REPORT TO THE STATE OF MICHIGAN Fiscal Year 2006 Funding Center for Advanced Technologies First Step, Fast Track High School Program Submitted to the Michigan Legislature and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth [Page intentionally left blank] [Page intentionally left blank] Focus: HOPE PART II Page 1 Table of Contents Fiscal Year 2006 FOCUS: HOPE REPORT TO THE STATE OF MICHIGAN FISCAL YEAR 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Cover Letter (in report) II. Table of Contents III. Focus: HOPE Overview IV. Funded Programs - Program Report – Program Report - Fiscal Year 2006 – Response to Legislatively Requested Specifics V. Budget Report VI. Appendices A. Select Recognition and Citations B. Education Program Flow Chart – Focus: HOPE C. Campus Map D. Organizational Chart E. Board of Directors and Advisory Board F. CAT Associate and Bachelor Degree Curriculum G. CAT Academic Course Offerings Schedule H. Excerpts from Student Scholarship Essays I. Recruiting and Marketing Materials J. Professional Development and Job Fair Materials K. Partial List of Industry Partners That Have Hired Focus: HOPE Graduates L. Success Stories/Student Profiles M. Machinist Training Institute Curriculum Description and 2005-2006 Course Schedule N. First Step and FAST TRACK Curriculum Descriptions and 2005-2006 Course Schedule O. Information Technologies Center Program Materials P. Focus: HOPE Internet Site Web links for Kids Q. Focus: HOPE Revenue Chart R. Select Distinguished Visitors to Focus: HOPE S. Recent Articles and Other Information of Interest: • “Governor Appoints Keith Cooley Director of Department of Labor and Economic Growth, Robert Swanson to Retire in March” press release from the Office of the Governor, January 25, 2007 • “Focus: HOPE Board Appoints COO Duperron as Interim CEO, Forms Search Committee for Top Leadership Position” press release from Focus: HOPE, January 31, 2007 • “U.S. Department of Labor Recognizes Six Organizations for Creating Opportunities in the Workplace” press release from the U.S. Department of Labor, November 15, 2006 • Statement of the Honorable John D. Dingell, Congratulating Focus: HOPE on receiving the 2006 Exemplary Public Interest Contribution Award, November 15, 2006 • “Focus: HOPE lauded for helping minorities, women,” Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, January 21, 2007 • Eleanor Josaitis receives a 2006 Caring Award from the National Caring Institute, Washington, DC, October 17, 2006 2-14-07 Focus: HOPE PART II Page 2 Table of Contents Fiscal Year 2006 • “Focus: HOPE in Detroit Receives Cool Cities ‘Neighborhoods in Progress’ Designation” press release from the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, October 12, 2006 • “Focus: HOPE Receives Three State Awards for Outstanding Safety and Health Records” press release from the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, October, 3, 2005 • “Focus: HOPE Receives Two State Awards for Outstanding Safety and Health Records” press release from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, February 7, 2007 • “Speaker DeRoche Launches Advancing Beyond the Classroom” press release from the Office of Speaker of the House Craig DeRoche, May 1, 2006 2-14-07 FOCUS: HOPE OVERVIEW in Focus: HOPE’s 21st century training and education programs, its community and corporate THE BEGINNING partnerships, as well as in its food programs. The following provides a brief overview of the many Focus: HOPE was founded in 1968 in the wake of programs currently operated by Focus: HOPE. the devastating Detroit riots. Co-founders Father William T. Cunningham (1930-1997) and Eleanor M. Josaitis were inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and started an organization committed to bringing together people of all races, faiths and economic backgrounds to overcome injustice and build racial harmony. The Focus: HOPE mission statement, adopted on March 8, 1968, can be found on our walls and in our hearts throughout the 40-acre campus and provides the primary focus for the organization and all of its programming: Recognizing the dignity and beauty of every COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD person, we pledge intelligent and practical PROGRAM action to overcome racism, poverty and injustice. Starting with research that showed the permanent damaging effects of malnutrition on babies and And to build a metropolitan community children, the co-founders were driven to find a where all people may live in freedom, solution to hunger in the Detroit area. As a result of harmony, trust and affection. persistent research and testimony, Focus: HOPE began administering the U.S. Department of Black and white, yellow, brown and red, Agriculture’s Commodity Supplemental Food from Detroit and its suburbs, of every Program (CSFP) to serve low-income pregnant economic status, national origin and women and mothers of young children. Focus: religious persuasion, we join in this HOPE led the successful effort to expand the covenant. program to include assistance to low-income senior citizens. This program is currently offered in 32 Originally an interracial movement of volunteers, states