Event Details

Staying Employed and Employable in This Decade

Finding a job is only part of the challenge facing workers today. In an economic environment characterized by great speed, incessant change, and much uncertainty, the real challenge is helping workers keep their jobs and remain employable. This session explores some of the economic and business issues that affect long-term employability, and suggests strategies that employers can take to assure that workers continue to offer the skills that employers need.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Name 4 trends driving concerns about employability.

• Explain how career frameworks are replacing career ladders.

• Describe the options available for gaining further training throughout a career.

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Ms. Thayer has chosen the Literacy Volunteers of the NRV as our charitable giving organization of the month. Please click below to donate:

Speaker Bio

Yvonne Thayer, EdD, is originally from Floyd County, spent many years in Richmond, and lived in Atlanta before returning to this area. Yvonne is a career educator, having served in leadership positions in school divisions, the state department, Federally-funded multi-state improvement initiatives, and national efforts to improve schools. After working in leadership development and policy at the Virginia Department of Education, she served as state director for adult education and literacy, which included creating an initiative to increase the number of GED completers in the state.

Most recently, Yvonne has focused on workforce development and creating opportunities for adults to attain the skills needed for jobs in the 21st Century. From 2015-2018, she worked as a researcher on a Department of Agriculture research grant to train SNAP participants at Virginia’s Community Colleges. In 2019-2020, Yvonne helped manage a Federal grant at Radford University’s IMPACT Lab to create microcredentials for teachers throughout Appalachia. Currently, she is conducting research for the local workforce board.

As an experienced trainer, group facilitator, and strategic planner as well as project developer, Yvonne has published extensively throughout her career. She works through her company, VESTED Educational Development, as a consultant to organizations needing a visionary view of organizational performance and resources. Her background includes attending the International Coach Academy and receiving certification as a Personal Coach. She graduated with degrees in political science and curriculum & instruction from Virginia Tech, and earned her doctorate in adult education at Columbia University.

From 2016-2020, she and two colleagues conducted research on workplace and economic trends affecting workers. They published a book in May of this year – Career Anxiety: Guidance Through Tough Times for U.S. workers of all ages and all industries who will be working in 2030. Her comments today are a result of this research and part of the messages found in this book.

Approved for HRCI / SHRM recertification 

HR Virginia is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.