Minutes 08/10/1999

An executive session convened at 5:00 p.m., pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.02, notice having duly given.

A special meeting and strategic conversation of the Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board was scheduled to be held at 6:30 p.m. at GateWay Community College, 2411 West 14th Street, Tempe, Arizona, pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.02, notice having been duly given.

PRESENT

GOVERNING BOARD
Linda B. Rosenthal, President, Gene Eastin, Secretary, Donald R. Campbell, Member, Ed Contreras, Member

ADMINISTRATION
Raul Cardenas, Donna Schober for William Waechter, Bertha Landrum for Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Rufus Glasper, Janet Gesin for Ron Bleed, Janice Bradshaw, Gina Kranitz, Larry Christiansen, John Cordova, Art DeCabooter, Susan McRae for Stan Grossman, Homero Lopez, J. Marie Pepicello, Linda Thor,Tessa Martinez Pollack, John Underwood for Arnette Ward, Phil Randolph

ABSENT
STATE BOARD
Nick Balich

GOVERNING BOARD
Nancy Stein

Invited guests from the workforce community were present at the meeting. The sign in sheet is included in the minutes file.

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by President Rosenthal.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
President Rosenthal called for a motion convening an executive session, notice having been previously given.

MOTION NO.8890
Don Campbell moved that an executive session be convened. Motion carried 4-0.

The meeting recessed at 5:01 p.m.
A dinner was held with Board Members of K-12 school districts at 6:00 p.m. The special meeting convened at 6:32 p.m.

SPECIAL MEETING

(I-A) CONSIDERATION OF EMPLOYMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, RETIREMENTS AND TERMINATIONS - Approve as presented.

MOTION NO.8891
Don Campbell moved that the Governing Board approve the Employments, Resignations, Retirements and Terminations as presented. Motion carried 4-0.

The special meeting adjourned at 6:34 p.m.
The strategic conversation convened at 6:35 p.m.

(I-B)STRATEGIC ISSUES REGARDING THE MANY SIDES OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Linda Rosenthal welcomed the group. Bertha Landrum introduced the conversation and provided the anticipated outcome, which was for the group to develop suggestions for best practices for the Maricopa Community College District. She spoke of the different expectations and perspectives of the entities involving workforce development customers, the need for improvement for students in developing their technical skills, and the importance of understanding the new emerging careers. Presentations were presented that provided information on some of the different avenues or "sides" of workforce development. Cheryl Martinez, Director of the City of Phoenix Career Redevelopment Center, and Pauline Peverly, MCCD Career Planning Advisor, provided presentations on "Serving Individuals with Barriers to Employment." Barbara Clark, Director of Community Education at Motorola, provided a presentation on "Workforce Development in K-12." Steve Vierck, Sr. Vice President, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, provided a presentation on "Workforce Development for Economic Development."

The group then split into four small groups to brainstorm given questions. The questions and feedback from the small groups were as follows:

* Indicates top critical ideas identified by group

GROUP ONE
Facilitator: Tricia Euen

Question #1:
What are the workforce development best practices that Maricopa Community Colleges and Skill Centers should pursue with employers to meet the needs of Individuals with Barriers to Employment?

funds to employers - upgrade existing workforce then back fill with hard to employ

"apprentice" style to "try out" jobs

work closely with groups who need jobs, e.g. older adults

*advisory councils - also are prospective employers

portfolio of success stories - those who had barriers and now are employed

*good career advising - career exploration

*subsidized wages for hard to employ - old CETA program

One Stop Centers - should be expanded and do electronically "networking" those with solutions

better communication means from community college to employers and community

community college focus on helping employers retain employees - include community "human resource/services" available for employees in needs - modules

"work ethic" skills to help employer retain employees - modules

Question #2:
One of the key issues is obtaining enrollments in programs to prepare for new/emerging careers - in part, due to lack of knowledge of the new careers and misconceptions about the work settings and duties in many industries. How can industry and education address this issue together?

take advantage of TV channel surfing

• advantages of new careers
• add success stories
• non-traditional channels (e.g. VH1)