nationwide, as well as the District of Focus: HOPE today employs about 340 colleagues Columbia and two Native American tribal and involves more than 7,000 volunteers annually organizations. Of these, Michigan is the largest in support of its programs. Over the years, Focus: program in the nation, serving over 78,000 monthly HOPE has engaged in intelligent and practical enrolled pregnant and post partum mothers, action to address the challenges of hunger, children under the age of six, and senior citizens. economic disparity, inadequate education, and Focus: HOPE serves 41,000 of these individuals racial divisiveness. The success of Focus: HOPE each month, more than 80 percent of whom are centers on leveraging public and private sector seniors, in four counties of Southeast Michigan. In resources and partnerships, as well as extensive fact, Focus: HOPE one of the largest and oldest community outreach, to provide meaningful distributors of commodities for this national solutions to societal problems. These can be found program. Focus: HOPE PART III Page 2 Overview Fiscal Year 2006 machinists, enroll into other advanced manufacturing classifications or pursue additional post-secondary education. FIRST STEP AND FAST TRACK Many individuals who obtain high school degrees and GED certificates are not functionally capable of performing at a high school graduate level in the workforce or successfully pursuing post-secondary education. Focus: HOPE currently requires MACHINIST TRAINING INSTITUTE prospective students to have either a high school diploma or a GED and to be drug free in order to The Machinist Training Institute (MTI) was qualify for admission into its programs. Applicants then take the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) established in 1981 to bridge industry needs for to determine their incoming level of academic precision machinists with community needs for competency. In order to enter the Machinist Training well-paying career employment. This state licensed Institute, incoming students must functionally test at a and accredited training institute provides minimum of 9th grade reading and a minimum of 10th comprehensive basic and grade math. The advanced precision Information Technologies A Serious, Persistent Shortage machining and Center requires a th metalworking skills. The The details behind the talent shortage reveal a minimum of 12 grade program provides stark reality. More than 80 percent of respondents reading and 9th grade opportunity for minority indicated that they are experiencing a shortage of math skills. Those qualified workers overall – with 13 percent students who do not have youth, women, and others reporting severe shortages and 68 percent to gain access to the indicating moderate shortages. Also worrisome is the necessary financial mainstream and the finding that 90 percent of respondents competency levels to go to learn in-demand skills. indicated a moderate to severe shortage of directly into these qualified skilled production employees, including programs may enter Of the hundreds of front-line workers, such as machinists, operators, either the First Step or the businesses that hired the craft workers, distributors, and technicians. As FAST TRACK program initial MTI graduates, expected, the research showed that engineers and scientists are in short supply, with 65 percent of in order to raise their most had never previously manufacturers reporting deficiencies – 18 percent math and reading levels. hired either a woman or severe and 47 percent moderate. minority as a machinist. “2005 Skills Gap Report – A Survey of the American Established in 1989, the This hiring thus furthered Manufacturing Workforce,” FAST TRACK program1 the Focus: HOPE mission National Association of Manufacturers and Deloitte Consulting LLP, December 2005, p. 1 is designed to raise math of breaking down racial skill levels from 8th grade and gender barriers. to a minimum of 10th th grade, and reading skill levels from 8 grade to a th Focus: HOPE estimates that the MTI provides minimum of 9 grade within 7 weeks. In order to roughly half of all new formally trained machinists better serve individual educational needs, students in Michigan and, to that end, enrolled 217 may take either the math or reading programs individuals in Fiscal Year 2006. Since its inception separately as needed to improve their respective skill the program has graduated over 2,200 machinists. area, or both programs can be taken as a Starting wages range between $8.50 and $12.00 per 1The State of Michigan created a state-wide program hour and often include benefits. Graduates of the called Fast Break, based in large part on the success and MTI may go directly into jobs as precision model of Focus: HOPE’s FAST TRACK program. 2-12-07 Focus: HOPE PART III Page 3 Overview Fiscal Year 2006 complementary set. These stated grade level increases are minimum numbers and can increase further to grade level 12 or beyond depending on the individual student’s personal objectives. The four- week First Step program was created in 1997 to immediately precede FAST TRACK for those who need to raise their math skill levels from 6th to 8th grade.