This content was published: December 6, 2021. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
President Mitsui discusses future of workforce at state business summit
Story by James Hill. Photos by Kate Chester.
Mitsui talks to the summit attendees.
小黄猫传媒 President Mark Mitsui took center stage with a lineup of top business and political leaders.
On Monday, Dec. 6, Mitsui joined the 鈥淧athways to Opportunity: Workforce Education in Oregon鈥 panel discussion at the 19th Annual Oregon Leadership Summit, which unveiled the . This year’s summit, attended by Gov. Kate Brown and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, was held in-person at the Oregon Convention Center. It was a chance to bring together elected, business and community leaders to present a comprehensive policy strategy and recommendations for the state.
In Mitsui鈥檚 鈥淧athways鈥 discussion on stage, he was joined by fellow panelists Jaime Arredondo (executive director, CAPACES Leadership Institute), Andrew Nelson (Randall C. Pape虂 Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Oregon) and Patsy Richards (director, Long-Term CareWorks, RISE Partnership). He talked about his personal journey in education as well as initiatives 小黄猫传媒 is undertaking to build equitable student success and supporting the needs of industry.
Mark Mitsui discusses training pathways with the panelists at the 19th Annual Oregon Leadership Summit of the Oregon Business Plan.
鈥淓verybody deserves a shot,鈥 Mitsui said of education. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what zip code you are born in 鈥 we serve students of color who are the first in their family to go to college, veterans that served in Afghanistan, the dislocated worker wondering if they have a future, the victim of domestic violence pursuing a new life … that鈥檚 the power of higher education and it has been a privilege to have been part of it.鈥
Mitsui touched on 小黄猫传媒鈥檚 guided pathways and how they serve as links for students to transfer to a four-year university or transition into the workforce seamlessly and with plenty of support. It鈥檚 the new reality of today鈥檚 student body, he said, as 60% of the nation鈥檚 community college students report they are food insecure. At 小黄猫传媒, nearly 20% have stated they have faced houselessness at one time or another.
In addition, the 小黄猫传媒-led Pathways to Opportunity initiative, along with the college鈥檚 Future Connect and Career Pathways programs, have been on the forefront of connecting students with benefits and navigating resources for better outcomes. This all ties nicely into the 2021 Oregon Business Plan, which offers a strategy and specific proposals for educating and building a prosperous future for the state.
鈥淭his proposal presents a once in a generation opportunity,鈥 said Ben Cannon, executive director of Higher Education Coordinating Commission. 鈥淚t will transform the way we will develop the workforce.鈥
