Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Berkshire Community College
Tickets: $75
BCC is committed to providing universal access to our events. Contact workforce@berkshirecc.edu to request disability accommodations.
Are you a Berkshire employer excited to take on our workforce challenges to create a thriving local economy for us all? Tickets are limited, so don’t wait until the last minute to reserve your spot!
JD Chesloff, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, will provide an overview of the challenges facing local employers and how employers around the Commonwealth are finding alternative solutions for their recruiting, retention and employee work readiness challenges.
This one-day conference convened by Berkshire Community College, MassHire, Berkshire Innovation Center, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and 1Berkshire will focus on the workforce challenges and opportunities facing Berkshire employers from attracting the right talent to ensuring their employees flourish in a supportive and dynamic work environment.
Are you struggling to fill positions?
Tired of hiring workers who aren’t ready for the workplace?
Unsure of how to meet the needs to today’s employees?
Wish you had applicants banging down your door?
If you responded “Yes” to two or more of those questions, there are several speakers and sessions you won’t want to miss!
Recruiting and Retention
Are you finding it challenging to find qualified job candidates? In this track, discover
overlooked sources of workers, how to maximize existing hiring resources and strategies
for retaining new hires longer.
Communication and Workplace Culture
Most people leave their jobs because they are unhappy with the workplace culture or
a lack of opportunities. In this track, hear from employees about their work needs
and what keeps them in their jobs longer. Discuss how to minimize distractions from
digital communications and how to make employee communications more effective. Learn
the ingredients for creating a thriving culture within your organization, so people
are banging down your door to work there!
Workplace Readiness Skills
You might be able to find candidates that possess the right "hard skills," but won't
thrive in their role due to their lack of "soft skills" or "workplace readiness skills."
In this track, learn how to incorporate workplace readiness skills into your existing
employee training, how to improve employee tech literacy and how to build self-sufficient
teams.
8 – 9 a.m.: Registration, networking, light breakfast
9 – 9:45 a.m.: Welcome, keynote
Speaker: JD Chesloff, Executive Director, Massachusetts Business Roundtable
9:45 – 10 a.m.: Break
10 – 10:45 a.m.: Session Block #1
Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Overlooked Sources of Workers (A)
Discover untapped talent pools and innovative hiring strategies in the Berkshires. This session explores nontraditional candidates, alternative pipelines, and creative approaches to expand your recruitment efforts.
Facilitator: TBD
Speakers:
Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Hear From Employees About Their Needs (A)
Gain valuable insights directly from employees about what's most important to them about taking a job and what keeps them in a job. Hear their perspectives on how to improve the hiring process, flexible work arrangements and what makes them feel more engaged with their work.
Track: Work Readiness
Session: On-the-job Work Readiness Skill Development
Learn about the most crucial workforce readiness skills for your new hires and discover various ways to equip them with the soft skills they need to succeed. This session explores effective strategies for improving professionalism, boosting confidence, and enhancing long-term retention.
Facilitator: TBD
Speakers:
10:45 – 11 a.m.: Break
11 – 11:45 a.m.: Session Block #2
Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Maximize Existing Hiring Resources
Did you know that local hiring and economic development organizations not only support employees, but also employers? Learn about programs and resources to optimize your recruiting efforts, streamline your hiring processes and supplemental employee training to prepare them for the workforce.
Facilitator: Linda Clairmont, Executive Director Workforce and Community Education, Berkshire Community College
Speakers:
Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Creating a Thriving Work Culture
When someone takes a job, they are buying into your work culture. Do you have a work culture that makes your employees thrive and want to recruit others to work for you? Discover how to build a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, included, and engaged, helping you retain your best employees longer.
Facilitator: Danielle Gonzalez, Chief Human Resources Officer, Williams College
Speakers:
Track: Workforce Readiness
Session: Strategies for Improving Employee Tech Literacy
Explore practical approaches to teaching your employees the basic tech they need to thrive in their role. Learn about training resources and how to build their confidence to embrace the technology required to perform their job.
Facilitator: TBD
Speakers:
11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Lunch, panel discussion
Topic: How Inclusion Builds a Stronger Workforce
Hear from local employers why embracing a more inclusive workplace culture, not only made their employees thrive, but was also good for their bottom line by attracting new customers and talent.
Facilitator: Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO and Founding Director, BRIDGE
Speakers:
1:15 – 2 p.m.: Session Block #3
Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Strategies for Retaining New Hires
Hear about local case studies from employers who have implemented innovative approaches for increasing employee retention and reducing their recruiting costs.
Facilitator: Allison Ebner, President, Employers Association of the Northeast
Speakers:
Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: How to Give and Receive Feedback
Dysfunctional communication is one of the primary reasons people leave their jobs. In this session, explore various methods for giving and receiving feedback to your employees, from formal review systems to everyday interactions. Improving your internal feedback loops can have a powerful impact on your brand, recruiting efforts and revenue.
Facilitator: Vicky Layden, Human Resources Partner, Milltown Captial
Speakers:
Track: Workforce Readiness
Session: Build Self-Sufficient Teams: From Problem Solving to Conflict Resolution
Learn how to motivate and inspire your employees to manage themselves. This session delves into strategies for fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and resilience, helping employees tackle obstacles and resolve conflicts with confidence.
Facilitator: Hari Kumar, Founder and CEO, Convivo
Speakers:
2 – 2:15 p.m.: Break
2:15 – 3 p.m.: Session Block #4
Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Overlooked Sources of Workers (B)
Discover untapped talent pools and innovative hiring strategies in the Berkshires. This session explores nontraditional candidates, alternative pipelines, and creative approaches to expand your recruitment efforts.
Facilitator: Josh Mendel, Chief of Staff, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Speakers:
Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Productive Uses of Digital Communications
Employers are still grappling with the pros and cons of email, texting, social media, remote work, project management software like Asana and now AI. Access to our phones is crucial for work, but also an enormous source of distraction. In this session, there will no doubt be a lively discussion about when digital communication makes employees more productive and when it doesn't.
Facilitator: TBD
Speakers:
Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Hear From Employees About Their Needs (B)
Gain valuable insights directly from employees about what's most important to them about taking a job and what keeps them in a job. Hear their perspectives on how to improve the hiring process, flexible work arrangements and what makes them feel more engaged with their work.
3 – 3:15 p.m.: Break
3:15 – 4 p.m.: Closing keynote panel discussion
Topic: Managing Change: Turning Resistance Into Resilience
The world of work has been turned upside down as a result of digital communications, the pandemic, flexible work arrangements and AI. Employers are experiencing an unprecedented amount and pace of change that they have never seen before. We'll explore ways to manage change, as well as how you can to start implementing changes inside your organization to create a thriving workplace culture.
Facilitator: Linda Clairmont, Executive Director Workforce and Community Education, Berkshire Community College
Speakers:
Stephen Warley, Conference Manager
Email Stephen
