Day 2

Community Colleges: WIRED to Regional Economies

Connecting educational institutions to regional economic development under the WIRED framework was the theme as representatives from community college systems joined moderator Gay Gilbert in providing insights into the key role these schools play in workforce development.

Craig Lamb, Executive Director of Workforce and Economic Development for Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana spoke about how such schools can serve as a link between the K-12 system, research institutions, and other partners including workforce investment boards. Their connection to the community and ability to draw upon the resources of large universities allow community colleges to act as "distribution centers" for technology and information. Located in the North Central Indiana WIRED region, Ivy Tech puts this idea into practice by collaborating with Purdue University.

Gibson Morris, Executive Director of the Arkansas Delta WIRED region for Mid-South Community College, addressed collaboration among educational institutions as part of an overall strategy for economic growth. The chancellors of the five colleges in his region have come to trust one another and have decreased potentially destructive competition by agreeing to share resources. Cooperation along these lines leads to regional, rather than strictly local growth, and in the long term will result in increased prosperity for The Arkansas Delta (a second generation WIRED region) which faces some of the highest poverty rates in the state.

The audience, more than half of whom, by a show of hands, are involved in education, took to the question and answer session with enthusiasm. Lamb answered questions about how Ivy Tech is linking educational institutions to support his region's larger economic and workforce development goals. Lamb responded that one goal of community colleges is to educate and train a new generation of entrepreneurs whose home-grown innovations will have long-term effects on economic and talent development.

Questions on community colleges' role in promoting a regional approach to economic development were posed to Dr. Morris. He said colleges and high schools together must focus on developing coursework that emphasizes entrepreneurship and together should use their position in the community to reach out to underserved populations. By creating educational and career pathways for these workers, community colleges can become integral parts of a region's economic growth and development.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Strategies for Regional Competitiveness in the Delaware Valley Tri-State and Tennessee Valley WIRED Region

Moderators Erica Cantor, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of National Response, and Laura Loyacono, Regional Director of Project Lead the Way, introduced speakers from WIRED regions engaged in strengthening STEM skills in K-12 schools. During the session, the moderators talked about innovative ways to build a pipeline of talented, youthful workers, discussed the involvement of K-12 schools in regional partnerships and shared best practices in linking WIRED, economic development and education.

Neil Lamb, Director of Education and Outreach for the Hudson Alpha Institute of Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala., discussed the institute's involvement in the Tennessee Valley WIRED partnership as well as the development of a sustainable regional bioscience industry. With support from WIRED and the state of Alabama, the institute facilitates the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), an intensive training program for K-12 teachers. Currently, the program is available for STEM teachers living in Alabama. As a result of this session, however, representatives from both states will meet to discuss expanding the program into the Tennessee portion of the region.

The Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center's Mel Payne representedg that area's WIRED region. According to Payne, school districts from the region's 13-county partnership have agreed to adopt programs in math and science and intend to help produce a pipeline of 10,000 educated workers in five years.

Plenary Session II: America's Talent Driving Innovation

Day Two of Workforce Innovations 2007, or "Business Leadership Day," saw leaders from major corporations present their strategies for workforce and talent development. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco kicked off the session with a brief discussion describing how business has changed in the last decade. Where there were once self-contained businesses with supplier and vendors down the road, there are now locally based enterprises drawing upon resources from around the globe in real time. Today's transforming world of business has led to increased specialization with the highest skilled jobs being performed in regions characterized by a highly skilled workforce.

DeRocco introduced the first speaker Boeing Company Senior Vice President Rick Stephens.

Stephens said today's employers are looking for workers who can define a problem, assimilate relevant data, and conceptualize ways to solve the problem. The ideal employee does not necessarily need to have an advanced degree. Boeing, said Stephens, has 88,000 employees with college degrees, but what people may not realize is that there are an additional 70,000 Boeing workers who have training or education other than a four-year college degree. What is most important is that all employees are not only constantly learning, but learning, unlearning and relearning the newest and best methods for solving problems.

The session's second speaker, Pete Gritton of Toyota's North American Motor Engineering and Manufacturing outlined his company's strategy for long-term career development. Toyota seeks to find out all the facts about a particular company, a community, or prospective employee and not jump to conclusions. In doing so, it can ensure that business ventures will be profitable to Toyota the company, to the communities which they enter, and to the workers they employ.

Their goals include the development of individual employees through careful hiring, constant training and specialized training in problem solving. Gritton says one of Toyota's goals in North America is to create well-paying jobs that last a working lifetime, 25 to 30 years, where employees constantly learn new skills, and, as a result, advance within the company.

