Times listed in EDT.
Highlights
As the nation and the economy recover from the pandemic, it is clear that there will be dramatic competition for talent. To succeed in this climate, companies must have a strategy for recruiting, retaining and leveraging the full abilities and commitment of their people. In this session, you will be given a step-by-step guide to designing a great workplace filled with economy-boosting jobs.
Overview
There's nothing accidental about creating a great place to work. It's a design challenge and can leverage the same set of skills a company brings to bear in rolling out new products or implementing lean practices to reduce waste. Employees can become ambassadors, recruiting their friends and family to fill a company's positions at all levels. Turning your internal culture into a competitive advantage is a science, not an art. This session will draw upon the joint experience of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, the MEP National Network, The National Fund for Workforce Solutions, and their manufacturer partners from across the country. Learn to design a great workplace that will help you stay ahead.
Company
The National Fund for Workforce Solutions invests in a dynamic national network of about 30 communities taking a demand-driven, evidence-based approach to workforce development. At the local level, its partner organizations contribute resources, test ideas, collect data and improve public policies and business practices that help all workers succeed and employers have the talent they need to compete. It leverages the expertise of local leaders to share learning across the network and identify trends, opportunities and best practices. Together, they are changing the conversation around workforce development to promote equity and drive impact. www.nationalfund.org
Presenters
Matthew Fieldman is the executive director of America Works, a nationwide initiative to coordinate the American manufacturing industry's training efforts, generating a more capable, skilled and diverse workforce. Based at The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), a nonprofit that helps Northeast Ohio’s small- and medium-sized manufacturers grow locally while competing globally, Fieldman works across the nation's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) system to increase collaboration, efficiency and impact of local and regional workforce development efforts. Previously, he was vice president of external affairs for MAGNET. In this role, he launched the Ohio Manufacturing Survey; mspire, a regional startup pitch competition; helped launch manufacturing apprenticeships for inner-city youth; and was responsible for fundraising, legislative relations, media relations and more.
Fieldman is the founding Board Chair of EDWINS Restaurant and Leadership Institute, Cleveland's first nonprofit restaurant and one of the first of its kind nationally to train formerly incarcerated individuals to work in fine dining. He raised over $600,000 to start EDWINS and was named “2014 Fundraiser of the Year” by Fundraising Success magazine for his efforts. He is also the founder of Cleveland Codes, one of the nation's first nonprofit software boot camps devoted specifically to training low-income adults for careers in technology. He holds a bachelor's in psychology, cum laude, from the University of Florida, an MBA from The George Washington University, and a certificate in nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University. He is a former Ariane de Rothschild and American Council on Germany Transatlantic Fellow and is currently a Civil Society Fellow at the Aspen Institute. 
