Fall
2012 Workforce Strategic Plan
08
Decatur‐Morgan County, Alabama
Prepared by Horizon Point Consulting, Inc.
CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 3 ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTIONS .......................................................................................................................... 4 MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES .......................................................................................................................... 4 DATA GATHERING METHODS AND SOURCES ...................................................................................................... 5 AREAS OF FOCUS ............................................................................................................................................... 7 RECRUIT ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7 RETAIN ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10 RETRAIN .................................................................................................................................................................... 12 APPENDIX LISTING AND DOWNLOAD LOCATION ............................................................................................... 15
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Strategic Plan represents an integrated Workforce Strategy for Morgan County based on the partnership between Morgan County Economic Development Association and The Decatur‐Morgan County Chamber of Commerce. While there are various components to the strategy, both programmatic and policy based, the mission of our strategic focus is to close the workforce skills gap. Closing the skills gap is the workforce development priority for the next one to five years in order to support existing industry in Morgan County and position the community to be able to attract new and high growth industries to the area. The strategic planning process has led to a three pronged focus on closing the skills gap through Recruiting, Retaining and Retraining. Each section identifies areas of workplace skills shortages and outlines partners, policy issues and program initiatives with targeted action items and performance measures to steer workforce efforts for the next five years in Morgan County.
ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTIONS MORGAN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION Incorporated in April of 1969, MCEDA is located in Decatur, Alabama and was created to stimulate, promote and assist in the development of new industry and the expansion and development of existing industry within Morgan County. In addition, the MCEDA office, in conjunction with the Decatur‐Morgan County Port Authority, oversees the operation of the Morgan County public port terminals. DECATUR‐MORGAN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Founded in 1931 by the late Barrett C. Shelton, the Decatur‐Morgan County Chamber of Commerce serves as an advocate for business. The Chamber’s membership includes nearly 1,000 businesses and industries, the majority of which are small to mid‐sized businesses. The ultimate goal of the Chamber is to make Decatur and Morgan County a better place to live, work and play.
MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES Mission Statement: The mission of Morgan County Economic Development Association and The Decatur‐Morgan County’s Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Partnership is to close the workforce skills gap through recruiting, retaining and retraining efforts. Vision: Our vision for Morgan County is to be the place where current employers stay and new employers want to locate because of our workforce. Values: o Business and Industry driven o Metrics and results driven o A focus on creating educational avenues for all citizens of Morgan County o Collaboration, integration, and communication among all stakeholder organizations with a focus in the reduction in the duplication of services and efforts
DATA GATHERING METHODS AND SOURCES Several sources of data were utilized and analyzed in order to determine areas of focus for this strategic plan. Data is compiled at particular point in time and is outdated as soon as it published, so a variety of sources were considered to determine the appropriate focus for this plan. Complete data source documents are contained in the Appendix of this document. Data sources include: •
2010 Morgan County Jobs and Jobs Forecast (Appendix A) conducted on behalf of Senator Arthur Orr’s Task Force to explore a Career Technical Academy for Morgan County. This study, administered by MCEDA and The Chamber, surveyed multiple employers throughout the county with 96 responding about their workforce needs now, in the next five, and the next ten years. This information points to the strong needs in the manufacturing sector over the next ten years particularly in skilled trades, operators, maintenance, machining and engineering. Healthcare workforce needs are concentrated in the nursing and technician areas.
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20082011 MCEDA Business Broadcast asks manufacturing employers, “Is your company experiencing recruitment problems with any employee positions or skills?” Data answering this question over the course of four years highlights skilled trades, technicians and engineers, and machinists as difficult to fill.
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Market Street Demographic & Economic Profile, Published February 2009 (Appendix B) was conducted by Market Street Services on behalf of The Chamber for data used in formulating the One Vision. One Voice. One Morgan County Plan. Notably, this report points to higher job growth in Morgan County than the national average (3.1% compared to 1%), the need to retain young professionals by citing negative growth in the 0‐44 age group and the need to recruit physicians (with a lower per capita ratio of physicians compared to the Huntsville MSA and the nation). In addition, the data highlights that manufacturing is the largest sector of the Morgan County economy based on employment numbers (25% of the employment in the county), with a growth in this sector of 573 jobs from Q2 2006‐ Q2 2008. Retail trades (11%) and healthcare (10%) follow in terms of economic makeup. Manufacturing also leads in average annual wages with an average wage of $51,628 in 2008 (significantly higher than the overall average of $36,009). The report is also a source of educational attainment data, citing approximately 20% of those age 25 and over without a high school diploma or GED (2007 data).
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Morgan County Economic Base Report from EMSI, provided by AIDT, October 2011 (Appendix C) further reiterates the manufacturing base in Morgan County, making up greater than 37% of the jobs and greater than 46% of earnings with the average earning per worker (which includes benefits) at $54,000. Differences in data from the Market Street Report are most likely attributed to different data gathering time periods.
