In mid-December, Florida's Great Northwest's WIRED region announced the award of six grants, totaling $150,000, under its Workforce Innovation Project. 

This initiative is designed to support innovative approaches to workforce training in targeted clusters: aviation, aerospace, defense and national security; health science and human performance enhancement; renewable energy and environment; and transportation and logistics services.

You can read more here.

One of the big challenges we face in building competitive regions comes in changing our perspectives on leadership. In traditional economic development, leaders protected boundaries. Now, however, competitive regions depend on building open networks. Strengthening the nodes in these networks and linking these notes together with trusted relationships represents the core leadership challenge.

In North Central Indiana, we are using our WIRED funds to establish a new regional leadership institute. Read more.

Building the collaborative power of regional leaders involves changing their conversations. We need to guide conversations in a new direction, toward innovation and transformation. at the institute, we are exploring new ways to build and guide these conversations.

To help you think about new concept to leadership, I'm including a slide that I use in many of my presentations. It focuses on explaining how key leadership attributes are changing as we move toward a more networked economy.

In a network, leaders take on different roles and responsibilities. These roles and responsibilities are shared and are passed around within the network, depending on the circumstance.

 More than $8 million in grants have been given to local organizations developing talent for the region’s high-demand jobs

The Metro Denver WIRED Initiative today announced award recipients for its second Workforce Innovation Grant. In this round of grants, WIRED awarded approximately $1.2 million to six area partnerships that will provide job training and related activities to help workers (both unemployed and employed) gain skills and competencies needed to obtain or upgrade employment positions in high-growth economic sectors.

The two rounds of Workforce Innovation Grants are designed to address specific industry needs by funding innovative workforce development, training, entrepreneurship and other industry-specific education and training partnership projects. These grants focus on employment or employee advancement in WIRED’s four target industry clusters: aerospace, bioscience, energy and information technology-software.

In March 2008, the first round of Workforce Innovation Grants provided $3 million of funding to nine projects. In January 2007, 10 recipients received JumpStart grants totaling $3.7 million.

The second round of Workforce Innovation Grant recipients and their programs include:

• Adams County Workforce & Business Center - Renewable Energy Course; Photovoltaic Materials and Device Fabrication
• Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology - Addressing the Challenges of Colorado’s Advanced Manufacturing Workforce
• Colorado State University Product Development and Manufacturing Core - Building a Regional Training Center for Product Translation
•  Denver Public Schools - Building Colorado’s Talent Pipeline to Aerospace and Technology
•  Front Range Community College - Research Animal Technology, Care and Management
•  Poudre School District - Clean Energy Manufacturing and GIS Technology Manufacturing

“Receiving this grant from WIRED will allow us to recruit, train and funnel students to fill the employment needs of  the aerospace and IT industries in the region,” said Scott Springer, executive director of Post-Secondary Pathways, CTE and ArtsforDenver Public Schools. “In addition to training and placing participants, we are excited to partner with Lockheed Martin to allow for teacher externships and student internships during the summer. This opportunity will provide these individuals with the real-world experience needed to understand the concepts they learn and teach in the classroom.”

WIRED and its partners researched industry needs and conducted a gap analysis of existing education and training resources and skill and talent shortages in WIRED’s target industries. With the information from this research, WIRED teamed with its partners to develop and support 25 innovative grants that educate, train and place individuals in jobs. All WIRED grantee programs include partnerships among businesses, education and the public workforce system.

“The grants that WIRED has funded are helping to create transformational and sustainable changes in our education and workforce systems to enhance our region’s global competitiveness,” said Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, executive director of the Metro Denver WIRED Initiative. “We are aware of the current challenges in our economy; however, these grants will allow students and workers to gain the skills needed for jobs that will be created in our region over the long term.”

New poll highlights what shapes career attitudes and potential misconceptions that could be stifling career opportunities

A new poll commissioned by the Metro Denver WIRED Initiative shows that misinformation and lack of information might be discouraging some from attempting to pursue careers in certain industries.

