State Sector Strategies for a Skilled Workforce and a Strong Economy

1. State Sector Strategies for a Skilled Workforce and a Strong Economy Webinar Tuesday, June 9, 2009

2. Today’s Agenda • Accelerating State Adoption of Sector StrategiesMartin Simon, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices • Regional Sector Initiatives and State Sector Strategies Jack Mills, National Network of Sector Partners • Developing a State Sector StrategyNancy Laprade, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce • The Virtual Policy AcademyJim Torrens, National Network of Sector Partners • Questions and AnswersAll

3. Logistics • Phones are muted. To get our attention, raise your hand or send us a question via the questions pane.

4. Logistics • Phones are muted. To get our attention, raise your hand or send us a question via the questions pane.

5. Logistics • Phones are muted. To get our attention, raise your hand or send us a question via the questions pane.

6. Logistics • Phones are muted. To get our attention, raise your hand or send us a question via the questions pane. • To get the control panel out of your way, click on the minimize button. Click again to restore it.

7. Logistics • Phones are muted. To get our attention, raise your hand or send us a question via the questions pane. • To get the control panel out of your way, click on the minimize button. Click again to restore it.

8. Logistics • Phones are muted. To get our attention, raise your hand or send us a question via the questions pane. • To get the control panel out of your way, click on the minimize button. Click again to restore it. • We are recording this session and will send you a link to the recording and slideshow after the webinar.

9. Today’s Participating States • CA • CT • DE • HI • IA • ID • KY • LA • MO • MT • NJ • NM • OH • PR • SC • UT • VA • VI • VT • WY

10. Accelerating State Adoption of Sector Strategies Martin Simon NGA Center for Best Practices

11. About the Project • Purpose: Advance regionally targeted industry strategies as a state strategic framework around human talent development • Includes increasing state policy support for sector initiatives that focus on low-income and at-risk workers • Four-year project in two phases • Partners: • National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices • National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP) • Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) • Funders: • Charles Stewart Mott Foundation • Ford Foundation • Joyce Foundation

12. Four Tracks • Policy Academy • Learning Network • Knowledge Exchange • Virtual Policy Academy

13. Policy Academy • MD • MS • NH • NV • NY • WI

14. Policy Academy • States in the Policy Academy have generally: • Secured participation of leadership in the Governor’s office and in key state agencies • Formed multi-agency teams, often including regional sector initiatives • Developed principles or a policy framework for a state sector strategy • Created and started on an action plan • Example: Wisconsin

15. Learning Network • AR • CO • GA • IL • MA • MI • MN • NC • OK • OR • PA • WA

16. Learning Network: Quick Facts • Over $150 million dollars have been invested in sector strategies across the 12 states, ranging from $500,000 in North Carolina to $65 million in Arkansas (primarily Career Pathways) for an average investment of just over $13 million per state. • The majority of states in the Learning Network have been funding sector strategies for the past three to four years, with Massachusetts particularly active since 2000 • All 12 states have had or plan to have competitive RFP’s to promote sector strategies in their state.

17. Learning Network: Quick Facts There are over 400 “local sector partnership projects” spanning 15 industries funded and supported by the 12 states in the Learning Network, an average of just over 36 per state. Most common industries are: • Manufacturing • Health Care • Biotechnology / Bioscience • Logistics • Agriculture and Food Production • Energy – Traditional and Renewable

18. Learning Network: Quick Facts Across the 12 states, sector strategy funding has been used for: • Planning and Development (12) • Implementation / Operations (10) • Training (9) • Employer Services (10) • Administration (8) • Equipment (7) • Support Services (6) Other activities include: school-to-career, post-secondary access, technology transfer, and infrastructure development.

19. Knowledge Exchange • www.sectorstrategies.org • Evaluation of State Sector Strategies • Sector Strategies and Low-Wage Workers • Sustainability of State Sector Strategies • State Sector Strategy Toolkit • Phase 1 Report

20. Regional Sector Initiatives andState Sector Strategies Jack Mills National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP)

21. Sector Initiative Characteristics • Focus intensively on an industry within a regional labor market, and multiple employers in the industry, over a sustained period of time • Are led by a workforce intermediary with credibility in the industry • Create new pathways for low wage workers into the industry, and up to good jobs and careers • Achieve systemic changes that are “win-win” for employers, workers, and the community.

