The chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission welcomed attendees to a global and domestic workforce training roundtable. She thanked partner organizations for their support in addressing workforce issues like job growth and retention. The roundtable follows a successful workforce summit last year where participants recommended increased collaboration between government, businesses, and education. Speakers will discuss workforce challenges and opportunities to learn from Germany's dual education system, as well as the need to understand future job demands and improve career preparation for students. The Commission aims to facilitate discussions to advance workforce development through strengthened partnerships.

1. Northern Virginia Regional Commission
Global and Domestic Workforce Training Roundtable
April 22, 2016
Opening Remarks
Good morning. I am Penny Gross, Chairman of the Northern
Virginia Regional Commission, and vice-chairman of the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors. It is my pleasure to welcome you, and
thank you for joining us today. We have several Commissioners with us
this morning, and I’d like to introduce them to you now….
I also want to thank our partners who have helped cosponsor our
event this morning: the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the
International Committee of the Northern Virginia Technology Council,
and the Northern Virginia Community College. Thank you for your
assistance and support, not just today, but throughout our journey to
address workforce – how to keep good jobs, grow good jobs, and attract
new jobs.
This morning’s discussion comes on the heels of a very successful
Workforce Summit we held on September 22 last year. Keynoted by our
Governor, Terry McAuliffe, the conversation was good, frank, and the
recommendations were solid. In fact, we have those recommendations
posted on the wall here at NVRC, as a constant reminder of our mission
and our goal. The message clearly, and not surprisingly, is that we need
to work together – government, the business community, and our
educational institutions.
NVRC has been proud over the years to help develop relationships
with sister regions in Germany. Our native tongues may be different,

2. but the issues we face are similar. When I visited Leipzig and Stuttgart
for the METREX Conference in 2014, a lot of the discussion among
European delegates centered on building relationships to achieve mutual
goals. And we are fortunate this morning to hear from two of the
leading German-based companies in our region – Volkswagen and
Rehau – about workforce issues. We also are joined by Scott Ralls, the
new president of Northern Virginia Community College, who had a
most successful record on workforce issues at his previous post in the
North Carolina Community College system. And last, but not least, we
will hear from our partners in the Fairfax County Public Schools. We
know that we will not be trying to duplicate the dual system that has
served Germany, its citizens, and businesses so well. There are
opportunities, however, to learn best practices that we may be able to
tweak to fit our system.
One of the recurrent themes we at the Commission have heard
from educators and the business community is the need to understand
what the job pipeline is, and how our schools can prepare students for
the jobs not just available today, but in the future. Workforce demands
today are constantly changing. The traditional models we grew up with
may no longer exist. We need to work together to improve and expand
the conversation and opportunities. NVRC can play a crucial role in
convening the key stakeholders, and fostering the significant, and
sometimes challenging, dialogue that will move us forward together.
Our partnership must build the trust, understanding, and dynamics that
continues the journey to marketplace success for all our residents.
Again, my thanks for participating in our conversation today. I
look forward to your active involvement in the weeks and months ahead.