building career opportunities: a local perspective michigan regional skills alliance conference...
TRANSCRIPT
Building Career Opportunities: A Local
Perspective
Michigan Regional Skills Alliance Conference January 2006
Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, Senior Policy Analyst
Office of Economic Development
201 W. Colfax Avenue, Dept. 208
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 720.913.1651
The Denver advantage
City and County are coterminous Denver is its own workforce region Excellent relationship with State Local control of Wagner-Peyser, WIA and TANF funds Workforce system in Denver contracts
with Human Services
Integration of workforce and economic development
Four agencies merged into Denver’s Office of Economic Development:
Workforce DevelopmentBusiness DevelopmentHousing and Neighborhood DevelopmentSmall Business Opportunities
OED’s steps to integration
Integration of staff functions: HR, financial management, marketing
Creation of the Business Assistance Center
Creation of a policy team Research on best practices and
recommendations to move to next level
Recent focus of Workforce Division
Creating a demand-driven workforce system
Playing major role in Business Assistance Center
Workforce Gap Analysis by local economist
Designing sectoral programs for high-demand occupations
What are sectoral programs?
•Targeted to a specific industry•Involvement by a strategic partner•Training strategies that benefit low-income individuals•They promote systemic change that cultivates a win-win environment for employers and job seekers (National Network of Sector Partners’ website: What Is Sector? Viewed April 2, 2005 http://www.nedlc.org/nnsp/whatis.htm)
Denver's Sectoral Strategies
Research from NEDLC in 2000
Response to research Economy changed Learning from the experience Concentrating on highest-
demand sector
Why did we choose health care?
•Demand will continue to grow as baby-boomers age•Industry present almost everywhere•Reasonably high-paying jobs•Career ladders to move entry- level workers
Denver’s Health Care Workforce Programs at a Glance_______________________________
Pre-Employment Programs CNA Training Program
Essential Skills Medical Training Programs
CNA Practicum
Denver’s Health Care Workforce Programs at a Glance …continued
Pre-Employment Programs Recruitment for hospitals
Foreign nurse training program
WIA-funded Individual Training Accounts in health care occupations
HCA accelerated nursing program
Career Ladders for Incumbent Health Care Workers
Training for food service, housekeeping and other entry-level hospital workers
IV certification for LPNs
Certified Nursing Assistant/Medical Assistant to Licensed Practical Nurse Training
CNA to LPN Program: How was it started?
•Could a CNA-to-LPN training program work?•Issues with WIA performance standards•Talked to nursing homes •Asked CCD to partner with us •Began in 2001 with a cohort of 21 students•Six additional nursing homes came on board •Two hospitals and Kaiser Permanente also signed up•Trial and error •Continuous improvement
What does the program look like today?
•Few students qualified to begin LPN course work
•Math skill levels as low as 3rd to 5th grade; reading skills, 6th to 8th grade
•Accelerated developmental program designed to qualify unprepared workers for entry into an LPN in 30 weeks
•CCD designed on-site Learning Lab
•3-session progressive format; each session runs 10 weeks
•Low-level students take all 3 classes; others enter according to assessed need
•Learning Lab Phase: 3 hours, 2 evenings per week; 4 hours on Saturday, with peer group
What does the program look like today? Continued…
Average class size 12-15 Successful completers then take 4 prerequisite courses Those who complete Learning Lab and prerequisites then
take on-site LPN classes Instruction received primarily from working RNs Clinical rotations one or two days per week Academic classes, also offered in 3 10-week modules,
delivered two evenings per week at worksite Multiple funding streams – WIA, City General Funds,
foundation funds, Pell Grants, employer tuition assistance
What does the program look like today? Continued…
Students receive support of program case-manager Coordinates tutoring, financial aid and required documentation Program takes 2½ years to complete Learning Lab: 30 weeks Prerequisites: 23 weeks Nursing courses: 74 weeks Employers contribute 50/50 match, cash or in-kind Some students pay own tuition Total per-pupil cost, including Learning Lab, prerequisite
courses and nursing courses: $8,252
Current status
•CCD now has 13 cohorts, with a total of 230 students•Early cohorts are now reaching completion•77% have graduated or still in program•At current graduation rate for early cohorts, 76 new LPNs will join workforce in next two years•Program on track to add several hundred LPNs to the workforce within the next five years•Average income will go from $22,000 per year to over $35,000•Those who complete learning-lab portion but do not graduate will have enhanced skills•Improved morale, reduced turnover, and improved performance among participants
What has worked?
DWD’s sectoral approach, using Business Specialists targeted at the health care industry
CCD’s on-site delivery to nursing homes and hospitals CCD willing to continuously improve programs CCD and DWD’s connections to health care employers and to a
demand-driven training strategy Employers who are committed to working with public workforce
system Programs that, to the greatest extent possible:
• are on-site• are during work hours or immediately after work• have tutors/mentors at work• demonstrate a high level of commitment from management
What problems did we experience?
2-4 year waiting lists for entrance into the LPN, RN and Rad Tech programs at community colleges
Low-skill levels of most students
Insufficient amount of funds to expand on-site programs to meet the demand
Capacity and logistical issues around clinicals
Turnover in management at facilities
Replicability: Why should this program be replicated?
To help working poor individuals move up from poverty
To address a workforce shortage To partner with employers and to create
career ladders To upgrade skills through Learning Lab To work with Adult Education system and
advance common goals
Where could the system go next ?
Expanding CNA and LPN training programs
Developing evening LPN to RN programs
Develop foreign MD to RN accelerated program
Raising science and math levels of interested high school students
Developing summer and year-round internships for students in hospitals
Designing a state-wide initiative to upgrade the skills of entry-level workers and to create career ladders.
Thank you!
General Information: Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, Senior Policy Analyst Office of Economic Development 201 W. Colfax Avenue, Dept. 208 Denver, CO 80202 720.913.1651 [email protected]
On Nursing Programs funded through Workforce Development system:
Darcy Brannigan, Discretionary Grants Coordinator Office of Economic Development, Division of Workforce Development 1391 Speer, Suite 500 Denver, CO 80202 720.865.5605 [email protected]