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ROY VANDERFORDCENTER OF WORKFORCE INNOVATIONS

RVA N D E R F O R D @ I N N OVAT I V E W O R K F O R C E . C O M

Convergence of Workforce Development, Economic

Development & Education

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Center of Workforce Innovations is . . . . .

An Indiana Non-Profit Organization (501.c.3) based in Valparaiso, IN that . . . .Provides staff support for the Workforce

Investment Board (WIB) in NW IndianaOversees WorkOne Centers in 7-county regionProvides Adult Basic Education servicesCoordinates with economic development &

education entities in the regionProvides consulting services to other regions

nationally

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NW Indiana is Microcosm with . . . .

Urban, suburban & rural areas with intertwined issues & opportunities

Multiple local & regional economic development organizations

44 public school districts + private K-12Branches of IU, Purdue & Ivy Tech + private

collegesAccess to jobs in Metro Chicago for western

counties of the regionAttachment to Chicago media & sports teams

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What Brings Us Together?

Jobs!

Keeping themCreating them

Getting people ready for them

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The World Wants a Good Job

Gallup organization has studied human nature & behavior for over 70 years

Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup, author of The Coming Jobs War, cites the “10 demands” that America must master to win the jobs war

Conclusions based on literally trillions of combinations of data & opinions worldwide

Job creation is the new currency of all world leaders

The will of the world is first and foremost to have a good job

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Gallup’s 10 Demands

1. The biggest problem facing the world is an inadequate supply of good jobs.

2. Jobs creation can only be accomplished in cities.

3. There are 3 key energy sources of job creation in America: our top 100 cities, our top 100 universities, & our 10,000 local “tribal leaders.”

4. Entrepreneurship is more important than innovation.

5. America cannot outrun its healthcare costs.

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Gallup’s 10 Demands (cont.)

6. We must fix the dropout rate – 1/3 of public school students drop out – ½ of minorities.

7. We must double our number of engaged employees – only 28% of U.S. workforce meets standard.

8. Jobs occur where customers appear – we must understand global customers better than anyone else.

9. Every economy rides on the backs of small & medium-sized businesses.

10. So go exports, so goes the coming jobs war.

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Do We Need More Jobs or More Skills?

Nature of the “skills gap” is hot topic at the moment

Peter Cappelli, Wharton School, & author of Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs, says “If you can’t get the right person for the job, chances are you’re a bad manager and maybe a little cheap”

Martin Scaglione, President of ACT Workforce Development Division, states “there is not enough talent coming through the system to meet the demand for jobs at the middle-skill level, and there is an over-abundance of low-skilled workers”

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Convergence of Interests Around . . . . . .

Skills certification – the common language for communicating with each other, and with employers

Remediation – contextualized with occupational skills

Transferability & stack-ability of credits – industry certifications, dual credit, prior learning assessments

STEM – core “polytech” base for employers, with additional education & training provided by employer

Self-employment & entrepreneurship – not enough jobs for laid-off workers

12th to 13th year transitions – assumption that all students need post-secondary education in some form

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Attention-Getting Statistics

70+% of all high school grads pursue some form of additional education within 2 years of graduation – most fail to obtain credentials

83% of companies report moderate to serious shortages of skilled workers – 69% expect shortage to grow in next 3-5 years

86% of Americans view the “trades” as essential for our prosperity –but only 1 in 3 parents would encourage child to pursue a trade

16 % unemployment rate for high school dropouts, but 19.5% unemployment rate for bachelors degree in clinical psychology

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A Few Thoughts on Solutions

Focus on hard-wiring the high school grad to a 13th year of education & call it college

If an applicant for a 4-year school doesn’t meet entry standards, don’t let them in (yet)

Sell students on social status of technical & “middle skill” jobs – not just the economics

Differentiate ROI for types of degrees – not just advise to get a college degree

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More Thoughts

Student spending own money can purchase anything (even Russian Literature) – if spending public money, career plan should be required

Employers need to be more specific about skills they need – many require college degrees for jobs that don’t require them

Don’t approve large student/parent loans for those who don’t have the ability to pay off the loan – we are moving down same path as housing market

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Finding Solutions in NW Indiana

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What is READY NWI?

Regional Education/Employer Alliance for Development of Youth

Comprehensive regional framework for college & career readiness

Driven by business community & economic development leaders

Began under umbrella of One Region One Vision sponsored by the Times Media Group

Funding from Lumina Foundation for plan development

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Who Participated in READY?

Leaders from business, higher education, K-12 schools, elected officials & community foundations

Unprecedented cooperation and “staying power” over a three-year period to develop READY NWI implementation plan

All aimed at our pipeline of students, so they can be prepared to tell our employers . . . . . .

We are READY.

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Measurable Goals

Decreasing skill gaps for employers – particularly in “middle skill” jobs

Increasing the higher education attainment rate for the region

Decreasing the number of students who enter college needing remediation

Increasing the number of students who obtain college credit while still in high school

Increasing public awareness of high-quality jobs available in the region

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The Big Goal

Northwest Indiana will produce a workforce with an additional 120,000 two and four-year

degrees by 2025.

Seeking to move from 37% college attainment rate now to 60% in 2025

Will need to add nearly 10,000 college graduates per year in the region

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The Bigger Goal

Northwest Indiana will produce a workforce with an additional 200,000+ post-secondary

credentials in some form by 2025.

Seeking to move to a level of 80% post-secondary credentials by 2025 – industry certificates, licenses, degrees

Will need to add 16,000+ each year – will need to be aggressive in creating certifications that match employers’ needs

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READY Implementation Work Groups

Overall Leadership Team with separate work groups for:

K-12Higher Education

Employer EngagementCareer & Technical Education

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Leadership Team Priorities

Sustain the connection to regional economic development efforts – urban & rural

Monitor and report key progress metrics to the community

Expand the number of employer & education partners

Seek funding to implement elements of planAdvocate for executive & legislative changes

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K-12 Work Group Priorities

Implement a student assessment process tied to year-to-year career & academic planning for students & their parents

Ensure that all school districts have “whole-school models” for student success (examples already include New Tech High, Career Pathways, Early College & Small Learning Communities)

Make the 12th year a different experience – accelerate those who are ready, remediate the ones who aren’t

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Higher Education Work Group Priorities

Increase college completion ratesShorten the time that students take to

complete degree attainmentMake credentials more “stackable”Address critical issues of cost containment &

efficiencyUtilize on-line education more effectively,

often in blended “hybrid” approaches

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Employer Engagement Work Group Priorities

Bring job opportunities to life for students – via multi-media & in-person presentations

Develop more specificity about skill requirements – beyond needing “a college degree”

Work with schools on development & review of student portfolios

Work with schools to define value of student transcripts, degrees & certifications for hiring

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Career & Technical Education Work Group Priorities

Develop a core “polytechnic” set of courses that bridges high school & post-secondary

Change public awareness about the value of technical jobs, and the value of STEM skills to get them

Increase attainment of industry certificates by high school students

Retain more students who experiment with technical courses to produce more graduates with technical skills concentrations

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Momentum-Building Actions to Date

READY Plan approved by the Lumina Foundation

Funds raised to support pilot efforts122 teachers attended first annual Summer

Institute13 schools have signed on to READY student

assessment pilot25 high schools & middle schools attended

training session this month for year-to-year set of tests tied to college & career readiness targets (ACT test suite)

Videos are being produced on 25 companies

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Guiding Principles for Sustainability

Relevance

Rigor

Relationships

Real Time Information

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Contact for More Information

Roy Vanderford317-440-8643

rvanderford@innovativeworkforce.com