Higher Education and Workforce Development Action Plan

Challenge

A skilled workforce is essential in a knowledge-based economy. In the “old economy,” regions prospered by simply having a large number of jobs and workers in low-wage positions. In the knowledge economy, regions prosper if their workers have honed their intellectual skills and are capable of being employed in the knowledge-based, information-intense jobs that are driving the “new economy.”

Less competitive regions continue to fall behind as the growth in knowledge-based jobs in the United States increases (from 27% of the total U.S. workforce in 1983 to 33% by 2006) in those regions which are successful in developing a workforce that can support such demand from industry (The Metropolitan New Economy Index, April 2001, Progressive Policy Institute).

A review of existing studies and research on the status of the San Joaquin Valley workforce and workforce development systems (Public Policy Institute, Data Quest, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium) produced the following key findings:

• The education gap is significant between the San Joaquin Valley and the rest of the state.
• Valley students are less likely to be prepared for college.
• Valley students do not take advantage of available resources to attend college. (Only 28% of students in the San Joaquin Valley region that qualify for Cal Grants submit an application. When compared with students statewide, graduating high school seniors who are more likely to enroll at a community college are equally likely to enroll at a CSU campus, less likely to attend a UC campus.)
• Training for occupations in the health services industry represents both a challenge for the Valley as well as an opportunity.

Indicators

• Increase in per capita and median household income
• Decrease in unemployment
• Decrease in percent of families below the poverty line
• Increase in job growth in target industries
• Increase in enrollment in and completion of training/education beyond high school
• ncrease in college graduation rates
• Increase in education attainment
• Increase in access to and use of advanced communication services

Goals & Objectives

Goal 1: Create a demand-driven workforce investment system that supports target clusters: (1) agribusiness, including food processing, agricultural technology, and biotechnology; (2) manufacturing; (3) supply chain management and logistics; (5) health and medical care; and (5) renewable energy.

Objective A: Align workforce development resources to support target industry clusters.

Objective B: Occupational analysis of key jobs in target industries.

Objective C: Web-based inventory of vocational training and “gap analysis.”

Objective D: Regionwide business intelligence tool.

Objective E: Create a “just in time” training voucher fund.

Objective F: Address workforce supply on a regional basis.

Objective G: Align career technical education with target industries.

Objective H: Establish the San Joaquin Valley Workforce Consortium.

Objective I: Align the efforts of the San Joaquin Valley’s economic development corporations, San Joaquin Valley Workforce Consortium and Central Region Consortium.

Goal 2: Develop a college-going culture in the San Joaquin Valley.