Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth
Panel Discussion | December 5th, 2019 National Lieutenant Governor’s Association Lieutenant Governor’s Commission on a 21st Century Workforce
Created in the 2019 Legislative Session by a Senate Joint Resolution sponsored by Senator Clay Scofield Chaired by Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth.
4 members of the Senate 4 members of the House Sen. Dan Roberts Rep. Danny Garrett Sen. Clay Scofield Rep. Connie Rowe Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison Rep. Rich Wingo Sen. Donnie Chesteen Rep. Rod Scott The commission is partnering with two firms, McKinsey & Co. and Economic Leadership LLC, for a data-driven look at Alabama's workforce, their readiness for today’s labor market, the labor market of the future, and their model for delivering workforce training statewide. Economic Leadership, LLC.
The commission has retained Economic Leadership, LLC. Economic Leadership’s Managing Partner, Ted Abernathy, is leading their work in Alabama. They will provide a breakdown of where our state currently stands regarding workforce in a final report and a list of recommendations by January 1. Contract total: $102,722 Mr. Abernathy and the Lieutenant Governor’s staff have participated in stakeholder meetings with: ACCS - Chancellor Jimmy Baker AIDT - Ed Castille, Director ALSDE - Dr. Eric Mackey, State Superintendent ALDOL - Secretary Fitzgerald Washington Alabama Office of Apprenticeship - Josh Laney, Director Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation - Nick Moore, Director NFIB, Alabama - Rosemary Elebash, State Director Manufacture Alabama - George Clark, President ALDECE - Secretary Jeana Ross ACHE - Jim Purcell, Director Various private-industry representatives Economic Leadership, LLC. | Goals
Analysis of all workforce development providers & stakeholders related to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) & Perkins V funding Best practices for collaboration among Analysis of the Alabama Community College System's workforce program delivery Specific focus on dual enrollment & expanded programs for incarcerated populations through the Department of corrections Analysis of K-12 educational system Specific focus on credentialing for skilled trades post-graduation, soft skills preparation, career-path recruitment, and drug awareness programs Analysis of the Department of Commerce's workforce efforts Specific look into how their efforts integrate into the broader economic development strategy Specific look at how participants and companies are transitioned between programs over time Projections of future jobs, training needs, and how to improve communication between job creators and the education system Economic Leadership, LLC. | Initial Findings
Recent workforce prioritization and programmatic changes in Alabama have resulted in incremental improvement across many programs The Alabama Workforce Council has improved private sector engagement The 7 Regional Workforce Councils have strengthened their leadership The “AlabamaWorks!” brand is gaining traction Alabama’s ACT overall report card has been recently improving Some regional approaches are well integrated and show excellent results Economic Leadership, LLC. | Early Recommendations
Systematic integration of education and workforce programs and priorities, at the state level, need significant work and a centralized means to force meaningful collaboration. Regional alignment, results and collaboration vary significantly More transparent metrics with a common nomenclature are needed to allow policy makers to effectively evaluate results Business engagement should be more consistent and more meaningful across all programs Career awareness and counseling at the high school level is still prioritizing 4-year college options over other options Economic Leadership, LLC. | Early Recommendations
Teachers need more exposure to the business world and career choices for students Dual enrollment for high school & community college needs to increase More industry input into community college certificate programs is needed Programs for disconnected populations (prisoners, youth, disabled populations, etc.) need to be strengthened and prioritized There is a significant drug crisis that has reduced the available labor force Everyone needs easier access to real time occupational demand data Creation of a cabinet-level position under the Office of the Governor with the purpose of forcing collaboration among all stakeholders Economic Leadership, LLC. | Early Recommendations Thank you!