ID venues high school students, etc. "use"

take high school students to onsite locations

summer career institutes (Pima Community College)

start some of this at junior high schools - middle school

GROUP TWO
Facilitator: Donna Schober

Question #1:
What are the workforce development best practices that Maricopa Community Colleges and Skill Centers should pursue with employers to meet the needs of K-12 Students and Schools?

internships/work experiences in B&I for HS students

internships/work experiences for instructors (K-12 and community college)

alignment of curriculum with SCANS and workplace skill standards

*increase parents' awareness of workplace opportunities - start young

ditto for awareness of whole community. i.e. "career night" by industry and colleges

community colleges go into the workplace and hold information sessions

sharing of knowledge between B&I and community colleges

sharing of resources between B&I and community colleges

need comprehensive and consistent system

students need to know flexibility and change

educational founded in coupled with skills

*projections of future need as well as current reality

*consistency, lifelong learning systemic (i.e. USI, ACE)

include students' guidance counselors

Question #2:
One of the key issues is obtaining enrollments in programs to prepare for new/emerging careers - in part, due to lack of knowledge of the new careers and misconceptions about the work settings and duties in many industries. How can industry and education address this issue together?

Business and Industry and Education need to build awareness (focus groups, "profiling" job types, career center at community colleges need this info, advisory groups)

*breakdown perception that technical is "less than"

*start young

foundational and process skills

*gender and sociological status equality

takes more money to work with lower socioeconomic area students (also have instructional issues)

need standards and ethically adhere to them

community colleges should do more on-site training, B&I should do more tuition reimbursement

maximize entry skills, not minimize

GROUP THREE
Facilitator: John Lewis

Question #1:
What are the workforce development best practices that Maricopa Community Colleges and Skill Centers should pursue with employers to meet the needs of Newly Locating/Expanding Companies?

develop core competencies within time frame

customize training, specific employer

provide tailored education - not OUR view only

adapt our language to that a business

help businesses express their needs in deliverable terms

more dramatically demonstrate our expertise in quantifiable employer-focused terms

flex our curriculum - time frames, length, delivery modes

flexible, adaptive, responsive

more accurate ass't of start-up dates

educationally seamless (bureaucracy-transparent)

track our students as available workforce

employment data - skill sets transitioning from, to (consider implications of sharing)

MCCCD: best practices - better service follow-up, periodic and regular

beyond having the skill - able to apply the skill

best practice - continual economic development MCCCD formal and regular linkages

better educate employers about moving beyond cheapest (least educated) labor - propel to the next level

community colleges - barriers short timelines, short attention span

core skills - adaptable to many needs

core formats of the legal and administrative agreements and procedures (short timeline)

Question #2:
One of the key issues is obtaining enrollments in programs to prepare for new/emerging careers - in part, due to lack of knowledge of the new careers and misconceptions about the work settings and duties in many industries. How can industry and education address this issue together?

Communication, continuous, regular

Seamless responsiveness, just in time

Ability to adapt and customize the curriculum

GROUP FOUR
Facilitator: Rick Hansen

Question #1:
What are the workforce development best practices that Maricopa Community Colleges and Skill Centers should pursue with employers to meet the needs of Industries Needing Specific Technical Knowledge/Skills?

asking employer what is needed/following through with course training, skill specific training, short term training - literacy

*council/partnership (advisory committees) - communication 3 times a year

bring industry and students together

*work-based experience (internships) scholarships - incentives to go to school

*life skill training/misplaced expectations, work habits, work ethics, responsibility, people skills

• add to curriculum
• integrate in a competency

start early, integrated approach

Question #2:
One of the key issues is obtaining enrollments in programs to prepare for new/emerging careers - in part, due to lack of knowledge of the new careers and misconceptions about the work settings and duties in many industries. How can industry and education address this issue together?

*industry and students

need to get word out to potential students

retention

*"Chip Camp" - outreach model

*media - what industry is doing - general public

career center

need long-term commitment for training workforce (reassurance from employer commitment - internships, hiring opportunities)

target parents

guidance counselors

Mrs. Rosenthal again thanked the planning team for the conversation and those who came and participated in the evening's conversation.

ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.