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State of The Workforce Report V: Region 2, published June 2011 (Appendix D) illustrates a larger workforce perspective than just Morgan County, encompassing the surrounding counties of Cullman, DeKalb, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Marshall and Madison Counties. Looking at the broader workforce picture is valuable given the commuting area in which we live. This provides a perspective of skill sets and jobs available which do and will continue to flow in and out of Morgan County. The top five high‐demand occupations cited in this report are Registered Nurses; Computer Systems Analysts; Home Health Aides; Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software; and Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses. The top five fasting‐growing occupations are Marriage and Family Therapists; Veterinary Technologists and Technicians; Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts, Rehabilitation Counselors; and Medical Assistants.
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WadleyDonovan GrowthTech Morgan County Employer Survey Summary, Published AprilMay 2008 (Appendix E) was a part of a comprehensive economic recruitment and strategic plan conducted on behalf of MCEDA. The Employer Survey sought to answer several questions related to employer needs and trends. Particularly relevant to this workforce strategic plan are sections B5, B12 and B13 which cite the most common occupations eligible for retirement, labor availability/demand and difficult‐to‐fill skills/positions, respectively. Positions and skills cited in this report where gaps exist include industrial maintenance, mechanical, electrical and machine operator fields, several areas of engineering including engineering technicians, IT professionals, and healthcare technicians. Sections also cite a lack of qualified management professionals/skills.
AREAS OF FOCUS Areas of focus are divided in recruiting, retaining and retraining the workforce for Morgan County. Each area of focus works to close the skills gap through policy and programmatic solutions. Important to each area is the need to foster partnerships and increase overall involvement in workforce development efforts. This is accomplished by increasing attendance and active business and industry involvement in The Workforce Coalition, continually fostering open communication through Careerpathway.info and other communication sources, and continually focusing on the reduction of duplicating services and initiatives already in place by partner organizations. The workforce partnership also realizes that the recruitment of business and industry evolves over time in our area, and with this, adjustments to the focus of efforts can and will be made.
RECRUIT Recruitment efforts related to Workforce Development in Decatur‐Morgan County are focused on the professional sector of our workforce. According to data sources (see Appendices) engineers, IT professional, management (all specifically in the manufacturing sector) and physicians are needed for the current and future workplace. Morgan County manufacturers point to the need, specifically for electrical, mechanical and chemical engineers. The three hospitals in Morgan County have stressed the need for internal medicine and family practice physicians. Action items in this area of strategic planning focus on leveraging partnerships and supporting policy issues that impact the recruitment of professionals to Morgan County. In addition, continuing to develop and enhance Careerpathway.info and the Career Pathway brand for Morgan County is an important component to recruiting the needed and qualified professionals to our community. Partners • • • •
Best and Brightest Chamber Committee All school systems in Morgan County Decatur City Schools Foundation All hospitals in Morgan County
Policy Focus The partnership supports efforts to provide quality schools, housing and amenities that attract professionals and families. The attractiveness of the city of Decatur and surrounding areas, availability of leisure activities for young professionals and the need for upscale temporary living options (apartments, lofts) all play a role in recruiting professionals to our area. Program Focus
Priority 1: Increase job postings and traffic to Careerpathway.info and the Career Pathway Facebook Page (this priority addresses all three areas of focus in this plan)
Action Items: •
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Educate employers about careerpathway.info as a free site to post jobs
‐Schedule Workforce Coalition Members to meet one‐on‐one with area HR Managers to explain the benefits of the site and explain job posting opens. Schedule at least 2 visits each month (corresponds with Priority 2)
‐Schedule opportunities to meet with community groups to promote the site; at least 2 a year.
‐Utilize the Workforce e‐newsletter each month to job encourage postings on careerpathway.info. Expand the reach of the Workforce E‐Newsletter
Schedule regular Facebook posts with an emphasis on job openings.
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‐2‐3 posts per week ‐Have one free giveaway ($20 value) each month to encourage liking and commenting on postings and the page
Create and implement a communication plan Careerpathway.info
‐local communication plan for Career Pathway in 2012 with ad placement in 3‐4 venues
‐regional/national communication plan for Career Pathway in 2013 with ad placement in 2‐4 venues and/or articles in publications about Decatur‐Morgan County as a quality place to work and live (connects to priority 2)
Measurements: •
An average of 4 new jobs posted each month in 2012. An average of 8 new jobs posted each month in 2013.
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50% growth in traffic to Careerpathway.info from January 2012‐January 2013; 100% growth in Careerpathway.info from January 2013‐2014
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100% growth (300 likes) in followers of Facebook page by December 2012; greater than 200% growth in 2013 (1000 likes)
Priority 2: Strategically market the community as a great place to live and work.
