The Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce will hold its Education and Workforce Summit on Thursday, April 27 at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent.

The summit will convene education leaders, business owners, community members and students to provide insight into the state of our schools and opportunities within the school-to-work pipeline in our region, according to a Southside Chamber press release. The Southside Chamber serves the cities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and Tukwila.

“We recognize that one of the greatest challenges facing businesses in our region is finding candidates to fill family-wage, skilled positions,” said Seattle Southside Chamber President/CEO Annie McGrath. “The Summit is a fantastic opportunity to connect leaders in education at the state and local levels with our business community and shine a light on career pathways available to our students in our region.”

The event will begin with a welcome by Kent Mayor Dana Ralph and feature a keynote presentation by Becky Wallace, Washington state assistant superintendent of Secondary Education and Pathway Preparation. The keynote will be followed by a panel discussion.

The event format:

• 8-8:15 a.m. – Welcome with Kent Mayor Dana Ralph

• 8:15-8:20 a.m. – Sponsor recognition and keynote introductions

• 8:20-8:45 a.m. – Keynote speaker with Becky Wallace, state assistant superintendent of Secondary Education and Pathway Preparation

• 8:45-9:15 a.m. – Facilitated panel discussion

Flip Herndon, Tukwila School District superintendent

Becky Wallace

John Mosby, Highline College president

Therese Tipton, principal of Raisbeck Aviation High School

Neidy Avila Ramirez, student of Raisbeck Aviation High School

• 9:15-9:30 a.m. – Closing remarks and open networking

Fees are $50 for Southside Chamber members and $75 for non-members. After March 26, the fees go up to $100 and $150.

To register, go to seattlesouthsidechamber.com. A virtual option also is available.

Immediately following the summit, high school students from 12 Puget Sound region districts will participate in the “Career Showcase at Showare” job fair, hosted exclusively for local high school youth and in partnership with the Highline School District, LiUNA and other partners in education and employment.

Students will have an opportunity to engage with over 75 local businesses representing a variety of employment opportunities and family-wage career pathways.