CONTACTS: Linda Rozett/Eric Wohlschlegel
(202) 463-5682 / 888-249-NEWS

 

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Chamber of Commerce welcomed the Arlington Chamber of Commerce to the Workforce Innovation Networks, a national partnership that works with employer organizations on the cutting-edge of workforce development to meet the needs of their member firms for employees at the entry-level and above.

 

“Hiring, training, and retaining qualified employees is a top priority for almost every business owner,” said Beth B. Buehlmann, executive director of the U.S. Chamber’s Center for Workforce Preparation.  “Arlington Chamber’s success can be a learning tool for other local chambers that want to have the same kind of bottom-line impact for their members and local workers.”

  

Arlington Chamber of Commerce joins six local chambers and 14 other Workforce Innovation Networks partners to help improve workforce systems, provide targeted training and services, and improve the hiring and promotion of workers with multiple barriers to successful employment.

 

“Our goal is to create a model that integrates employers as true partners in the publicly funded workforce development system,” said Wes Jurey, president and CEO of the Arlington Chamber.

 

The Arlington Chamber has established a Quality Workforce Development Council and industry clusters to highlight specific industry needs, improve the education system and strengthen the pool of qualified workers.  It is designing a Center for Workforce Preparedness in partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington that will house the key stakeholders in workforce development, including a one-stop career center. 

 

The Center for Workforce Preparation, established in 1990, is a nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that develops workforce strategies for businesses, chambers of commerce, and communities to hire, train, retain, and advance skilled workers in the 21st century.

 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses, 3,000 state and local chambers, 830 business associations, and 92 American Chambers of Commerce abroad.

 

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