San Diego & Imperial Counties Region

San Diego & Imperial Counties Region Workforce Development Council Evaluation

June 2016

The WDC evaluation tool was sent out to the member of the San Diego Imperial Counties (SDIC) Region Workforce Development Council (WDC). Responses were collected from April 2016 through June 2016 using online survey instrument Qualtrics.

Total Responses: 25 Effectiveness of Regional Roles In the survey, respondents were asked to indicate how strongly they agreed with statements regarding regional roles within the WDC. The first set of statements asked about whether the respondents felt their needs were being met by various individuals within the WDC. Figure 1 demonstrates a summary of the statements and how respondents felt about each one.

Figure 1. Effectiveness of Regional Roles Overall, most respondents indicated they strongly agreed or agreed with most of the statements. Sixty-one percent (61%) of respondents strongly agreed with the statement “I am getting my needs met by the Center of Excellence (COE) Director. Only 3% disagreed with the statement and 0% of respondents strongly disagreed with the statement. Forty-six percent (46%) of respondents strongly agreed with the statement “I am getting my needs met by the Regional Consortium Chair”. No respondents indicated that they disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement. Six percent (6%) of respondents strongly disagreed with the statement “I am getting my needs met by the Sector Navigators”. This statement had the highest percent of respondents who indicated that they strongly disagreed with it.

In addition to asking how strongly they agreed or disagreed with these statements, those who either strongly agreed or strongly disagreed were asked to expand on their opinion and provide comments. Tables 1-6 contain the comments from respondents who indicated they either strongly agreed or strongly disagreed with the previous statements.

Table 1. “I am getting my needs met by the Center of Excellence (COE) Director” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree”

Strong COE Director working with our region. However, I think the COE Director could be more connected to the DSNs who do the actual work than the Chair who has her own agenda.

Full support is provided at this time

The COE Chair provides useful, easy to understand reports and data.

Rapid response on data needs, understands the complexity of the data and the necessary context within which to understand the data available

COE Director provides outstanding support to ensure that all colleges are well informed and using LMI to support decisions related to program development and sector selections in our region.

Very responsive to requests. The COE Director does an incredible job.

COE Director has been great in providing data and technical assistance

Great expert on "data" as well as a team player; develops, writes and presents research projects of the highest quality and accuracy. Always explains limitations of data; welcomes input into each study and really listens to the expressed need; accessible to region.

COE Director provides excellent leadership and is an extremely valuable resource.

Zhenya is AWESOME.

I never lack for data or help with interpreting the data - all thanks to the COE Director!

Table 2. “I am getting my needs met by the WDC Chair” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” Full support is provided at this time The WDC chair has a strong understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Council and does an excellent job of facilitating meetings, conserving time and keeping members focused on issues. WDC Chair provides direction and strong representation to ensure that the needs of the colleges are considered in all regional WFC matters Knowledgeable leader; accessible for regional leadership work; chairs the meetings well; listens and communicates effectively WDC Chair provides excellent leadership and is a valuable resource. I appreciate the efforts to keep us on track and focused. The WDC Chair has been very supportive of the regional conversations and ensuring everyone's voice is heard.

Table 3. “I am getting my needs met by the Regional Consortium Chair” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” Full support is provided at this time The RC chair is sensitive to the regional needs, and considerate of the state wide perspective. The RC Interacts with the local presidents organization to maintain perspective, confidence and inclusion The Chair has an understanding of the needs of the members of the Consortia and works diligently to see that the needs of the group are met. Regional Consortium Chair provides leadership for all of our regional work. Strong leadership is important to create collaboration opportunities and synergies across CTE and workforce development efforts. The regional chair goes above and beyond and informs the members of the WFD of new and emerging statewide initiatives and requirements to ensure that we have the information we need to make informed decisions in our efforts to build an effective regional collaborative. 20/hours a week position; focused on facilitating outcomes agreed upon by WDC and SDICCCA RC Chair provides excellent leadership and is a valuable resource. Mary is on top of things, proactive, approachable, and visionary. The Consortium Chair is very responsive to requests for information/assistance and does a great job of leading the regional efforts while keeping us all on track - no small task!

Table 4. I am getting my needs met by the Workforce Development Council” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” Full support is provided at this time The WDC peers to have a collaborative spirit of cooperation that moves economic and workforce development and CTE forward without parallel In the state The Council does an excellent job of keeping members informed of regional and state activities and works to facilitate projects and the use of resources. WDC is an important regional body. As a TA provider, I understand the needs of colleges better through discussions and regional projects. Monthly meetings are crucial for regional decision-making as well. The WDC strives to ensure that we are informed and working collaboratively to achieve our regional goals to the benefit of all colleges in our region. Knowledgeable members who work well together and who mentor as well as collaborate. Monthly WDC meetings and workshops are well planned and informative; processes are clear and followed; regional work is expected and completed; WDC is an effective group, and I appreciate my collaborative colleagues. The meetings are helpful and productive. The ides of an hour for deans to just share pertinent information outside the WDC is very useful. I feel supported in my campus role by the larger community of the WDC. They serve as a resource for me and the meetings offer opportunities to brainstorm ideas and dialogue about our shared concerns.

