Summit

What is the purpose of the Summit?

The City of Phoenix Community & Economic Development Department and the city-located community colleges created a strategic alliance delivering solutions to Phoenix businesses and the workforce. GateWay Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, and South Mountain Community College offer a full complement of educational programs custom-tailored to a company's short-and-long-term workforce needs. Through credit, non-credit and clock-hour options, the city-located colleges are ready to meet the training needs of business & industry when, where, and how it is requested.

As major economic drivers in the City of Phoenix, the four Phoenix-located Maricopa Community Colleges serve more than 25,000 students annually, and award more than 6,700 certificates and degrees to working professionals. Collectively, the Phoenix-located colleges add more than $2.8 billion to the local economy each year.

Participants will learn about our regional workforce, employer needs, and the college’s current program offerings. Participants will also help guide the college’s programs for the future. The Summit will culminate with recommendations and the next steps better integrate the college’s programs with our local businesses.

Featured Presenters

Dr. Steven Gonzales

Interim Chancellor
Maricopa Community Colleges

Dr. Larry Johnson

President
Phoenix College

Christine Mackey

Director, Community and Economic Development
City of Phoenix

Dr. Shari Olson

President
South Mountain Community College

Maria Reyes

Dean, Industry & Public Service
Phoenix College

Laura Pastor

Community Relations
Phoenix College

Nicolas Rouse

Department Chair, Computer & Information Technology
Phoenix College

Paul Dale

President
Paradise Valley Community College

John A. Heath

Director, Government and External Affairs - Western US
Rock Central

Molly Ryan Carson

Senior Vice President
RYAN

Dr. Amy Diaz

Interim President
GateWay Community College

Alan Maguire

President and Principal Economist
The Maguire Company

Tracy Schartz

Faculty
GateWay Community College

MIchael Gonzales

Vice President, Southwest Region
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

Robin Reed

President & CEO
Black Chamber of Commerce

Your Phoenix Work4orce

Phoenix Work4orce

In preparation for the Summit, a business survey was launched in fall 2020 to determine what we can accomplish partnered together.

Survey questions include topics such as:

What are the partnership opportunities?
What are the needs for upskilling the current workforce?
What are the gaps identified when interviewing up and coming employees?
Are there opportunities for training and workforce development through WBEs?
Are there opportunities to provide specialized/customized workforce programs?

Agenda

Summit Agenda (PDF)

The Summit sessions will highlight:

Trends, Needs and What Are We Hearing from Businesses in Phoenix Today
How to Connect with the Maricopa Community Colleges - Your Phoenix Work4orce
Current & Future State of the Workforce in Metro Phoenix

The summit will continue with Industry Sector Breakout Sessions hosted by each college - to develop recommendations for the Future of Work in Phoenix by sector:

IT/Cybersecurity
Allied Health or Healthcare
Business Services
Construction

Industry sector specific papers written by industry/education partners identifying college assets, needs/gaps, and overlaid with economic data are included.