Action Items: •
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Meet with area HR Managers individually to provide them with the service of meeting with and entertaining potential recruits from out of town in order to highlight the community as an attractive place to locate (including explaining housing, education, dining and entertainment options).
‐ Develop specific packet to give to HR managers for recruitment efforts to give to recruits.
‐ Have at least 2 one‐on‐one visit each month (corresponds with Priority 1).
Partner with the Best and Brightest Committee at the Chamber and local industry to attend college recruitment fairs, particularly in the areas of recruitment need (engineering and technical fairs). The partnership and Workforce Coalition can provide members to attend these fairs.
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‐Attend at least 3 career fairs each semester in 2012‐2013, at least 1 of which is a technical career fair
Partner with the local hospitals and the Best and Brightest Committee at the Chamber to facilitate opportunities for doctors in the intern and residency programs to meet people and establish relationships in Decatur/Morgan County. The partnership and Workforce Coalition can provide members to attend these fairs.
‐Assign point‐of‐contact for each new medical student into the Decatur General program each year.
‐Host at least organized event (dinner, reception) for physician recruits each year.
Measurements: •
At least 300 recruitment packets given out each year (between HR manager distribution and college job fairs)
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At least four requests from employers to speak to professional recruits each year.
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200 students reached at career fairs each year, with at least 1/3 being in the technical field.
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Four follow‐up contacts (one each quarter) with students reached at career fairs to provide quality of life information about Decatur‐Morgan County
RETAIN Efforts in retaining individuals already in Morgan County include a focus on updating current programs to address the skills gap. With this, comes the need to eliminate programs that don’t address closing the skills gap. Career awareness and educational pathways are the focus of this section of the plan with an emphasis on increasing the number of qualified individuals to fill areas of demand, specifically skilled manufacturing and healthcare trades (see Appendices). Partners • • • •
All school systems in Morgan County The Decatur City Schools Foundation Region II Workforce Development Council of Alabama and the Office of Workforce Development through the Postsecondary Education System Calhoun Community College
Policy Focus Currently, at least 20% of the workforce is not eligible for any of the jobs cited in this report because they do not have a high school diploma or GED (See Appendix B for Educational Attainment statistics). In addition, many have not had any exposure to available career options or hands‐on, marketable experience through career technical education. The partnership supports and commends efforts that increase the pool of qualified, skilled workers including efforts that reduce the dropout rate, increase opportunities for Career‐Technical Education in the secondary schools including dual enrollment opportunities, and provide funding for Career Coaches that promote career pathways and in‐demand careers. Notably, during the 2012 Legislative Session, the Office of Workforce Development will be requesting an increase of $10 million to their allocated funding to further dual enrollment opportunities in career‐technical areas and support career coaching initiatives. The partnership supports this request for additional funding and will convey its support to our legislative delegation. Program Focus Priority 1: Examine current programming and efforts and relate all to closing the skills gap. Eliminate those that don’t meet this need.
Current Programs to examine: •
Career Pathway‐ see Priority 2 in this section; see Priority 1 in Recruit section‐ Ongoing
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Utilize WF e‐newsletter each month to talk about an area needed to close the skills gap and expand distribution list to all educators in Morgan County‐ Ongoing
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Middle School Tech Awards‐ Determine how the award recipient is selected and change priority focus to essay on technology career awareness‐ Spring 2012
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Partners In Education‐ Create a tiered system that lets the businesses choose their level of involvement (both time and monetary) designed on a per capita student basis; assess all partnerships currently now. Provide activities through a handbook for all schools and partners to help them focus their efforts on closing the skills gap. Focus on the skills gap at the breakfast‐ Spring/Summer 2012 with program in place Fall 2012
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Workforce Expo: 2012 Expo: Utilize a skills gap closing activity incorporated into expo. 2012 Fall: Form a focus group with employers to discuss continued improvements for the Expo.
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Diversity Banquet and Summit‐ Moving under Leadership program of the Chamber‐ Spring 2012
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New Teacher Breakfasts‐ Focus the entire events on how teachers can close the skills gap and develop resources tied to curriculum requirements that teachers can access from careerpathway.info to use in their classroom to educate on and help close the skills gap (see Priority 3). 2013: Work to schedule breakfast at a local industry
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Sweety Camp‐ 2012 Priority is to advertise more effectively in the schools
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State of the County and City Schools address‐ Move to Public Policy efforts of the Chamber
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AIDT Leadership Training (addressed in retraining section)
Priority 2: Transform Careerpathway.info into a revenue source with the funds being devoted to providing scholarships to students and adults pursuing areas of high demand.
