Chamber Leads Education and Workforce Survey and Summit
Monday February 01, 2010
Kingston, TN - Roane County residents have an excellent opportunity to express their opinions about education and workforce issues to county leaders. It's often said that education plays a key role in the economic well-being and quality of life in Roane County. To ensure the county makes smart choices in this regard, an Education and Workforce Summit is scheduled for May 12, 2010, to address the education and workforce needs of our county. To help prepare for the summit, adult residents of Roane County are asked to complete a survey which is online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoaneCountyEducation.
The summit and survey are part of an education initiative by the Roane Alliance, the Roane County Chamber of Commerce's Education Committee, and Innovation Valley Inc. Co-sponsors include Roane County, Roane County Schools, Roane State Community College and the Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman.
"The survey isn't very long," says Danice Turpin, Chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce's Education Committee and the Director of the TTC at Harriman. "But it covers a wide range of topics from early childhood education to job training programs after high school graduation to senior citizen education programs. We want to hear from county residents their beliefs about how important educational activities and opportunities are within Roane County and how successful the county is in addressing them."
The survey will be conducted during February and it is now available online.
"We want as many residents as possible to complete the survey online. We are sending emails to hundreds of residents asking them to complete the survey and to forward the email to other residents," said Allen Lutz, Education and Workforce Development Specialist for the Roane Alliance. "In about a week, paper copies of the survey and collection boxes will be in many locations throughout the county: the courthouse, city government offices, libraries, city community centers, housing authority offices, utility offices, the United Way office, and in each of the Roane County Schools."
Dr. Toni McGriff, Director of Roane County Schools, said she will ensure the survey is available at every school so parents and educators can complete it. "The education our students receive in school from K-12 is very important, but should not be the only place and time learning happens," says McGriff. "Learning is a life-long process which begins before a child ever sets foot into a classroom. Learning should never stop; to be successful in today's work environment, continued learning as an adult is necessary. Our survey reflects a life-long approach to learning by asking about education and workforce issues."
There is widespread support in the community for this survey and the summit in May.
"Both county and city governments are placing the survey in their offices," said Lutz. "Additionally, the Mid-East Community Action Agency is making the survey available in its Head Start Centers. We want every adult resident of Roane County to have the opportunity to express their opinions about education and workforce issues. Understanding how the community feels on these issues is important. All responses to the survey are anonymous, but it does ask for demographic information, including in what community the individual lives."
The Education and Workforce Survey and Summit are an extension of The Roane Alliance's Education Initiative -- Education Matters! which is made possible by Innovation Valley, Inc. Contact Allen Lutz with the Roane Alliance at (865) 865-376-5572 or alutz@RoaneAlliance.org with questions about the survey and summit.
The Roane Alliance is Roane County's economic development organization and consists of both public and private organizations, including the Roane County Chamber of Commerce, the Roane County Industrial Development Board, and the Roane County Visitors Bureau.
