1. 1 Maryland Sector Academy June 25, 2009 Courses to Employment: Sector Based Community College/Nonprofit Partnerships

2. 2 What’s a Sector Strategy? A systems approach to workforce development – typically on behalf of low-income individuals – that:  Targets a specific industry or cluster of occupations;  Intervenes through a credible organization, or set of organizations;  Supports workers in improving their range of employment-related skills; and  Creates lasting changes in the labor market system that are positive for workers and employers.

3. 3 Why focus on low-income adults?  Only 35 percent of the 2020 labor force and 65 percent of the 2030 labor force will come from today’s high school system (estimate based on BLS projections)  43 percent of adults ages 25-64 have completed no education beyond high school (estimate derived from 2004 CPS)  24 of the 30 occupations projected to grow fastest between 2004 and 2014 require post-secondary education (BLS)

4. 4 Capacities Needed  Strong focus on a defined industry sector and/or set of related occupations to identify employment opportunity and develop appropriate education services  High quality education & training that both meets industry-identified skill needs and is appropriate and accessible to underserved adults

5. 5 Capacities Needed (cont.)  Support services (academic & non- academic) that meet special needs of underserved adults to learn successfully and progress to jobs that pay self- sufficiency wages  Shared vision about the need to develop new ways of operating & ability to communicate this effectively to support innovation and institutional changes, as needed

6. 6 WSI’s Work Past Projects:  Sector Strategies for Low-Income Workers: Lessons from the Field (2007)  Jobs and the Urban Poor (1995) Current projects of interest:  Sector Skills Academy  Construction “pre-apprenticeship” census  Business Value Assessment  And…

7. 7 Courses to Employment  Based on premise that, with rare exception, neither colleges nor non-profits have the resources needed to serve low- income, minority, and under represented adult learners effectively—especially over the long-term.  Inspired by the outcomes and possibilities we’ve seen in collaborative work

8. 8 Courses to Employment  Learning demonstration involving six community college-non-profit program collaborations 2008-2010  Participants were selected competitively— from 89 applications  Substantial learning & research agenda  Funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

9. 9 What Questions is CTE Exploring?  What specific services are provided? By which institution? Why? Which ones seem most important?  Outcomes for participants? Compared to?  Engagement and role of business in the initiative?  Factors of successful collaboration? Policies, funding, governing and capacity issues?  What does collaborative service delivery cost? How is it financed?

10. 10  Austin: Capitol IDEA & Austin Community College  Seattle: Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County & Shoreline Community College  Chicago: Instituto del Progreso Latino & Wright College’s Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center  Flint, MI: Greater Flint Health Coalition & Mott Community College  Los Angeles: Community Career Development, Inc., Los Angeles Valley College, East Los Angeles College & Los Angeles City College  Fairfax, VA: Northern Virginia Family Service and Northern Virginia Community College CTE Partnerships

11. 11  Make college coursework more accessible to adult learners  Integrate basic education into skills training  Provide tutoring and academic support  Provide case management and support services  Reduce finance barriers to education  Assist graduates in navigating and advancing within higher education and their chosen industry Key Strategies

12. 12 Community College – Non-profit Partnership Schematic Supportive Services Education Strategies Industry Strategy Community & sector agencies College Innovation & Scale

13. 13 What are we learning so far?  These partnerships coordinate a wide range of services and supports, making the blending of funding streams a necessity and a challenge.  The community-based partners tend to help the adult learner navigate some of the ”traps” encountered entering post- secondary education.  Partnerships grapple with opportunities and inherent tensions around growth and scale.

14. 14 The Aspen Institute One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 736-1071 E-mail: wsi@aspeninst.org http://www.aspenwsi.org To Learn More