It was a pleasure hosting the Lenawee Intermediate School District’s Hot Jobs Summit, which brought together the corporate and education sectors to hear new perspectives on how to prepare the next generation for the future.
Attendees had the privilege of hearing from the LISD TECH Center’s Executive Director, Jenny Heath, and Dr. Michael Osborne of Hudson Areas Schools about the LISD’s initiatives in Career and Technical Education. They shared their 10-year vision, highlighting their collaboration with Lenawee Now and the local schools, and the development of regional programming for in-demand skills.
Also, individuals gained insights from keynote speaker, Pat Farver, Lenawee Now’s Executive Director. To begin his presentation, Pat, noted that the future job market would expand by 11.9 million openings by 2030. Pat shared about the increased demand for workers in the leisure/hospitality industries, the future of electric vehicles, and how to best prepare the workforce considering these unfoldings.
Following Pat’s remarks, Tim Robinson addressed the summit and shared the job forecast in Lenawee County. In his talk, Tim shared the current in-demand jobs for individuals with a high school diploma or GED and those with higher degrees. Concerning jobs for those holding a diploma, the construction trades accounted for five of the top 25 occupations, four of which earned above-average wages. Also, Production, maintenance repair, and transportation made up a large portion of the market.
Among vocations that require a degree, managerial occupations accounted for seven of the top jobs and were showing excellent growth rates. Also, business, finance, and healthcare practitioners made up 16% and 13% of the in-demand vocations.
Tim’s comments sparked discussion about the future of the job market, with individuals sharing different opinions and opportunities for workforce members.
To finish the conference, Mark Haag gave closing remarks, allowing individuals to network and discuss the information they had gained.