DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICThis report fulfills the mandate of Substitute Senate Bill 5992 passed by the 1995 Legislature and signed by Governor Lowry. The bill requires the state agencies

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 413 519 CE 075 253

TITLE Progress of Operating Agencies in Implementing "High Skills,High Wages": Washington's Comprehensive Plan for WorkforceTraining and Education. July 1995-June 1996. A Report to theLegislature.

INSTITUTION Washington State Workforce Training and EducationCoordinating Board, Olympia.

PUB DATE 1996-06-00NOTE 54p.; For a related document, see CE 075 256.PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative (142)EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Articulation (Education); Career Development; Career

Education; Competency Based Education; Economic Development;*Education Work Relationship; Educational Change;*Educational Improvement; Educational Planning; HighSchools; Job Search Methods; Job Training; *Labor ForceDevelopment; Postsecondary Education; Program Effectiveness;State Programs; *Vocational Education

IDENTIFIERS *Washington

ABSTRACTThis report highlights the Washington State work force

training system's initiatives from July 1995 to June 1996 in the followingareas: Performance Management and Accountability, School-to-Work Transition,competency-based education, linking training with economic devyment,public awareness, and one-stop career center system/collection of services.Highlights of the work force training and education operating agencies'initiatives include the following: (1) a performance management frameworkwas designed in early 1996, with implementation planned in early 1997; (2)

two studies were completed that evaluated the outcomes of five of the state'slargest work force training programs and examined the gaps between supply anddemand for work force training programs, and suggested strategies foraddressing the gaps; (3) the state is building a comprehensive system to makethe last years of high school the first half of a systematic transition fromschool to work or to continued education, and has obtained a 5-year, $26million federal grant for implementing the system; (4) competency-basededucation programs were developed and implemented; (5) the agencies worked toincrease the state's competitive position by linking economic developmentactivities with the work force training system; (6) a plan to increase publicawareness of work force training and education was implemented; and (7)agencies operated centers that provided career development, labor marketinformation, access to job openings, and job search assistance; and submitteda federal grant proposal requesting funds to establish a one-stop careercenter system in Washington. (KC)

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Workforce Trainingand Education

Coordinating Board

2

WORKFORCE TRAINING AND EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD

The Vision

To develop a globally competitive workforce supported by an accessible, flexible, competency-based, and technologically current training and education system.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board is to actualizeWashington's Workforce Vision by:

Establishing a new workforce partnership to include active participation by leaders fromlabor, business, education, and government.

Empowering change to all levels of the education and training system as needed by allparticipants including students, workers, employers, educators, trainers, and political leaders.

Increasing the number of participants from 'traditionally underserved populationsparticipating in training programs that are responsive to ethnic and cultural change.

Increasing self-sufficiency of families by advocating for support services so that individualsaccess training opportunities and prepare for jobs that bring a living wage.

Improving coordination among all programs and providers, public and private, within thestate's workforce training and education system.

Promoting training and education that is competency based, with equal emphasis onacademic and occupational skill acquisition.

Generating new and leveraged resources for an integrated, cost-effective, statewide trainingand education system.

Board Members

Betty Jane Narver Karen Carter Gary MooreChair Representing Labor Commissioner

State EmploymentGilberto Alaniz Earl Hale Security DepartmentRepresenting Targeted Populations Executive Director

Judith A. Billings State Board for Community Joseph J. Pinzone

State Superintendentand Technical Colleges Representing Business

of Public InstructionJeff Johnson Dick Spangler

John Carter Representing Labor Representing BusinessRepresenting Labor

Ellen O'Brien SaundersExecutive Director

3

The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board does not discriminate or deny services on the basis ofrace, colon national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability.

STATE OF WASHINGTON

WORKFORCE TRAINING AND EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARDBuilding 17, Airdustrial Park, P.O. Box 43105 Olympia, Washington 98504-3105 (360) 753-5662 FAX (360) 586-5862

December 1, 1996

Members of the Legislature:

I am pleased to submit the second annual report of progress made by state agencies in fulfilling the most .urgently needed actions and recommendations of "High Skills, High Wages: Washington's ComprehensivePlan for Workforce Training and Education."

"High Skills, High Wages" was submitted to the Governor and Legislature in September 1994. It contains anambitious agenda for change at all levels of the workforce training and education system. It calls for atransformation through continuing progress in education reform, developing competency-based systems andintegrated delivery of services, establishing accountability through continuous quality improvement andproviding a strong role for the customer.

We are proud of the progress made during the past year by the agencies committed to this agenda of change- the Employment. Security Department, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Office of theSuperintendent of Public Instruction, and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.Much of the progress was made in cooperation with our private sector partners and with other agencies ofstate government.

However, much work remains to be done. The Board has revised the comprehensive plan to recognizeprogress we have made, and to sharpen the focus.on where change is most needed. We anticipate the big-gest challenges for the coming year will include continued work to establish a School-to-Work Transitionsystem for high school students, infusing the Performance Management for Continuous Improvement policyframework throughout the agencies and programs of the workforce development system, and increasing thecapacity of the system to meet the needs of employers, workers, and the economy for workforce training.

We appreciate your continued confidence in our collective ability to implement "High Skills, High Wages"and look forward to updating the plan and reporting continued progress in future years.

Sincerely,

Betty J. /e arver, Chair

27,c-w-eiv

Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board

cc: Governor Mike Lowry

A Report to the Legislature

Progress of Operating Agenciesin Implementing

High Skills, High Wages

Washington's Comprehensive Planfor Workforce Training and Education

July 1995June 1996

Workforce Training and Education Coordinating BoardBuilding 17, Airdustrial Park

P.O. Box 43105Olympia, WA 98504-3105

Telephone: (360) 753-5662/Fax: (360) 586-5862Internet: wtecb @wln.com

http://www.wa.gov/wtb


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary 1

Progress and Plans Regarding the Most Urgently Needed Actions

Action 1: Confirm a Coherent Vision of a System of Lifelong Learning 6

Action 2: Develop a Competency-Based Workforce Training andEducation System 8

Action 3: Serve the Needs of an Increasingly Diverse Population 12

Action 4: Make Workforce Training and Education Accountable forContinuous Quality Improvement in Meeting Customer Needs 16

Action 5: Increase Public Awareness About the Importance ofWorkforce Training and Education 24

Action 6: Build Partnerships Between the Private Sector and WorkforceTraining and Education, Including Work-Based Learning and Skill Standards 27

Action 7: Integrate Employment- and Training-Related Services so ThatThey Are Easier to Find and Enter 31

Action 8: Consolidate Programs Where Coordination and EfficienciesCan Result 34

Action 9: Coordinate Workforce Training and Education With State andLocal Economic Development Strategies 36

Action 10: Make the Last Years of High School Part of a School-to-WorkTransition System 40

Action 11: Improve the Basic Skills of Today's Workforce 45

INTRODUCTION

In September 1994 the Workforce Training and Education CoordinatingBoard delivered "High Skills, High Wages: Washington's Comprehensive Plan

for Workforce Training and Education" to Governor Lowry and the Legislature.The plan outlines 11 "most urgently needed actions" and recommendations that

must be met to ensure that the people of Washington State will succeed in aneconomy that requires higher levels of skill and knowledge.

This is the Board's second annual report to the Legislature on progresstoward implementing those recommendations. It covers fiscal year 1996,July 1995 to June 1996, the second year following adoption of the plan.

The 11 "most urgently needed actions" and supporting recommendationsare the focus of this report. Under each "most urgently needed action" is a

description of accomplishments made by the state agencies represented on theWorkforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, along with other workforcedevelopment partners during the second year of the plan and a summary of agencyactions and efforts planned for fiscal year 1997. The agencies represented are theOffice of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Board for Community and

Technical Colleges, and the Employment Security Department.

This report fulfills the mandate of Substitute Senate Bill 5992 passed bythe 1995 Legislature and signed by Governor Lowry. The bill requires the state

agencies represented on the Board to develop operating plans that are consistentwith "High Skills, High Wages." The legislation also requires the Board to

provide an annual report to the appropriate legislative policy committees byDecember 1st of each year. The report is to detail progress made by the

Board and the state agencies represented on the Board

7


Executive Summary

Washington State's workforce trainingand education operating agencies madesignificant strides in several areas duringthe second year of "High Skills, HighWages: Washington's ComprehensivePlan for Workforce Training and Educa-tion" and look forward to continuedprogress in the third.

The Workforce Training and EducationCoordinating Board (WTECB) andthree operating agencies (EmploymentSecurity Department [ESD], Office ofSuperintendent of Public Instruction[OSPI], and State Board for Communityand Technical Colleges [SBCTC])administer more than 20 workforcedevelopment programs with annualappropriations of more than $500 million.These agencies and their private sectorpartners face the challenge of aneconomy in which many employershave trouble finding new employeeswith the skills they need. This hurtstheir ability to do business, and it hurtsthe state's economy. Additionally, theworkforce is aging and becomingincreasingly diverse. Thirty-eightpercent of the net additions to theworkforce between 1990 and 2010will be people of color. The workforcealso includes thousands of adults withdisabilities or who lack basic skillssuch as high school-level proficiencyin math and reading.

This report highlights the state work-force training system's initiatives fromJuly 1995 to June 1996 in the following


areas: Performance Management andAccountability, School-to-WorkTransition, competency-based educa-tion, linking training with economicdevelopment, public awareness, andOne-Stop Career Center system/collo-cation of services.

Performance Management andAccountabilityAction 4

A systematic approach is needed toensure that Washington's workforcetraining and education system is effec-tive and accountable for its performance.WTECB, the operating agencies, andthe Department of Social and HealthServices designed such an approach.The Performance Management forContinuous Improvement frameworkwill guide improvements in the work-force training and education system. Itwill provide customers with informa-tion they need to use the system andinform policymakers and the publicabout its performance. The agenciesadopted the design of the system inearly 1996; they are preparing imple-mentation plans for adoption in early1997. Additionally:

WTECB completed two studies:Workforce Training Results, whichevaluated the outcomes of five of thestate's largest workforce trainingprograms that prepare individuals foremployment that does not require abachelor degree; and WorkforceTraining: Supply, Demand, andGaps, which examined the gapsbetween supply and demand forworkforce training programs, andsuggested strategies for addressingthe gaps.


Workforce Training Results foundthat more than half the state's em-ployers have difficulty findingqualified job applicants; employerswant the programs to improvetraining for computer, math, andproblem solving skills; and programparticipants want additional informa-tion about training and career oppor-tunities, and more help finding a job.For more, see page 18.

Workforce Training: Supply, Demand,and Gaps found the economy needsmore workforce training completers;youth need more work-related skills;and adults with barriers to employ-ment are underserved by existingprograms. The study recommendedincreased access to workforce train-ing programs at community andtechnical colleges and private voca-tional schools; increased access tosecondary vocational educationprograms and continued support forSchool-to-Work Transition andeducation reform efforts; and contin-ued development of a One-StopCareer Center system. For more,see page 20.

SBCTC conducted its second annualoutcome evaluation of trainingprograms funded by the Employmentand Training Trust Fund.

The evaluation found that 89 percentof program participants gainedemployment after completing train-ing; 59 percent of students continuedtraining into a second year; and themedian wage obtained by graduateswas $10.29 or 89 percent of their pre-job-loss wage. For more, see page 21.