The poll of 8-12 grade students and their parents, 8-12 grade teachers and counselors, community college students, and public workforce system job seekers was designed to determine what each group thought they knew about selected careers, where they attained information about careers, and what was most important to them regarding a career. The results of the poll show many discrepancies between career purveyors (parents, teachers and counselors) and career consumers (students and job seekers). The poll also shows perception differences between age and gender.

The career attitude poll was commissioned after participants in WIRED industry panels (aerospace, bioscience, energy, and information technology-software) reported that various misperceptions were preventing the next generation of workers from considering a career in their industries. As a result, WIRED commissioned a poll to verify if these misperceptions existed, and if so, the source. With this knowledge, WIRED has begun to work with its partners in the community, industry, workforce, education, and economic development to devise solutions to overcome these challenges.

“Knowing the findings from this career attitude poll is very important so that we can now work together as a community and generate an action plan,” said Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, executive director of the Metro Denver WIRED Initiative. “We must assure that our next generation of workers has the accurate information necessary to attain the skills and experience needed for the best jobs our economy is producing.”
Key findings from the poll include:

• Students receiving better grades were less interested in salary and wages and more interested in the activities of a typical workday than students receiving poorer grades.
• A strong majority of parents said they discussed career plans with their children, however, this same group of parents said they were unfamiliar with four growing Metro Denver industries.
• A high percentage from all groups polled reported a poor understanding of the training and coursework needed for employment in one of the four WIRED industries.
• Industry insiders and the Internet are considered the top channels of information about careers. Guidance counselors, teachers, coaches, and parents are considered less influential.

The Metro Denver WIRED Initiative commissioned Hill Research Consultants to conduct the poll. Numbers of each group that were interviewed included 300 students in grades 8-12, 303 parents of students in grades 8-12, 150 high school teachers, 50 high school career counselors, 77 community college students, and 76 job seekers from the public workforce system.

The complete poll results as well as other highlighted findings can be found at www.metrodenver.org/WIRED/poll.

WE WILL NOT PERISH

FAYETTE, AL - - The small Alabama town of Fayette is facing hard economic times.  Mayor Ray Nelson sees the risks. 

“Where there’s no vision, people will perish,” he said.  “We will not perish.”  Bevill State Community College and the WAEM Regional Initiative are helping make sure the Mayor can back up his statement.

Before the Mayor took office, the Lanier and Oneida textile mills closed.  In 2000, auto supplier Arvin shut down. In 2001, The Cotton Mill shut down.  Hundreds of jobs were lost.

The town brought in help.  The Mayor had heard about the Small Town Design Initiative program at Auburn University.  Cheryl Morgan, the program director, came to Fayette, spent time with community leaders identifying assets and opportunities, and helped the town develop a set of development strategies.  The master plan was completed in 2005.

But, the daily challenges facing Fayette kept attention away from the master plan…until the WAEM Regional Initiative and Bevill State Community College (BSCC) came to town.  In July of 2007, BSCC’s Karla Quesenberry met with Mayor Nelson to discuss the community’s future.

“Karla came to my office and asked what we were doing with our strategic plan,” explained Mayor Nelson.  “I said it was sitting on a shelf.  Karla said let’s give it new life.  She helped to energize me and together we began to excite the community.”

Quesenberry went through the city’s plan and realized the community had accomplished some of their goals already. 

“It took someone like Karla to go through the plan and acknowledge the community had accomplished A, B, and C,” stated Cheryl Morgan.  “This encourages people to want to continue to do more for their community.”

Elements of Fayette’s master plan include:

• Capturing opportunities based on location (natural recreation areas, Sipsey River, and county seat);
• Celebrating Fayette’s strong small town character and history;
• Strengthening their downtown area. 

Accomplishments of the master plan include:

• Children’s water and RV parks developed;
• City Hall relocated to the historic Post Office in downtown;
• Youth and adult leadership programs established;
• Community marketing brochure developed;
• $2.1 million downtown revitalization and streetscape improvement;
• Established a beautification committee.