Action Items: •
Meet with Red Sage about how to do this and costs associated with placing advertisements on the site (January‐February 2012)
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Promote advertisement opportunities to area service providers (for‐profit) (through TRC) Spring 2012
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Place advisements on site (Summer 2012 and forward)
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Explore advertisements in Resource Guide for 2013.
Measurements:
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An average of $500 in advertising revenue from the site each month in 2012, which leads to the funding of approximately 6 students enrolled in a career‐ tech dual enrollment class.
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An average of $1000 in advertising revenue from the site each month in 2013, which leads to the funding of approximately 12 students enrolled in a career‐tech dual enrollment class.
Priority 3: Create a curriculum‐based (that meets/fits with state curriculum requirements) Career Pathway Program that can be delivered in the schools and downloaded by teachers from Careerpathway.info
Action Items: •
Explore other programs like this and benchmark for best practices‐ Summer 2012
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Explore state curriculum requirements and match to closing the skills gap needs‐ Fall 2012
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Implement a timeline (with specific grades to target) for developing the curriculum‐ Winter 2013
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Roll out and promote first curriculum on Careerpathway.info‐ Fall 2013
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Roll out and promote second curriculum on Careerpathway.info‐ 2014
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Roll out and promote second curriculum on Careerpathway.info‐ 2015
Measurements: •
100 number of students receiving curriculum in 2013
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250 number of students receiving curriculum in 2014
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500 number of students receiving curriculum in 2015
RETRAIN Efforts in this area of the plan target moving people who are unemployed or underemployed into areas needed (skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, healthcare technicians) to close the skill gap. This is done by educating individuals in these target areas on the labor needs in Morgan County and connecting them with resources to increase their skill set to fit the need. Currently, most programs adopt a “pull” strategy where the program seeks to create a “come to us” effort. This can be done by focusing on individuals and by focusing on companies with incumbent workers who have skills deficiencies.
In addition, soft skills needed for leadership and management development should be further developed to meet the skills gap reported in management (see Appendix E) and to help develop a pipeline for companies to promote from within. Partners • • • • •
The Career Center Area Churches & Community Groups Area Employers Calhoun Community College AIDT
Policy Focus The Partnership supports efforts and funding in retraining and retooling workers that are based on employer demand, not just individual preference. This process should be driven by available jobs that provide adequate standards of living. Program Focus Priority 1: Establish programs that go to those who need retraining and retooling instead of “come to us” programs.
Action Items: •
Seek out relationships with local churches and community groups to present skills gap material and avenues and resources available to retraining. Spring 2012
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Develop curriculum and resource materials to present at churches and community groups. Utilize materials that have been developed for Lunch and Learns and Diversity Summits. Spring 2012
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Deliver presentations and follow‐up with individuals attending. Summer‐Fall 2012, 2013
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Assess the number of individuals who need scholarship assistance to return to school in high demand areas
Measurements: •
Number of people reached
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Number who enroll in training/education related to areas of focus.
Priority 2: Increase opportunities for companies to enroll incumbents in leadership and soft skills training for management and leadership development.
Action Items and Timeline: •
Offer AIDT Leadership and Soft Skills Training classes throughout the year to area industry. Ongoing
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Promote The Chamber’s leadership and professional programs through Workforce related communication channels (e‐news, careerpathway.info website). Ongoing
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Partner with Calhoun to promote training program offered in this area. Ongoing
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Explain, promote and utilize funds that will be available through the Postsecondary Office of Workforce Development (Summer 2012) to help employers for soft skills training or any other training related to closing the skills gap.
Measurements: •
Increase AIDT class offerings by 3 classes in 2012
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Increase enrollment in AIDT classes by 25% in 2012
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Secure at least $5000 for area industry to offset the cost of needed incumbent worker training through OWD funds.
APPENDIX LISTING AND DOWNLOAD LOCATION All appendix documents can be viewed and downloaded at http://issuu.com/careerpathway •
2010 Morgan County Jobs and Jobs Forecast http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/workforce_task_force_survey_results
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2010 Morgan County Jobs and Jobs Forecast 20082011 MCEDA Business Broadcast 2008: http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/largebbpeice1 2009: http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/2009‐broadcast‐broch1 2010: http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/2010‐broadcast‐broch1 2011: http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/2011_business_broadcast
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Market Street Demographic & Economic Profile, Published February 2009 http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/community‐action‐plan‐demograph‐ profile1
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Morgan County Economic Base Report from EMSI, provided by AIDT, October 2011 http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/morgancoeconomic_base_report
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State of The Workforce Report V: Region 2, published June 2011 http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/region_2_workforce_report_2010
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WadleyDonovan GrowthTech Morgan County Employer Survey Summary, Published ApriMay 2008 http://issuu.com/careerpathway/docs/appx‐b‐‐‐morgan‐co‐employer‐survey‐ summary2