Explore every episode of the podcast Scratchin' The Surface of Workforce Development

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Join me as I talk about what I think the difference is between an employee and a workforce developer; what it means to do workforce in 2026; and what I hope for you!

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In this episode I discuss realities of contract training in public workforce development from my perspective. 

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In this episode of 'Scratching the Surface of Workforce Development,' I addresses the importance of moving past 'false professionalism' to foster genuine communication. I delve into various myths and truths about workforce development, including misconceptions about the role of the federal government, the necessity of both technical and soft skills, and the cultural reliance on four-year degrees as the primary path to success. I emphasize the critical role of community development and local initiatives in workforce development, the importance of integrating soft skills into education, and the potential of apprenticeships when properly implemented. I also highlight the need for meaningful partnerships between employers and educators and the importance of continuous learning. We continue to advocate for a more honest discussion about the varied paths to success, particularly for women and minorities in the trades.

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Welcome to Season 3 of 'Scratching the Surface of Workforce Development.' Season 1 we learned how to do this, season 2 we survived life so it's definitely not my best work. But season 3? Season 3 is going to bring some real examples of things that are working.  Stay tuned. 

This episode reflects on personal and professional challenges as I discuss the ups and downs of my life over the past few months, including significant family events while the world continued to move. I continue to emphasize  resilience, honesty, and a relentless focus on making a difference in people's lives. I also spend some time highlighting the importance of collaboration between workforce development professionals, economic developers, and industry leaders.

I spend some time discussing the need to streamline systems, challenge bureaucratic inefficiencies, and ensure that training aligns with real job demands. The episode also touches on the 'American Talent Strategy' and its potential impact on workforce training and coordination between federal, state, and local entities.

Thanks for sticking with me! 

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In this episode I describe how I wish we treated data and requests as workforce developers. How I wish funders could be realistic and not encourage the habit. And, in general, some of my pollyanna views of where I wish my industry could go...

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Join me as I chat about all things current in workforce and the need to determine what needs to change. I discuss federal and state policy here and my viewpoints on where we are as a policy and a profession. Glad to be back after a long, unscheduled break!

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As I experience more and more, I continue to come back to some simple realities of things I hope for my profession, the one we rarely name-Workforce Development. Here I share some of these thoughts. 

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Workforce developers typically pride themselves on how much 'work' they do in a day. Their jobs require it. But, when do we network? When do we take the time to build relationships outside of those we are directly responsible to? Rarely in some cases. These relationships are critical for so many reasons. They're also vital to the business development process that's often overlooked for our obsession with checking boxes.  In this episode I talk a little about networking specifically with economic developers and developing business with industry partners in uncertain times...again, just scratching the surface! Join me for the final episode for season 1, I'll take a short break through August (this was recorded in July) and see you all again in late September. 

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There are critical occupations required to support most export industries. Where do they stand in your community?

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As the country depends more and more on 'workforce developers', I think there are critical skills that must be learned and employed to be successful at the local level. I share some of those here as I've heard from listeners that this content is what they're most interested in. Here you go! If you have other topics you'd like me to consider adding, please find me on LinkedIn and let's discuss! 

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Join me this episode as I chat about the harsh realities of living in survival mode,  antiquated workforce systems, robots, addiction, scarcity mentalities, hard decisions, hard conversations, and poor outcomes. Ultimately, workforce development is in a crossroads as it's become the sexy topic of the time period, but most still don't understand it. Our workforce is producing the skills  it was designed to produce, at the rate it was designed to-we MUST do something different if we are going to support THIS generation. It starts with actually being able to talk about the issues without special interests taking over, without the fear of losing a dollar entering the conversation.  We need a system that works with EVERYONE who wants to work-period. We need to stop accepting the concept that all training is upskilling, if we're going to be a truly 'more productive' society. I hit on a lot this episode, so come join me for the ride and let's chat!

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Join as Ryan Miller and I discuss the work his office, AccelerateMS, is doing in Mississippi. This new office has a broad mandate and is working to secure Mississippi's future. 

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We are coming off a big win in Mississippi and as I sat in the Capitol watching the Legislators do their part of this, my brain went to work. Economic, Workforce, and Community Development intersect in many ways, and sometimes not at all. Remember, we just scratch the surface of topics! 

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This week, I have the pleasure of hosting Matt Bogoshian, Executive Director of the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative. Matt is a leading policy expert and doing great things in the space of pulling varied groups of humans together to support manufacturing in America!  Check out their website at https://americanmcc.org/ and I urge you to sign up for their weekly calls AND their newsletter. Some fantastic connection points! 


Note: Due to my editing cycle, Matt was my first actual guest, but Reuben's episode aired first. 

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Join us as Reuben, Associate Vice President for Research at Mississippi State University (More here: https://www.research.msstate.edu/directory/rfb2) and I discuss all things workforce, our partnerships, and the work he and his university are doing to support manufacturing in Mississippi. 

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We spend a lot of time in workforce development discussing deficiencies. Join me as I talk about how I believe we have to move forward as communities, regions, states, and, frankly, the country. We can only control our small portion of it but I do think there are ways to move forward and get big wins. 

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Join me as I talk about a few of the things I wish I knew when I entered formal workforce development through a workforce training role. 

Do you have others you wish you knew?  LET ME KNOW! 

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Welcome to the introductory episode of Scratchin' The Surface of Workforce Development! Join me as I share my 'why' for even recording this and ultimately why I wanted to get a conversation going!