• Conference News
• Workforce Development News
• CRC Consortium News
• Suggested Readings

• ACTE Convention & Career Tech Expo, Charlotte, NC, December 4-6. Daniel Pink and William Daggett are featured speakers. Visit http://www.acteonline.org/conference/ for more information

• National Workforce Association conference, Tampa, FL, November 29-December 2, 2008. Visit www.nwaonline.org for more details.

• Center on Education and Work Careers Conference: From Inspiration to Application, Madison, WI, January 27-28, 2009. Click here for more details.

• 5th. Annual Southeastern WorkKeys Conference, February 4-6, 2009, Wyndham Jacksonville Riverwalk Hotel, Jacksonville, FL. The deadline for proposals is September 30, 2008. Visit www.southeasternworkeysconference.com for more details.

• National WorkKeys Conference, San Antonio, TX, May 12-15, 2009. proposals due January 16, 2009.

• Now that the elections are over, there will be significant changes in the world of workforce development. Obvious changes involve new governors, members of Congress, Senators, and state legislatures--and of course, over the last two months, there have been dramatic changes across the global economies. This is not a time for speculation but rather we must be patient, vigilant, and responsive. It is most likely that 2009 will bring new directives from the Departments of Labor, Education, and Commerce, and although our economy is struggling, be watching for new funding opportunities for training and retraining job seekers. The NOCC will report on any new developments as soon as they are finalized.

• In his book Eco-Economy--Building an Economy for the Earth (see Suggested Readings below), Lester Brown offers his view of expanding professions in an eco-economy. Here are some of his predictions: Meteorologists; Foresters; Hydrologists; Recycling engineers; Geothermal geologists; Aquaculture veterinarians; Environmental architects; Wind turbine engineers; and Bicycle mechanics.

• The Colorado Community College System has prepared a series of "Innovation Profiles" that describe how Colorado's schools, community colleges and community partners are creating innovative strategies to improve their programs on behalf of students.One of these profiles, the Loveland High School Geometry/Construction Program is described below:
  
  In the 2006 school year, Loveland High School launched its Construction/Geometry Program under the guidance of veteran Geometry teacher Tom Moore and Construction teacher Scott Burke. This fully integrated program presents Geometry in the context of a Construction program. One cohort of 40 freshman and sophomore students takes the course in two block classes which are offered back-to-back, so they are seamless. All students in the program are gaining deep knowledge of geometry concepts by immediately applying these concepts in a real-world application. Students in this program are scoring among the highest in the school district in terms of measurement and geometry standards.

While business and industry leaders needed competent employees with solid math skills, Loveland High School needed a way to improve the math skills of students. Meeting both needs, the Geometry in Construction Program benefits Loveland High School, business and industry, and most importantly, the students. Recently the Geometry in Construction Program partnered with the Interfaith Hospitality Network to build a small, affordable housing unit for a homeless family.

Business and industry gets involved in the program by sending guest speakers or allowing the class to take a field trip to their site. Guest speakers are from fields such as engineering, architecture, surveying, real estate, marketing, construction management, construction trades, and heavy equipment operations. Students have a chance to go on field trips to job sites to study the stages of home construction.

The teachers observed that [in this program,] the learning dynamic changed. Some students learn[ed] very well in an abstract setting, while others learn[ed] well when they c[ould] see the concept come to life. Having both settings in one program offers a balance, where both kinds of learners can capitalize on their strengths and rely on others to help them improve their weaknesses.

Contact: Elizabeth J. Garcia, (970) 613-5027
garciae@thompson.k12.co.us
This Innovation Profile was created by Meeder Consulting, LLC (www.meederconsulting.com), a firm specializing in leadership and aligning education systems with workforce needs, on behalf of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). CCCS administers and leads career and technical education in Colorado on behalf of secondary education, community colleges and other CTE providers. Information about CTE in Colorado can be found at www.cccs.edu and www.ColoradoStatePlan.com

• On November 4, 2008, former Governor Mark Warner of Virginia was elected to the US Senate. Because many readers of these newletters are new to the CRC Consortium, it is worth repeating the history of the CRC and to give credit where it is due. Gov. Warner supported the development and deployment of the CRC across the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2003, and he suggested that a Consortium of states be formed to ensure that the CRC would be truly portable across regions and the entire country. Consequently, in January 2004, seven states (including DC) developed a charter document that defines the CRC name, its definition, and the role of the CRC Consortium. Over the last five years, many other states have asked to be included in the CRCC so that now 46 states are represented in the CRCC matrix. Since 2004, hundreds of thousands of public (aka tax) dollars have been spent by governors, community colleges, and workforce development agencies on this economic development tool that is helping employers and career seekers across the country. The portability and value of the CRC has been repeatedly demonstrated, and state web sites and data bases associated with it have proven their worth. The governors of Georgia and Oklahoma are leading the nation by using the CRC as the basis for certifying cities and counties as Work Ready Communities.

  As a Senator, Mark Warner will continue to be a strong advocate for education, skills training, and credentialing. If you have not already done so, you are urged to make your state congressional delegation aware of the work you are doing with the CRC, and perhaps you could mention Mark Warner's visionary role as the initiator of the CRC Consortium.

• Governor Warner wrote an introduction to the Virginia monograph that was written to explain the CRC and its development to other governors and organizations. This monograph and two others from Louisiana and Kentucky are available for download on the CRC web site. For a more complete history of the development of the CRC, click here.

• If there will be a change in the department or agency you represent as a result of the recent elections, please be sure to let the NOCC know what these changes will be so that the mailing list can be modified and kept current.

• The latest numbers of CRCs issued are now available on the CRC web site.

• The Alabama CRC web site is back online. Visit www.careerreadyalabama.com to catch up with the latest news from that state. Other state web sites are listed on the Contacts page of the CRC web site.

SUGGESTED READINGS

• Eco-Economy--Building an Economy For the Earth, Lester R. Brown (2001)

  Lester Brown is president of the Earth Policy Institute. He writes a compelling treatise on the realities of stretching the earth's resources beyond sustainability. Brown is optimistic however, and he describes how to restructure the global economy to make it compatible with the earth's ecosystem. If we do that, he says, we will continue to make economic progress. Eco-Economy provides a "roadmap" of how to get from here to there.

• China Shakes The World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future--and the Challenge for America, James Kynge (2006).

  Kynge relates stories of the people who are driving China's transformation. He describes China's breakneck rise, the massive problems the country now faces, and the astonishing consequences of both.

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© NOCC November, 2008