NEWBURGH – Developing a skilled workforce to meet the current and future needs of the economy is a primary focus of the state Department of Labor, Secretary Roberta Reardon said Friday.
She spoke at the third annual Orange County Economic Summit, held this year at Mount Saint Mary University in Newburgh.
Residents of the Hudson Valley and across the state want careers, not jobs, she told the meeting.
“We all need to embrace the fact that we are in the age of lifelong learning. Gone are the days when you could learn a few skills, get a degree and keep doing the same thing every day,” she said. “Our economy is constantly and rapidly evolving, so it’s essential that our workforce evolves as well. To support growth, our workforce needs to continually learn and scale. That’s the only way our economy will maintain momentum.”
Reardon said job opportunities continue to grow in the Hudson Valley in fields such as tourism, artificial intelligence and aviation.
The annual conference was coordinated by the County Economic Development Team, led by County Manager Steven Gross.