“It is amazing what rolling up your sleeves with a volunteer force can do for a community,” said Ron Davis, Plant Manager at ZF Lemforder and chairman of the beautification committee.  “Both the Mayor and the WAEM staff (Karla) have been very active and engaged in this process.  People are having fun and buying in.  The results have exceeded my expectations.”

 “WAEM and BSCC are helping us make small steps toward a better life,” Mayor Nelson said.  WAEM has made a difference not only in Fayette, but in all 37 counties in the West Alabama – East Mississippi Region.”

Mayor Nelson went on to explain “small towns can’t do it alone.  I am so glad I have the common sense to realize this.  We aren’t just competing with other communities, we are competing globally.”

“Fayette looked at partnerships outside of their community to help give them a new perspective, to tell them the hard truths about their community,” said Morgan. 

“Mayor Nelson listened to this feedback and forged ahead. Fayette found the things that are good within the community and is determined to make these things be all that they can be.”

Bolling Pharmacy before and after revitalization. The pharmacy is part of the $2.1 million downtown revitalization and streetscape improvement objective of Fayette's master plan.

 Wall Street West has awarded $1.6 million in grants to accelerate its strategy.  The recipients include:

• The Internship Institute, supported by fiscal agent Northeastern Pennsylvania Technology Institute (NPTI), will receive $375,000 to lead implementation of The Internship Seeding Program. The initiative will establish and ensure quality internship opportunities using a consistent model applicable to all industries. The goal will be to match 50 employers and 50 students with 25 new business sites.
  
• Misericordia University will receive $280,500 to lead The Cadre of Executives in Residence Professional Training Program. The project will allow for the identification, training and supervision of 15 Executives-in-Residence to advance the education of an industry-specific workforce. The project will be done in partnership with Lackawanna College, Luzerne County Community College, Northampton Community College, as well as 70 regional school districts.
  
• The Lehigh Valley Research Consortium will receive $220,000 to develop the Wall Street West Impact and Assessment Analysis. To help develop a sustainability plan, this project will quantify the impact of the Wall Street West investments to track long-term outcomes.
  
• King's College, in collaboration with several public and private entities, will receive $104,503 for the creation of a Bilingual Financial Workforce Certification Program. The initiative will be designed for adult, Latino-English language learners to become bilingually proficient in the basic concepts of the financial services industry, including customer service, information technology and marketing.
  
• East Stroudsburg University will receive $60,640 to develop Entrepreneurial Leadership Centers. These facilities will provide faculty, students and community residents with the knowledge and support necessary to make wise financial decisions and be prepared to choose entrepreneurial endeavors or financial services as a career option.
  
• United Rehabilitation Services will receive $53,500 to lead a project entitled Integrating Qualified Workers with Disabilities into the Wall Street West Network. In collaboration with public and private entities, the organization will identify and prepare workers with disabilities to have employment opportunities by targeting education institutions and other support organizations.

Read more.

The WIRED region in South West Indiana and WIRED 65, based in Kentucky, will be at the epicenter of the new regional forum that includes economic and workforce development leaders from Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. They will be coming together on November 20.

The agenda includes breakouts such as:

• The infusion of entrepreneurial practices into management and growth
• Attracting and retaining top employment talent and avoiding brain-drain
• Engagement by citizens into their community’s efforts to attract new economic development
• Ideas to market - how to take the big idea and move it to commercial success
• The coming Heartland Boom that favors our Midwest and its small cities
• Entrepreneurial resources with real life success stories
• Incorporating an entrepreneurial strategy into new business solicitation
• Funding structures for economic development and new business growth
• Success stories of regional collaboration and cooperation
• How communities can market to corporate site selectors with a winning presentation
• Trends in numerous industries that find our Midwest location and environments attractive to their firms

You can learn more by visiting the website for the summit here.

On November 18, the Tennessee Valley WIRED  will be conducting its 2008 workforce and economic development conference. You can view the agenda from this page.

For those of you who, like me, were unable to attend the Nashville WIRED  Academy, here's the agenda. Carrie Snider is working with us to get all the materials up on the website.

Attached is the updated WIRED Accomplishments Powerpoint.

You can thumb through the slides below:

This Editorial was written jointly by the two co-chairs of the Gen 3 Central Kentucky region!

From the October 27 Louisville Courier-Journal.

Thinking, working jointly as a region

Globalization is changing economic boundaries. Regions, made up of multiple communities and counties, connected by assets and economies, are now recognized as the most important economic units in the global economy.

Citizens on either side of the Ohio River, and in both urban and rural settings, share community resources and work in a regional economy each day. Business and government leaders recognize how they are networked and are joining forces to increase the competitive position of our region. Innovation occurs when regional assets are networked. Or, to put it another way, good ideas are generated when we work together.

In response to the importance of focusing on regional economies, the U.S. Department of Labor has provided grants to strengthen regional ties and to fund transformations in workforce development that support regional economies. The WIRED – Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development –initiative is designed to integrate economic and workforce development activities in order to demonstrate the role of talent in the transformation of regional economies.

Kentucky was awarded a WIRED grant in 2007. Kentucky's WIRED initiative, known as Wired65, is conducting an assessment of a 26-county area reaching north and south along I-65 on both sides of the Ohio River and east and west. The Lincoln Trail Area Development District in Elizabethtown manages the initiative, and it's located where another large regional project is taking place: BRAC, the realignment of Fort Knox to house the Army's Human Resources Center.

We are proud to co-chair the Wired65 Initiative and work with a talented group of regional leaders. As chairs of two of the workforce investment boards in the region, we have supported efforts to educate and train individuals with the skills required to meet employers' needs and increase their success in the workplace. Now, we are joining hands and sharing resources to see how we can do this job better together, by reaching out to our colleagues in Southern Indiana and in adjoining areas in Kentucky.

Community discussions and interviews have been held in the region to collect information on local leaders' impressions of their community's best assets and toughest challenges. Over this summer, business people, educators, government officials and others have expressed great love for their communities -- their beauty, traditions and innovations. They have shared concerns about keeping their young people, protecting their land from unchecked development and cultivating the kinds of jobs that will provide a foundation of prosperity. All have expressed great willingness to reach beyond their county and community boundaries and work together.

While each of these 26 counties is unique, there is a lot of common ground. There are already examples of projects that highlight regional efforts. These include a partnership between rural agriculture and the urban core to create markets for local products, bi-state cooperation about bridge options across the Ohio River, and a multi-county regional response to the Fort Knox BRAC expansion that includes developers, educators, business and government joining hands to deal with the welcome addition of thousands of new families and new jobs in that area.

This is just the beginning of what can be accomplished by taking time out from competing against each other and realizing that success is found in cooperating with each other.

We plan to take this discussion to a broader audience at a regional summit to be held in Louisville on Nov. 7. It will be titled, "Beyond Boundaries: Building Our 21st Century Community." Working with the summit sponsor, the Bingham Fellows, Wired65 will present findings from an economic and human capital analysis of the region along with ideas for regional priorities that can provide a blueprint for communities 10-20 years down the road. This regional conversation needs all voices. The final regional strategy that will be put into action will lay the foundation for Wired65 investments. The ultimate goal of this effort is to ensure the talent we develop, attract and retain will support the business growth and innovation that our communities desire.

We appreciate the partnership with the 2008 Class of the Bingham Fellows, and the Leadership Louisville Center's community action program which has focused on the importance of building regional relationships, cooperation and leadership to successfully address issues common to our shared community.

If we can pull together on our most important regional priorities and put our energies and resources behind them, just think of what we can accomplish as a region. Join us on this regional journey. For more information on Wired65, go to www.wired65.org For event information visit www.beyond-boundaries.com. We hope to see you on Nov. 7.

KIM HUSTON
Nelson County Economic Development

KIMBERLY MAFFET
Norton Healthcare

Co-chairs, Wired65