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Global Workforce Initiative

An innovative public-private partnership among the business and educational communities in Georgia to facilitate economic growth and community development by enriching the occupational skills and global competencies of our students

Addressing the Skills Gap Head On


The skills gap in America an acute lack of skilled production workers technologists, scientists, engineers, etc., resulting from a policy shift towards a service economy in the 1990s is very real: official reports point to millions of jobs going unfilled across the U.S. due to a lack of qualified workers, and business leaders in Georgia regularly cite this problem as one of their biggest challenges. As we enter the next business cycle, addressing the skills gap is the key to unlocking tremendous economic development opportunities it is estimated the the energy boom alone will create 3.8 million jobs in the U.S. The Career Pathways - Superintendent Barge's vision to bring skills training back into our schools are a direct response to this feedback:
Participating students can obtain certifications in a myriad of Pathways contained within 17 Career Clusters, representing all types of occupations in Georgia Following graduation, students will be prepared to either enter the workforce immediately with a minimal amount of additional training or to proceed to postsecondary education in collegiate or technical schools
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GWI Overview
The Global Workforce Initiative is a public-private Utility formed to work with the Georgia business community to accelerate job-filling solutions based upon the Career Pathways, to:
Connect: We make it easy for businesses to express their workforce needs and to engage the education community for fulfillment Develop Solutions: We work with businesses, Chambers of Commerce and community leaders to build programs that develop the types of skilled workers that are needed in their area Integrate: We work with the relevant components of GaDoE and other government, business and NGO interests to ensure that these solution concepts and their tangible benefits are made available across Georgia

Our work to date proves that the business community is ready to engage on these types of K-12 education-based solutions to the skills gap, giving rise to an opportunity to integrate the solution into broader ongoing economic and community development activities.
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GWI Solution Components


Academics Work-Based Learning Employment Pipelines
Teaching curricula for Career Pathway courses built from corporate training materials and other in-kind donations Innovative instructional tactics, e.g., dual immersion language program, Technical Reading & Writing courses, etc. After-school programs focused on language, soft skills, entrepreneurship, etc.

Overseas cultural experiences Internships Work/Study programs

Workforce needs assessments Chamber of Commerce/local economic development support On-line systems to match Pathway students to job opportunities

Basic Partnership Model


GWI provides a vehicle for business partners to provide:
Industry-specific training materials and tests Certification programs to meet the needs of existing job requirements Work-based learning projects, cultural experiences and post-secondary-level internships

GaDoE builds GWI solutions by:


Identifying occupational skills targets within the Career Pathways and existing relevant training collateral Incorporating donated collateral into curricula at high schools in the business partners home communities and throughout the State Developing database tools to match students with jobs
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Example: the Siemens GWI Solution Pilot


Solution: A pipeline to employment at the Siemens assembly plan in Alpharetta that includes:
Custom teaching curricula for the Manufacturing Pathway built using nonproprietary training materials, expertise and programmatic assistance from Siemens Pilot delivery in South Forsyth High School beginning in the 2013-14 AY with a teacher trained by Siemens Internships and other work-based learning opportunities for participating students

Benefits:
For Georgia: Standard teaching curricula, built by real-world experts, made available throughout the State in a blended learning environment For Siemens: Custom talent pool, reduced training costs and greater influence in the community For Forsyth County: Jobs, stability, and opportunities to recruit other businesses to the community
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GWI Partner Benets


Workforce Development Community Development Business Development
Substantial recruiting and training cost reductions Opportunities for increased HR effectiveness, i.e., direct access to next generation of workers, improvements to internal training programs, etc. GWI Solutions are community-based, with a special focus on Partners local schools Ability to participate in classes and other programs as mentors, speakers, etc. Strategic advantages of a highquality, sustainable workforce Significant marketing opportunities arise through Advisory Board, Chambers, conferences, publicity, etc., and incorporation of suppliers into the Solution

Follow-up & Contact Info


GaDoE is committed to enabling measurable, near-term success in the GWI implementation We welcome questions, ideas and offers of assistance, particularly from: Businesses interested in becoming GWI partners Chambers of Commerce and NGO partners Foundations and other potential financial support providers

Denis Brosnan
Managing Director

denis.brosnan@gfpe.org O: 770.353.5874
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Appendix: Relevant GWI Links


Georgia Department of Education: www.doe.k12.ga.us
CTAE: www.georgiastandards.org Georgia Foundation for Public Education: http://gfpe.org/ GWI Press Release & Fact Sheet: www.doe.k12.ga.us/External-Affairs-and-Policy/ communications/Pages/PressReleaseDetails.aspx? PressView=default&pid=45

Technical College System of Georgia: https://tcsg.edu/ University System of Georgia: http://www.usg.edu/ YellowPark Garden: www.yellowparkgarden.com

Example GWI Solution Development Phasing - Siemens


Phase I Overall Partnership Definition:
Overall educational policy and specific GWI concept discussed with German-American Chamber of Commerce and German government representatives Initial interest of prospective corporate participants secured from Siemens and other German businesses with significant Georgia interests or operations Visit by Georgia delegation to Germany to discuss policy details & economic objectives and to benchmark German technical training facilities

Phase II - Specific Siemens Solution Development:


Determination of specific skills to be addressed (Siemens - fundamentals of assembly, safety, German language) Incorporation of corporate materials into appropriate career cluster and pathways (Siemens - Engineering, Manufacturing, Safety training materials) Identification of pilot location (Siemens - Forsyth County)

Phase III - Solution Delivery:


Project planning and ongoing program management Curriculum development: Review by corporate partners experts (Siemens - engineers, plant manager, training managers) Review by DoE experts (Siemens World languages, CTAE, IT)

Presentment to State Board of Education for approval Execution of curriculum pilot in local classrooms; publication of curriculum in Georgia Virtual School

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Career Clusters
Manufacturing Arts, Audio Visual Technology & Communications Marketing Business Management & Administration Finance Information Technology Human Services Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Transportations, Distribution & Logistics Energy Education & Training Hospitality & Tourism Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
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Career Clusters, continued


Government & Public Administration Support Services for Special Populations Architecture & Construction Advanced Academic, Fine Arts & World Languages Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Health Science

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