Description

Roane State Community College has announced The Future of Work Symposium, an event that will examine what the workforce will look like in the year 2030 and explore future-proofing solutions.

The symposium will be held on March 14, 2024, inside the O'Brien Theatre at the college's flagship campus in Harriman. The event is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET and wrap up later that day at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET. 

Breakout sessions will cover a variety of topics, including artificial intelligence, digital twinning, and automation. The full symposium agenda is currently being finalized and will be announced closer to the event date. There is no cost to attend. 

Roane State's campus in Harriman is located at 276 Patton Lane. The theatre is located in the O'Brien Building. Event signage will be placed on the day of the event to help attendees navigate campus and locate convenient parking. A campus/building map is also available online. 

Registration and additional details are available online at roanestate.edu/worc2030.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Lynne E. Parker, vice chancellor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, who will speak about the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation on the skills needed by the workforce of tomorrow.

Three panel discussions are scheduled to follow the keynote, with breakout sessions expanding on the topics covered, including AI, advanced manufacturing, digital twinning, and entrepreneurship. Tennessee Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Deneice Thomas will also welcome attendees and participate in one of the panels.

The symposium is part of the Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities (WORC) grant, which Roane State is administering to help provide non-need-based training for those in the workforce, those out of the workforce, or those who have been dislocated by their job.

“Our goal with this symposium is to support small businesses in the heart of our local communities so that they can succeed and prepare for the future,” said Mike Eppler, director of the WORC grant in Roane State’s Workforce Development office. “The training we are able to offer is already supporting entrepreneurship and building a better business ecosystem that will be sustainable long after this grant is done.”

 The WORC grant-funded training is available through the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center (SBEC) at Roane State. Applications are currently being accepted. Full scholarships are available for business owners and employees seeking training to help support their business. Applications can be found at roanestate.edu/sbec.