Elkhart Community Schools Superintendent Steve Thalheimer was recently appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, which makes recommendations on employment and workforce readiness to state and federal lawmakers.
Thalheimer is now the cabinet’s representative for K-12 education.
“I can receive input from other superintendents, hear the things that they’re hearing about workforce readiness, career tech ed,” he said. “Then I can carry those concerns and questions forward to inform policy and programming.”
The cabinet also houses the state’s office of career and technical education (CTE).
Thalheimer said he can also bring recommendations from the state panel back to Elkhart schools, especially where CTE is concerned.
“It provides us an opportunity to know what those conversations are at the state level so that we are always at the cutting edge of knowing what’s going on…in terms of workforce readiness,” he said.
“It also provides our region a voice there, so that I can go and share with those policy makers, industry leaders, business leaders who are around the table as well,” he added. “There’s just lots of cross-pollination that can happen.”
Thalheimer’s term will run through Dec. 31, 2023.
Elkhart Community Schools is the licensee of WVPE.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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