Project Bright Future is a regional initiative aimed at youth who are seeking an alternative to the traditional path to college by pursuing a trade, working in the hospitality industry, or developing skills in manufacturing, construction and the trades. Families of middle school and high school students are encouraged to attend this free event Wednesday, September 25, from 5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Chesapeake College.
County Commissioner Jack Wilson said, “It is important that people come out and see what the possibilities could be because it is really important for the future of our kids and our workforce.”
Don Gross, owner of Gross Mechanical Labs in Stevensville said, “Since I relocated my marine manufacturing business to Stevensville in 2013 I have endured a never-ending struggle to find skilled workers, and I have come to realize that my company’s workforce challenges are shared by virtually every employer in every employment sector on the Eastern Shore. As a member of Queen Anne’s County’s Economic Development Commission, and chairman of the subcommittee for Workforce Development we have worked to create a grass roots effort to change the way we think about future career opportunities for our kids that will soon be entering the workforce - opportunities that are right here on the Eastern Shore.”
Gross said, “The vision is to establish a centrally located regional technical training center at Chesapeake College that will serve all Eastern Shore counties by providing training for a wide variety of trades – trades that offer solid careers and good pay, all of which can be accomplished with little or no college debt. We hope that Project Bright Future will be the first step in reaching this important goal.”
Economic Development Manger Jean Fabi said, “The plan is to create a pipeline of skilled workers to meet not only the demands of our current business base, but also to assist in business retention, expansion and attraction for the region.”
The keynote speaker is Kurt Landgraf, President of Washington College. Panelists include Dr. Cliff Coppersmith, President of Chesapeake College; Chris Garvey of Allied Builders and Contractors; Delegate Jeff Ghrist; Alan Stein of Tanglewood Conservancy and the Untangled Minds Foundation; Jeff Smith, MD Department of Labor, Apprenticeship Maryland; and Cody Pine, Washington County Public Schools CTE. Local businesses interested in hiring students will also be in attendance. A question and answer session will follow the panel discussion. Light refreshments will be served. To register for this free event go to www.Projectbrightfuturesummit.eventbrite.com. For more information go to https://projectbrightfuturemd.com/