Emily Stover DeRocco Speeches
American Association of Community Colleges
August 8, 2003
Core WIA Reauthorization Issues
1. Funding Issues
- Consolidate the Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Employment Service Allotments to States and Reemployment Service Grants into a single block grant to increase flexibility and coordination while at the same time reduce duplication and inefficiency that exists with multiple funding streams.
- The funding level of the consolidated grant equals the total for each of the individual funding streams.
- New sub-state allocation method would be needed
2. Improved Governance
- Create a more effective governance structure that is responsive to local needs
- Local boards would be streamlined to provide an increased voice for employers, community groups and worker advocates
- Business representation from leading industry sectors and geographic areas within the local community
- One-Stop partners involved through the MOU process rather than Board representation.
- More focused on strategic planning and policy development rather than administration.
- Requirements for Education reps would be simplified, allowing them to be representatives of local educational entities, including superintendents, presidents of community colleges,
- Youth Council no longer required but the Governor and CEO retain authority to create or continue them.
- Local planning cycle reduced from 5 years to 2 years to encourage responsiveness and continuous improvement.
(If you want to mention State Boards)
- State boards would still be chaired and directed by employers, but these boards would have increased representation by One-Stop partner programs.
3. Eligible Training Providers
- Current Eligible Training Provider system has reduced customer choice through burdensome reporting requirements.
- New system would provide the Governors the authority to determine what information, data, and standards are required.
- This will improve customer choice while making participation easier for training providers.
(If you want to mention ITAs)
- There is also more flexibility for individuals. Individual Training Accounts will be transformed into Career Scholarships
- Greater access to long-term training
- Available to unemployed and employed workers
- Combine with PRA to offer greater personal control
The Power of e3
- Our goal is to ensure that every available worker has the education, training, and skills to fill the gap so that no worker is left behind.
- To reach this goal we need to bring all the resources devoted to employment, education and economic development together
- We call this linkage of education, employment and economic development the "Power of e-3."
- This is how we are building a demand-driven workforce investment system that will better serve the employers and employees of the future
- Education is one of the foundations of the Power of E3 and the demand-driven system
- I'm from Pennsylvania and we call our great state the Keystone State. I like to think of the Community Colleges as the keystone of our education strategy. Without them, the strategy will crumble.
- You are the key to helping us provide skilled workers to America's business
- To you help you succeed in teaching our future workers, we at the Department of Labor have created the High Growth Job Training Initiative.
- We seek to identify high-growth businesses and industries, evaluate their skill needs, and partner with the education community to ensure that the skills being taught are the skills employers need.
- We're holding forums and building partnerships all over the country in fields as diverse as health services, biotechnology, retail sales and services, and the geospatial sector.
- These and other high-growth sectors of the economy need a growing number of trained and skilled workers if they are to grow and be competitive in the years ahead.
- We are counting on YOU to provide those skilled workers.
Perkins
- Over the next 5 years, growth in employment opportunities requiring an Associates Degree is projected to outpace overall employment growth by 66%.
- There is an opportunity for us to prepare for this increased demand: Reauthorization of the Perkins Act.
- Under the current system, Perkins funds are spread too thin across the country to provide a meaningful benefit to students.
- We propose to reallocate funds to those areas that can demonstrate a committed partnership between Community Colleges, businesses in high growth sectors, and Workforce Investment Boards.
- This three-way partnership would channel vocational education and public training funds in a manner that would achieve four key results:
- Individuals would be training for jobs in demand
- The capacity of the community college system to meet the needs of business would be enhanced
- American workers would prepared for good jobs and good pay
- Taxpayer funds would be used with greater efficiency
- The Department of Labor is showing a commitment to the community college system through these series of initiatives
- We believe that you are crucial to the development of our nation's future workforce and we know that you can help us succeed in producing and innovative and prepared workforce ready to meet the challenges of the 21st economy.
- Thank you for your commitment and thank you for inviting me here today.