Table 5. I am getting my needs met by the Deputy Sector Navigators” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” Strong DSNs in the region I believe all of the DSNs are doing great work in the regions to provide stronger links between industry and the community colleges. Full support is provided at this time The Deputy Sector Navigators make themselves available to provide technical assistance and industry observations Meets with college staff and faculty, works with high school career pathway programs in region to link with community college programs, brings up new ideas for industry partnerships and program development DSNs provide opportunities for professional development and program enhancement support throughout the region The Sector Navs appear to be performing their workplan and providing assistance to request from Campuses Both San Diego/Imperial DSNs and other statewide Health DSNs are collaborative colleagues and valuable resources. All sector navigators are approachable and helpful. Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Disagree” My department at the college is heavily engaged in Advanced Manufacturing, however the Deputy Sector Navigator was only interested in talking with me when she was up for renewed funding. When we ask for statistics and ask for a meeting to discuss manufacturing in the area, she is too busy or does not have even the basic statistic needed. My guess is that all Sector money goes directly to her college and no others. Table 6. “I am getting my needs met by Sector Navigators” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” Full support is provided at this time Identifies key industry needs, contracting opportunities and links with other DSNs in needed sector work Provide statewide leadership; have strong relationships with sector industry partners; assist DSNs with their work plans and provide some statewide goals. Available to provide assistance in sectors our region did not pick as priority or emerging. Health SN Linda Zorn provides excellent leadership and is a valuable resource. Peter Davis is the only Sector Navigator I have dealt with and he has been extremely helpful. Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Disagree” My organization for my college is one of the largest manufacturing training centers in the region, of which, I am the Director. I have been inviting to ONE meeting by the Sector Navigators in the last four years.

I have not seen any tangible value that the Sector Navigators have provided for our region

Effectiveness of WDC Respondents were also asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with statements about the WDC in general. The statements were about five different areas: Communication, Workforce Gap Analysis, Regional Impact, Regional Advisory Boards and Curriculum Alignment. Figure 2 summarizes the responses to the statements.

Figure 2. Summary of Responses to WDC Statements

Overall, most respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statements. Thirty-one percent (31%) of respondents indicated they strongly agreed with the statement “Communication: The WDC is effective in communication to the region.” Twenty-nine percent (29%) of respondents indicated they strongly agreed with the statement “Workforce Gap Analysis: The WDC effectively identified and completed a gap analysis.”

Just as before with the other set of statements, respondents who either strongly agreed or strongly disagreed were asked to expand on their opinion and provide comments. Tables 7-9 contain the comments from respondents who indicated they either strongly agreed or strongly disagreed with the previous statements.

Table 7. “Communication: The WDC is effective in Communication to the region” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” The work done by the WDC is effectively communicated through the website and updates, The weekly update emails and the MyWorkforceConnection website are very useful Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Disagree” Too many e-mails takes away from effective communications

I think that effective communication will always be an issue because the region is inundated with different emails, flyers, etc., from a multitude of sources that they don't even bother anymore. Table 8. “Workforce Gap Analysis: The WDC effectively identified and completed a gap analysis.” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” Gap Analysis Studies for each of our seven sectors has been completed. In addition, the original research on sector selection and the SSWG process/rubric provide a full range of data to consider.

The use of data and tangible information is the key factor in making regional decisions.

Table 9. “Regional Impact: The WDC is effectively impacting the region.” Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Agree” Key link for all community college programs to address needs and implement concepts for regional and college improvement

Through regional approval of CTE curriculum, and through collaboration and trust on many regional projects/initiatives, WDC is making a positive difference.

The collaboration and vision of the group has had concrete and tangible effects on the region.

Comments from respondents who indicated they “Strongly Disagree” I don't think that the WDC has any "teeth" to effectively impact the region. Initiatives are successful based off of the whim of the individual colleges and even though we do things regionally in a public setting, when push comes to shove, we pick and choose "regional" efforts that will only benefit our primary college.

General Comments At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to give any additional comments they had. Table 10 lists those additional comments.

Table 10. Additional Comments by Respondents  Hope summary data is shared  Think we need to improve communication outside of WDC, with CIOs, CSSOs and faculty; we need to improve our outreach to business and industry; pathway work, especially alignment of courses/programs, is an ongoing need.  I am not aware of any curriculum alignment that is taking place. I also am not aware of regional advisory board meetings. I think we had one or two originally, but haven't seen anything as of recent.  I have struggled at times with consistency in the responsiveness of some DSNs. Some are great, others not so much. I have heard similar feedback from other, non-college, colleagues around the region.