Gifford enrolled in business leadership program

LACONIA – Karmen Gifford, president of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, was one of 35 chamber executives chosen from a pool of over 140 applicants to attend a premier business leadership workshop in New Orleans. At the first of two three-day meetings, participants gathered to assess improvements made on linking education to successful workforce implementation while focusing their attention on early education, K-12 and career readiness.

Gifford said she sees the Chamber as a "broker of relationships" between the school system and business vocations.

"Technology has gotten in the way of communication," she notes. "Soft skills have taken a back seat to instant gratification." This network of national representatives seeks to address the inequities of a platform based on compliancy dictated in No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Replaced by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), competency is now the leading indicator for successful implementation of its mandates. Gifford laments that "compliant does not mean competent. Are schools working toward assuring that graduates are prepared for entry into the workforce or are they satisfied with a good report card?"

            These chamber professionals will strategize to create coalitions within their respective communities to address competency levels from early childhood through high school. Gifford seeks answers to straightforward issues: "Are we understanding one another? Why aren't today's graduates still not prepared for careers aligned with their interests and talents?" These concerns are designed with an eye not only toward today's students but generations to follow.

While Gifford applauds the Lakes Region's success with the 200 by 2020 Workforce Initiative with participants from Belknap, Merrimack, Carroll and Grafton counties, she said more options must be explored due to technology continuing to drive market conditions. Gifford accepts that as a community "We have the responsibility to move the needle forward and bring people together. There's a lot of work we can still do. We need to learn how better to connect the dots and build conversations that foster actions and generate results."

 The final component of this fellowship program takes place in Phoenix, Arizona, in mid-January and wraps up the talent pipeline with a focus on higher education, workforce development as well as up-skilling and re-skilling those already in the workforce. Gifford said she is appreciative and proud of being part of such creative efforts for ushering in a stronger economy in the Lakes Region and beyond.