Workforce Summit Puts AI, Workforce Readiness on Region’s Agenda
More than 200 leaders convene at Rocklin campus for interactive discussions on AI’s impact on the region’s workforce and chart a path forward
Sierra College hosted its third annual Sierra Workforce Summit on June 2, drawing more than 200 employers, educators, workforce professionals, community members, and students to its Rocklin campus. The daylong convening tackled one of the most pressing questions facing greater Sacramento: Is the regional workforce system prepared for an AI-driven economy?
“Our education and workforce systems can’t stand still while the economy changes,” said Willy Duncan, Superintendent/President for Sierra College. “The Sierra Workforce Summit provides invaluable insight into the ways we can keep pace with the skills employers demand and workers need. Artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and other emerging technologies are changing how we live, work, and learn. Our responsibility is to prepare students not just for good-paying jobs, but for long-term success in an economy that will continue evolving.”
The Summit featured a fireside chat with Cameron Sublett, Senior Director of Innovation and Incubation for the Foundation for California Community Colleges. He focused on new research showing the early impacts of AI on the makeup of jobs and consequences for workers. Sublett was followed by a panel discussion among educators, employers, researchers, and other experts who discussed the state of AI governance, the pace of adoption among industry and education, and what is required to create and maintain alignment in sustainable AI adoption.
According to panelist Monique Brown, Knowledge Community Director for Wexford Science & Technology at Aggie Square and Sierra College’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, “The future of work is really about managing the interface between human judgment and AI capabilities. Right now, that interface is largely unmanaged, and figuring it out is our most important task.”
A new feature of this year’s Workforce Summit were two breakout sessions that put all 200 attendees to work at tables in which the facilitated discussions were captured and fed – in real time – into an AI model to distill common findings and trends to report back to attendees.
The first session asked participants to identify the top three forces impacting the local workforce and the top three stressors. The AI model distilled this session into the following key findings:
- AI is reshaping roles more than eliminating them. Tasks are being automated, entry-level expectations are rising, and workers at every level need both technical fluency and stronger critical thinking to stay relevant.
- Soft skills are the new competitive differentiator. Communication, collaboration, judgment, and human connection are harder to automate and are now what employers say they value most.
- The workforce system is falling behind in real time. K-12, higher education, and employers are adapting at different speeds, with no shared language, no common policy, and no aligned pipeline.
The afternoon session shifted from diagnosis to solutions. Participants worked together to develop actionable responses to the AI challenge, then named a single most important priority for regional leadership to pursue. That collective input pointed to three top solutions:
- Build a shared AI literacy baseline across employers, educators, and workers.
- Close the employer-education gap through ongoing, frequent feedback mechanisms.
- Elevate human and soft skills — communication, critical thinking, and judgment — as a competitive advantage in curriculum and hiring.
The group’s single most important priority: establish a sustained, multi-sector AI governance and alignment structure for the region — not a one-time event, but a standing coalition that meets regularly, shares data, sets common expectations, and holds itself accountable for closing the gap between where the workforce is today and where it needs to go.
“The technology may be coming from Silicon Valley — but this is our opportunity to shape our own future,” said Dr. Amy Schulz, Executive Dean, Workforce and Strategic Initiatives, Sierra College. “What happens next will be shaped by our community, by the choices we make, by the partnerships we build, and by the opportunities we create for the next generation.”
About the Sierra Workforce Summit
The Sierra Workforce Summit is an annual convening hosted by Sierra College in partnership with regional chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and workforce agencies. Now in its third year, the Summit brings together employers, educators, workforce professionals, and community leaders to build shared understanding and aligned action. Summit partners include the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, Valley Vision, Placer County, Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce, Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce, Placer Business Alliance, Building Careers Foundation, and ICS Consulting. More information at www.sierracollege.edu/sws.
About Sierra College
Sierra College is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3,200 square miles of Northern California with campuses in Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu.