Pierce County Construction Partnership

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Pierce County Construction Partnership

• Sponsored by the Tacoma-Pierce County Workforce
  Investment Board

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Presentation Overview

• Why did the Tacoma-Pierce County Construction
  Partnership Form?
• How the Partnership Is Structured?
• Partnership Results To Date
• Resources Leveraged To Support Partnerships
  Efforts
• Key Steps to Partnership Formation and
  Collaboration
• Partnership Sustainability

3
It is amazing what can be accomplished when
nobody cares about who gets the credit Robert
Yates
4
Workforce Investment Act of 1998

• Provided an impetus for workforce development
  system stakeholders to increase collaboration
• The Tacoma-Pierce County Workforce Investment
  Board identified in its strategic plan five
  growth industries critical to the health of
  Pierce County economy.
• In 2002, the WIB convened the Construction
  Partnership, its second sectoral partnership, to
  collectively develop, implement and oversee
  strategies that ensure
• Awareness and/or promotion of construction
  careers and training opportunities
• A sufficient supply of new entrants and
  progression of currently employed construction
  professionals
• Construction professionals have the skill sets to
  consistently perform at an optimal level
• Pierce County residents have access to industry
  specific training that results in employment and
  career progression in construction

5
There comes a moment when you have to stop
revving up the car and shove it into
gear David Mahoney
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Partnership Composition

• Business-led private and public partnership
• Chair position held by a business member
• Two vice-chair positions held by business and
  education
• members
• One Full-Time Partnership Coordinator
• Six Work Teams focused on partnership priorities
• Career Path-Training Capacity
• Funding
• Labor Market Research
• Marketing
• Performance Measures
• Public Policy
• Members represent
• Industry (general contractors, trade specific
  businesses, HVAC, electrical)

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Partnership Results To Date

• Collectively leverage 680,000 private resources
  and 1.5 public resources to forward partnership
  workforce development priorities
• Commissioned and Completed a county wide and
  regional labor market study in 2003
• Launched a marketing campaign targeting students,
  teachers, advisors, parents, general public in
  2003
• Conducted Applied Spanish training to
  supervisors, foremen, superintendents, human
  resources specialists, project manager
• Developed and implemented a pre-apprenticeship
  program that provides high school youth paid on
  the job and classroom training with special
  consideration into the electrical apprenticeship
  program upon graduation
• Currently planning replication of this model with
  the carpentry trade and expansion into Thurston
  County

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Partnership Results To Date

• Implemented an architecture, construction and
  engineering magnet school in September 2003.
  Program attracts youth from 11 high schools and
  capacity will double in Fall 2004
• Currently planning to replicate in Fife school
  district
• Plan to implement a Construction Trades Career
  Pathway Program in Tacoma, largest school
  district, in Fall 2004
• Provide industry specific skills training to
  incumbent construction workers
• Trade specific
• Leadership and management
• Project management
• Sales and marketing
• Estimating

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Partnership Results To Date

• Providing Management/Applied English Training
  targeting Spanish-speaking Construction Workers
  positioned for management roles
• Launched first annual Construction Reception to
  showcase Pierce County secondary programs that
  expose, prepare and connect youth to the industry
  and to increase industry commitment to sustain,
  enhance, and replicate programs
• Plan to implement youth iron worker
  pre-apprenticeship program July 2004 to prepare
  youth for direct entry into the apprenticeship
  program

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Public and Private Resources

• Public - 1.5 million
• Access to public workforce development funds to
  develop and implement partnership priorities
• WIA local formula funds (youth and adult funding
  streams)
• Governors WIA 10 discretionary funds
• Perkins Act funds
• State vocational education funds
• Private - 680,000
• Cash
• In-kind (trainers, wages, tools/equipment,
  advisors, cash, facilities, etc)

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Key Steps to Partnership Formation and
Collaboration

• Be inclusive from the get go
• Identify industry and industry associations
  willing and able to actively participate
• Allow industry partners to discuss concerns,
  priorities, phase one membership, and partnership
  structure prior to inviting public workforce
  development stakeholders to the table
• Conduct long term strategic planning at the
  beginning
• Provide a full-time partnership staff
• Ensure quick wins while working on longer term
  solutions
• Patience, Patience, Patience while partners
  increase understanding of each systems culture,
  develop trust, and celebrate successes

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Ill go anywhere as long as its forward David
Livingstone
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Sustainability

• Sustainability is assured when
• Industry partners continue leadership role and be
  fully engaged
• continue to have workforce development issues
  that affect economic health of the industry
• see value added as a result of the partnerships
  collective efforts
• experience tangible outcomes related to the
  partnerships strategic goals
• see public investments coordinated, targeted and
  utilized effectively and efficiently
• Public Workforce Development Partners continue to
  gain access to
• current labor market information and industry
  needs
• Private resources to support current, enhanced
  and new training programs and students
• Access to additional resources not obtained prior
  as a result of partnerships efforts
• shared curriculum, staffing, and program
  integration between secondary and post-secondary
  training

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THANK YOU!!!!!!