Both speakers emphasized the value of partnerships and coalitions within communities. By collaborating with elementary and high schools as well as with community colleges and universities, businesses can help create a "common language" that all members of the workforce development community can understand.

Super Session: Stedman Graham

Stedman Graham set the tone for the Wednesday afternoon super session by quoting Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. "If a man is called to be a street sweeper he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote. He should sweep streets so well that all hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."

Doug Small introduced the New York Times bestselling author who asked, "What does the world say to you when you try to move beyond boundaries?" Without missing a beat, an audience member called out, "You're fired." Graham agreed, but added that society tells trailblazers they don't know who they are. . In a world that constantly defines a person by race, gender, class, etc. stepping outside what Graham termed "the box" is met with resistance. In his work with underprivileged youth Graham noted one of the biggest challenges an individual faces is learning to define themselves by their own terms and not the definition given by external influences.

How do you become the best you are? Presenting his nine step success program Graham emphasizes the importance of being a leader and uniquely positioning yourself to compete within the global market. Once a person is self aware and knows exactly what is important to them, they can start to maximize their potential.

Graham focused on leadership, and positioning oneself to be competitive and indispensable in a changing, global economy. During a closing question and answer session with the audience, Graham was asked about the major barriers facing the workforce investment system. He replied, "We need to fix the schools to fix the workforce."

Wiring BRAC: Catalyzing Regional Economic Development

Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) Assistant Secretary Andy Moser gave a presentation regarding the impact of Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) on Maryland's regional economies. According to Moser, Maryland received additional jobs following the latest round of BRAC, making the state a winner economically. Specifically, the state will add 5,300 direct jobs at Ft. Meade, 8,200 direct jobs in Aberdeen and 1,000 direct jobs at Ft. Detrick. These added jobs will not only benefit residents living in Maryland, but also residents living within a commutable distance in areas such as Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.

The U.S. Department of Labor has supported Maryland's BRAC activities through a $4 million National Emergency Grant (NEG) to create a workforce development infrastructure in BRAC-impacted regions. Currently, the state is near the end of the planning phase of this effort.

Unlike BRAC-impacted regions in Maryland, according to Andrea Morris, BRAC Coordinator for Arlington County, Va., the commonwealth's northernmost county was a "loser" after experiencing job losses in the latest round of BRAC. Despite the presence of the Pentagon and other military offices in Arlington, Morris expects approximately 17,000 additional government jobs to be transferred to eight installations by September 15, 2011. To prepare for the impending job losses, the county has conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis that cited among other things, location as a strength, congestion as a weakness, mixed-use development as an opportunity, and baby-boomer retirements as a threat.

Arlington County also has devised a workforce strategy encompassing workforce/business assistance, infrastructure development, and the development of planning and development policies to help minimize the economic impact of BRAC-related activities.

To better address the workforce issues stemming from BRAC activities in Maryland and Northern Virginia, state, military and workforce development representatives collaborated in 2006 to create the Beltway BRAC Team and intends to continue meeting to help resolve BRAC-related workforce issues.

How to Work with your Local University to Initiate Workforce Development Partnerships

Collaboration was a main theme during the panel session on initiating university involvement with workforce development partnerships. Presenters from Penn State, Purdue, Northern Illinois and Northern Arizona - Yuma discussed not only who they work with but also how those partnerships work and the process and structure they have used to ensure success.

Universities are collaborating and engaging in economic and talent development planning on various levels: between universities and workforce investment boards; between universities and technical and community colleges; between universities and businesses; and between universities and other economic and workforce development entities.

Collaboration is also occurring within a university's diverse academic programs that were once separated. The Purdue University Rogenstrief Center for HealthCare Engineering was cited as an example of how universities engage in multidisciplinary programs. The Center brings together the nursing and engineering schools to address the specific needs of the region's health care system- both in structure and in talent.

Northern Illinois University is partnering with community and technical colleges to assist the aviation industry with its skills shortage by offering a bachelor's degree in Aviation Management Technology. This program is fed by students in Rock Valley College's Aviation Maintenance Technology program. A master's degree is also available in conjunction with Emory-Riddle Aeronautical University.

During the question and answer period, the presenters also emphasized the need for workforce professionals to understand the structure of a university in order to find the most natural point of entry to engage. Successful programs used outreach staff in universities and dedicated staff in the extension campuses. In fact, presenters stressed that extension campuses act as a front door to what the university has to offer.