ESD evaluated its Job TrainingPartnership Act-funded programsfor dislocated workers and disadvan-taged youth and adults.

The evaluation found that partici-pants' increased earnings correlatedwith the level of skills they gained;classroom training does not provideemployment as rapidly as job searchassistance or on-the-job training, butskills learned in the classroom areretained and are reflected in higherwages; and the connection betweenprior work history and servicesprovided to participants is weak andneeds further examination. For more,see page 22.

OSPI conducted an analysis ofstudents completing secondaryvocational education courses.

The analysis found 93 percent ofstudents completing 360 hours ormore of vocational education wereemployed or enrolled in a collegeprogram. Also, an analysis ofparenting teens in vocational pro-grams found they are more likelyto receive prenatal care than thepregnant adolescent population;about half received vocationaleducation beyond instruction relatedto parenting and families; and abouthalf the 12th-grade-age parentingteens returned to school to worktoward graduation. For more, seepage 22.

School-to-WorkTransitionAction 10

Washington State is building a compre-hensive system to make the last years ofhigh school the first half of a systematictransition from school to work, to contin-ued education, or both. This transitionwill integrate on-the-job and classroomlearning and provide both academiccredentials and certified work skills.

The state obtained a five-year, $26million federal grant for implementingthis system. The grant supports a varietyof statewide system-building initiatives,and funding for local School-to-WorkTransition partnerships. State-levelpartners supporting community initia-tives and statewide system-buildingactivities are the Association of Wash-ington Business; the Washington StateLabor Council, AFL-CIO; OSPI; SBCTC;and WTECB. Specifically:

OSPI distributed $3.5 million in stateand federal funds to 100 localSchool-to-Work Transition projects.For more, see page 39.

Work began on expanding work-basedlearning opportunities for all ofWashington's students. SBCTC andthe Business-Labor Alliance aredeveloping school-connected activitiesfor work-based learning, includingteacher preparation and retrainingand curriculum design. WTECB andthe Alliance are helping employersand workers prepare worksites, trainsupervisors, and otherwise supportwork-based learning activities. Formore, see page 40.


Solutions to employer and schoolliability issues related to work-basedlearning are being pursued by publicand private sector partners led byWTECB and the Department ofLabor and Industries. They also arecreating tools to ensure that work-place safety skills are integrated intoevery experience that students havein workplaces. For more, see page 40.

WTECB and its partners are design-ing a public awareness program toincrease understanding of School-to-Work Transition and encourageinvolvement in system-buildingactivities. For more, see page 41.

WTECB began work on a regionalstructure for School-to-Work Transi-tion. For more, see page 43.

SBCTC provided federal Tech Prepfunding to 22 local consortia. TechPrep programs prepared more than11,000 high school and communitycollege students for mid-level tech-nology occupations. The BoeingCompany's six-year investment inTech Prep reached $4 million; 50high schools and several communitycolleges benefited from grants. Formore, see page 42.

Competency-BasedEducationAction 2

Competency-based education evaluatesstudent achievement against specificskill standards and uses a commonlanguage to describe the performance.In a competency-based system, studentsshow what they have learned and movethrough courses of study at their own

s.


speed as they demonstrate competency,not because they have attended a coursefor the required length of time.

OSPI provided student learningimprovement grants to local districtsto help them prepare for implementingthe performance-based educationsystem being designed by the Com-mission on Student Learning. OSPI'sCenter for the Improvement ofStudent Learning provided informa-tion and assistance about the state'sfour education goals and performance-based education to a variety ofaudiences. For more, see page 8.

SBCTC continued its focus onimplementing competency-basededucation at its campuses, includingcompleting competency-basedcurriculum for electronics technol-ogy and information technologyprograms. For more, see page 9.

Linking Training with EconomicDevelopmentAction 9

Linking workforce training to economicdevelopment enables the supply ofhighly skilled workers to be coordinatedwith the demand and helps the state ofWashington attract family-wage jobs.Partners in the state's workforce train-ing and education system and theDepartment of Community, Trade andEconomic Development worked toincrease the state's competitive positionby linking economic developmentactivities wifh the workforce trainingsystem. For example:

The multiagency Customized Train-ing Initiative provided funding for

five industry associations to assesstheir member companies' needs andexplore their capacity to promoteand broker customized trainingprograms to their members. TheInitiative supported further work bysix industry associations that re-ceived funding in 1995. Associationshave begun to develop customizedtraining but face challenges linkingwith the state's training system. Formore, see page 35.

WTECB's Job Skills Program (JSP)provided training opportunities tomore than 1,100 individuals throughmatching grants to 12 business/education partnerships. Every JSPgrant dollar was matched by morethan $2.50 in private sector invest-ment. Local economic developmentagencies use the program as anincentive for companies to locate,expand, or keep their operations inWashington. For more, see page 36.

A state partnership successfullyapplied for a federal grant to estab-lish a manufacturing extensionservice. Similar to agriculturalextension services in fanning andranching, the manufacturing exten-sion'service will support smallmanufacturers by giving them accessto new technologies, resources, andexpertise. For more, see page 37.

Public AwarenessAction 5

A coordinated communication strategywill help the public understand how theglobal economy is changing and affect-ing Washington State, why higher levelsof skill and knowledge are needed, and

the challenges and rewards presented byschool reform. "High Skills, HighWages" outlined the need for a strategythat informs the public, and links indi-viduals with the various stakeholders inthe workforce training and educationsystem who are involved in change.For example:

WTECB implemented a plan toincrease public awareness ofworkforce training and educationand of various workforce trainingand education initiatives. For more,see page 24.

ESD and WTECB established homepages on the Internet to make infor-mation about the agencies andworkforce training system programsand initiatives more accessible. Formore, see page 25.

WTECB conducted discussions in 15communities around the state in late1995 and early 1996 on possiblechanges to federal workforce trainingand education programs. For more,see page 28, and Action 8, page 33.

One-Stop Career Centers/Collocated ServicesAction 7

Existing employment and trainingservices are dispersed among so manyseparate programs that it often is diffi-cult for workers to get the help theyneed. Integrated or "one-stop" servicedelivery is a key strategy for addressingthis problem.


A state-level partnership led by ESDin August 1996 submitted a grantproposal to the U.S. Department ofLabor requesting funds to establish aOne-Stop Career Center system inWashington State. The proposalseeks $14.8 million over the nextthree years. When completed in theyear 2002, the One-Stop system willprovide universal access to allemployment, training, and work-related education services sought byworkers and employers. For more,see page 30.

For the third year, ESD and SBCTCjointly operated centers that pro-vided career development, labormarket information, access to jobopenings, and job search assistance.Twenty-four of these centers are oncommunity and technical collegecampuses; 13 were added during theyear. These centers served 6,418people, placed 1,369 into jobs, andreceived 1,363 job orders fromemployers. For more, see page 32.


Progress and Plans

Action 1:Confirm a CoherentVision of a System ofLifelong Learning

The Needed Action

Confirm a coherent vision of a systemof lifelong learning. Within one year, theGovernor should convene a statewidesummit of all policymakers involved ineducation and job training for thepurpose of confirming a shared visionfor all education from preschoolthrough adulthood.

Background: Washington's currentworkforce training and educationsystem is a collection of state, federal,and local agencies, and private busi-nesses. To prepare a workforce ofhighly skilled and highly paid workers,these elements must become part of acoherent system that is seamless, acces-sible, and responsive. A shared visionof a system of lifelong learning is anessential step in this direction.

Third Annual EducationSummit, November 1995

The Workforce Training and EducationCoordinating Board coordinated theThird Annual Education Summit inNovember 1995. It served as a "wake-up call" to parents, working people,policymakers, and educators about the

realities and importance of educationalexcellence and opportunity.

Participants included members of theWorkforce Training and EducationCoordinating Board, the State Boardof Education, the Higher EducationCoordinating Board, the State Boardfor Community and Technical Colleges,the Superintendent of Public Instruction,the Commission on Student Learning,and the Council of Presidents (repre-senting the four-year public universi-ties). They were joined by GovernorLowry; members of the Legislature;members of the Governor's HigherEducation Task Force, the Council onEducation Reform and Funding, andSchool-to-Work Task Force; other stateeducation task forces and councils;representatives of business and theWashington State Labor Council; andothers with interests in education.

Plans for Fiscal Year 1997FourthEducation Summit, September 1996

The State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges coordinated theFourth Annual Education Summit inSeptember 1996 as this report was beingwritten. Participants heard from highschool and college students who focusedtheir concerns on financial aid andbeing adequately prepared to enter theworkplace.

Participants included members ofthe State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges, the WorkforceTraining and Education CoordinatingBoard, the State Board of Education,the Commission on Student Learning,the Superintendent of Public Instruction,


the Higher Education CoordinatingBoard, and the Council of Presidents.Also represented were other stateeducation task forces and councils,representatives of business, the Wash-ington State Labor Council, and otherswith interests in education.

Education Reform andSchool-to-Work Transition

As this report was written, the Commis-sion on Student Learning, the WorkforceTraining and Education CoordinatingBoard, and the the Governor's School-to-Work Transition Task Force wereplanning an October 1996 meeting toexplore the issues related to integratingeducation reform and the vision for aSchool-to-Work Transition system.Specifically, the meeting will addressincreasing visibility for Goal Four of thestate's education goals.

Goal Four says students should "Under-stand the importance of work and howperformance, effort, and decisionsdirectly affect future career and educa-tional opportunities." The Commissionon Student Learning is developingEssential Academic Learning Require-ments for the four goals established forthe state's public education system in1993 by House Bill 1209, the EducationReform Act.

WTECB will continue to pursue visibil-ity for Goal Four as the Commission onStudent Learning develops EssentialAcademic Learning Requirements forthe state's education goals.

Participants in the Fourth

Annual Education Summit

heard from high school

and college students who

focused their concerns on

financial aid and being

adequately prepared for

the workplace.

Student learning

improvement grants

will help school

districts prepare for

implementing the

state's performance -

based education

system.


Progress and Plans

Action 2:Develop a Competency-Based Workforce Trainingand Education System

The Needed Action

Develop a competency-based workforcetraining and education system. Withinfive years, workforce training andeducation agencies will develop studentperformance standards and assessmentsthat are competency-based and transfer-able across all training and educationprograms. Organizations responsiblefor professional development will maketheir programs competency based.

Background: Competency-based educa-tion evaluates student performanceagainst specific skill standards and usesa common language to describe theachievement. Skill standards clearlydefine what workers of any age need toknow and do in a particular occupation.In a competency-based system, studentsdemonstrate what they are learning,moving through courses of study at theirown speed as they show competency,not simply because they have attended acourse for the required length of time.The state receives $20 million annually,which it applies to develop competency-based training and education at second-ary and postsecondary schools. The fundsare from the federal Carl D. PerkinsVocational and Applied TechnologyEducation Act of 1990 (called the CarlPerkins Act).

Action No. 2 is one of the most ambi-tious and important directions set in"High Skills, High Wages." Followingare the accomplishments and plans ofthe reporting agencies.

Competency-Based Educationin Public Schools

The Office of Superintendent of PublicInstruction provided student learningimprovement grants to nearly all of thestate's 296 school districts. A report inNovember 1996 will describe howschool districts have used the grants toimplement the state's performance-based education system. OSPI's.Centerfor the Improvement of Student Learningprovided information and assistanceabout the state's education goals andperformance-based education to parents,educators, and community membersthrough workshops, public forums,publications, videos, and other means.