22. Sector Initiative Model Recruitment Services Workforce Intermediary Business Services Support Services Job Seekers and Workers Employers in an Industry Sector Training Services

23. Results for Workers Random assignment evaluation of 1,014 individuals showed that sector initiative participants earned 18.3 percent—about $4,500—more than members of the control group over the 24-month study period. Public/Private Ventures: Job Training that Works: Findings from the Sectoral Impact Study, 2009

24. Results for Employers A third-party evaluation of sector initiatives in Massachusetts showed: • Turnover: 41% reduction • Re-work: 19% reduction • Customer complaints: 23% reduction • Companies who said partnerships with other companies were valuable: 100%

25. Systems Change Impact Sector initiatives address key problems for: • An industry’s businesses • The industry’s workforce and/or potential workforce By doing so, they gain leverage to make systems change in the areas of: • Workforce and economic development (including education/training, support services, and business services) • Public policy • Industry practice

26. Benefits to Regions • Decreased skill and labor gaps • Retention, expansion, and attraction of higher wage employers • Reduction of poverty and unemployment • Increased regional cooperation and collaboration • More efficient and effective use of public resources

27. What States Can Do State Sector Strategy

28. What States Can Do State Sector Strategy

29. What States Can Do State Sector Strategy Policy Framework

30. What States Can Do State Sector Strategy Policy Framework

31. What States Can Do State Sector Strategy Policy Framework Support

32. What States Can Do State Sector Strategy Policy Framework Recruitment Services Workforce Intermediary Support Business Services Support Services Job Seekers and Workers Training Services Employers in an Industry Sector

33. Characteristics of Sector Strategies • Address the needs of employers -- by focusing intensively on the workforce needs of a specific industry sector within a region over a sustained period of time, often concentrating on a specific occupation or set of occupations within that industry • Address the needs of workers -- by creating formal career paths to good jobs, reducing barriers to employment, and sustaining or increasing middle class jobs • Bolster regional economic competitiveness -- by engaging economic development experts in workforce issues and aligning education, economic, and workforce development planning • Engage a broader array of key stakeholders -- through partnerships organized by workforce intermediaries

34. State Sector Strategies Common elements across states: • Engaging leadership • Co-creating core principles • Promoting regionalism • Strategic use of funding • Data-driven decision making • Alignment of public resources and strategies • Capacity building • Promotion and positioning • Evaluation • Legislation

35. Developing a State Sector Strategy Nancy Laprade Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW)

36. Key Development Principles • Leadership and champions matter! • A state level strategy/policy framework supports and leverages regional sector initiatives • Requires strong partnerships and alignment • Gather data, articulate results, “tell the story” • Identify core challenges/problems before developing solutions • Understand this is “a new way of doing business”

37. The State Sector Strategy Toolkit • Framework for development of state sector strategies • Collaboratively developed, web-based tool • Developed by the project partners with the participation of Learning Network states

38. The State Sector Strategy Toolkit • Contains information, resources and templates to be used by state policy makers in launching and managing a state sector strategy • Much of the guidance is direct advice and lessons learned from states experienced in sector strategies

39. Purpose of the Toolkit • Help distribute knowledge from one generation of sector leaders to the next. • Introduce more states to the framework for “thinking and doing” state sector strategies. • Assist states that have begun sector strategies to “get to the next level.” • Minimize the need for states to “reinvent the wheel.” The numerous resources, templates, and tools that are included in the Toolkit can be adapted or modified to meet the unique needs of your state.

40. Toolkit Modules • Module I: Pre-assessment • Module II: Getting Started • Module III: Engaging System and State Leadership • Module IV: Engaging Industry Leaders • Module V: Engaging Public Partners • Module VI: Promoting Regional Economies • Module VII: Funding Strategies and Sustainability

41. Toolkit Modules • Module VIII: Data Driven Decision Making • Module IX: Aligning Resources and Strategies • Module X: Promotion and Positioning • Module XI: Capacity Building • Module XII: Legislative Strategies • Module XIII: Evaluation • Module XIV: Quick Reference Timeline andSummary Points

42. Module Snapshots

43. Module I: Getting Started • The State Role in Start-Up • Mapping and understanding your existing sector initiatives • Identifying individuals and/or organizations that would champion the development of a state sectorstrategy • Engaging leaders from successful regional sector initiatives

45. Getting Started: Early Pitfalls • Be prepared for: • “We are already doing that” • “We just need more funding” • “We tried that and it didn’t work”

46. Module X: Promotion and Positioning • State Role in Promoting Sector Strategies • Developing and communicating the message • Branding the sector strategy • Assist in leveraging and maximizing local/regional marketing resources

48. Toolkit Status • Narrative completed • Tools/resources currently being added • Will be available on www.sectorstrategies.org in July 2009

49. Virtual Policy Academy Jim Torrens National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP)

50. Virtual Policy Academy • Goal: help more states advance development of their sector strategies • Through: • Webinars • Publications and resources • Online resource bank: www.sectorstrategies.org • Connections with other states • Other assistance from project partners