CHICAGOLAND CONVERSATIONS...

CHICAGOLAND CONVERSATIONS...On the maturing workforce

I recently had the pleasure of moderating an extremely provocative panel discussion on the maturing workforce with about 40 of Chicago's leading minds on the subject.  Fellow panelists included representatives from civic associations, government offices, private industry and universities.  I kicked off the event by highlighting why this was an important issue for IBM and asked each of the panelists to do the same. Below you'll find a brief recap from the event.

Of note:

Pamela Tate of the council for Adult and Experiential Learning  discussed the challenges within the changing demographics, pointing out that 60 percent of the available jobs require skills that only 20 percent of the workforce currently has.  In addition, she talked about ways in which to keep the existing workforce working beyond 65.  Pam also highlighted that Baby Boomers don't want to go to senior centers for career advice, so her group has development offices to provide career advice for Baby Boomers.

Fred Hoch, of the Illinois Technology Association , talked about how the tech industry has a bright future ahead of it and needs to create an environment in which experienced workers can share their knowledge with the next generation.

Ruth Sweeter of the Illinois Institute of Technology  emphasized the need for formalized academic and business partnerships.

Jerry Roper, of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce   highlighted that this panel was the perfect platform to understand the issue before people tried to invent something to fix it.  He also noted how Chicago is poised to bring in new talent..."The City is alive," he said.

In addition, we had a number of the attendees provide insights  from a more global perspective.   In particular, Ed Gordon of Imperial Consulting (Ed has also written books on this subject), drilled home messages around the shift in thinking about the US. For instance, he stated that China now stands for learning, while the US's culture is more focused on short-term profits.  He also talked about how the next generation is less educationally prepared than the Baby Boomers.

While I have pages and pages of notes I could share, I thought some of the most telling sound bytes were captured in the following phrases the  panel and audience used to refer to the maturing workforce issue:

• The Fear of Change

• The Roof is Starting to Leak

• The Meltdown

• The Knowledge Vacuum

• The Quiet Crisis

• Solving the Crisis

• What Would be the Cost of Doing Nothing?

Finally, in addition to all the suits in the audience, we also had about 11 students from the I.C. Stars organization attend.  I.C. Stars provides opportunities for inner-city young adults to harness the strength of technology for social and economic leadership. By integrating technology training and leadership development, I.C. Stars is shaping the next generation of technology leaders.

Midway through the conversation, many of the audience members and panelists began asking the students about what they need from the next generation and suggested some questions they should ask potential employers.  At the close of the session, many of the panelists passed up conversations with others to speak directly with the students.  This  really gave the discussion an interesting dynamic, and made me think of that classic CSN&Y song  "Teach your children well"  which in today's maturing workforce could be re-spun as  "Teach your parents well" --either way, the bottom line is we're all learning as we grow (or should I say "mature"?).

I look forward to hearing what others are learning ... 

--Duffy Gaynor

Vice President-IBM Global Services and

Senior Location Executive

Comments

[Ubb Network]

How exciting, i will certainly take a look at the new blog!
business valuation
http://www.ubbnetwork.com/

[Paula Patinella (formerly Briki)]

The sound bytes caught my attention. Where can I find more information on what's behind them?