As part of the national consortiumassociated with the Center for Occupa-tional Research Development, OSPI isdeveloping curriculum for careerclusters used in high schools. The firstthree career clusters are for engineering,manufacturing, business, marketing,and management. Three school districtsin the state will participate in a two-year test of the clustersWest Valley,Spokane; Seattle; and North Mason.

A guideline was developed for integrat-ing technical communication instructionin all curriculum areas. It aligns second-ary competencies with the EssentialAcademic Learning Requirements forreading, writing, and communications

prepared by the Commission on StudentLearning (CSL).

Also, the Superintendent's Officeconducted 11 workshops to introducebusiness education teachers to strategiesfor developing leadership competenciesfor their curriculum.

Plans for Fiscal Year 1997

The West Valley-Spokane, Seattle, andNorth Mason school districts will devotethe first year of the career clusters testto planning and curriculum alignment;in the second year, they will registerstudents and implement the careerclusters.

Members of the OSPI Technical Com-munication committee will introducethe instruction guideline across thecurriculum.

Competency-Based Education atCommunity and Technical Colleges

The State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges continued imple-menting competency-based educationat its campuses. SBCTC staff andcollege vocational directors developedcompetency-based teacher trainingmaterials based on a needs assessmentcompleted during the 1994-95 schoolyear. The teaching materials givecolleges the flexibility to address theirspecific curriculum development needs.More than 150 academic, basic skills,and vocational education faculty at-tended competency-based educationtrain-the-trainer workshops.

SBCTC continued developing skillstandards for electronics technology


and information technology programs.When completed, the curricula will leadto a degree based on industry-definedcompetencies. Representatives frombusiness, labor, and education havebeen involved in the curriculum devel-opment process.

The basic skills providers of the commu-nity and technical college system andcommunity-based organizations revisedthe basic skills competencies neededfor a person to function at basic literacylevels in the workplace. Also, an inter-agency group developed competencyindicator statements that describerequired student outcomes. The indica-tors incorporate academic skills andworkplace competencies, and provideinstructors, caseworkers, and employerswith a clear picture of a student'sabilities at each competency level.

SBCTC continued an outcomes assess-ment initiative to help colleges assessthe general education abilities of theirstudents and to create and strengthenlinkages between faculty on teachingand assessing for competencies. Tencolleges sent staff to workshops anddrafted action plans for 1996-97. Theseplans include formal efforts to connectthis work to the colleges' ongoingcompetency-based education project.


Community and technical collegeswill continue to use federal vocationalfunds to implement competency-basededucation activities. Following train-ing, faculty will begin developingcompetency-based curricula for theirinstructional areas.


SBCTC will develop competency-basedcurricula for dental, real estate, foodprocessing, cosmetology, wood products,and plastics industry programs. Thiswork includes identifying industry-basedskill standards; developing instructionalgoals, objectives, lesson plans; anddeveloping outcome assessment tools.

Formal follow-up will be made withthe 10 colleges involved in the outcomeassessment initiative in 1996, and anotherset of colleges will become involvedin 1997. Liaisons will work with campusleaders of the competency-based educa-tion effort to create connections with theoutcome assessment project. Collegeswill report their progress on this initia-tive throughout the year.

Funding for Competency-BasedTraining and Education(Carl Perkins)

WTECB received $20 million in federalCarl Perkins vocational education fundsfor the workforce training and educa-tion system in 1995-96. As noted above,community and technical colleges andlocal school districts used the funds forprograms to help students obtain skillsand competencies needed to work ina technologically advanced society. Stu-dents with special needs received specialemphasis. The funds also helped schoolsand colleges develop competency-basedcurricula and competency-driven train-ing for instructors, counselors, andadministrators.


The U.S. Department of Education willprovide vocational education funding

for the 1997 program year despite expira-tion of the Carl Perkins Act in June1996. WTECB will continue to targetavailable federal vocational educationfunds to local school districts and thecommunity and technical colleges fordevelopment of a competency-basedworkforce training and educationsystem.

Making Professional DevelopmentPrograms Competency Based

OSPI sponsored more than 75 differentcompetency-based inservice trainingopportunities during the 1995-96 schoolyear. These sessions equipped teachersto improve teaching content and strate-gies and to better serve students fromspecial populations.

Central Washington University (CWU)continued to coordinate developmentof a performance-based system ofstandards and competencies forvocational-technical teachers. Contentand program-specific standards weredeveloped for agriculture, business,family and consumer sciences, marketing,and technology education programs, andfor work-based learning coordinators.Content and program standards wereincorporated into a proposed chapter ofthe Washington Administrative Code.

CWU continued competency-basedtraining for entry-level teachers at a neweducation site in SeaTac. The centerfocused on business educators to allevi-ate the shortage in that area; 11 newteachers trained by the center enteredclassrooms in the fall of 1996.

Also, the state continued participatingin the national Vanguard project. Thisproject trains educators in restructuringacademic and vocational curriculum tosupport all students, including studentswhose first language is not English andthose who are at risk of failure. At least45 districts have participated sinceJanuary 1994.


Following expected approval of thevocational-technical teacher standardsby the State Board of Education, OSPIwill establish a statewide vocational-technical professional educationadvisory council. The council willprovide technical assistance to schoolsand consortia applying for programapproval and for moving existingprograms to performance-based systems.

The CWU SeaTac center will continuepreparing vocational-technical educators(15 full-time students for the 1996-97school year), focusing on integrationof academic and vocational coursesand teacher preparation related tocareer clusters.


Competency Tracking SystemDevelopment Discontinued

SBCTC stopped developing a system totrack student competencies after findingcommercial software that met the collegesystem's need. The software allowscolleges to list a student's competenciesfor official transcripts and employers.An agreement allows colleges to pur-chase software, bar coding capability,support services, and inservice trainingat a uniform price.

Employment Security Department

The Employment Security Departmentand its local training partners developedmeasures of success and competenciesfor the participants of the state-funded1996 Summer Youth Employment andTraining Program. The program, likethe federally funded Job TrainingPartnership Act Titles IIB and IICprograms, serves disadvantaged youthwith barriers to employment.


Progress and Plans

Action 3:Serve the Needsof an IncreasinglyDiverse Population

The Needed Action

Serve the needs of an increasingly diversepopulation. Within two years, workforcetraining and education programs willdevelop goals and strategies for increas-ing the success rates of people of color,women, and people with disabilities.

Background: Growth in the numberof new workers is slowing while growthin the number of women and minoritiesin the workforce is accelerating. Theseconverging trends bring together themoral imperative for equal opportunityand the economic imperative for better-educated workers. Workforce trainingand education programs must be user-friendly to all people. The programs'staffing and administration shouldinclude women, people of color, andpeople with disabilities. Special effortsare needed to help traditionallyunderserved populations.

Accomplishments

Setting Goals

WTECB, its member operating agencies,and the Department of Social and HealthServices established goals for targetpopulations as part of the PerformanceManagement for Continuous Improve-ment policy framework. These goals

specified that the workforce develop-ment system should, for all people:

Increase competencies;

Increase employment;

Increase earnings;

Increase productivity;

Reduce poverty;

Increase customer satisfaction; andIncrease return on investment.

(The goals and results of the Perfor-mance Management for ContinuousImprovement system are more fullydescribed in the section describingAction 4.)

The Board emphasized using CarlPerkins funds to serve special popula-tions, including the poor, disabled,economically disadvantaged, and peoplewith limited English proficiency. OSPIand SBCTC use Carl Perkins monies forlocal vocational-technical programs.

WTECB continued participating instatewide committees that addressdiversity and emphasized workforcediversity with Job Skills Programcontractors. Board staff increasedparticipation and attendance in statetraining on issues of cultural andgender diversity.


WTECB will collect baseline data forthe adopted performance measures on arange of populations and demographicfactors, including race/ethnicity, sex,disability status, and age. Then theBoard will lead an interagency and

9

customer effort to adopt numericalgoals for future performance.

WTECB will continue emphasizingservice to students with special needsand to special populations with federalvocational funding. The Board willexamine the feasibility of publishing the1996 update of "High Skills, HighWages" and other agency publicationsin languages other than English. Theagency will offer training on diversityawareness, sex equity, and sexualharassment to members of WTECB aspart of scheduled meetings. Additionalstaff training will occur on issues ofcultural and gender diversity.

Increasing Diversity at Communityand Technical Colleges

SBCTC identified strategies to elevatethe importance of improving the suc-cess of students, faculty, and staff ofcolor. In its work, the State Board:

Communicated directly to localcollege boards to reemphasize theState Board's commitment to diver-sity and improving the success ofstudents, faculty, and staff of color.

Developed coordinated approachesto provide services, information,technical assistance, and training ondiversity issues to the colleges.

Examined strategies for recruitingand retaining personnel to increaseopportunities for staff, faculty, andadministrators of color and forexpanding the pool of applicants foravailable positions.


Established a mechanism for assess-ing the colleges' diversity efforts.For example, the State Board beganreviewing college system efforts torecruit and retain minority students;following this review, it will suggestways to help colleges improveservices to these students.

SBCTC and the Washington Center forImproving Undergraduate Educationsponsored a writing conference forleadership teams from eight campuses.The teams analyzed institutional dataon students of color, examined bestclassroom practices, helped collegestaff conduct self-reflective audits, anddeveloped working plans for partici-pating colleges.


SBCTC staff will organize a systemwidecommittee to develop strategies toincrease the success of students ofcolor. SBCTC, the Higher EducationCoordinating Board, and representativesof two-year and four-year institutionswill sponsor a professional developmentconference on multicultural issues forfaculty and staff of color of the state'scolleges and universities.

SBCTC and the Washington Center forImproving Undergraduate Educationwill sponsor additional conferences tohelp 16 colleges develop plans to im-prove academic success for studentsof color, and to assess the colleges'diversity efforts.

Also, the State Board will develop guide-lines for serving disabled students, andprepare a resource guide for students.

The goal of the Jobs for

America's Graduates

program is to increase

the number of at-risk

and out-of-school youth

completing high school

or earning skills

certificates and help

them make a smooth

transition to further

education or

employment.


Accommodations to improve success forstudents with disabilities will continue.

Equity in Vocational Education

OSPI's vocational-technical educationequity office funded 40 sex equity grantsto promote equity awareness and equalaccess to vocational programs andnontraditional career options. During the1995-96 school year, 9,974 studentsenrolled in programs considered non-traditional for their sex (an enrollment isconsidered nontraditional when threeout of four students are of the oppositesex). Inservice activities focused onequity and diversity issues in educationreform and strategies for ensuringaccess and opportunity for all students.

Ten school districts participated inOSPI's student vocational equity project,which promotes equity awarenessthrough peer education. Also, printingand distribution of the WashingtonState Apprenticeship Programs Guideincreased awareness of nontraditionalcareers available to women.

Vocational equity funds enabled theNorthwest Center for Equity and Diver-sity at Edmonds Community College toprovide statewide technical assistance,instructional materials, and a library tohelp secondary and postsecondaryvocational programs address equity anddiversity issues.

Serving At-Risk andOut-of-School Youth

OSPI continued statewide implementa-tion of the Jobs for America's Graduatesprogram for at-risk and out-of-school

youth. The goal of the program is toincrease the number of students com-pleting high school (or eventuallyearning skills certificates) and helpthem make a smooth transition tofurther education or employment.About 1,500 young people enrolledduring the 1995-96 school year. Morethan 40 educators received training,and a board of directors was assembledto support 14 in-school and 7 out-of-school programs.