Town Hall: Working With Federal Partners to Transform Regional Economies

Assistant Secretary for Employment & Training Emily Stover DeRocco hosted a town hall featuring the leaders of several agencies supporting ETA's economic and talent development efforts. Assistant Secretary DeRocco was joined by Thomas Dorr, Under Secretary for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ben Erulkar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, U.S. Department of Commerce and Robert DeHann, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Under Secretary Dorr, who has been an active participant in WIRED events, renewed his agency's commitment to partnering with rural communities to create sustainable economic opportunities by distributing broadband and developing energy infrastructure. According to Dorr, the agency is the largest commercial developer of renewable energy in the federal government. He also recognized the demand among rural Americans for greater access to education and more rewarding jobs.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Erulkar, who has also participated in WIRED activities, emphasized the importance of breaking down barriers between economic and workforce development in light of globalization. According to Erulkar, there are two key components to maintaining global competitiveness: aligning all of the components within a region and remaining proactive in engaging the private sector at every stage of the regional economic transformation process.

Assistant Secretary DeHann discussed the Department of Transportation Office of Transportation Policy's role in regional economic transformation. by comparing the department's involvement in developing infrastructure to creating the "skeleton" necessary for economic development. He also stressed the importance in spending money wisely and efficiently to help keep pace with the increasing national demand for roads and highways.

Following the speakers' remarks, the panel participated in hypothetical scenarios of regions at various junctures in of economic transformation. The scenarios involved a large, rural region experiencing a "brain drain," and a small rural area in transition to a small metropolitan area. The speakers offered ideas on how to solve the workforce challenges in each of the scenarios, such as leveraging existing federal resources and linking community colleges to job training and workforce development.

Youth in the Works

"This program is a lot different from high school. Before, I would do anything to miss school - miss the bus, oversleep… Now, I am up at 5 am and ready to go to school"
-- Gregory Goods

Serving dropouts persists as a challenge for both education and workforce systems. Wednesday afternoon's session focused on the practical applications of reconnecting out-of-school youth with alternative education programs that prepare them to enter the workforce. One such example follows.

Gregory Goods - a 17-year old student at Louisiana Technical College at Baton Rouge shared his personal success story in the Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) program. Goods detailed his experience with the program and how it allowed him to not only get his GED and skills for the workplace but how it has motivated him to identify his long-term goals to go to college and get a psychology degree.

JAG, a school-to-career program focusing on keeping young people in school through graduation and improving their rate of success in achieving education and career goals, is focused on out-of-school and at-risk youth.

The JAG program with Louisiana Technical College at Baton Rouge provides youth the opportunity to get their GED utilizing a college campus setting to attract youth who struggled in traditional schools. The program also mandates that students take and pass classes that cover 20 competencies in areas such as leadership, workplace skills and financial literacy.

The third component to the program links the students with training and skills in the financial services industry. In this instance, the technical college has instituted a bank teller certification program that teaches the students the basics of the job and has the additional benefit of helping create an educated consumer. The college has also enlisted the help of math and science students from area universities to serve as mentors. Additionally each participant in the program has a specialist that works with them one-on-one.

Louisiana Technical College at Baton Rouge is one of three pilot sites to use the financial services model through a High Growth Job Training Initiative grant.

Collaborating with K-12: Partnering for successful regional talent development solutions

Philadelphia Youth Network President Naomi Housman on behalf of The National High School Alliance offered ideas and resources for those organizations seeking better K-12 schools. One of the main points made was that most organizations working to improve schools are not aware of the regional resources they can tap into. By providing online data and resources, the Alliance hopes to provide a common vision and set of strategies to such groups.

Schools have been doing the same things the same way for many years, and in order to improve, according to the Alliance, they must make changes in the way they approach learning, advocate for policy and implement standard practices. The group promotes increasing rigor among students and offers strategies for doing so. They define rigor as a focus on increasing achievement among all students. And by all students, they mean those who plan to attend college, but even more importantly, those who will enter the workforce shortly after graduation.

During the session, audience members were offered five scenarios or challenges and were asked if they identified with any of them. Representatives from workforce investment boards in particular could relate to a scenario in which employers in a particular region are voicing complaints about entry-level workers who do not have the skills necessary to perform basic work. Audience members were asked rhetorically to think about how they can encourage schools to include more career-focused coursework for the large numbers of students who do not plan to pursue a traditional four-year degree.

The Alliance promotes mapping the field of school-based talent development so that potential regional partners know exactly what organizations are operating in a respective area. Schools, according to the alliance, need to reconnect with real-world experiences if they hope to raise standards and graduate students who are prepared to enter the workforce.