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November 10, 2014

On Nov. 7, the Pacific Center for Workforce Innovation (PCWI) brought together employers from San Diego’s priority sectors along with workforce development professionals and advocates at Idea Jam 2014: Innovating for the Future. The event provided an in-depth look at the industries that drive San Diego, how those jobs will change in the future, and how we can be ready for that change. 

During his keynote address, Thomas Frey, futurist speaker from the DaVinci Institute, spoke about the region’s main economic drivers and identified jobs in those industries that will not exist in the future. Scripps Executive Director of External Affairs and former NBC San Diego News Anchor Susan Taylor then moderated a panel discussion that addressed how the region should respond to this future outlook. Panel members were all innovators who think outside the box, know what other regions are doing and can drive innovative thinking. Panelists included:

  • Matthew Grob, EVP and Chief Technology Officer, Qualcomm
  • Dr. Joe Smith, Chief Medical and Science Officer, West Health
  • Maraia Hoffman, CEO, Star Harbor Space Training Academy
  • Ed Abeyta, PhD, Director of K-16 Programs, UCSD Extension

Idea Jam is designed to identify the major challenges to the San Diego workforce and generate innovative ideas to meet those challenges with some of San Diego’s greatest innovators. To turn these ideas into action, the event culminated with an all-participant discussion recognizing the outstanding, innovative and most effective ideas of the day and examining how to move forward with turning these ideas into a reality.

To learn more about PCWI, visit PCWI.org.

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