Alternative Career Entry

During the 1995-96 school year, theYakima, Seattle, and North Thurstonschool districts participated in OSPI'sAlternative Career Entry project toincrease the number of people of colorcertified as vocational educators. Eachof these districts will recruit and placetwo to three educators in the program.


The program will expand to a fourthschool district during the 1996-97school year.


The Employment Security Departmentcompleted additional customer satis-faction surveys of job seekers andemployers. Hispanic-Americans,African-Americans, and dislocatedworkers were targeted in customersatisfaction studies conducted in 1995.

The surveys found that Job ServiceCenters provide important services tothe public and that the services gener-ally meet customer expectations. The

surveys also found that the Departmentneeds to improve matching workerswith employers, place greater emphasison helping unemployed individualsprepare for and find work, and increasepublic awareness about the servicesprovided by Job Service Centers.


The State Job Training CoordinatingCouncil will require local and stateservice plans to include food processingand agriculture industries and theirworkers as a priority for Job TrainingPartnership Act-funded employmentand training services. This requirementis based on an assessment that showedmany workers in food processing andagriculture industries face cultural andlanguage barriers to employment.


2


Progress and Plans

Action 4:Make Workforce Trainingand Education Accountablefor Continuous QualityImprovement in MeetingCustomer Needs

The Needed Action

Make workforce training and educationaccountable for continuous qualityimprovement in meeting customerneeds. Within one year, WTECB incollaboration with the other agenciesand partners of the workforce trainingand education system, will establishmeasurable goals or benchmarks forworkforce training and education. Withintwo years, all workforce training andeducation programs will measure resultsto track progress toward these goalsand continuously improve programsand policies.

Background: The Workforce Trainingand Education Coordinating Boardengaged its member agenciesEmploy-ment Security Department, Office ofSuperintendent of Public Instruction,and State Board for Community andTechnical Collegesand the Departmentof Social and Health Services (DSHS) todevelop the Performance Managementfor Continuous Improvement (PMCI)system. The system will:

Measure the results of the workforcetraining and education system to

show how well it is performing andidentify areas for continuous qualityimprovement.

Provide customers (students, workers,and employers) the information theyneed to make effective use of thetraining and education system.

The system includes secondary voca-tional-technical education; communityand technical college workforce training;adult basic skills programs; Job TrainingPartnership Act training for dislocatedworkers, disadvantaged youth, andadults; the employment service; the JobOpportunity and Basic Skills programfor people on welfare; private vocationaleducation; and as it is developed, theOne-Stop Career Center system.

Systemwide Accountability:Performance Management forContinuous Improvement

Establishing Measurable Goalsfor the Workforce DevelopmentSystem as a Whole

WTECB, its member operating agencies,and DSHS adopted the design of thePerformance Management system inearly 1996. Agencies began preparingan implementation plan that will besubmitted to the Board and DSHS inearly 1997.


WTECB and project partners will collectbaseline data for the performancemeasures and adopt an implementationplan in early 1997. Agencies will estab-lish a Workforce Improvement Team to

infuse continuous improvement pro-cesses into the workforce developmentsystem and will continue participatingin a technical workgroup.

Continuous Quality Improvements

During fiscal year 1997, the Board willconduct a work session on continousquality improvement and will infusecontinuous improvement into its meet-ing-related processes. Additionally,WTECB will conduct a customer reviewof the Plan for Tomorrow Today careerguide to ensure the publication meetsthe needs of its users as part of itsinternal continuous improvement effort.

Analyzing Common DataElements and Definitions

"High Skills, High Wages" recommends"WTECB ... use the (PMCI) Project toanalyze ... common data elements anddefinitions ...." By passing SSB 5992,the Legislature reinforced this responsi-bility, requiring WTECB to "specify byDecember 31, 1995, the common coredata to be collected by the operatingagencies of the state training systemand the standards for data collectionand maintenance."

The Board and its project partnersreached agreement in late 1995 on thecommon core data elements and defini-tions for measuring results of theprograms participating in PMCI.


Partners in PMCI will use the commoncore data elements and definitions tobegin measuring results of programs


participating in the Performance Man-agement system.

Implementing PerformanceManagement for ContinuousImprovement


ESD conducted training to help its staffand service providers develop tools toimprove service to dislocated workers.Also, the Department's Labor Marketand Economic Analysis (LMEA) unitdesigned a continuous quality improve-ment model and began focus groupinterviews to make products morecustomer focused.


ESD will continue participating inPMCI, and Department programsand agencies providing training andemployment-related services will beginimplementing PMCI.

The LMEA branch will evaluate thestate's occupational information systemand its major products. The StateOccupational Information CoordinatingCommittee will distribute results of thisevaluation. Also, LMEA will evaluatesubstate labor market information prod-ucts and services. This evaluation willhelp the department design products forthe One-Stop Career Center system. Allevaluations will include customersatisfaction surveys of LMEA products.

The State Job Training CoordinatingCouncil will implement new perfor-mance measures for the Job TrainingPartnership Act (JTPA) Title III dislocated

ll 6

Project parnters agreed

in late 1995 on the

common core data

elements and definitions

for measuring results

of the programs

participating in

Performance Manage-

ment for Continuous

Improvement.


worker programs. These standards willmeasure the percentage of incomerecovery and percentage of jobs withemployer-assisted benefits for workerswho enter employment.

State Board for Communityand Technical Colleges

The State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges approved sevensystemwide goals and a series ofperformance indicators to begin itsimplementation of the PerformanceManagement for Continuous Improve-ment system. Board staff made apreliminary evaluation of systemeffectiveness based on a review of theindicators. This evaluation, preparedfor the September 1996 State Boardmeeting, will inform policy decisionsincluding budget development. Afterreview, the evaluation will be publishedalong with the description and findingsfor each indicator.


The following actions are planned forthe 1996-97 year:

Adoption of systemwide goals.

Analysis of the impact of the tech-nical college merger after five years.

Analysis of vocational programs bytypical wage earned by graduates.

Description of welfare recipientsas students.

Implementation of continuous im-provement strategies.

Office of Superintendentof Public Instruction

Regional teams delivered training ontotal quality management (also calledtotal quality learning) in education.Teachers and administrators wereinvolved in multiple short and longerrange sessions. The summer inservicefor vocational educators included afocus on total quality learning.

Also, OSPI worked with local schooldistricts' administrators to validatea series of outcomes for secondaryvocational-technical education withinthe Performance Management forContinuous Improvement system.


OSPI will continue its involvement inthe PMCI steering committee. In thesummer of 1997, the Superintendent'sOffice will collaborate with otheragencies and associations. to provideeducators with in-depth training on totalquality learning in the implementationof school improvement.

Developing ConsumerReports of Program Results

Development began on consumer reportsfor programs in the Performance Man-agement for Continuous Improvementsystem. WTECB and partner agenciesbegan researching state and nationalinformation on consumer reports andobtaining the views of local and state-level stakeholders. This work willcontinue into 1997. When developed,the reports will inform individuals aboutthe employment and earnings that can

25

be expected from pursuing differenttraining strategies.

Evaluating the Results of Work-force Training and Education

WTECB completed and publishedWorkforce Training Results, whichevaluated the outcomes of five of thestate's workforce training programs thatprepare individuals for employment thatdoes not require a bachelor degree.Programs evaluated were postsecondaryworkforce training at community andtechnical colleges; JTPA Titles IIA- andIIC-funded training for low-incomeyouth and adults with barriers to employ-ment; JTPA Title III-funded training fordislocated workers; and secondaryvocational-technical education at highschools and vocational skill centers. Thestudy also evaluated employer needs forworkforce training and the needs ofpotential training participants who werenot enrolled in one of the five programs.

The evaluation involved surveying 1,900Washington employers; 1,100 individualswho participated in one of the programsbetween July 1, 1993, and June 30, 1994;and 400 potential participants. It alsoevaluated 35,000 program participantsthrough administrative records.

Among the significant findings ofWorkforce Training Results are:

81 percent of employers who at-tempted to find job applicants witha vocational degree or certificatehad difficulty.

55 percent of employers said theyhad trouble finding qualified jobapplicants in the past 12 months.


Employers said difficulty in findingnew employees with the neededskills is hurting their ability to dobusiness, and is hurting the state'seconomy.

Many employers want improvementsin the computer, math, and problemsolving ability of new employeeswho complete one of the evaluatedtraining programs.

Most participants said training mettheir needs and improved their skills,although many participants said theydid not receive occupational or basicskills instruction.

The state should do more to provideindividuals with information aboutcareer opportunities and training pro-grams, and many participants wouldlike their training programs to providethem with more help in finding a job.

Employers are concerned with theability of public providers to supplytraining their employees need andwith the cost and convenience ofthe time and location of publiclyprovided training.

Besides the outcome evaluation, WTECBplanned to analyze data obtained fromthe National Education LongitudinalStudy of the Eighth Grade Class of1988. This study was not completeddue to unavailability of data.


WTECB will evaluate the Adult BasicEducation program of the communityand technical college system andcomplete a more extensive evaluationof secondary vocational-technical

0


education. Also, the Board will com-plete its first net-impact and cost-benefitevaluation of the state's training systemand publish results in early 1997.

Additionally, WTECB with its operatingagencies will begin the second evaluationof the workforce training and educationsystem. The Board's authorizing statutesrequire this evaluation every two years.

Assessing the Needs forWorkforce Training andEducation: Analyzing theDemand for Services

WTECB completed and publishedWorkforce Training: Supply, Demand,and Gaps, which analyzed the supplyand demand for workforce training inWashington and suggested strategies foraddressing the gaps. The study examinedsupply and demand for workforcetraining from the points of view ofemployers and workers and from broadcategories of the working-age population(youth, adults, and adults with barriersto employment).

Among the study's findings are:

The economy demands more work-force training completers. WTECBrecommended increased access toworkforce training at the state'scommunity and technical collegesby 10,123 full-time equivalent (FIE)h)students in the next five years, in-creased enrollment by private careerschools, tax incentives for employer-provided training; and increasedfunding for WTECB's Job SkillsProgram, which provides funding forcustomized worker training.

Youths need more work-related skillstraining. WTECB recommended con-tinued support for ongoing educationreform efforts and for developmentof School-to-Work Transition systemsin local schools and increased accessto secondary vocational-technicalprograms by 8,500 FTE students inthe next five years.

Adults with bathers to employment,such as poverty or level of education,are underserved by existing programs.WTECB recommended continueddevelopment of a One-Stop CareerCenter system, which will coordinateemployment and training programsand services to more efficiently serveclients and continued targeting offederal funds to serve disadvantagedindividuals.


WTECB, with SBCTC, ESD, and OSPI,will begin the second assessment ofsupply and demand of workforcetraining and education. Biennial evalua-tions are required by SSB 5992 and inWTECB's "High Skills, High Wages:Washington's Comprehensive Plan forWorkforce Training and Education."

Evaluating the Costsand Benefits of WorkforceTraining and Education

WTECB selected a contractor for thenet-impact evaluation of retrainingfunded by the Employment and TrainingTrust Fund. (The Trust Fund was estab-lished in 1993 through ESHB 1988 tomeet the educational and career needsof dislocated and other unemployed

27

workers.) The Board will publish resultsof the evaluation in early 1997.

