On Wednesday, October 25, led by the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce (GMACWorkforce) and the Greater Memphis Chamber, more than 25 private companies met with representatives from Shelby County Schools and several municipal school districts to discuss how the two groups can work together to improve and support career readiness in education. Keynote speaker, State Representative Mark White (R-83), discussed the State of Tennessee’s efforts to attract more business to the Greater Memphis Region and how an improved pipeline of highly educated and well-trained citizens is critical to that effort. Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson discussed strategies for coordinating industry sectors and clusters in Shelby County Schools’ Career and Technical Education Centers.
The participating organizations joined in lively roundtable discussions to learn how schools and businesses can work together to create valuable partnerships. “K-12 schools cannot be successful without community business involvement, parents, and the greater community at large,” said John Churchill, GMACWorkforce Vice President, Business Services. “At GMACWorkforce, we will track and measure the effectiveness of these relationships and share our findings with each other.”