This article appears for archival purposes. Any events, programs and/or initiatives mentioned may no longer be applicable.
Today, Dr. Steven R. Gonzales of the Maricopa Community Colleges presented to a room of 75 mayors, Workforce Development Directors, and local leaders from across the nation at the United States Conference of Mayors about the innovative public-private partnerships that the Maricopa Community Colleges has created in collaboration with the City of Phoenix to support the region’s workforce development initiatives.
“The Maricopa Community Colleges has become a leader in innovative workforce development strategies over the past several years by collaborating with industry and local leaders to develop programs that meet employer labor needs, while creating opportunities for residents to reskill and upskill into a livable wage career,” stated Dr. Gonzales. “I was privileged to present to this impressive room full of our nation’s leaders alongside Mayor Gallego who has spearheaded this type of innovation for the city. This public-private collaboration to better-meet the state’s workforce development needs in the fastest growing industries like manufacturing and information technology is something that I am very proud to showcase on behalf of the District.”
Dr. Gonzales presented about a variety of industry partnerships, including the Semiconductor Manufacturing Quick Start, a collaboration between the community colleges and employers like Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, utilizing federal relief dollars through the City of Phoenix to support student tuition and fees. In March, Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States, visited Arizona to be briefed by Dr. Gonzales about this innovative semiconductor workforce development approach.
“Phoenix is one of the fastest growing cities in our nation, both in terms of population and new industries,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “The challenge is to match this growth with a skilled workforce. As the city's largest workforce generator, we naturally turned to the Maricopa Community Colleges to partner with us on a solution. Dr. Gonzales and his leadership collaborated with my team to come up within educational programs that maximize city resources and meet industry needs. I am proud to share this success story with my mayoral colleagues across the nation.”
The United States Conference of Mayors is a non-partisan organization of mayors representing cities with populations of 30,000 or more, with a shared goal of uniting organizational policies and goals. Mayor Gallego is the Chair of the Jobs, Education and the Workforce Standing Committee for the United States Conference of Mayors.
Dr. Gonzales also spotlighted the recent launch of the Microsoft Data Center program in the West Valley and the Intel Artificial Intelligence program in the East Valley. The presentation was intended to educate other mayors from across the country about innovative industry partnerships they may consider to promote workforce development in their communities.