Additionally, WTECB with OSPI, SBCTC,and other stakeholders, developed theevaluation research design for School-to-Work Transition. A contractor willbe selected for the initial evaluation inearly 1997.

Employment and TrainingTrust Fund Training Programs

SBCTC conducted its second annualevaluation of training programs fundedby the Employment and Training TrustFund. Community and technical collegeswill receive $58.6 million during the1995-97 biennium to provide new andexpanded training opportunities andsupport services for eligible students.

Among the evaluation's findings are:

89 percent of the graduates wereemployed after completing training.

Median wage of graduates was$10.29 per hour, or 89 percent of theirprejob loss wage)

59 percent of the students continuedtheir training into a second year.

The community and technical collegessaid during the 1995-96 school year theyserved more than 6,800 eligible studentsin workforce training programs, added122 new training programs, many inhigh-demand occupations, and provided4,700 eligible students with financialassistance for books, tuition, transporta-tion, child care, and other supportservices.



Using results of the evaluation, collegeswill improve student career planningand job search assistance. SBCTC willconduct the third annual evaluation andpublish its results in late 1996.

Agency or Program-SpecificEvaluations Required by SSB 5992

SSB 5992, passed in 1995, requires evalu-ation of workforce training and educationprograms every two years. WTECB andits member operating agencies adoptedstandards for agency program evalua-tions. The Board reviewed reports of theevaluations in June 1996, and agenciescompleted final reports by July 1, 1996.A synopsis of each program evaluationfollows.

State Board for Communityand Technical Colleges

SBCTC evaluated its job skills enhance-ment training (skills upgrading) efforts.It was chosen because serving thispopulation (about 26,500 students inthe fall 1995 quarter) is an importantmission of the college system, and ithas received less attention than jobpreparatory training, or the retrainingfunded by the Employment and Train-ing Trust Fund.

Key findings of this study were:

Workers typically enroll part-time,with nearly half taking classes onlyat night. A majority enroll withoutthe direct support of their employers.Workers take a wide range of academ-ic and occupation-specific courses.

9,r1

Through the Employment

and Training Trust Fund,

the community and

technical colleges served

more 6,800 students,

added 122 new training

programs, and provided

4,700 students with

financial assistance.


Workers generally were satisfied withthe quality of training and the re-sources provided to support training.However, 35 percent were dissatisfiedwith the availability of classes theyneed for upgrading, and 30 percentwere dissatisfied with the advisingthey received on course selection.

Since 1990, the number of workersenrolled in college-level job skillenhancement classes declined by5 percent a year, while the number ofworkers enrolled in precollege (basicskills-level) job skills enhancementclasses grew by 5 percent a year.


ESD evaluated its Job Training Part-nership Act-funded programs. Theevaluation examined the correlationsbetween: 1) the characteristics of theparticipants (such as education level orprior work history) and the type oftraining they received; and 2) trainingthat participants received and the em-ployment and earnings participantssubsequently obtained.

The evaluation found that:

Participants with weak academicskills tended to receive remedialeducation; most of the participantsreceived some skills training; and theconnection between prior workhistory and services provided toparticipants was surprisingly weakand needs further examination.

Classroom skills training does notalways produce rapid employmentcompared to job search assistance

and on-the-job training. However,skills gained in classroom trainingare retained by students and arereflected in higher wages in allprograms.

Participants' increased earningscorrelated with the level of skillsthey gained.

Office of the Superintendentof Public Instruction

OSPI conducted a secondary analysisof students completing secondaryvocational education courses. Theanalysis found 93 percent of studentswho completed 360 hours or morevocational-technical education in highschool were subsequently employed orenrolled in a two-year or four-yearcollege program. OSPI concluded theresearch would help schools evaluatethe outcomes of their programs andhelp schools and their communitypartners develop and improve localSchool-to-Work Transition initiatives.OSPI also found that it needs to helpschools maintain common data elementsand handle coding issues consistently toprovide quality information for furtherprogram evaluations.

Additionally, OSPI worked with CentralWashington University to analyze dataon parenting teens in secondary voca-tional programs. Findings from 45responding programs showed that:

46 percent of 12th grade or near-12th-grade parenting teens graduated fromhigh school and another 37 percentreturned to school to work towardgraduation.

77 percent of parenting teens insecondary vocational educationprograms received early prenatalcare, compared to 63 percent ofthe general pregnant adolescentpopulation.

48 percent of parenting teens enrolledin specific vocational classes beyondthose related to parenting, familyinstruction, and management of work.

Workforce Training andEducation Coordinating Board

WTECB began an evaluation of its JobSkills Program, using focus groups ofemployers participating in the program.Also, the Board worked with the Wash-ington Federation of Private VocationalSchools to begin designing an evalua-tion of the outcomes of private careerschool training.


The State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges will study and reporton the Tech Prep program's role ineducation reform.

OSPI will conduct follow-up studies ofgraduates of the classes of 1995 and1996 and provide technical assistance toschools so they can provide consistentdata for evaluations.

WTECB will report on its evaluation ofthe Job Skills Program and complete itsevaluation of private career schooltraining by the end of 1996.


Rural Natural ResourcesImpact Evaluation

Legislation that passed in 1995 revisedprograms providing assistance tocommunities adversely affected by thedecline in natural resources (i.e., timber,salmon). The law required an evaluationreport to the Legislature on the perfor-mance of the program called the RuralNatural Resources Impact Area Program.

SBCTC designed a performance man-agement system to review programeffectiveness in three areas: employ-ment support and retraining, businessdevelopment and community economicdiversification, and human services.


SBCTC will prepare the employmentsupport and retraining component of thereport, which will be submitted to theGovernor and the Legislature in 1997.The State Board will:

Determine the number of programparticipants who completed thetraining program.

Analyze workers' post-trainingemployment level and wages.

Determine whether training pro-grams were in demand for high-growth occupations.

33

The State Board for

Community and Technical

Colleges designed a

performance manage-

ment system to review

effectiveness of the

Rural Natural Resources

Impact Area Program.


Progress and Plans

Action 5:Increase Public Aware-ness About the Importanceof Workforce Trainingand Education

The Needed Action

Increase public awareness about theimportance of workforce training andeducation.

Background: People need to know howthe global economy is changing, whyhigher levels of skill and knowledge areneeded, and the challenges and rewardsof school reform. "High Skills, HighWages" outlined the need for a coordi-nated communication strategy thatinforms the public about workforcetraining and education initiatives. TheWorkforce Training and EducationCoordinating Board (WTECB) is re-sponsible for working with its partnersto " ... lead a statewide effort to engagethe public in a discussion of the need forhigher levels of skill and knowledge andthe importance of personal and corporateresponsibility for lifelong learning."

Accomplishments

WTECB developed and began carryingout a plan to increase public awarenessof the importance of workforce trainingand education and of various workforcetraining and education initiatives. TheBoard contracted with Elway Researchof Seattle to collect data on the public'sawareness and attitudes on workforce

development and School-to-WorkTransition initiatives and to develop thethemes and key messages for subsequentcommunications activities. This workwill be completed in the fall of 1996.

To enhance its School-to-Work Transi-tion communication responsibilities,WTECB assembled a communicationadvisory group. Involved in the groupare key partners and communicationprofessionals with experience in educa-tion reform and workforce development,including representatives of business,labor, education, parents, and the Legis-lature. This group provides guidance oncommunication methods, messages, andpartnerships. Also, WTECB participatedas a member of the Marketing TaskForce established by the NationalSchool-to-Work Office.

WTECB published and widely distrib-uted three major publications:

A Report to the Legislature, an annualreport of progress made by WTECBand its operating agencies in carryingout the state's comprehensive planfor workforce training and education;

Workforce Training Results, an evalu-ation of the outcomes of five of thestate's largest workforce training pro-grams, employer needs for workforcetraining, and the needs of potentialtraining participants who were notenrolled in one of the programs; and

Workforce Training: Supply, Demand,and Gaps, which analyzed thesupply and demand for workforcetraining, and suggested strategies foraddressing the gaps.

31

The Board established an Internet homepage to make information about theagency and workforce training systemprograms and initiatives more accessible.The site provides information on upcom-ing Board meetings, text of significantpublications, and a method for thepublic to contact the agency and orderdocuments through electronic mail.

WTECB worked with the news mediato inform the public about: grants madeby the Job Skills Program; the Interna-tional Peer Learning workshop; theNovember 1995 Education Summit;findings from research on the workforcetraining and education system; and theWashington Award for VocationalExcellence. TVW, the state's publicaffairs network, broadcast several Boardmeetings and Board-sponsored events toa statewide audience via cable T.V.

The Board conducted 15 communitymeetings around the state in late 1995and early 1996 to explain possiblechanges to federal workforce trainingand education programs and solicitcomments on how Washington Stateshould implement the changes (for moreon this initiative, see Action 8, page 33).

Also, the Board helped the Business-Labor Alliance develop informationproducts on School-to-Work Transitionfor their constituents.

The Employment Security Departmentdeveloped an Internet home page tomake information about the Department,its One-Stop Career Center systemplanning initiative, and labor marketinformation more accessible to thepublic. The Department also used the

Internet to solicit comment from thepublic on its One-Stop initiative. Itprepared a video for dislocated workersthat is being used by local offices. TheDepartment also wrote and distributedabout 40,000 copies of OccupationalOutlook to help job seekers.


WTECB will develop and carry out apublic awareness strategy for theSchool-to-Work Transition Initiative toencourage people to get involved insystem-building activities. WTECB willcontinue to solicit advice and partner-ship strategies from its School-to-WorkTransition communications group.

The Board will continue developing itsInternet home page, making it easier touse and information more accessible.The agency will examine creating anInternet version of its Plan for TomorrowToday career guide as a way to make theinformation more accessible.

Also, WTECB will continue publicizingits programs and initiatives, and resultsof its evaluations, through the newsmedia, TVW, publications, distributionof reports, participation in statewide andregional conference, and other means.

The Employment Security Departmentwill expand its Internet home page toinclude enhanced labor market andoccupational information, generalinformation about the Department'sservices and locations, and informationon unemployment insurance. The homepage will be titled "Washington On-lineReemployment Kiosk" or WORK.


The Employment Security Department'sLabor Market and Economic Analysisbranch will build an occupational andlabor market information databasesuitable for the Internet. The databasewill use the occupational classificationstructure being designed by the U.S.Department of Labor to include skilldescriptors.

The State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges will develop anInternet home page to help college staffand students find information on varioussystem initiatives, research reports,disability resources, and publications.

Progress and Plans

Action 6:Build PartnershipsBetween the PrivateSector and WorkforceTraining and Education

The Needed Action

Build partnerships between the privatesector and workforce training and educa-tion, including work-based learning andskill standards.

Background: To achieve the goal of ahighly skilled workforce, stronger anddeeper partnerships are needed betweenbusiness, labor, education, communityorganizations, and the public agenciesinvolved in adult training and education.Recognizing this, "High Skills, HighWages" called for "... WTECB, the work-force training and education agencies,and statewide associations of labor andbusiness (to) collaborate in building thecapacity of the private sector to partici-pate in training and education policy andprogram development and implementa-tion. The aims of such partnerships willinclude the integration of work-basedlearning with school-based learning andthe development of up-to-date occupa-tional skill standards and assessments."

