Dr. Justin H. Lonon
Chancellor, Dallas College
Dear Industry Partner,
We are at a critical time for the state of higher education and our local workforce. Our society continues to evolve at a high rate and without considerable adaptation, our students – the innovators and leaders of tomorrow – are at risk of being left behind.
It is no secret that the world of work is also changing, with artificial intelligence, automation and robotics serving as a foreshadowing of the workforce of the future in this country and beyond. Not to mention the nationwide decrease in student enrollment – this is a harsh reality due largely to ongoing societal disruptions.
Considering these challenges, our efforts to reach, train and employ our students must also evolve. And we need your help to make that happen.
As I’m sure you know, our workforce and economy rely heavily on highly skilled and educated talent – talent trained by our institution with tremendous support from organizations such as yours. By incorporating more experience-based learning like apprenticeships and internships, we can provide our students with unique opportunities for hands-on training and help organizations fill their workforce pipelines with highly qualified employees.
This collaboration drastically improves our students’ grasp of industry-based concepts and procedures while also providing our industry partners with a direct talent pool from which to draw. Therefore, it is critical that we work together to ensure our students’ transition from classroom to career is as seamless as possible.
Now more than ever, we need not only your expertise, but your compassion for and commitment to our students and community. As the saying goes, “it takes a village…” and that could not be truer, especially now. So, I am urging you to join with Dallas College to help create the next level of innovation in apprenticeships, internships and through other cutting-edge partnerships.
As leaders within our community, it will take our collective collaboration to mold and shape the workforce and economy of tomorrow – and we must do so with the needs of the communities we serve at the forefront. It is imperative that we act now, because above all, the future of our students depends on it. Thank you in advance for your efforts to support our students. We look forward to working with you soon.
Best,
Dr. Justin H. Lonon
Chancellor, Dallas College