Workforce Development Trust Fund

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The Kentucky Experience A Public Policy Approach
to Building a Statewide CRC Initiative May 5,
2006
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Kentuckys 2020 Goals for KCTCS

• Access to certificate, diploma, and degree
  programs
• Training a workforce to meet the needs of new
  and existing industries
• Remedial and continuing education

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KCTCS 16 Colleges

Madisonville
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The Kentucky Employability Certificate (KEC) -- A
Public Policy Approach
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Three Approaches

• Public Policy- Lead at state level by Governors
  office or other key leaders
• Local Initiative Driven- Local initiatives are
  successful and lead to statewide approach
  (California)
• Business champion(s) driven- State and local
  policy discussions are initiated

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• If only you would send me applicants that have
  good math and communication skills, the ability
  to learn, and a good work ethic, Ill train
  them
• Slide courtesy of The Pawleys Group

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Goals of the KEC

• Kentucky employers recognize the KEC as
• a meaningful credential
• Kentucky citizens recognize the value of
• the KEC in terms of making them more
• employable
• Public agencies develop a pool of
• certified workers

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1999 Policy Origins

• Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
• Workforce Development Summit
• Common Language
• Common Metric

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Original Major Kentucky Players

• Kentucky Community and Technical
• College System
• Cabinet for Workforce Development
• Adult Education (KYAE)
• Kentucky Workforce Investment Board

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Additional Policy Consensus Kentucky
General Assembly

• Senate Bill 1 Adult Education Reform
• Moved Adult Education to the Council on
• Postsecondary Education
• Called for a statewide competency-based
• certification for workforce skills

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2000 Operational Origins

• 400,000 Empower KY funds for 7 Local Pilots
• 1,500 Participants
• Partners
• Cabinet for Workforce Development
• Adult Education
• KCTCS
• One Stops
• Community Based Organizations
• Job Corps
• Business Industry

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2000 Building Capacity

• KCTCS Profiling Project to profile all
• occupational and technical programs
• 300,000 in KYAE funds allocated for
  WorkKeys assessments 40,000 for
• Kentucky Employability Certificates
• Utilizing WIA incentive funds to build
  curriculum infrastructure in one-stops

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Primary Sponsors Identified

• Kentucky Workforce Investment Board
• ACT, Inc.
• Signed by Governor

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KEC Original Endorsers

• Kentucky Community and Technical College
  System
• Cabinet for Workforce Development
• Kentucky Adult Education
• Council on Postsecondary Education
• Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
• Kentucky Society for Human Resource
  Management
• Associated Industries of Kentucky
• Kentucky State District Council of Carpenters

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Kentucky Employability Certificate The Basics

• Based on 3 WorkKeys skill areas Reading for
  Information, Applied Mathematics and Locating
  Information
• Three types
• Gold (Level 5)
• Silver (Level 4)
• KCTCS Program Specific

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2002 Building Infrastructure

• Regional Training Sessions throughout the
  Commonwealth for local staff
• KCTCS Colleges
• Kentucky Adult Education
• One Stop Partners

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2003 The KEC Officially Rolls Out

• March Issued 1,200 KECs to individuals in
  Owensboro
• May Statewide KEC kickoff in Owensboro
  featuring Unilever and Owensboro Mercy Health
  System

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2005 Additional Policy Consensus

• Kentucky Long Term Policy Research Center
• Further develop a certified workforce
  initiative utilizing a statewide approach to
  certify competencies for both adults and high
  school students
• Business Forum on Kentucky Education
• Promote and institutionalize the use of
  industry-based credentials, such as the KEC

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2006 Additional Policy Consensus

• Senate Bill 130
• ACT College Entrance Test and WorkKeys
  assessments for high school students
• WorkKeys assessments focused on Applied Math,
  Reading for Information and Locating Information
  (KEC focus areas)

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National Level Policy

• Monday press conference on ACT report on Act and
  WorkKeys same skills needed for success in
  postsecondary education and jobs that pay a
  living wage
• Data supports CRC concept

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2006 Building Infrastructure Searchable
Data Base

• www.e3.ky.gov (Rolled out in 2006)
• Statewide Database
• All statewide partners involved
• Employ Kentucky Operating System (EKOS)
• Designed for employers and individuals
• Interactive, searchable database

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KEC By the Numbers

• Issued 7,321 certificates
• 2,007 Gold
• 4,275 Silver
• 1,039 KCTCS Occupational
• Specific

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KEC - By the Numbers

•    
• 180 WorkKeys profiles conducted for 74 KCTCS
  program areas
• Over 375 companies or organizations were
  represented by participating as Subject Matter
  Experts in the profiling process

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Highlights of KCTCS Initiatives

• KCTCS
• Integrating WorkKeys into workforce training
  programs
• Leveraging funds
• Career Pathways
• 12M Trust Fund Push
• Profiling for companies for targeted selection
• Bellwether Award Recipient, 2005
• Five Value Added Resale Centers

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Highlights of KYAE Initiatives

• Kentucky Adult Education
• Educational and Career Advancement Projects
  (ECAP)
• 340,000 IN KYAE funds allocated for adult ed
  eligible students
• 11 pilot projects
• Provided targeted training and instruction
  leading to the issuance of the KEC
• 10,776 WorkKeys Assessments administered
• 1,170 KECs issued

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Highlights of Local Initiatives

• Owensboro Community and Technical College
• City/County Initiative Skills, Inc.
• Owensboro Medical Health System (OMHS)
• Partners include Kentucky Adult Education and
  Kentucky Community and Technical College System
• OMHS has seen its turnover rate drop by 32
• Over 600 employees have participated in the
  program

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Highlights of Local Initiatives

• Gateway Community and Technical College
• Served over 1,000 local high school students
• First college in the state to collaborate with
  secondary partners in issuing the KEC
• Integrated into the Expanding Horizons Initiative

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Highlights of Local Initiatives

• Madisonville Community College
• Profiled seven jobs in the coal mining
• industry
• Companies requiring new employees to
• submit WorkKeys scores with their job
• applications
• DACUM profile used to develop curriculum

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Key Principles and Steps for Success

• Must have leadership from the top
• Must fully train staff who will promote and
  deliver services
• Develop partnerships with critical
  influencers/impression makers on the demand side
  (Chambers,etc.)
• Demand Driven- Develop and nurture long term
  relationships with businesses and sector partners
  (clusters)

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Key Principles and Steps for Success

• Public partners must collaboratecollaborate
  collaborate
• Identify business champions and facilitate
  business to business exchanges
• Do not sell the CRC or WorkKeys sell solutions
  to workforce challenges

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Outcomes

• Effectively maneuvered political/administrative
  transitions
• Elimination of many of the turf issues with
• service delivery agencies
• Service delivery agencies have a better
• understanding of respective programs
• Developed more partnerships/collaboration
• among all service delivery agencies
  resulting in
• better services to business and industry

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Future Plans

• Establish Policy and Users Group (to include
  secondary partners as a result of SB 130)
• Establish business and industry advisory board
• Enhance marketing efforts
• Work with employers to develop ROI analyses and
  case studies

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The Kentucky Journey
Random Acts of Progress
Best Practices
Strategic Systems
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Questions?
Dr. Keith Bird keith.bird_at_kctcs.edu 859-256-3100