Engaging the Participationof Business and Labor

The Workforce Training and EducationCoordinating Board (WTECB) continued


to help business and labor form partner-ships with education, communityagencies, and local government. Themost significant partnership is theBusiness-Labor Alliance of the Asso-ciation of Washington Business and theWashington State Labor Council,AFL-CIO. The Alliance is responsiblefor developing business and laborsupport for local School-to-WorkTransition initiatives and ensuringbusiness and labor involvement instate-level policymaking, programdevelopment, and evaluation efforts.

The Employment Security Departmentcontinued to engage Private IndustryCouncils and other local partners tofurther local integrated service deliveryinitiatives that streamline and improvecustomer service. Private sector andlocal partners also participated in theDepartment's One-Stop Career Centersystem initiative.


WTECB will continue to support busi-ness and labor workforce developmentpartnerships with education, communityagencies, and local government, andspecifically will help the Business-Labor Alliance in its School-to-WorkTransition system building activities.Also, SBCTC will continue workingwith the Alliance to develop school-related, work-based learning strategies.

The State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges (,SBCTC) will workwith the Business-Labor Alliance todevelop work-based learning tools forthe state's School-to-Work Transitionsystem. They will work on worksite

:5 4

criteria, student learning objectives, andquality standards for work-based learning.

Developing Industry-BasedSkill Standards

SBCTC worked with industry representa-tives to develop industry-based skillstandards for information technologyand dental health occupations. Industry-based skill standards describe what jobapplicants must know and do to succeedin a specific occupation or cluster ofoccupations. These standards are the"glue" for the School-to-Work Transitionsystem, allowing for a smooth transitionfrom high school through communityor technical college to the workplace.


SBCTC will send preliminary skill stan-dards for information technology careerclusters to industry representatives forvalidation. The State Board also willwork with the dental health industry tocomplete and validate that industry'sskill standards. It will publish a guide-book to help faculty and industry partnersdevelop skill standards for any occupa-tional area. SBCTC will conduct a reviewof instruments and strategies to createan assessment process for industry skillstandards. And, the State Board willcosponsor a skill standards conferencein October 1996 to inform educatorsabout how to work with business todefine industry-based skill standards andto showcase local and national examples.

Community and technical collegeswill develop skill standards duringthe 1996-97 school year for occupationsin the real estate, food processing,

cosmetology, wood products, andplastics industries.

Additionally, SBCTC and WTECB willrepresent Washington in a three-stateconsortium developing a portable skillstandards credential in the business andmanagement career pathway. Theconsortium will develop a credentialthat integrates academic and industry-defined skill standards, and that will be"honored" by businesses across stateborders. The Washington, Oregon, andCalifornia consortium is funded by aone-year grant from the National SkillStandards Board.

Manufacturing Technology

Significant change began in the manu-facturing core curriculum offered in 30high schools, which are developing andtesting curriculum for the ManufacturingTechnology Advisory Group. The Officeof Superintendent of Public Instructiondeveloped policy guidance for approvingprograms that integrate competenciesinto existing courses.

South Seattle Community Collegeparticipated in a business-labor-educa-tion MTAG partnership that developed300 competencies and curriculum for 10competency categories. Teachers from 10high schools and South Seattle Commu-nity College were selected and trainedin how to write effective curriculummodules, and a database was developedto record and share these modules. Bymid-1996, 371 curriculum modules hadbeen written for 10 core competencycategories.

35

Helping Industry Respondto Plant Closures

The Employment Security Department,local Service Delivery Areas, SBCTC,and local colleges continued to developstrategies to deal with plant closuresand layoffs throughout the state. Oneinitiative helped labor and companymanagers form labor-managementcommittees to help workers cope withlayoffs and the transition to reemploy-ment or retraining.


An agriculture and food processinglabor-management committee is planningresponses to plant closures and layoffsin the food processing industry. Thecommittee also will identify ways tohelp small and medium sized businessesinvest in training for current workers.

Boeing Reemployment Program

Support continued for the BoeingReemployment Program, which helpedlaid-off Boeing workers. The programwas a partnership of the InternationalAssociation of Machinists, SeattleProfessional Engineering EmployeesAssociation, The Boeing Company, theEmployment Security Department, thestate's community and technical colleges,and the U.S. Department of Labor.Centers in Renton and Everett providedreemployment services to workers.

Involving PrivateVocational Schools

As well as provide opportunities forabout 30,000 students each year,


Washington's private vocational schoolstrained more than 200 individuals eligiblefor assistance through the Employmentand Training Trust Fund in fiscal year1996. (Trust Fund-eligible individualscan attend a private vocational school ifthe course of study they have chosen isnot available through the state's com-munity or technical colleges.)

WTECB continued to involve the privatesector in working committees for theJob Skills Program, the Private Voca-tional Schools Act, and the PerformanceManagement for Continuous Improve-ment system. This provides opportunityfor private sector participation in policyand program development.

The Legislature added private vocationalschools to the definition of the state'sworkforce training and education systemduring the 1996 session. Consequently,WTECB added a representative fromprivate vocational schools to its Inter-agency Committee, which facilitatescommunications between the Board andits partners on a variety of workforcedevelopment issues.


WTECB will continue to involve theprivate sector and private vocationalschools in policy and program develop-ment for workforce developmentinitiatives.

Partnerships That FosterEquitable Learning

Sex equity and single parent/displacedhomemaker grants administered by theOffice of the Superintendent of Public

26h


Instruction encourage local partnershipsbetween labor unions, businesses, PrivateIndustry Councils, local school districts,community and technical colleges, localservice delivery areas, and Indian tribalcouncils. Such partnerships fosterequitable learning and work environ-ments for students and provide singleparents with marketable skills thatenable them to support their families.

37

Progress and Plans

Action 7:Integrate Employment andTraining-Related Services

The Needed Action

Integrate employment- and training-related services so that they are easierto find and access. The Governor shouldcontinue to take leadership to establish"one-stop" or integrated service deliverysystems for employment- and training-related services.

Background: Existing employment andtraining services are dispersed among somany separate programs that it is oftendifficult for workers to get the help theyneed. Integrated or "one-stop" servicedelivery is a key strategy for addressingthis problem.

Developing a One-StopCareer Center System

Accomplishments

A state partnership led by the Employ-ment Security Department submitted agrant proposal in August 1996 to theU.S. Department of Labor for funds toimplement a One-Stop Career CenterSystem in Washington State. The pro-posal requested $14.8 million over thenext three years. The implementationplan initially uses the Service DeliveryAreas as the backbone of the system.


Guided by an interagency, public-private management team, the One-StopCareer Center system would provideaccess to all employment, training, andwork-related education services soughtby workers and employers.

Before submitting the grant proposal,the project's management team andsteering committee:

Released two reports for inform-ing the planning processa reporton customer satisfaction entitledUnderstanding Customer OpinionsAbout State-Provided Labor MarketServices and a report on field-testedmodels entitled One-Stop CareerCenter Systems: Lessons fromthe Field.

Established a series of state and localcross-agency teams to look at imple-mentation issues, including servicedesign and delivery, human resources,information systems, and perfor-mance criteria and certification.

Released a series of policy papersentitled Mandate for Change.

Established an Internet site to informthe public about progress and tosolicit feedback.

Identified objectives necessary forcreating the One-Stop Career Centersystem and integrating the deliveryof workforce development services.

Members of the One -Stop ManagementTeam represent state agencies, business,labor, and local service providers.

The Employment Security

Department will continue

to explore options for

enhancing self-service

options for clients and

pursue resources to

develop and enhance

greater customer access

an4 choice.



The One-Stop Management Team willcontinue efforts to begin system imple-mentation. The plan anticipatescompletion in 2002.

Integrated Service Delivery

The Employment Security Departmentcontinued to work with service deliveryareas to establish and run integratedservice delivery facilities. Examples ofwhere partnerships and collocated siteshave proven fruitful include the BoeingReemployment Project, the Grady WayReemployment Center in Renton, theCoastal Career Center in Aberdeen,and the technology service deliveryintegration within the Department'sWest Region.


The Employment Security Departmentand the service delivery areas willcontinue consolidating operations, asappropriate, to address the needs ofcustomers.

Also, the Department will continue toexplore methods for enhancing self-service options for clients by providinginformation through libraries, schools,community and technical colleges, andother local state agency offices. TheDepartment will pursue resources todevelop and enhance greater customeraccess and choice. For example:

Job seekers will have improvedaccess to information about availablejobs through expansion of the Wash-ington Information Network kiosk

system. The number of kiosks inshopping malls, public buildings, andother locations will be expandedfrom 11 to 48 statewide.

Self-service access points in JobService Centers will be made moreuser-friendly. The Department willexamine using the Internet to providea direct connection between employ-ers and job seekers.

The labor market information Internetapplication will be fully developedfor each county with narrativeanalysis and annually updated datatables, charts, and maps.

The Department will integrate occupa-tional information into its geographiclabor market information system,providing a rich base of information onoccupations and availability of jobs forany substate area.

Collocation and JobPlacement Centers

For the third year, job placement centersat community and technical collegesprovided career development, labormarket information, access to jobopenings, and job search assistance.Funded primarily through the Employ-ment and Training Trust Fund, thecenters help students find part-time jobswhile in school, help newly trained orretrained workers find jobs, and giveemployers access to a pool of potentialemployees. During 1995-96, thesecenters served 6,418 people, registered3,219 in Jobnet, placed 1,369 into jobs,and received 1,363 job orders fromemployers.

3

Thirteen centers were added duringthe year, bringing the number to 24.Centers are at Bellevue, Big Bend,Clark, Centralia, Everett, Grays Harbor,High line, North Seattle, Olympic,Peninsula, Pierce, Seattle Central,Shoreline, Skagit Valley, South PugetSound, South Seattle, Tacoma, WallaWalla, Wenatchee Valley, and YakimaValley community colleges, at theBates, Clover Park, and Renton techni-cal colleges, and at the Seattle Voca-tional Institute. The EmploymentSecurity Department and the StateBoard for Community and TechnicalColleges operate the centers.

Improving Service toDislocated Workers

The Employment Security Departmentbegan implementing a worker profilingsystem that identifies potentially long-term unemployed claimants. Theseindividuals received reemploymentservices at the beginning of the unem-ployment claim, rather than the end, toincrease the likelihood they will returnto work more quickly. The Departmentserved an additional 5,650 dislocatedworkers through this system duringthe year.



The Employment Security Departmentand the State Board for Communityand Technical Colleges will continueexpanding job placement centers atcommunity and technical colleges asfunding permits. The agencies planthree additional centers.

The Department will continue to useprofiling as its primary tool for targetingreemployment services to claimants atrisk of exhausting their unemploymentinsurance benefits before returning towork. The profiling system will berefined to meet the needs of integratedservice delivery.


Progress and Plans

Action 8:Consolidate ProgramsWhere Coordination andEfficiencies Can Result

The Needed Action

Consolidate programs where coordina-tion and efficiencies can result.

Background: Senate Bill 5992 says,"In the event that federal workforcedevelopment funds are block granted tothe state, it is the intent of the Legisla-ture to seek the broadest possible input,from local and statewide organizationsconcerned with workforce development,on the allocation of the federal funds."Further, the bill says, "The (WorkforceTraining and Education Coordinating)Board shall provide policy advice forany federal act pertaining to workforcedevelopment that is not required bystate or federal law to be provided byanother state body."

