Transcript Slide 1

Minnesota FastTRAC
From Random Acts of Excellence to Strategic System
Change
Presentation to the Governor’s Workforce Development Council
Inez Wildwood, Chair, MN FastTRAC Systems Leadership Team
Kathy Sweeney, DEED
Linda Lade, MnSCU
May 14, 2009
7/7/2015
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Agenda
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Thank you for your leadership
Review of the workforce challenges and the
FastTRAC solutions to date
Identify emerging opportunities with the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Ask for your continued input and support
individually and collectively. We would like
to meet with you or your reps in one month
to review our emerging proposal
for additional Joyce Foundation
investments.
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Joyce Foundation provided a “big picture” of
Minnesota’s opportunities for improvement and a
willingness to partner for solutions
Joyce Foundation’s 2006 analysis and observations of
Minnesota’s priority needs;
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Minnesota should improve student transitions to creditbearing postsecondary programs from such areas as
developmental (college remedial) education, adult basic
education, and English literacy.
 Define cross cutting adult and postsecondary education,
workforce education, economic development, and human
services goals and accountability measures for the
advancement of low-skilled adult workers and improve
data capacity to track student transitions within education
and in the labor market.
Joyce Foundation investments;
 2007 planning grant to Minnesota 1/07 - 6/08 (GWDC)
 2008 implementation grant to Minnesota 8/08 - 12/09
(MnSCU and ABE leads, DEED staffing )
 Minnesota invited to apply for an additional 2-year
implementation (2010-2011)
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Minnesota’s Workforce Challenges 2009
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Reduced K-12 population after 2008 means that
improving high school student educational
attainment is not sufficient to solve today and
tomorrow’s workforce and skill shortages
Today’s population of adults over 25 represents 2/3
of the 2020 workforce
Current unemployment and underemployment of
rising percentage of Minnesota’s workforce
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Adult Minnesotan’s Occupational
Preparation needs Improvement for
Today’s Global Economy
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Current “in demand occupations” require a
high school diploma plus additional
postsecondary occupational
credentials…this trend will continue to grow
Twenty to sixty percent of Minnesota adults
lack the functional literacy skills to be
accepted into postsecondary educational
programs
Inadequate educational and occupational
skill preparation is a major cause of low
wages and stagnant income for individuals
and their families
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Educational Data; Adults in Minnesota
(age 18-64*)
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659,505 of the 3.2 million in the Minnesota
workforce are underprepared for occupational
success (1 in 5)
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61,327 speak little or no English
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251,210 have not completed high school (or
equivalent)
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346,968 are not prepared for college or skilled
work: High School diploma only, in families
earning less than a living wage (not ESL)
* Center for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems
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Minnesota FastTRAC
Exclusive Categories
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Note: Incarcerated population not separated out. Source: U.S. Census
Bureau, 2005 ACS; PUMS
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FastTRAC Focus Population
Low-wage/educationally underprepared
workers who are unable to compete for
better jobs
 Twenty percent of Minnesota’s labor force
are significantly underprepared
educationally
 unemployed or underemployed
 low-income/wages
 lacking basic and technical skills for
competitive employment
 native and non-native English speakers
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Key data on Minnesota’s Adult
Occupational Education and Training
Systems
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Three out of every four WorkForce Center
(WFC) customers (universal and program
enrollees) lack postsecondary occupational
credentials
ABE will serve more than 75,000 adults this
year; 12% of the eligible ABE population
Only 1 in 12 ABE completers go on to
Higher Education
Demand for adult training services has
increased significantly in WFC, ABE and
MnSCU in the last six months
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Challenges Identified - MN FastTRAC
Program eligibility limitations:
• Narrowly-focused workforce training dollars
• Financial aid requirements and family/school/financial
constraints limit access to higher education
• Limited alignment between ABE, higher education
and occupational training create a “silo” effect and
are inefficient
Labor market information (skill and demand):
• Shortcomings limit the communication of supply and
demand info to those involved (employers,
intermediaries, and employed/unemployed workers)
Barriers to sharing and managing information:
• Compartmentalized management
information systems (ABE, Higher Ed., Workforce)
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Minnesota FastTRAC Partners and
Investors
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Minnesota State Colleges and Universities-Office of the
Chancellor (OOC) and MN Department of Education-Adult
Basic Education (ABE) are the co-leads
Department of Employment and Economic Development
(DEED) provides staffing
Governor’s Workforce Development Council (GWDC)
provided start up leadership
Department of Human Services (DHS)
Office of Higher Education (OHE)
Department of Labor and Industry (DLI)
Community-based organizations
Employers
WorkForce Centers, Workforce Service Areas, ABE
providers, other frontline service providers
Joyce Foundation
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MN FastTRAC Goals 2007- 2009
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Create a state-level “stackable credentials”
education and training framework for low-wage,
educationally underprepared adults that
integrates Adult Basic Education, occupational
training, postsecondary degrees and certificate
programs.
A framework provides Minnesotans access to a
seamless educational system with pathways to
many options
A framework enables the acquisition, recognition
and portability of credentials (e.g., certificates,
diplomas and degree) across education and
training systems.
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Elements of FastTRAC Approach
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Accelerated educational programming
Career pathway development
Multi-level, industry-recognized credentials
Contextualized and competency-based curricula
Bridge programming
Flexible entry points
Connections with regional demand-driven job
needs
Support services specific to adult students
Comprehensive student records which travel with
the student
Apprenticeships, on the job training, etc.
