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November 13, 2008

For Immediate Release

The 2008 Tennessee Valley Workforce and Economic Development Conference, presented by Valley Innovation Alliance (VIA), is scheduled for November 18, 2008, at the Aerospace Training Center on the Decatur Campus of Calhoun Community College.

The workforce and economic development conference will showcase programs VIA has funded through a $5 million Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant initiative from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The current programs being funded by VIA focus on integrating workforce development activities and strengthening workforce preparedness in biotechnology/nanotechnology/information sciences, engineering, advanced manufacturing, and entrepreneurialism in the Tennessee Valley region.

“This conference is an excellent way to foster regionalism and inform our regional leaders about the program,” states VIA President Howell Lee. “We are looking forward to briefing our local legislators and industry leaders on what VIA is doing to help regionalize the efforts of workforce preparedness in the Tennessee Valley.”

In addition to program updates, speakers include Ronnie Boles, Chairman of Region 2 Workforce Development Council; Susan Cowden, Administrator for Workforce Development with the Tennessee State Workforce Development Division; and Lucia Cape, Vice President of Workforce Development with the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

VIA will also introduce the availability of the Workforce and Innovation Technical Solution (WITS) database to aid in workforce and economic development research. WITS combines current datasets to create custom data-oriented reports to support economic development and workforce related decisions.

“We are so pleased to be able to offer this program free of charge to the Tennessee Valley,” states WITS Program Director Erin Bloxham. “By utilizing what WITS has to offer, organizations have the ability to not only save time but also increase the effectiveness of their data and statistical research.”

The mission of VIA, a 501 (c) 6, is to support economic development through workforce innovations across the Tennessee Valley region.  For more information about the programs VIA funds, or to request information from WITS, please log on to www.valleyinnovation.org.