Accomplishments

Congress devoted considerable effort in1995 and 1996 to bills designed tostreamline federal workforce develop-ment programs and provide funding atreduced levels to states through blockgrants. The Workforce Training andEducation Coordinating Board (WTECB)conducted discussions in 15 communi-ties around the state to ask local- andstate-level organizations how the stateshould respond to proposed federal

block grant legislation. More than 560representatives of business, labor,employment and training service provid-ers, education, and local elected officialsmet with WTECB members and staff inYakima, the Tri-Cities, Spokane, Seattle,Tacoma, Wenatchee, Moses Lake,Bellingham, Port Angeles, Aberdeen,Vancouver, Kelso, Olympia, Everett,and Walla Walla.

WTECB provided information aboutimpending changes and solicited com-ments in three broad areas: collaborativeplanning, local structure and state andlocal relationships, and how to deal withthe transition to the proposed workforcedevelopment system. Communityleaders told the Board:

Planning must be collaborative;

New programmatic relationshipsshould build upon existing, effectivepartnerships;

A regional structure should bedeveloped;

The state should establish goals forthe new system, but let local partnersdecide how best to reach those goals;

Workforce training must be linked toeconomic development initiatives;

The state should establish an account-ability system and provide training,technical assistance, and models ofbest practices for local partners; and

The state should help local partnersthrough the transition to the newsystem.


Congress did not reach agreement on acompromise proposal before adjourningfor the year in September 1996. Theissue may be reconsidered in 1997.Regardless, WTECB will use sugges-tions gathered during the communitymeetings to continue efforts to improveand streamline the state's workforcedevelopment system, particularly theOne-Stop Career Center system,School-to-Work Transition and linkingworkforce training with economicdevelopment.

Employment SecurityDepartment

The Employment Security Departmentbegan consolidating local services afterconsulting with community leaders,using advances in technology andmaking administrative efficiencies.This resulted in some Job ServiceCenter staff being collocated at otheremployment services and trainingprovider sites and allowed staff toincrease outreach to communities. Theinitiative also provided expandedservice through state informationkiosks, self-service terminals, and voiceresponse technology. This effort willcontinue throughout the coming year.


2

Business associations

have begun developing

customized training

programs, but face

challenges that relate

to time, characteristics

of the association, and

the state's workforce

training system.

Progress and Plans

Action 9:Coordinate WorkforceTraining and Education WithState and Local EconomicDevelopment Strategies

The Needed Action

Coordinate workforce training andeducation with state and local economicdevelopment strategies.

Background: Linking workforce trainingto economic development enables thesupply of highly skilled workers to becoordinated with the demand, and helpsWashington attract family-wage jobs. Tothis end, the comprehensive plan callsfor the Department of Community, Tradeand Economic Development (CTED) andthe workforce training and educationsystem to "promote the development ofhigh performance work organizationsby developing industry consortia inhigh, value-added sectors of the economyand providing them with assistance inemployee training, ISO 9000 certification,export assistance, and other services."

Using Trade Associations toBroker Customized Training

WTECB convened an interagency teamthat developed and funded the Custom-ized Training Initiative. The goal of theinitiative is to design a strategy toincrease the state's competitive positionby linking economic developmentactivities with the workforce training

system. Other team members areCTED, the Employment SecurityDepartment, and the State Board forCommunity and Technical Colleges.

The multiagency initiative providedfunding for five industry associa-tions to explore their capacity topromote and broker customizedtraining programs to their members.The Initiative supported further workby six industry associations thatreceived funding in 1995.

The Customized Training Initiativehelps business associations surveytheir members' training needs. Resultsfrom the surveys can be used tofacilitate delivery of training, identifyindustry skill standards, develop aninventory of training providers, andhelp businesses improve their accessto the state's workforce trainingprograms.

Secondary wood products, manufac-turing, electronics, biotechnology,maritime industries, and computersoftware business associations receivedfunding in 1995. Business associationsrepresenting movie studio mechanics,printing and imaging, aerospace,typographers, and wireless communi-cations received funding in 1996.

Each of the business associationsrecognize the need to identify work-force development and training needs.Associations have begun developingcustomized training programs, butface challenges that relate to time,characteristics of the association, andthe state's workforce training system.Several 1995-funded associations

43

unsuccessfully applied for state traininggrants.

Work of the Initiative Partners

WTECB and CTED staff met withrepresentatives from the forest projects,software, maritime, and plastics asso-ciations to:

Learn which customized trainingprograms might be appropriate;

Describe criteria related to specifictraining programs;

Connect association members withlocal training providers;

Identify problems encountered by theassociations in attempting to brokertraining programs; and

Help in the early stages of projectdevelopment.


The Economic Development and Work-force Training workgroup will considerhow to provide further assistance to thebusiness associations.

Job Skills Program

WTECB's Job Skills Program (JSP)fostered economic development byproviding training opportunities to morethan 1,100 individuals through matchinggrants to business/education partner-ships. Twelve training projects aroundthe state were funded by the program.For every JSP grant dollar, the privatesector invested about $2.50. Local and

state economic development agenciesuse JSP as an incentive to recruitcompanies to locate or expand theiroperations in Washington. The programhelps fund training for new employeesin demand occupations, retraining forcurrent workers facing dislocation, orupgrade training for current workers toenhance their productivity.


More than 2,200 individuals every bien-nium benefit from JSP-funded training.WTECB will request an additional$558,000 biennial appropriation for theprogram during the 1997-99 biennium.Increased funding would providetraining to an additional 1,100 people.Demand for program grants is beyondwhat the current $1.1 million appropria-tion can support. Currently, funding ofabout 30 cents per worker in the stateranks the Job Skills Program 44th out of47 states with similar programs.

Manufacturing Extension Centers

A state partnership successfullyapplied for a federal grant from theU.S. Department of Commerce'sNational Institute of Standards andTechnology to establish an industrialextension service. Similar to the agri-cultural extension service in farmingand ranching, it will support smallmanufacturers by giving them accessto new technologies, resources, andexpertise. Washington is one of the fewstates that does not have an industrialextension system in place.

Manufacturing extension centers will beestablished in community colleges andother locations throughout the state.

'14

The Job Skills Program

provided training

opportunities to more

than 1,100 individuals

through matching

grants to business/

education partnerships.

For every JSP dollar, the

private sector invested

about $2.50.

They will broker customized training,provide for technology transfer, andprovide a variety of business services tohelp small manufacturers meet chal-lenges imposed by rapid technologicalchange and global competition.

The state's partnership, called theWashington Manufacturing ExtensionPartnership, involves the Department ofCommunity, Trade and EconomicDevelopment, Workforce Training andEducation Coordinating Board, StateBoard for Community and TechnicalColleges, the state's research universi-ties, and the private sector. The partner-ship received $950,000 in federal moneyfor the first year of the project; projectpartners will provide matching funds.For example, WTECB committed$200,000 in Job Skills Program fundingfor customized training during the firstfour years of the project.

Providing Labor Market Information

In support of the need to coordinateworkforce training and education witheconomic development, "High Skills,High Wages" recommended that "TheEmployment Security Department,WTECB, the State Occupational Infor-mation Coordinating Committee, andthe workforce training and educationagencies should work together to de-velop and disseminate accessible labormarket information ...."

Background: The training system mustwork with industry partnerships ofmanagement and labor to obtain infor-mation on what skills are needed in theworkplace and expectations for futureemployment.

Accomplishments

The State Occupational InformationCoordinating Committee continuedevaluating labor market and careerinformation products for customersatisfaction and utility during the secondyear of its three-year plan to improvelabor market information. The planspecifies actions that will contribute tothe high-quality labor market informa-tion system needed for educationprogram planning, student counselors,and economic development strategies.

Members of the committee are theEmployment Security Department,WTECB, State Board for Communityand Technical Colleges, Departmentof Social and Health Services (Voca-tional Rehabilitation), Department ofCommunity, Trade and EconomicDevelopment, and the State Job TrainingCoordinating Council.

In addition, WTECB published anupdated version of its career informa-tion guide, Plan for Tomorrow Today, AGuide to CareersOccupations inWashington State and distributed morethan 200,000 copies to students and avariety of education, employment, andtraining providers.


The member agencies of the StateOccupational Information CoordinatingCommittee will continue to carry outthe three-year plan. Among the projectsplanned by the Committee are:

Developing a new labor marketdatabase system that is moreuser-friendly, comprehensive, andflexible.

Providing career development train-ing to high school, community andtechnical college, and state serviceagency career and job counselors.

Publishing updated occupational out-look brochures for Washington Stateand King and Spokane counties.

WTECB will revise its Plan for Tomor-row Today career guide in response tofindings of an evaluation conducted bythe State Occupational InformationCoordinating Committee. The Boardalso will explore ways to provideadditional access to the career guide,including through the Internet and theWashington Information Network kiosks.


46


Progress and Plans

Action 10:Make the Last Years of HighSchool Part of a School-to-Work Transition System

The Needed Action

Make the last years of high school partof a School-to-Work Transition system.

Background: Many high school gradu-ates who do not enroll and complete acollege education spend years driftingfrom dead-end job to dead-end jobbefore linking with a career/trainingtrack. This could be avoided if the lastyears of high school were also the firsthalf of a systematic transition fromschool to work, to continued education,or both. Such a transition would inte-grate on-the-job and classroom learning,and provide both academic credentialsand certified work skills.

Washington is building a comprehensivesystem that accomplishes these objec-tives. To address the problem, thecomprehensive plan sets this goal:"Within five years, schools will provideeducational 'pathways' to students whohave completed a Certificate of Mastery.These pathways will be organizedaround career majors that integrateacademic and vocational learning, andschool-based and work-based education.Essential learning requirements will bedeveloped for the period between

completion of the Certificate of Masteryand high school graduation."

Building a School-to-Work System

The state obtained a five-year, $26million federal grant for setting up astatewide School-to-Work Transitionsystem. The grant supports a variety ofstatewide, system building initiatives,and funding for local School-to-WorkTransition partnerships.

State-level partners involved in sup-porting community School-to-WorkTransition initiatives and statewidesystem building activities are theAssociation of Washington Business;the Washington State Labor Council,AFL-CIO; the Office of the Superinten-dent of Public Instruction; the StateBoard for Community and TechnicalColleges; the Workforce Training andEducation Coordinating Board; and theOffice of Financial Management.

In the grant application, all partnerscommitted to annual workplans andperformance objectives. The Governor'sSchool-to-Work Task Force is overseeingimplementation of the system andreviewing the performance of the part-ners quarterly. The goal is to have allschools engaged in the School-to-WorkTransition system by the year 2000.

Through a competitive process, OSPIdistributed $3.5 million in state andfederal School-to-Work Transitionfunds to about 100 local School-to-Work Transition projects.

47

The Superintendent's Office establisheda workgroup to ensure all students (e.g.,students at risk, gifted students, studentsheaded for college, etc.) will benefitfrom School-to-Work Transition.

OSPI continued support of the RuralEntrepreneurship Through ActionLearning program at Central WashingtonUniversity. The program, which ad-dresses development of school-basedenterprises and the needs of ruralcommunities, is training 46 teachers.


The State Board of Education ispreparing a request for proposal forteacher-preparation universities thatwould infuse School-to-Work Transi-tion philosophy in preparation ofteachers.

OSPI will distribute $6.1 million in stateand federal School-to-Work Transitionfunds to local school districts andconsortia.

