The Charles County Economic Development Department held its annual fall meeting this week to explore ways to grow and maintain a successful workforce in Charles County. Influential community leaders from the public and private sectors participated in panel discussions to share their experiences with educating, training, and sustaining the workforce.

Kelly Schulz, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, served as the keynote speaker.

According to a press release:

“This year’s meeting was a booming success,” said Economic Development Department Director Darréll A. Brown, Esq. “We have received enthusiastic feedback from the business people who attended. They called it engaging and insightful and told us they came away with a lot of useful information.”

This year’s fall meeting was titled, “Closing the Workforce Gap,” and it held two distinct panel discussions: Workforce Development: Growing our Local Talent, which focused on highlighting programs within Charles County that educate, support, and retain the local workforce; and Solutions for Hire: Employers’ Workforce Strategies, which kicked off the conversation of how to find quality, competent workers and how employers and the public sector can collaborate to attract, grow, and retain local talent. More than 160 people attended the event.

[Secretary Schulz] spoke about the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Program, which is a program in Maryland designed to prepare the workforce for careers by providing opportunities to apprentice for businesses looking to educate and retain valuable employees.

“Maryland is quickly becoming a national example of how apprenticeships can deliver results for the workforce system,” said Schulz.

Read the full press release for more information.