More than 300 business, labor and education leaders came together at the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack for the inaugural HIA-LI Workforce Summit, exploring ways to connect Long Island classrooms with employer needs.

Hosted with the Smithtown Central School District, the event centered on the theme “Pipeline: Education-to-Industry.” The theme was inspired by an earlier Workforce Development Institute study with HIA-LI and the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency. The report emphasized aligning Long Island’s classrooms with employer needs to better prepare students for an evolving workforce.

Business leaders stressed three key priorities: early career exposure, breaking the stigma around vocational paths and promoting apprenticeships as a cost-effective alternative to traditional education.

“You can earn while you learn and build a career that offers both security and pride,” Billy Haugland II, CEO of Melville-based Haugland Group, said in the news release.