Also, OSPI is planning an inservice onSchool-to-Work Transition for buildingprincipals. Research shows that schoolsbecome more involved in School-to-Work Transition more quickly whenbuilding leaders embrace it.

Broadening Work-Based Learning

Work began on the expanding work-based learning opportunities for all ofWashington's students. SBCTC is respon-sible for developing school-connectedactivities, such as teacher preparationand retraining, and curriculum design,


for work-based learning. WTECB isresponsible for helping employers andworkers to prepare worksites, trainsupervisors, and otherwise supportwork-based learning.

SBCTC convened a task force to developrecommendations on school-basedpolicies and procedures for work-basedlearning. The group also is responsiblefor developing policies to promote aseamless system involving K-12 schools,colleges and universities, and theemployment and training community,evaluating training for faculty and staffinvolved in work-based learning pro-grams and developing training materialsand strategies for training worksitesupervisors.

Additionally, SBCTC started on a work-based learning resource center, and in-service training that will be deliveredduring the 1996-97 school year.

WTECB and the Department of Laborand Industries (L&I) established aworkgroup to explore solutions foremployer and school liability issuesfor work-based learning. The group isbuilding tools to ensure that workplacesafety skills are integrated into students'work-based experiences. L&I and OSPIdeveloped curriculum and training toaddress occupational safety and healthissues. A subcommittee worked withthe Washington State School DirectorsAssociation to develop a draft schooldistrict policy on students in the work-place. Also, WTECB and the Business-Labor Alliance began identifying otherregulations that may be barriers to theemployment of youth.

4


Additionally, WTECB collaborated withOSPI and local school districts to identifypotential solutions to problems arisingfrom transportation of students toworksites. WTECB also began exploringstrategies with the State Department ofPersonnel and local government agenciesto tap public employers for work-basedlearning opportunities.


WTECB, SBCTC, and Business-LaborAlliance staff will continue to developstrategies to increase work-basedlearning opportunities.

The health and safety workgroup'sframework for draft curriculum is beingreviewed by education and businessrepresentatives. Supporting materialswill be available in September 1996.Recommendations on student safetyand liability, which may include solu-tions requiring legislation, will beavailable in September 1996.

The work-based learning task force willpresent the community and technicalcollege system's School-to-WorkTransition implementation plan to theGovernor's School-to-Work Task Forcein the fall of 1996.

The community and technical collegeswill develop training materials andstrategies for worksite supervisors in-volved in work-based learning programs.

Enhancing the Developmentof Connecting Activities

The state-level partners continuedfunding the development of connecting

activities in current programs, such asTech Prep and in School-to-WorkTransition funds awarded to localschools and partnerships. WTECBcollaborated with the Business-LaborAlliance to support Alliance capacitybuilding efforts crucial to the develop-ment of local partnerships.


Development of connecting activitieswill become the function of the regionalpartnerships once the regional systemis set up. In 1997, WTECB will solicitand fund proposals from regionalpartnerships to support developmentof connecting activities.

Creating Public Awareness

WTECB and its partners began defininga public awareness strategy to increasepublic understanding of School-to-WorkTransition and encourage involvementin system-building activities. (Formore, see Action 5, page 24.)


WTECB will begin carrying out itscommunication strategy to supportSchool-to-Work Transition systemdevelopment. The Board will providecommunication assistance to theBusiness-Labor Alliance, and developand provide information materialsand communication support to localSchool-to-Work partnerships.

49

Management and Accountabilityof School-to-Work Transition

WTECB is responsible for evaluatingSchool-to-Work Transition. WTECBassembled an interagency committee toconsider the parameters of the eval-uation. The evaluation will guidefurther development of School-to-WorkTransition activities and meet thecommitment for an evaluation underWashington's federal grant.

Targeted for evaluation arc net impactson employment, secondary educationcompletion, and postsecondary educa-tion participation; student perceptionsand knowledge about the workingworld, and about the work-relatednessof their educational experiences.


WTECB will conduct the first evalua-tion during the 1996-97 school year.The evaluation will survey about 2,000individuals for baseline data. A secondsurvey is planned for the 1999-2000school year. Estimated cost for thecomplete evaluation is about $420,000over the five-year grant period.

Supporting Existing School-to-Work EffortsTech Prep

SBCTC provided federal Tech Prepfunding to 22 local consortia througha competitive process. Tech Prepprograms prepare students for careersin mid-level technology occupationssuch as engineering technology, appliedscience, mechanical, industrial, orpractical trades, agriculture, health,and business.


During the 1994-95 school year (datafrom the 1995-96 school year are stillbeing processed) 10,629 high schoolstudents and 945 community and techni-cal college students enrolled in TechPrep programs.

The Boeing Company's six-year invest-ment in Tech Prep reached $4 million;50 high schools and several communitycolleges benefited from Boeing grants.This money helped set up applied aca-demic programs and helped instructorsgain firsthand experience in industry.Boeing provided summer internships to200 students and 10 teachers.


SBCTC will review Tech Prep programeffectiveness and search for alternativemethods of funding Tech Prep. Consortiawill be encouraged to use Tech Prep forfurthering School-to-Work transitionsfor students. Also, SBCTC will:

Develop skill standards for criticaland emerging industries in the state.

Develop the framework for theschool-based element of work-basedlearning opportunities.

Strengthen Tech Prep and integrate itinto the School-to-Work Transitionsystem.

Building a Regional Structurefor School-to-Work Transition

WTECB is responsible for preparing aregional structure for the state's School-


to-Work Transition system buildinginitiative. The regional structure,required by the federal grant, will bedesigned to serve the needs of School-to-Work Transition and other workforcedevelopment initiatives. The Boardapproved core objectives for the substatesystem and criteria for defining theregions in March 1996. Stakeholdersreviewed several options developed byan interagency planning group.


WTECB will review and approveregional structure recommendationsin the fall of 1996.

Other School-to-WorkTransition-Related Activities

WTECB staff continued work to ensurethe Certificate of Mastery, proposed aspart of the state's education reformefforts, will provide necessary connec-tions to School-to-Work Transition.Board staff participated on a work-group assembled by the State Boardof Education to discuss the variouspost-Certificate of Mastery options forsecondary students. WTECB and otherSchool-to-Work Transition partners areworking to ensure a broader under-standing of School-to-Work Transitionand its relation to the Certificate ofMastery, postsecondary education andtraining and other aspects of educationreform.

WTECB members and staff workedwith OSPI to ensure that the state'sGoals 2000 Plan reflected the neededconnections among all education reformefforts. Also, WTECB staff participatedin the work of the Admissions StandardsAdvisory Committee of the HigherEducation Coordinating Board todevelop admissions standards appropri-ate for a competency-based educationsystem.

51

Progress and Plans

Action 11:Improve the Basic Skillsof Today's Workforce

The Needed Action

Improve the basic skills of today'sworkforce. Within the next year; theAdult Education Advisory Council andthe State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges should developguidelines and policies to increase thesuccess rate and quality of adult basiceducation programs, and integratebasic skills instruction with occupa-tional training.

Background: Washington has thousandsof people who lack basic skills such ashigh school-level proficiency in mathand reading. As many as 36 percent ofthe state's adults perform at the lowesttwo of five levels of proficiency mea-sured by the State Adult Literacy Survey.These individuals lack basic reading,writing, and math skills, and theproblem-solving and interpersonalcommunication skills required for suc-cess in the workplace. They are likelyto have difficulty absorbing and usinginformation and emerging technologiesin today's increasingly complexworkplace.

Accomplishments

The State Board for Community andTechnical Colleges' Office of AdultLiteracy completed actions that


increased the efficiency, coordination,and quality of service of the basic skillseducation system. The actions include:

Supporting the Adult EducationAdvisory Council as it set goalsfor the Washington State AdultBasic Education System, approvedevaluation standards, and developeda draft plan to report student out-comes according to the PerformanceManagement for Continuous Im-provement system.

Completing the integration ofSCANS competencies into basicskills programs and distributingthe competencies to programs andinstructors statewide. (SCANS arethe work-related skills identified bythe U.S. Secretary of Labor's Com-mission on Achieving NecessarySkills.)

Continuing to infuse a workplacefocus and skills into the basic skillssystem by expanding the IntegratedCurriculum for Achieving NecessarySkills (ICANS) project. (ICANS is acurriculum and staff developmentapproach that helps instructors teachand evaluate students.)

Completing program reviews man-dated by federal funding sourcesbased on indicators of programquality developed through thePerformance Management for Con-tinuous Improvement system. TheOffice of Adult Literacy and theState Department of Correctionsmade the indicators a basis forfunding applications and awardingof resources to local basic skillsprograms for fiscal 1997.

As many as 36 percent

of the state's adults lack

basic reading, writing,

and math skills, and

skills required for success

in the workplace.

As many as 36 percent

of the state's adults lack

basic reading, writing

and math skills, and

skills required for success

in the workplace.


Completing 17 cross-state, cross-agency professional developmenttraining sessions.

Obtaining funding from the NationalInstitute for Literacy to create amodel for interagency case manage-ment that increases student successin learning and workplace goals.

Designing and setting up a unifieddata collection system to improveevaluations of basic skills programs.


Five interagency teams with oversightfrom the Adult Education AdvisoryCouncil will continue to developASSIST, the Adult Statewide Systemfor Information Shared through Tech-nology. The teams will create a datasystem to track student achievement ofindividual and system goals.

The Office of Adult Literacy and StateDepartment of Social and HealthServices will develop a project to returnformer workers currently on publicassistance to the workforce. The projectwill develop curricula and programmingthat offers basic skills, vocational skills,and work-based learning to a tradition-ally hard-to-serve population.

The ICANS project will be restructuredto increase the number of programs andindividuals participating and to expandthe options for accessing project materi-als and support.

The Office of Adult Literacy will joinan interstate team to develop an inter-agency case management model toincrease student success in learningand workforce achievement. The modelwill further the goals of the Perfor-mance Management for ContinuousImprovement system, and align with theOne-Stop Shop Career Center initiative.

The Office of Adult Literacy, workingwith the Adult Basic Literacy EducatorsNetwork, will deliver training to basicskills program directors to help themimprove service delivery.

The Even Start Advisory Committeewill gather and report data that describesthe linkage between attainment of educa-tional goals in family literacy programsand achievement of other outcomesincluding employment. The committeeis a statewide, interagency groupcharged with supporting family literacyefforts in Washington State.

CONCLUSION

This report shows work that the Workforce Training andEducation Coordinating Board and its partner operating agencies represented

on the Board completed in fiscal year 1996 to advance the strategiesset in "High Skills, High Wages: Washington's Comprehensive

Plan for Workforce Training and Education."

While significant progress was made to implement"High Skills, High Wages" 11 most urgently needed actions,

much work remains to be completed.

"High Skills, High Wages" is being updated as of thiswriting and will be presented to the Legislature in 1997 for review

and adoption as the state's workforce development policy.The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board

and the operating agencies represented on itwill continue to keep the Governor and members of the Legislatureinformed as progress is made in the state's workforce training and

education system through continuous quality improvement, developingcompetency-based systems, integrated delivery of services, and

providing a strong role for the customer

54

(9/92)

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Documents

DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICThis report fulfills the mandate of Substitute Senate Bill 5992 passed by the 1995 Legislature and signed by Governor Lowry. The bill requires the state agencies