Workforce 2030
Lancaster County’s Premier Workforce Development Event
Uniting Business/Education/Community on the campus of Elizabethtown College | August 1, 2023
The Lancaster County STEM Alliance has awarded three Idea Incubator Funding grants for the 2023-2024 school year. As a direct result of the annual Workforce 2030 Summit, those in attendance were offered the opportunity to apply for grants totaling $100,000. One $50,000 grant and two $25,000 grants were selected out of 15 applications received.
$50,000 Recipient: Precision Cobotics
Project: Implementation of an engineering robotics lab at Millersville University for high school students interested in manufacturing. In partnership with upper-level Millersville University Engineering students, students will identify and help solve a challenge from a local manufacturing business.
$25,000 Recipient: CNH Industrial
Project: Job shadowing and project-based learning for middle and high school students. Educators will job shadow at CNHi and from that experience, educators will design project-based learning showing STEM-related careers and relating those STEM careers to skills currently being taught.
$25,000 Recipient: Eastern Lancaster County School District
Project: A business education collaborative project with educators in areas of math, science, agriculture, business, and gifted education. Educators will be partnered with Lancaster County businesses to tour, observe, and see directly how classroom content applies to the local economy. Resources will be reviewed and updated for all students in the district to reference.
With our culture of creative thinking, remarkable work ethic, and innovative leadership, why not Lancaster as the champion who leads the way in addressing the challenges around workforce development facing our county, state and nation?
Join the Lancaster County STEM Alliance (LCSA) as we host the annual Workforce 2030 Summit on August 1, 2023, at Elizabethtown College. This year’s theme is “How I Built It”.
K-12 Educators
(Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Guidance Counselors and Career Liaisons)
Ensure your students are career ready!
- Collaborate with local businesses to better ensure alignment between the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed in the workforce, and your lessons, projects, and activities.
- Learn about career opportunities within Lancaster County.
- Network with community partners committed to the prosperity of Lancaster County through workforce development.
- Explore the Inspire Lancaster and CRL! resources that support the development of a talent pipeline in Lancaster County.
K-12 Administrators
(Superintendents, Curriculum Coordinators, Principals and Assistant Principals)
Ensure your graduates are career ready!
- Network with community partners committed to the prosperity of Lancaster County through workforce development.
- Explore the Inspire Lancaster and CRL! resources that support the development of a talent pipeline in Lancaster County.
- Collaborate with local businesses to ensure alignment between business needs and educational programming.
- Connect across sectors of the community to discuss strategies for supporting career readiness at the system level.
- Discuss how community resources can best be leveraged to support career readiness efforts K-12.
- Discuss recruitment and retention strategies for staffing.
Higher Education Leaders
Ensure your graduates are career ready!
- Discuss critical transitions in a learner’s education journey to ensure career readiness.
- Collaborate with local businesses to ensure alignment between the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed in the workforce, and your educational programming and program/course offerings.
- Discuss how community resources can best be leveraged to support career readiness efforts in higher education.
- Network with community partners committed to the prosperity of Lancaster County through workforce development.
- Discuss recruitment and retention strategies for staffing.
Early Childhood/Pre-K
Ensure your students have a strong foundation for learning!
- Discover the importance of early access to STEM as a foundation for future success.
- Uncover strategies that build curiosity, creativity, and kindness in early learners.
- Learn about ways to provide early exposure to career opportunities within Lancaster County.
- Collaborate with local businesses to better ensure alignment between the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed in the workforce, and your lessons, projects and activities.
- Network with community partners committed to the prosperity of Lancaster County through workforce development.
- Explore the Inspire Lancaster and CRL! resources that support the development of a talent pipeline in Lancaster County.
Human Resources
(HR Directors and Staff)
Ensure a talented workforce in Lancaster County!
- Discuss and learn about local strategies for recruiting and retaining employees.
- Collaborate with educators, at all levels of the system, to ensure alignment between the skills needed in your workplace, and those being taught in schools.
