way to generate growth and lower unemployment rates."
May 10, 2014
