Pride and a Reinvigorated Sense of Purpose

I am at the Liaison Capitol Hill in Washington DC attending the Association of Private Sector College and Universities (APSCU) “2015 State of the Workforce Symposium.” This annual gathering of leaders in education, government, research, and business focuses on the emerging trends in the workforce, the workplace, and how to best prepare our country for the seismic changes facing us in the next ten years.

Steve Gunderson, President and CEO of APSCU opened the program stating, “The goal of the Symposium is to bring together the best minds in emerging occupations and emerging occupational skill demands. I want this Symposium to be ‘the place’ where our sector, and all of higher education, can come together with business and labor economists to both look into the future; and then understand how we transfer this information into our academic programming.”

I felt pride and a reinvigorated sense of purpose listening to Mr. Gunderson declare that, “this is much more than a debate about policy or a debate about politics, this is a morale question about whether this nation will provide an opportunity for education and career skills that lead to real jobs, with real wages, with a real chance for a place in America’s middle class!”

Steve explained the essential role that private sector education, and all sectors of education, have in training the projected 55 million Americans that will be entering the workforce by 2020. Institutions are responsible for ensuring that students’ learning outcomes match tomorrow’s workforce needs and private sector education is leading the way.

In closing he stated that, “there is no other place [he] would rather be than serving as President and CEO of APSCU; helping to lead this important work. But what makes this work special is that together we are embarked upon America’s most noble mission: to help new generations of Americans achieve their version of the American Dream—one student at a time.”

Steve Gunderson, thank you for all that you do. Without this sector of education, our country could not possibly train enough people with the critical skill-sets that we need to fill the jobs of the future.

My partner Todd and I, along with our entire team, are very proud of the work we do at MDT Marketing on behalf of private sector schools, colleges and universities. Encouraging people from all walks of life, many of whom are not sure how to rise up and claim their piece of the American dream, and inspiring them to go back to school is both fulfilling and thoroughly rewarding.