Showing the commitment the Legislature has to moving the economy forward, beginning on October 13, 2011, the Jobs Creation Commission will embark upon a Regional Hearings Tour, soliciting public testimony from businesses, hiring agencies, and workers throughout the Commonwealth to learn about the key factors necessary to increase job creation.
These sessions are intended to provide commissioners with a complete overview of the challenges and opportunities individuals face when looking for work and those that local businesses face when looking to hire. Discussions will focus on the methods, ideas and opportunities available to help spur job creation and ensure continued economic growth across the Commonwealth. The intent is to use this information to examine the effectiveness of the State’s existing policies as well as identify what additional work can be done to propel economic growth, create jobs and help Massachusetts maintain its competitive edge.
The first hearing scheduled for October 13th at the Holyoke Transportation Center will provide commissioners with a perspective on what residents identify as the successful tools and services to spur job creation as well as the barriers people in the region are facing when trying to find a job. The hearing will consist of three panels:
-A panel of individuals actively looking for work and officials from local organizations that represent workers to discuss successful services to utilize while searching for work as well as the barriers keeping them from being employed;
-A panel of local business owners to discuss the costs of doing business associated with the region, and the circumstances under which they look to hire additional employees; and
-A panel of human resource professionals to discuss what skills they look for in an employee, what services they use for employee training, and what they do when the available applicants do not meet all the criteria they look for.
The public is invited to attend and following the panels, there will be an opportunity for public testimony.
In addition to their meetings on the third Wednesday of every month in Boston, the Commission will be hosting these regional hearings once-a-month: November, Worcester; December, Lynn; January, Plymouth region; February, Lowell; March, New Bedford; April, MetroWest Region. Specific dates, locations, and times are to be decided.
WHEN
Thursday, October 13, 2011
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
WHERE
Holyoke Transportation Center
206 Maple Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
WHO
Senator Karen Spilka, Co-Chair, Jobs Creation Commission
Representative Joseph Wagner, Co-Chair, Jobs Creation Commission
Additional Commissioners of the Jobs Creation Commission
Representatives from the following agencies and organizations have been invited to speak:
- David Gadaire, Executive Director, CareerPOINT
- Larry Maier, President, Peerless Precision, Inc.
- Paul, Keyes, Owner, Victory Energy Solutions
- Greg Garrison, CFO, Northest Solar Design Associates, LLC
- Jean Jackson, Vice President of Workforce Planning, Baystate Health Systems
- Meredith Wise, President, Employers Association of the NorthEast
- Jason Chateauneuf, Director of Corporate Staffing & Administrative Services, The Yankee Candle Company, Inc.