President Kavalhuna speaks on FedListens panel

HFC President Russell Kavalhuna spoke as part of a federal panel sponsored by the Chicago Federal Reserve titles, "FedListens: Monetary Policy's Impact on Workers on Workers and Their Communities" in Chicago on Oct. 17. Watch the panel discussion here.

President Kavalhuna spoke about issues affecting workers and their choices to seek better wages and more flexible careers, including choices about pursuing college degrees and credentials. Community colleges are well placed to address the skills gap, and to create bridges between workers and employers. He notes the Ford ASSET partnership as one successful example.

His remarks begin at 25:20 of the link above.

Other panelists included:

• Moderator David Wessel, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington. D.C. and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. He is a contributing correspondent to The Wall Street Journal and appears frequently on NPR’s Morning Edition.
• Amanda Cage, the chief program officer at the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, where she oversees programs and initiatives for the country’s second largest workforce system, including responsibility for $60 million of public and private funding and a network of more than 50 agencies.
• Victor Dickson, president and CEO of Safer Foundation in Chicago. He joined the company as its president in 2013. Under his leadership, Safer Foundation has moved more toward training clients for high-demand industries and occupations so they can have a better chance of ending the cycle of poverty.
• Robert G. Reiter, Jr., president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, the third largest central labor council of the national AFL-CIO. He previously served two terms as secretary-treasurer of the CFL from 2010-18. He's a third-generation member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

This panel discussed aspects of how federal monetary policy affects members of the workforce and communities.