About the CEO Forum

Local Chief Executive Officers will have the opportunity to think about their future workforce training needs at the upcoming “CEO Forum for the Future”, planned for date TBD at the Valencia Hyatt and Conference Center. Organizers of the 2004 CEO Forum for the Future are eager to learn what new priorities will emerge as a result of the Forum. To help chief executives look into the future, participants at the upcoming Forum will be asked to work in small groups to answer the following questions:

1. What skills do you anticipate needing in your organization over the next five years?
2. What is the most pressing workforce issue affecting your local and global success?
3. As a community, how do we/should we attract and retain employees here in the Santa Clarita Valley?
4. What is the best way for the employer and employee to share the responsibility of the professional development of employees?

The Forum will be held on date TBD from 7:30 am – 9:00 am at the Valencia Hyatt. Invitations will be sent out date TBD. For more information, call Kathy Norris, Executive Director of VIA, at 661.294.8088.

CEO Forum History

In 2002 was the third CEO Forum meeting hosted by the Valley Industrial Association of Santa Clarita. At VIA’s CEO Forum an overwhelming need emerged for entry level employees to have “Basic Business Conduct” skills. Students joining the workforce need to be better equipped with fundamental skills and work ethics. This includes interviewing skills with appropriate dress, punctuality, clear and concise communication and interpersonal skills, job responsibility and teamwork were echoed throughout the conference.

These concerns were reiterated in the report, “The Benefits of Bridging Work and School,” employers reported assigning higher importance to “soft skills” than to academic skills when hiring. On a scale of 1 (not at all important) to 5 (essential), an applicant’s attitude rated 4.6 as a hiring factor, whereas the applicant’s academic performance rated 2.5.

In 1995, VIA sponsored the first such event, bring together chief executives, community leaders and local educators to discuss the business community’s training needs and workforce plans. At the 1995 gathering, CEOs emphasized the need to re-engineer and retool the local workforce if local companies were to be successful in diversifying from defense to commercial manufacturing, and expand to new markets.

As a result, the Valley Industrial Association of Santa Clarita and College of the Canyons Employee Training Institute began working together to fund a “retraining” initiative within the Santa Clarita Valley. VIA and COC developed an Employment Training Panel project, which has since provided nearly $1MM in training funds to support skill upgrade training to employers and employees in the Santa Clarita Valley.

At the 1999 CEO Forum, business leaders and educators focused on the key skills for success in the rapidly changing economy. The top priorities identified at the 1999 Forum including communication, problem-solving, and team skills. In response, VIA developed the Valley Industrial Association of Santa Clarita Website Contest, an annual competition for students from K-12. During the contest, students work in teams to develop websites for local businesses.