STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION – TOPIC SUMMARY

Topic: Oregon Workforce Investment Board

Date: October 17, 2008

Staff/Office: Greg White, OWIB and Cam Preus, CCWD

Action Requested: Information only Policy Adoption Policy Adoption/Consent Calendar

ISSUE BEFORE THE BOARD: Quarterly Oregon Workforce Investment Board Meeting Report

BACKGROUND: Presented quarterly after each OWIB meeting. This month’s report is for the September 26th meeting.

Quarterly Oregon Workforce Investment Board Meeting Report

Economic Report and Employer Demand. The Board heard a presentation by Graham Slater on the current situation of job growth and the Oregon economy. Highlights of the presentation included the Oregon vacancy survey, occupational prioritization for training, and the most recent OED publication, Working in Oregon: Now and in the Future.”

Discussion included questions of how the economic bailout plays out psychologically with the Oregon public, The unemployment rate reflects the public perception that these are tough times. Certain occupations are impacted more. The discussion turned to the use of the data to understand workforce supply and demand. The board agreed that the crux is having current data on supply and demand in order to make decisions. The challenge is to stay two to three years ahead of the employment need.

Focused Legislative Agenda. James Sager gave an overview of the next revenue forecast (November, 2008) that may provide constraints to what is being laid out in policy packages. Key points of the education/workforce agenda from the Governor:

·  K-12: the new high school diploma and Essential Skills.

·  The Governor is very focused on restoring career/technical education. Community colleges will develop and expand programs aligned with high-wage, high-demand jobs in all regions. Both high schools and community colleges will need to work with local workforce boards for their career education programs.

·  Support from the General Fund to relieve federal constraints on workforce programs.

·  The Governor is pleased with the work so far on Career Readiness Certificate (CRC). The State Board of Education is considering the CRC as an assessment of proficiency for the new diploma, perhaps using the Silver or Gold levels as criteria.

·  Expand Career Pathways at community colleges. There is also a proposal to expand Pathways at the university level.

·  Continued development of the Shared Responsibility financial aid program. More funding has been awarded by the E-board ($4M). There has been positive feedback from students and financial aid offices on the program.

James added that much more emphasis needs to be put on the adult workforce component.

It was noted by the Board that the OWIB’s top priorities, the Career Readiness Certificate and expanding Career and Technical Education are well aligned with this package.

Dave Williams asked about James Sager’s and Cam’s recent conversation with Labor Commissioner Avakian. There is an interest in expanding apprenticeship, and potential governance changes at the OWIB level. James suggested a future presentation at OWIB on the proposal.

Career Readiness (CRC) Report. Cam Preus gave an overview of the CRC. The Board received a September 26 CRC update handout. 163 people have earned their CRC so far. There are several levels at which employers can be involved. There was a lot of interest among employer members of the Board. How quickly can they be involved? The CRC Steering Committee is ensuring that the infrastructure is in place so that employers can be served. All community colleges have volunteered to be assessment centers.

WIN, the contractor for the CRC, has a pre-assessment test. For those who don’t reach the Bronze level, WIN has modules to help raise their skill level—this is a safety net. This information will also tell the State how many people don’t have basic skills.

Discussion points:

·  Funding issues and whether employers should contribute to testing costs.

·  The test is standardized nationally.

·  It is important that the Governor signs initial certificates to “market” the program.

·  The CRC is a great tool for older dislocated workers.

Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute Report. Jo Isgrigg, Executive Director of the Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute (OHWI), presented OHWI’s accomplishments, program goals, developing projects, and 2009 legislative proposals. The OWIB was a major contributor to the establishment of the Institute. Jo asked OWIB for feedback on how they wanted to continue to receive information from the Institute. Cam commented that the written materials provided in the agenda packet were excellent and “right to the point” and should continue to be provided to OWIB. Cam commented about how OHWI has coalesced data from many entities. Long-term sustained funding was discussed. OHWI partners with Kaiser and Providence for continued funding.

Nancy Glass from Providence presented information about incumbent worker programs and early experience programs for younger students to see the many support jobs in the health care industry. Many occupations in the industry do not involve direct patient care, e.g., IT, HVAC, or bio-engineering.

Youth Outreach Campaign. The Communications Committee has been carrying out the preliminary steps of a youth outreach campaign to inform youth of the many opportunities available in high skill high wage occupations. The campaign is aimed at youth 17-24 years of age, the so-called “lost years” in which youth are deciding their futures. The campaign has involved many partners so as not to duplicate other efforts. The first phase is completed, which involved youth focus groups and research. The next phase will be the development of a web page portal aimed at youth using social networks, with signage displayed where youth congregate, using messages that resonate with this age group.

Anne Austin and Mary Ellen Glynn of Pyramid Communications presented the background and creative concepts involved in the outreach campaign to youth ages 17-24 about occupational possibilities and how to access the workforce system and training programs. They showed the Board samples of logos considered, prototype web pages, and discussed outreach strategies.

The future funding of the program was discussed. The estimated cost to fund the website startup would be $60K. The entire project for two years would be around $300k. There are possible partnerships with employers that can be explored. The committee was asked to bring recommendations back to the full Board.

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