Welcome! The webinar will begin promptly at 2:00

Transcript:Welcome! The webinar will begin promptly at 2:00:
Welcome! The webinar will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m. All participants will be placed on mute upon entry. You will need to connect to audio after establishing the computer portion of the webinar. If you have difficulty connecting, call Brinda Berry at 501.230.5689. This presentation refers to Appendices found in the Request for Proposals and Guidelines for Submission document that has been distributed. You may want to have it available for reference as it will not be shown in its entirety. The webinar will be recorded for future viewing. Additional instructions for submitting questions during the presentation will be provided at the beginning of the webinar. Workforce Initiative Act of 2015 Regional Workforce Grant Program RFP and Submission Guidelines General information/Overview Dr. Brett Powell Legislative Intent Creation of statewide comprehensive structure for workforce development that reduces skills gaps in the regional workforce pool Evaluation of workforce needs of state Coordination of secondary and postsecondary education, including career and technical programs (CTE) Pursuit of high demand jobs, including those that require industry recognized credentials, short-term training through bachelor level programs Create long-term relationships between employers and regional workforce alliances Facilitation of a skilled and employment-ready workforce through alignment of education and workforce needs through a competitive grant process Core Requirements Representation from mandatory partners CTE educators or appropriate local K-12 district that awards concurrent credit Technical institute, community college or university offering CTE programs Employers representing critical needs in the identified workforce region Enhance, expand or create clearly defined CTE pathway program(s) at technical institutes, community colleges or universities that includes concurrent secondary center programs to fill a critical, demonstrable local workforce need Core Requirements Include programs which emphasize basic skills instruction concurrently with occupational training Embrace diversity of student enrollment Provide essential support services which link to resources that assist students in progressing along the identified pathways, including advising on academic, employment, financial and personal issues Develop and implement collaborative apprenticeship or training programs that prepare workers for rapid entry into the workforce or provide recognized industry certifications General Process Competitive RFP process Awarded to regional workforce alliances Grants awarded by ADHE based on recommendations from: Arkansas Department of Education Arkansas Department of Career Education Arkansas Department of Higher Education Arkansas Department of Workforce Services Arkansas Economic Development Commission Three Phases Phase 1-Planning grants (up to $100K) Phase 2-Implementation (up to $1M over two years) Phase 3-Continutation (up to $1M