The  May 11 Convergence program focused on the Next Economy initiative, a region-wide, sector based economic development strategy being developed by the Metro Chamber, SACTO, SARTA and Valley Vision.  Next Economy is consistent  with LEED’s strategic objective to  align education to advance the region’s economic objectives. Brice Harris, Chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District and member of the Next Economy leadership team, provided the 230 attendees with an overview of Next Economy, and identified education as a cross-cutting support to industry clusters identified as having the greatest ability to create new jobs and wealth within the Capital Region:  Agribusiness, Bioscience, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Energy Technology.  Sally Hamilton of Drexel University showcased critical careers within each sector and a panel of education leaders discussed how their organizations were positioned to prepare students for success in the Next Economy.  Below are related power point presentations.  A summary report will be distributed in the coming days.

Convergence Next Economy – Brice Harris May 11, 2012

Convergence Critical Careers – Sally Hamilton May 11, 2012

California Partnership Academy and Academy Pathways List 2012

For more information on the policy agenda, click on Capitol To Capitol Brochure

Please make plans to join business, education, civic and political leaders from the greater SacramentoRegion on LEED’s second annual Capital Region Career Academy Bus Tour on Tuesday, May 8 from7:30 am to 5:00 pm. The tour begins at the New San Juan High School in Citrus Heights.

To reserve your seat, please R.S.V.P to lchristopher@leed.org

LEED Bus Tour/Study Mission Invite

LEED Bus Tour/Study Mission Itinerary 2012

The Capital Area STEM Network will support programs aligned with industry clusters included within the Next Economy regional economic development strategy and will incorporate an entrepreneurial component, as a deliberate strategy to encourage our region’s young people to consider starting their own STEM-based business ventures as a viable career option.

School districts, colleges and universities, museums, non-profits and STEM-based employers from throughout the six county Sacramento region will be invited to participate in the nine-month planning process, which will begin this spring.

For additional information, contact Linda Christopher, LEED’s Director of Education Innovation at lchristopher@leed.org.

http://www.pltw.org/recent-press-releases/california-stem-education-leaders-gather-learning-and-networking

• Benchmark our region’s levels of educational achievement against other regions in California and the US
• Identify careers critical to the region’s economy and identify career pathways
• Align key segments of the region’s education segments, including middle school to high school and high school to post secondary
• Re-brand LEED, emphasizing its role as the Capital Area P-20 Council
• Identify key policy priorities and leveraging the Metro Chamber’s policy platform to advance them

Full details of LEED’s 2012-14 Strategic Plan can be found here.

This piece clearly establishes education as a top priority for business leaders and regional civic/economic development organizations in the Capital Region and firmly positions appropriate support for public education, combined with policy reforms that promote entrepreneurism and business formation, as a critical component for regional economic prosperity.

The December 9 Convergence event focused on higher education and featured Chancellor Linda Katehi of UC Davis, President Alexander Gonzalez of Sacramento State University and Chancellor Brice Harris of the Los Rios Community College District.  Read the article

(L-R) Moderator Martha Clark Lofgren, left, interim president and CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez and Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brice Harris participate in a panel discussion at Convergence VIII. Photo courtesy of Steve McKay for Office of Public Affairs, Sacramento State

Over 300 participants attended the final Convergence program of 2011 on December 9th, which focused on the region’s higher education sector.

Higher education in the Capital Region, comprised over a dozen public and private colleges and universities, is a powerful industry sector in and of itself, in addition to its core role of producing intellectual and human capital in the form of research, and a talent pool of educated and highly skilled people.

While offering degree programs that provide graduates the education and skills they need for careers in the region’s highest demand fields—healthcare, engineering, clean energy technology, business/entrepreneurism, education, biotechnology—higher education leaders continue to struggle with the adverse impacts of the state’s chronic budget crisis to curriculum, programs and operational budgets.

Convergence provided a powerful platform for three of the region’s higher education leaders: UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, Sacramento State President Alex Gonzalez, and Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brice Harris.  The three were asked to discuss how their institutions were poised to advance the region’s economic future and discuss what civic and business leaders in the Capital Region can do to support their efforts.  Read about the panel discussion in the full Convergence Report