Tech Directions - December 2007 - (Page 6)

ing and better-coordinated support services. Other major problems encountered by the Jobs Initiative included: ● Workforce systems are often too compartmentalized, causing inefficiencies and poor alignment with employer needs. The federal government and states often create “silos” of separate bureaucracies for Advocates for career preparation within public schools need to know the issues and what can be done about them. each program and are inflexible about allowing coordination among them. Governors and state leaders should use a broader definition of workforce development to include a range of educating institutions; reorganize the responsibilities of state agencies to create better coordination and efficiency across state education, workforce development, economic development, and supportive service initiatives; require states to take a regional approach on workforce development; and encourage service providers to do the same. ● State and local officials struggle to implement a “dual customer” approach that meets the needs of both job seekers and employers. Funders of workforce development efforts should provide direct support for intermediary services that can create the partnerships needed to satisfy all parties. ● Inconsistent standards make it difficult to measure the performance of workforce programs. The Jobs Initiative promoted effective use of performance measures and selfassessments. The report urges policy makers to focus performance measures on longer-term retention and advancement instead of shortterm employment, use performance measures that satisfy both employers and job seekers, set a goal of placing workers in “good” jobs and define them, and improve management information systems. ● Federal and state requirements make it hard for local initiatives to focus on the most disadvantaged workers. Current performance standards dissuade local programs from serving individuals who are not immediately job ready. The report recommends that alternative funding sources be found for those not ready for training, policy makers negotiate for more flexible performance standards, and policy makers advocate for part-time vocational students to qualify for federal student aid. Although the Jobs Initiative ended, some of the efforts it began are still going strong. For example, the Philadelphia Jobs Initiative led to a statewide coordination plan and to regional, sector-focused partnerships throughout the state. Milwaukee is part of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, which brings employers and labor unions together in a working relationship. The Seattle Jobs Initiative worked with the city to create the Career Investment Fund, which provides emergency and support services not available through traditional funding streams. This year, several foundations launched the National Fund for Workforce Solutions with $30–$50 million to replicate the kinds of partnerships developed under the Jobs Initiative. (Strengthening Workforce Policy: Applying Lessons of the Jobs Initiative to Five Key Challenges, www.aecf.org) technical fields classes because they need workers immediately. Jan Bray, executive director of the Association for Career and Technical Education, said it was not uncommon for only 25 percent of students to finish their degree program. David Hughes, associate vice president for technical education at Arkansas’s National Park Community College, did not criticize employers, but believes community colleges should offer shorter certificate programs for students who want to earn good salaries right away. The president of Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin said his campus offers intensive, weeklong employment training programs and schedules some programs at business sites. He also asks employers who recruit from his classes to recommend or find others to take the place of the new hires. Both college officials said they tried to hold onto students by offering paid internships and other incentives, but it is a difficult sell if a student can earn $20 an hour now and does not see the need to delay working for two years. Reconnecting Disconnected Youth How many times does the public need to be reminded that the economic and social stability of the country depends on educating today’s youth well—all of them? With a shrinking labor pool, demands for greater skills and atrocious dropout rates from the nation’s high schools, we don’t seem to be making the right effort, yet. The Campaign for Youth, formed in 2002 and headed by the leadership of major national youth organizations, calls for a National Investment Strategy for Disconnected Youth that would “create ‘on-ramps’ and pipelines that connect youth to high-skill and high-wage career opportunities.” To help young people avoid ending up in dead-end jobs or worse, business and industry must become more involved in providing hands-on experience that prepares the youth for career jobs. The policy solutions include: The “Job Outs” Problem “Job outs” may be a boon for students, but they are a bother for community college officials, according to two college executives speaking at a panel discussion at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce convention on education and the workforce. “Job outs” refer to the practice of companies hiring students in workforce development programs before they have received a certificate or associate degree. According to an article in Inside Higher ED, employers are raiding 6 techdirections ◆ DECEMBER 2007 http://www.aecf.org

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Tech Directions - December 2007 Technically Speaking Contents Direct from Washington The News Report Technology Today Technology's Past Mastering Computers Is This Op-Amp Any Good? Lab-Built Checker Removes All Doubt Here Comes the Sun! Residential Solar Systems Add Up to Savings Pinhole Cameras—For Science, Art, and Fun! Poster Project Maps Out Design Process Gifts for Geeks E-gallery More than Fun

Tech Directions - December 2007

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