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Workforce Solutions Group of St. Louis Community College Hosts NCATC Conference

By Don Robison on October 15, 2015

St. Louis Community College’s Workforce Solutions Group hosted the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC) 2015 Fall Conference October 7 through 9, 2015. NCATC is a network of advanced technology educators that advocates the use of technology applications to enhance economic and workforce development programs and services. Over 130 participants attended the conference.

The conference, whose theme was “Accelerating the Pipeline: Putting Technology to Work,” was held last week at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel and STLCC’s Florissant Valley campus. STLCC Chancellor Jeff Pittman welcomed the NCATC conference attendees on Wednesday. He spoke about some of the employer partnerships with the college’s Workforce Solutions Group (WSG) and summarized the State of St. Louis Workforce Report released by WSG in August. Other speakers at the conference included Brendan Lind, President of LaunchCode; Dave Owens, VP of Taste for Bissinger’s Chocolates; Carol Croft, HR Manager from the Henkel Company; and Dan Stroot, Regional Training Manager of the Boeing Company.

Session topics included drone technology, innovative education and manufacturing industry partnerships, and defining the workforce of tomorrow. Attendees participated in Industry tours hosted by the CORTEX Innovation Community, Hydromat, Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Participants also toured STLCC’s Center for Workforce Innovation (CWI) and the Emerson Center for Engineering and Manufacturing on Friday. The following are some photos from the CWI tour.

About Don Robison

Don Robison serves as Manager, Corporate Services; the customized training and economic development unit of the Workforce Solutions Group of St. Louis Community College. He provides leadership and direct oversight of training, consulting and economic development services provided to business and community partners in the district. Mr. Robison has over 20 years of experience in business and industry training. This includes experience with several local premier businesses including Anheuser-Busch, Boeing, Centene Corporation, Essence Healthcare (ESSE), Proctor & Gamble, Rawlings and Sigma-Aldrich. He is also involved in developing and managing other workforce development partnerships in the district. Mr. Robison is active in professional workforce development organizations including the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers and the Missouri Association of Customized Training. Mr. Robison holds a Master of Business Administration Degree and a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia.