Learning in a digital world is focus of professional development virtual conference Nov. 20
Connecting the workforce development system with foundational skills training to help those who are underemployed or unemployed is the focus of the sixth annual PULSE Work-based Foundational Skills Conference hosted by the Wayne State University Harris Literacy Program and Reading Works. The Harris Literacy Program is part of the Office of Educational Outreach.
The PULSE (Practice-based Updates for Literacy, Skill Development and Employment) conference highlights research-based best practices in adult education and workforce development training. An employer panel is part of the day, and session topics include:
Keynote speaker John Valverde*, president and CEO of YouthBuild USA, will talk about the vital role social service and workforce professionals play in opening doors of opportunity to create more just and equitable communities.
Registration is $30 until Oct. 31; $40 until Nov. 19. Participants can receive 3 SCECH credits for an additional $5. The conference runs from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. You will receive a link to the conference after you register.
Questions? Email Sonia Eckerman, Harris Literacy Program manager, at Sonia.Eckerman@wayne.edu, or Marita Grobbel, mgrobbel@readingworksdetroit.org.
*About our keynote speaker: John Valverde joined YouthBuild in 2017 after decades of work as an advocate for creating access to opportunity and removing barriers for formerly incarcerated and low-income people. He began working with imprisoned individuals in 1992 to ensure access to HIV/AIDS counseling, high school equivalency instruction, alternatives to violence programs, and college education. In 1998, he co-founded Hudson Link for Higher Education, the first privately funded accredited college program in New York's prisons. He also was part of the team that developed the first green jobs training program for formerly incarcerated people in NYC and led programs for young adults with criminal justice involvement.
Valverde is a Marano Fellow of the Aspen Institute's Sector Skills Academy and a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow. He has a master's of professional studies in Urban Ministry from the New York Theological Seminary and a bachelor's degree in behavioral science from Mercy College.