Work Ready Regions- Group 4 Goals and Objectives

1. Work Ready Regions- Group 4Goals and Objectives Ginger Booton, WRR Project Manager Governor’s Office of Workforce Development January 27, 2010

2. 18 Month Grant Period December 2010- June 2012

3. Regional Grants are to drive new thinking and develop Georgia’s “talented” regions. Receive technical and data support to ensure data driven solutions and a common framework among all of Georgia’s Work Ready Regions.

4. Successful Regions • Demonstrate a strong public-private partnership with active participation from the identified growth industry cluster. • Use research that confirms the selected regional strategic industry has a growing, viable industry base in the region.

5. Industry Network • Comprised of business representatives from the identified growth cluster to provide input on all regional workforce strategies and guide the implementation process. • May include suppliers and customers to determine the workforce needs of the identified strategic industry.

6. Regional Project Leader • Regions are required to have a regional project leader from the area with a strong background in the identified strategic industry. • Project industry leader constitutes the backbone of a successful Work Ready Region. • Successful project industry leaders should either be currently employed in the strategic industry, or recently retired.

7. Project Leadership Team • Leaders from different local sectors including education and industry. • Three people make up the project leadership team • Work together to implement the Work Ready work plan and produce deliverables. • Project Leaders and leadership teams for regions receive funds to attend required in-person meetings and participate in conference calls as scheduled by the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development .

8. Educational cooperation should exists to develop the talent for the regional identified strategic industry.

9. Core Team • All funding decisions are to be made by the core team identified in the proposal. Core team membership should consist of the following: • WRR project leader  • WRR project leadership team  • Key economic, education and community leaders and CWRC team leaders of participating counties 

10. Home Team • Core Team Members and others who need to be kept informed

11. Work Ready Regions Goals • Industry Network: Build an industry network throughout region of industries consistent with overall demographics • Close the Regions skills gap • Certified Work Ready Communities: Coordinate and hold accountable county team leaders • Career Pathways: Working with regional education partners develop career pathways for emerging, transitioning and existing workforce • Timely, accurate and meaningful regional workforce data • Sustainability of project through sustaining Industry Network

12. Industry Network • Industry Network • Industry asset map of Region • Industry Network members should reflect demographics of industry • Job profiles • Workforce survey • Develop plan for long term sustainability • Existing industry training • Internships

13. Job Profiling • Obtain job profiles of strategic industry jobs • Information used to determine Work Ready Certificate levels • Develop career pathways for emerging, transitioning and existing workforce • Understand common training needs among existing Industry Network members • Usually industry is ‘surprised’ by information received in job profile report • Usually ask for additional job profiles

14. Closing the Skills Gap • Goal of 19% Gold level Work Ready Certified • Develop strategies to close the skills gap • Incentives • High school action plan • Monitor results for Region and post on Web site • Region Go 4 Gold Award

15. Certified Work Ready Communities • Work Ready Regions hold CWRC in progress team leaders accountable • Need to be on your ‘core team’ • Meet regularly by phone or in person • Monitor their progress

16. Career Pathways • Develop seamless career pathways • High school to technical college • High school to college • Technical college to college • 2 + 2 + 2 • Emerging, Transition and Existing workforce • Emerging – high school and technical/4 yr graduates • Transitioning – underemployed, unemployed and veterans • Currently employed and seeking promotions

17. Sustainability • Look to sustain Work Ready Regions through Industry Network • Transformational strategy

19. Work Ready Regions Goals • Industry Network: Build an industry network throughout region of industries consistent with overall demographics • Close the Regions skills gap • Certified Work Ready Communities: Coordinate and hold accountable county team leaders • Career Pathways: Working with regional education partners develop career pathways for emerging, transitioning and existing workforce • Timely, accurate and meaningful regional workforce data • Sustainability of project through sustaining Industry Network

20. Grant Initiatives • Eliminating the skills gap, improving work habits • Increase high school graduation rate • Certified Work Ready Communities • Build an industry network • Career Pathways support • STEM initiatives

21. Region Scorecard

22. Questions?