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Northeast Michigan Environmental Scan and Career Development Report Card Executive
Summary The Environmental Scan
and Career Development Report Card is the second part of a five phase
strategic planning process being conducted regionally across Michigan,
the overall initiative is entitled “Building Strategic Partnerships for Career Development”.
The purpose of the strategic planning effort is “to
develop a system that produces a workforce with the required skills to
maintain and enhance the Michigan economy”. The Northeast Region
of Michigan encompasses an eight county area:
Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda,
Otsego, and Presque Isle. The
area is served by 17 K-12 school districts; three ISD/ESDs (Alpena,
Montmorency and Alcona ESD, Cheboygan, Otsego and Presque Isle ESD,
and Crawford, Ogemaw, Oscoda and Roscommon ISD); and three community
colleges (Alpena Community College, Kirtland Community College and
North Central Michigan College).
The region covers a land area of approximately 4,810 square
miles and hosts a population of 134, 947 people. ENVIRONMENTAL
SCAN The
Environmental Scan for Northeast Michigan included a comprehensive
review of data (for the eight county region) and was compiled in two
parts, the Broad Environment which assessed the external environment
and the Career Development System which focused on the internal
environment of the Career Development System.
Broad Environment Scan includes:
Career Development System includes: ü Education System o K-12 Districts, Career and Technical Education, and Community Colleges ü
Workforce Development
System
o Adult Education, Workforce Investment Act /Job Training and Partnership Act, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, Employment Service Agency, Work First/Welfare Reform ü Worker Enhancement System o Economic Development and Job Training (EDJT), Customized Training Programs, Workforce Investment Act KEY
FINDINGS
Ø Region is experiencing a loss in persons between the ages of 25 to 44, and increase in persons over age 45. Ø
Limited data regarding the
availability of workforce training and “success” of such training. Ø
Some of the K-12 districts
in the Region are experiencing a decrease in enrollments. Ø
Most districts meet the
MEAP requirements most of the time, still an opportunity to increase the
success Ø
Most districts have been
able to meet or exceed the state average for high school graduation
rates Ø
“Graduates” of many of
the State initiatives (e.g., Work First, Welfare Reform) are entering
the workforce at or near minimum wage.
Ø
Greatest “growth” in
(numbers of) jobs predicted for Northeast Michigan is in the
“service/hospitality” sectors Ø
Opportunity to strengthen
linkages and partnerships between K-12, community colleges and four-year
colleges and universities Ø
Opportunity to strengthen
and increase linkages and partnerships between education (all levels)
and business and industry Ø
Northeast Michigan receives
significant monies from the state and federal governments geared toward
“workforce development”; however, there needs to be greater
collaboration between all stakeholders in the Region toward utilizing
these dollars most effectively. CAREER DEVELOPMENT REPORT CARD The Career Development Report Card is based on the
analysis of the data gathered through the environmental scanning
process. The Report Card
presents five priority goals and proposed
success measures to gage whether the goals are being achieved, as well
as supporting rationale for each priority goal. Priority Goals I:
Increase
Academic Achievement and Graduation Rates
The
data compiled in the environmental scan revealed that graduation rates
for five (5) of the 17 K-12 school districts in the Region were below
the state average in 1997/1998. Additionally, the education attainment levels across the
Region are lower than the state averages. (Reflected through high school
and college & technical program graduations.) II:
Increase Enrollments in Workforce Readiness Programs The Scan of the Career Development System
identified several areas of strength as well as areas for concern.
All K-12 systems in the Region participated in the “Career
Preparation Initiative” and related “Gap Analysis”.
This process identified common areas of need related to
preparation for workforce readiness including:
Integration of academic and technical education, increased
linkages with Business and Industry and Post Secondary education, and
greater involvement in career planning initiatives at all levels.
Data available to describe the success of the Career Preparation
initiatives was lacking. In addition, additional data suggests that community college
enrollments in workforce readiness programs (“technical education”)
have been declining over the reporting period. III:
Strengthen
Job Training and Re-training for Adults Data
from the Broad Scan shows the Northeast Region typically has higher
annual unemployment rates than the state annual average. Additionally, the over age 25 population in the Region, has
lower educational attainment levels than the state-wide averages for
high school graduation or college graduation. IV:
Increase available workforce to address the current and
emerging labor shortage There are a number of state initiatives supporting workforce
training, including funding initiatives through state and federal
agencies such as the WIA/JTPA, EDJT and CDBG grants.
However the availability of training is limited in many areas of
Northeast Michigan with many smaller communities and industries not
receiving the benefit of the grants.
In addition, based on current data, enrollments and graduations
from career-technical programs at the secondary and particularly the
post-secondary levels appear to be declining. V:
Attract High-skill, High-wage Business and Industry to Region The
data from the environmental scan confirms the limited number of
high-skill, high wage opportunities within the Region.
Additionally, the region is served by a very limited and
piecemeal technology infrastructure. Additional
Information: For a copy of the
Northeast Michigan Environmental Scan and Career Development Report Card
or additional information contact:
Kurt Ries, Director, Northeast
Michigan Consortium, Onaway,
Michigan , (517) 733-8548. The “Building Strategic Partnerships for Career Development” strategic
planning process is funded through grants from the Michigan Department
of Career Development.
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