Innovations for Success: Skill Panels

1
Innovations for Success Skill Panels

• Mike Brennan
• Washington State Workforce Training and Education
  Coordinating Board
• January 17th, 2006
• North West Food Processors EXPO
• Portland, OR

2
What do Industry Skill Panels do?

• Address the largest barrier to business expansion
  identified by Washingtons employers the
  shortage of skilled workers
• How?
• Assess current and future skill needs
• Implement strategies to meet skill needs
• Provide workers with better skills, jobs, career
  growth
• Provide employers with more efficiency, less
  turnover, higher profits
• Enable direct access to market information and
  needs

3
What industries have been served since 2001?

• Aerospace
• Agriculture and Food Processing
• Biotechnology
• Computer Game Software
• Construction
• Electronics
• Energy
• Health Care
• Homeland Security

• Information Technology
• Life Sciences
• Manufacturing Advanced, Wood Product, and Rural
• Maritime
• Marine Technology and Services
• Medical Devices
• Transportation

4
Washington has created 28 Industry Skill Panels
since 2001

• Can be convened by
• Workforce Development Councils
• Chambers of Commerce
• Community and Technical Colleges
• Apprenticeships
• Business or Trade Associations
• Private Career Schools
• Economic Development Councils

5
What does one look like?
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Examples of Industry Skill Panel products

• Developed skill standards for the energy and
  electronics industries
• Developed modular curricula for the manufacturing
  and biotechnology industries
• Expanded apprenticeship in health care and
  construction industries
• Developed articulation agreements with mulitple
  levels of the education system
• Coordinated industry support to expand capacity
  of health care programs
• Developed customized training for entry level
  workers and limited English speaking populations
  in agriculture, construction, manufacturing and
  health care industries

7
How have Industry Skill Panels increased
collaboration?

• By giving companies an important leadership role
  in workforce development design
• By enhancing the effectiveness of state
  investments (Workforce, Economic Development and
  Education)
• By leveraging existing resources and supporting
  the acquisition of new funding
• By finding innovative ways to streamline training
  and services

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Where do I go for more information?

• The State Board for Community and Technical
  Colleges
• http//www.sbctc.ctc.edu/workforce/default.asp
• Workforce College http//www.workforcecollege.com
  /
• Your regional Workforce Development Council
• http//www.washingtonworkforce.org/about/councils.
  php
• Your local Economic Development Councils
• http//www.cted.wa.gov/_CTED/documents/ID_1121_Pub
  lications.doc
• The Workforce Board Directory of services
• http//www.wtb.wa.gov/wfd.pdf

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Additional information..

• Mike Brennan, Economic Development Workforce
  Specialist
• [phone]
• mbrennan_at_wtb.wa.gov
• www.wtb.wa.gov