21st Century Sector Strategies: Best Practices from California’s WIBs

1. 21st Century Sector Strategies: Best Practices from California’s WIBs Co-Sponsors Presenters/Moderators Jim Cassio, Jim Cassio & Associates Gary Craft, Craft Consulting Group sectorstrategyexperts.com California Community Colleges PowerPathway™

2. California’s Strategic Workforce Development Plan Calls for aligning the state’s workforce institutions and programs around the needs of regional growth sectors. Essential elements of the plan include industry sector partnerships with deep employer engagement that develop career pathway programs that meet the workforce needs of high demand sectors of the state and regional economies.

3. What are Sector Strategies? Sector strategies build partnerships between employers, training providers, community organizations, and other key stakeholders around specific industries to address the workforce needs of employers and the training, employment, and career advancement needs of workers. - NGA Center for Best Practices

4. Today’s Agenda Welcome & Introductions – Jim Cassio Survey Summary – Jim Cassio Perspectives of Local WIBs Moderators – Jim Cassio & Gary Craft Panelists – Kris Stadelman (NOVA) Stephen Baiter (Contra Costa) Kelley Fry (San Diego) Blake Konczal (Fresno) Best Practices Summary – Gary Craft Wrap-Up – Jim Cassio

5. Sector Strategy Survey Summary Surveys conducted by phone and online with California WIB Directors (or their designees) in March and April of 2014 63% Response Rate (31 out of 49) We plan to achieve a 75%+ response rate by mid-May An e-report (PDF) with the survey results and our analysis will be available by the end of June

6. Target Industry Sectors Reasons for choosing industry sector • Target industry was experiencing labor shortage • Encouraging growth in target sector • Improve industry competitiveness • Retain industry in community • Prepare industry for demographic or technological changes • Largest or fastest growing sector • Importance to local/regional economy

7. Year Sector Strategy Initiated 29 of 31 WIB’s Considering Launching a Sector Strategy in 2014 or 2015

8. Methodology Employed Target Population Groups • Incumbent workers • Displaced/unemployed workers • Youth • Veterans

10. Role of WIBs

11. Constraints

12. The Keystone to Connecting Career Pathways to Industry Cluster Growth Source: “State Sector Strategies, Coming of Age: Implications for State Workforce Policymakers”, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

13. What WIBs Are Saying About Best Practices “Combination of labor market research, including workforce needs assessments, and the industry-led roundtable discussions are key to getting the various parties working collaboratively on shared goals and objectives.” “Use Industry Association as intermediary to seat and staff sector panel.” “Direct employer input for curriculum design.” “Meeting directly in person with industry partners.” “Identify the champions first.” “Track, monitor and measure results.” “Talk to employers in the sector (CEO Roundtables or on an individual basis) to identify their workforce needs, record the data, report it back to them, and get their feedback to make sure you really understood what they said. Bring teachers to the table to talk directly to employers about curriculum and assist them in building relationships that are win-win.”

14. Five Common Elements • Data driven analysis (quantitative, qualitative) • Industry led • Target industries that are important to the regional or state economy • Defined outcomes that are measurable and actionable • Performance metrics to measure accomplishments

15. Contact Information Jim Cassio Jim Cassio & Associates (916) 320-4944 jim7@cassio.com www.sectorstrategyexperts.com Gary Craft Craft Consulting Group(925) 283-4981craft@craftconsulting.net