Groundwork Before the Grit!

North Central Workforce Investment Board

AHE Network Conference – June 25, 2015

Introduction – What is a WIB?

• Workforce Investment Boards – Soon to be Workforce Development Boards

• Part of the Public Workforce System: a network of federal, state, and local offices that support economic expansion and develop the talent of the nation’s workforce.

• State and local WIBs serve as connectors between the U.S. Department of Labor and more than 2,500 local American Job Centers that deliver services to workers and employers.

• The WIBs’ role is to develop regional strategic plans and set funding priorities for their area.

• Think of your local WIB as your link to the public workforce system.

• WIBs facilitate partnerships between local businesses with similar training needs.

• WIBs also rely on labor market information to develop sector strategies that focus resources on a particular high growth industry for their area, often involving skill training for local businesses.

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What is a WIB? • More than 50 percent of each WIB’s members must come

from the business community. In addition, WIBs are required to have representation from local community colleges and other training providers, as well as elected officials and workforce program leaders. This ensures that current skill needs of local businesses are communicated to relevant training programs.

• See more at: http://www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter/trainandretain/fundingemployeetraining/what-is-a-WIB.aspx#sthash.4GHEitZO.dpuf

North Central WIB

MISSION

The North Central Workforce Investment Board will provide the leadership necessary to ensure we have an educated and skilled workforce that exceeds the workforce needs of local employers.

•Create and Implement Workforce Policy• Business, Job Seekers (adult, dislocated

workers), and our youth• Intermediary – Connector - Convener

North Central WIBSq . Mi - 5,100Pop -224,00043 people per

square mileRoughly the

size of the state of Connecticut

Top Industry Clusters:Manufacturing / Powdered MetalsHealthcare

North Central WIB Priorities Industry and their workforce skillsNorth Central PA CareerLink® systemDeveloping the Workforce of TomorrowBusiness and Education Connect

Preparing our Youth for the 21st Century SummitEmployer PanelSuperintendent PanelBest practices of Business and Education partnerships

Identified need for Career Counselors! Parent and community awareness

Reasons Why Helping Your Child / Student Make Career Decisions is Important

1. College Completion Rates• 10 Students Enter a 4-year Degree Program as

Freshman• Fewer than 8 Students Return for the Sophomore Year• Just over Half Complete the 4-year Degree after 6 Years• Only 30% of adults obtain a bachelor’s degree by age 27

2. There are Multiple Pathways to Success Beyond High School• One-year certificates• Two-year Associate’s degrees•Military• Apprenticeship

Reasons Why Helping Your Child / Student Make Career Decisions is Important

3. Not All Good Jobs Require a 4-Year Degree• By 2018, almost two-thirds of all jobs will require some postsecondary education beyond high school • 27% of people with postsecondary certificates and credentials (less than an Associate’s degree) earn more than the average Bachelor’s degree recipient• 78% of the jobs in Health Care requires less than a Bachelor’s degree• There are 29 million “middle jobs” in the US that pay $35,000 or more and don’t require a bachelor’s degree. • There is clearly a mis-match between what jobs are available and what our youth are being prepared for.

Reasons Why Helping Your Child / Student Make Career Decisions is Important

4. College Costs are on the Rise - Pennsylvania • Cost of tuition is climbing fast. Between 1999 and 2009:• PA’s public 2 year community colleges rose 20% - • 40% for the public 4 year colleges• Average cost of attendance• Net tuition and fees for public colleges per year • US = Almost $4,800 per year• PA is $9,500!!!!• When you add in room and board – it is nearing $25,000 per

year!

5. Student Loan Debt• Most students owe about $20,000 to $25,000 after 4 years of loans• Amount of debt has more than doubled for graduates since 2005

Sources for this information• Source: National Center for Higher Education

Management Systems (NCHEMS) www.higheredinfo.org; National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) www.nces.ed.gov; Complete College America, www.completecollege.org.

• Sources: Other Ways to Win, Dr. Ken Gray, Penn State;

• Pathways to Prosperity, Dr. Bill Symonds, Harvard University

• Source: PA Legislative Budget and Finance Committee; National Center for Higher Ed Management Systems

• Source: The Student Debt Project and the Federal Reserve Bank of NY

Groundwork Before the Grit• Career Counselors

• Initial Contact – getting into the schools• Engaging students• Developing Career Plans with students• Exploration• Employment Information• Career Pathway• Post-Secondary Goals• Test Data

• Challenges • Successes• Career and Education Work Standards and comprehensive

guidance plans which include career plans for all 8th grade students and advisory committees in each school.

Introduction to Clearfield County• Getting started

• Compiling list of students

• Weather was a factor

• Time was a factor (study hall)

• 7 schools that participated

• Exposure to different pathways and options

Students and Schools for Clearfield County• Met individually with 80 students total

• 3 eleventh graders• 2 tenth graders• 2 graduates

• Completed 65 plans

• Member of 4 advisory councils

• Attended Career Fair in DuBois

• Worked with DBC in Philipsburg

Students and Schools for Clearfield County• CCCTC – 9 students with 6 completed plans

• Clearfield – 11 students with 8 completed plans

• Curwensville – 14 students with 8 completed plans

• Harmony – 13 students with completed plans

• Moshannon Valley – 10 students with 9 completed plans

• Philipsburg – 12 students with completed plans

• West Branch – 14 students with completed plans

“Out of the Woodwork”Alex Cramer from Curwensville created his own business and applied and received a LLC and tax identifier

Jefferson County/ DuBois Area

Challenges• Time Constraints• Beginning in the middle

of the school year• Study Halls

• Compiling List of Student Consumers• Which students need

assistance

• Weather

Successes• Established working

relationship between WIB and seven (7) local high schools

• Served 307 students• 218 seniors • 89 under classmen

• Assisted with coordination of two career fairs that connected 250 students with 48 local employers

• Coordinated three field trips that allowed 32 students to tour 3 local businesses

Business and Education Connect

• Jeff Tech hosted a career fair that connected roughly 130 students with nearly 30 employers

Exploring careers with local employers

• Juniors and seniors from Brookville High School learn how graphic design is a part of producing the local newspaper

CareerLinking Academy

• High school students along with recent graduates spent two days developing and enhancing their employability skills

• Educator Panel• Employer Panel

Groundwork Before the Grit

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcNSpKX8kVs&sns=em

Contact Information North Central Workforce Investment Board

• Joe Royer, Career Counselor – jroyer@ncwib.org

• Joe Shields, Career Counselor – jshields@ncwib.org

• Pam Streich, Director of Planning – pstreich@ncwib.org