Champlain College Workforce Development Center announced

Champlain College President David F. Finney was joined by Governor Jim Douglas today as he announced the creation of the Champlain College Workforce Development Center.
The Center ushers in the next phase of Champlain Colleges efforts to support Vermonts workforce development and the needs of the states businesses and professionals. The new initiative enhances the Colleges capacity to be a catalyst for economic development.
Since becoming president of Champlain College in July, I have heard a recurring theme from stakeholders in Vermonts business community: workforce development in Vermont is at the point of crisis, said David Finney. Its a need thats been well-documented and its clear to me that the College can add value to the states workforce development systems.
Just this fall, the Vermont Human Resources Investment Council warned that the education and skill requirement of jobs are increasing rapidly and there will not be enough workers to fill Vermonts skilled jobs. And only two weeks ago, GBIC reported the wellbeing of Vermonters and their families is at risk. GBIC went on to say that Vermonts institutions of higher education will be vitally important in the development of new, value-added industry sectors.
Finney said the Champlain College Workforce Development Center will bring leadership to initiatives that will include: providing consulting to help companies forecast their emerging workforce needs over the next five to ten years; creating customized education for companies in the form of new masters degrees, bachelors degrees or professional certificates to meet their needs for a knowledge-intensive, highly skilled workforce; bringing together a network of educational providers to better direct companies and individuals to educational and training opportunities; and working with economic development partners to create an attractive environment for student entrepreneurs to stay in Vermont and grow their businesses.
Higher education in Vermont is an import-export industry--attracting bright students to study and losing many of them after graduation. We need to integrate these students in the Vermont marketplace to help retain talented graduates and to home-grow our workforce, Finney said.
Champlain College is committing $500,000 of its resources to support the Workforce Development Centers efforts. I want to recommit Champlain Colleges efforts in workforce development with this new center, which will bring all the resources of the College together to contribute to the development of an innovative, knowledge-based economy in Vermont. And, as a private institution, we wont ask the citizens of Vermont to fund it, Finney said.
Finney announced that the College has hired Melissa Hersh to direct the new Center. Hersh, the director of education and training for the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce and GBIC for more than 14 years, will take the reigns of the Workforce Development Center in January.
We look forward to partnering with the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber, GBIC, the Vermont Business Roundtable and other organizations and institutions to move the state forward, Finney said. Lisa Ventriss, president of the Vermont Business Roundtable, and A. Wayne Roberts, president of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, also participated in the morning announcement.
Champlain College has a strong track record of bringing together Vermont businesses, educators and students--ranging from young, entrepreneurial-minded students who are seeking their first degrees, to those who have been in the workforce and are retooling their skills and credentials for todays knowledge-based economy. At the same time, Champlains earned a reputation for fostering public and private partnerships--such as the Vermont Global Trade Partnership and the Vermont Information Technology Center--to create seamless services to Vermonts business community.