1. Collaboration Across State Boundaries:
Interstate Strategies
of the
TriState Regional Workforce Alliance
TENNESSEE
ALABAMA
GEORGIA
Presented by:
Alabama Career Center
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
Coosa Valley Regional Development Center
Southeast Tennessee Development District

2. common understanding of the knowledge and skills required to
Aligning workforce and education with economic development requires a clear understanding of the industries in the states and a
common understanding of the knowledge and skills required to
compete successfully.
Aligning workforce and education with economic development requires a clear understanding of the industries in the states and a common understanding of the knowledge and skills required to compete successfully.

3. Think and Act Regionally
Commuting
Patterns
TENNESSEE
ALABAMA
GEORGIA
Think and Act Regionally
Commuting Patterns

4. Think and Act Regionally
Prospects look regionally when
assessing area labor
Global competition
Declining dollars and resources
Improving services
Think and Act Regionally
Reality of the region, regardless of state lines
Prospects look regionally when assessing area labor
Global competition
Declining dollars and resources
Improving services

5. Where to start? Define region Determine players Initial meeting
Determine work plan sub- committees
Sub-committee meetings
Ongoing collaborative meetings
Where to start?
Initial meeting
The initial meeting to explore the establishment of a Tri-State Regional Workforce Collaborative was held on January 31, The meeting was very well attended, and the participants overwhelmingly expressed a strong desire to organize on a more formal, regional basis in order to address common workforce issues and to develop a strategy to more effectively compete for major plant locations and expansions. Attendees voted to create four sub-committees:
Engaging Business, Industry and Elected Officials
Expanding Career Readiness through WorkKeys
Establish a Regional Workforce Database
Identifying Funding to Promote Collaborative Projects
Sub-committee meetings
Three of the sub-committees have met to establish goals and to determine their short term work plans.
It was determined that it would be premature for the Identifying Funding to Promote Collaborative Projects subcommittee to meet until there was further clarification on the overall strategy and goals of the Collaborative.
Ongoing Collaborative meetings
The full Collaborative continues to meet on a quarterly basis. Sub-committee reports and determining next steps are the primary agenda items.

6. What have we accomplished?
CertificateKey database
Regional Workforce Summit
Successfully applied for technical assistance through DOL (NBLP)
MOU between Workforce Boards
Support and name recognition
Building relationships for
further collaboration
What have we accomplished?
CertificateKey database
CertificateKey is an online database developed by Thinking Media, our partners who also developed KeyTrain (remedial software for WorkKeys) in order to compile and track the individuals who obtained a Career Readiness Certificate.
Approximately 1,000 certificate-holders have been added to database since March 2006.
Important that Alabama has been able to include their certificate-holders who have obtained CRC through Northeast AL Community College.
Discussed adding certificate-holders to database with administrators at Northwest Technical College in GA.
Will begin marketing CertificateKey soon to economic and workforce development professionals
Regional Workforce Summit
In partnership with other service providers, brought nationally known Futurist, Ed Barlow, to Chattanooga for Workforce Summit on October 27.
Applied for technical assistance through DOL (NBLP)
Submitted successful application to US Department of Labor as a “Learner” in the Talent Development Strategies Driving Regional Economic Competitiveness category in order to benefit from experiences and best practices that peer groups have experienced in breaking down barriers, crossing boundaries, moving away from political jurisdictions, and streamlining duplicative efforts in economic and workforce development initiatives.
Representatives from each of the three states are attending the national “match” meeting now.
Support
Obtained support of majority of local Chambers, Economic Development agencies, educational institutions and local elected officials
Building relationships for further collaboration
Grassroots effort to begin building a broad-based initiative that will enable the southeast region to grow and succeed in a global economy.
Developed functional relationships with post-secondary educational institutions and are working with selected high schools to promote value of Career Readiness Certificate.

7. Where do we go from here? Joint workforce board meetings
Continue to collaborate
Asset and needs analysis
Strategic planning
Become major partner in economic development initiatives
Continue to identify and add partners
Identify funding sources
Joint workforce board meetings
Have set joint meeting of the Executive Committees of LWIA-1 in Georgia, LWIA-5 in Tennessee, and appropriate representatives from Alabama on November 13 to begin dialogue.
Continue to collaborate and bring other groups on board
As we formalize the organization of the collaborative, we will need to bring other groups (employers, K-12 education, etc.) on board.
Asset and Needs Analysis
To better understand where we are as a region, we need to analyze our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
An asset analysis would let us know where we have “pockets” of excellence throughout the region. Our goal should be to regionalize the things that are working on a local basis and turn that local strength into a regional strength.
As we recognize regional assets we will also uncover regional weaknesses and plan accordingly.
Strategic Planning
Based on strengths and weaknesses, we can then plan for the best use of limited resources:
What do we wish to accomplish?
What are our priorities?
How will we fund these initiatives?
Become a major partner in regional economic development initiatives.
As the collaborative becomes more focused on the needs of the region, we will be in an ideal position to work with other agencies and entities to advance the economic development of the region.
Develop MOU between LWIA-1 (Georgia), LWIA-5 (Tennessee) and Alabama

8. Individual state perspectives
Alabama
Georgia
Tennessee
Alabama
Georgia
Tennessee

9. Our partners Northeast Alabama Community College
Southeast Tennessee Development District
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
Alabama Career Center