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  Chaired by Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth.

 4 members of the Senate  4 members of the House  Sen. Dan Roberts  Rep.  Sen. Clay Scofield  Rep. Connie Rowe  Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison  Rep.  Sen. Donnie Chesteen  Rep.  The commission is partnering with two firms, McKinsey & Co. and Economic Leadership LLC, for a data-driven look at '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!