Credit for prior learning
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Emerging FastTRAC Opportunities in the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA)
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$4 Billion for workforce development has been committed by the Obama
administration and the U.S. Congress (54% of ARRA created positions
require at least a postsecondary credential)
The President and Congressional Leadership are using their “bully pulpits”
to urge Americans to get at least one year of postsecondary education and
to use any periods of unemployment to re-skill themselves
DEED leadership under Bonnie Elsey has already made commitments
to use $2 million of ARRA funds to invest in additional FastTRAC work this
year. $1.5 million has already been made available to local WIBs in
Minnesota and another $.5 million will be available through competitive
proposals in another month. DEED leadership has also put new policies in
place to require WIBs to purchase skill training which incorporates the
Fast TRAC approach
MnSCU leadership under Linda Baer is supporting a systemwide
coordinated rapid response to the workforce training investments of the
ARRA as well as to dislocated workers training needs.
ABE Leadership under Barry Shaffer has increased their support of
referrals from WorkForce Centers for training services for persons who
need basic computer skill training.
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More Information
For more information on the Minnesota
FastTRAC initiative, www.cte.mnscu.edu
For more information on additional DEED initiatives,
www.deed.state.mn.us/workforce/prosperity
For more information on additional MnSCU initiatives,
www.stimulusprojectmnscu.edu
Contacts:
Mary Schmidt, [email protected]
Anne Marie Leland, [email protected]
Kathy Sweeney, [email protected]
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FastTRAC Policy Agenda Continues to
Evolve
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FastTRAC’s state teams develop policy agenda and action
plan
- Systems Leadership Team
- Stackable Credentials Team
- Student Support Services Team
- Data and Information Team
Seven incubators test innovations in bridge programming
and student support services for adults to inform policy
agenda
Related MN initiatives influence policy agenda
- Educational Training Collaboratives
- Perkins
- NGA Sector Academy
- ABE Transitions
National and state experience offers lessons
- Washington IBEST
- Wisconsin RISE
- Other Shifting Gears states
Technical assistance from Joyce Foundation
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FastTRAC is Aligned with Federal
Stimulus Priorities and Discretionary
Funds
FastTRAC is consistent with U.S. Dept. of Labor Guidance
Letter for formula and discretionary WIA funds:
 Under such a dual-customer approach, seamless career
pathways are developed and offered, and support services and
needs-based payments are available, making it far easier for
young people and adults, particularly those most in need, to
advance and persist through progressive levels of the education
and job training system as quickly as possible and gain
education and workforce skills of demonstrated value at each
level…close alignment with jobs and industries important to local
and regional economies [page 3]
 To provide career assessments, remedial and occupational
training and job search assistance [page 5]
 WIA funds may be used for adult education, including basic or
English language education…as long as they are provided in
connection with occupational skill training. [page 7]
 Priority is low income individuals, and ensure that supportive
services are made available to support their employment and
training needs [page 7]
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Preliminary Recommendations for
Embedding FastTRAC Policies into
Education and Training Systems
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Help fill support service funding gap as supportive
services are too restrictive to adequately respond to
demand
Be flexible to work with employers and programs for
part-time/temporary jobs (“family-supporting wage”
may not be realistic in near term) or alternatives while
participants wait for jobs
Basic, work-readiness, soft skills training remains
priority
Continue to identify industries with entry level jobs and
the skills needed
Explore potential roles for Workforce centers, namely:
OJT placement, provision of training dollars and support
services for eligible participants; making FastTRAC
program WIA-eligible
Focus on alignment on assessment, placement and
curriculum between ABE and MnSCU occupational skills
training opportunities
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Findings for Building the Framework…
Regarding Curriculum and Delivery
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Short-term (8 hours to 12 weeks per course)
Modular
Online options
Hands-on learning that incorporates actual work
tasks, some OJT
Curriculum targets soft skills in combination with
occupational skills
Contextualized learning, vocabulary
Student cohorts (incumbent and new entrants)
Curriculum already available
Customized Training for trainer options
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Findings for Building the Framework…
Impact of the Recession
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More applicants, not more qualified applicants (math
and reading aptitudes)
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more requests/enrollments in ABE
more requests for short-term training
Employers have less time to invest in partnership
and fewer incumbent workers to send to training
Participants dropping out due to multiple barriers
Fewer support service funds available because more
demand for scarce resources
Fewer FT manufacturing placements so trainings on
hold; healthcare holding up for time being
Longer job-searches
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Findings for Building the Framework…
Regarding Program Financing and
Sustainability
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Temporary funding (grants) is the norm for all
programs, both for programming and for student
support services
Making connections with ABE helps expand funding
base
MJSP is helpful but insufficient (too restrictive as
currently administered)
Few examples of MnSCU institution reducing tuition
cost
Few examples of employers providing cash
(scholarships); tuition reimbursement and in-kind is
norm
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Findings for Building the Framework…
Regarding Partnerships
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Partnerships are organic; a program is about relationships:
reaching agreement on who will do what and holding each
other accountable
Every incubator had a strong MnSCU institution as a partner
(financing/tuition, counseling, facilities, instruction,
curriculum development)
Most partnerships had a strong non-profit CBO (who
sometimes was also an ABE provider) that focused on
support services, outreach to employers, delivering training,
among other things
Getting a stronger connection to ABE was most common
effort for strengthening the partnership, including additional
funding (need to assess ABE role in “basic skills
development”, referral and recruitment)
Only one incubator had a WFC at the core or lead partner;
WFC/WIBs roles were more typical for referrals, programeligible supports, and job search assistance
ABE providers in greater MN have part-time staff, limiting
ABE availability
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Next Steps for MN FastTRAC
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Draw lessons from ETC grantees
Draw lessons from ABE and WFC
inventory of coordination/collaboration
Monitor FastTRAC Supplement (ARRA
funds) $1.5 million to local WIBs
Issue RFP for FastTRAC programming
Formulate policy agenda (due July ’09)
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Policy Agenda and Work Plan
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