- Discuss opportunities to provide early career awareness and exploration opportunities that will connect local students and community members with your business/ industry.
- Build awareness of jobs within your business/ industry.
- Network with community partners committed to the prosperity of Lancaster County through workforce development.
- Explore the Inspire Lancaster and CRL! resources to support the development of a talent pipeline in Lancaster County.
- Learn about strategies for business and education partnerships that foster career readiness.
Business Leaders
(CEO, CFO, President, Community Outreach Liaisons)
Ensure a talented workforce in Lancaster County!
- Collaborate with educators, at all levels of the system, to ensure alignment between the skills needed in your workplace, and those being taught in schools.
- Discuss opportunities to provide early career awareness and exploration opportunities that will connect local students and community members with your business/ industry.
- Network with community partners committed to the prosperity of Lancaster County through workforce development.
- Explore the Inspire Lancaster and CRL! resources to support the development of a talent pipeline in Lancaster County.
- Learn about strategies for business and education partnerships that foster career readiness.
Community Leaders
(Non-Profits, Legislators/ Policy Makers, State and Local Organizations, Government Agencies)
Ensure the prosperity of our community!
- Network with community partners committed to the prosperity of Lancaster County through workforce development.
- Learn about strategies for business and education partnerships that foster career readiness.
- Discuss policies and legislation that support career readiness efforts in PA.
Featuring keynote speakers Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski, co-authors of “When You Wonder, You’re Learning” and Michael Sack from Jobs for the Future (JFF), we will continue our efforts to address employee recruitment and retention, alignment between workforce demands and educational programming, and innovative strategies for ensuring our community is career ready. Attendees will have the opportunity to work with Jen Reiner, President and Lead Strategist with Align Ltd., in a design thinking process to generate innovative strategies for system-level challenges.
With the collaborative energy directed towards traversing the local workforce obstacles by 2030, our goal for the Summit is to provide attendees with ideas, strategies, and resources to strengthen the cross-sector partnerships that address workforce development challenges.
We need change agents like you! Your partnership in this event ensures that you are among the thought leaders and community innovators driving change in our workforce. Not only will you help lead change as an agent for the future of Lancaster County, but you will also serve as an advocate for the quality of life and prosperity of our amazing county.
Call for Proposals
LCSA invites you to submit a proposal to present at the Summit, where the sharing of your thoughts, ideas and solutions will help lead us towards a prosperous 2030 in Lancaster County!
We are looking for presentations from across all sectors of the community. Sessions are 45 minutes in length and should provide attendees with information, practical strategies, and resources around the Summit goals and within the following themes:
- Community Awareness
- Diversity in STEM
- In-School Project Based Learning
- Out of School STEM Learning
- Work-Based Learning
Please complete the session proposal form by June 12, 2023.
Not sure what to expect? Check out highlights from last year’s Summit.
Keynote Speakers



Community Presenters
Teachers as Temporary Workers
Jason Andrews, The Steinman Foundation
Dr. Carole Basile, Dean of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University
Career Ready Lancaster!
CNH Industrial
A Hands-on Work-based Learning Experience
Electron Energy Corporation
A Hands-on Work-based Learning Experience
Dr. David Finegold, President of Chatham University
The Future of Higher Education
Dr. Andi Fourlis, Superintendent of Mesa Public Schools
The Next Education Workforce: Bringing Private Industry into the Classroom
The High Companies
A Hands-on Work-based Learning Experience
John McCormick, Vice President, Managing Director, StructureCare
Anthony Saba, Executive Director at Samueli Academy
SDoL Class of 2030
Dr. Matt Skillen, Director of the Etown Teaching & Learning Design Studio
Jack Smith, AASA: The School Superintendent’s Association
Dr. Brian Troop, Superintendent of Ephrata Area School District
Heather Valudes, The Lancaster Chamber
Alicia Wilson, Vice President for Economic Development at Johns Hopkins University and Health System