Connecting Workforce Development, Education and Economic

Development Through Cluster-Based and Career Mapping Strategies

The National Association of State Workforce Board ChairsThe National Association of State Workforce Board Chairs

August 25, 2003August 25, 2003

New York CityNew York City

Presentation Objectives

Provide an Provide an Overview of Career Overview of Career ClustersClusters..

Provide an Provide an Overview of Economic Overview of Economic Clusters.Clusters.

Discuss how we can strengthen the Discuss how we can strengthen the connection between Career Clusters connection between Career Clusters and Economic Clustersand Economic Clusters

Overview:

Career ClustersCareer Clusters

Career Technical Education Connects to …

Education ReformEducation Reform Workforce DevelopmentWorkforce Development Economic DevelopmentEconomic Development

Career Clusters: Definition

Career Clusters represent a Career Clusters represent a grouping of occupations and broad grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonalities.industries based on commonalities.

Career Clusters: Titles Agriculture, Food & Natural Agriculture, Food & Natural

ResourcesResources Architecture & ConstructionArchitecture & Construction Arts, Audio/Video Arts, Audio/Video

Technology & Technology & CommunicationsCommunications

Business, Management & Business, Management & AdministrationAdministration

Education & TrainingEducation & Training FinanceFinance Government & Public Government & Public

AdministrationAdministration Health ScienceHealth Science

Hospitality & TourismHospitality & Tourism Human ServicesHuman Services Information TechnologyInformation Technology Law, Public Safety & Law, Public Safety &

SecuritySecurity ManufacturingManufacturing Marketing, Sales & ServiceMarketing, Sales & Service Science, Technology, Science, Technology,

Engineering & MathematicsEngineering & Mathematics Transportation, Distribution Transportation, Distribution

& Logistics& Logistics

Career Clusters: Model

Organizes the occupations, within Organizes the occupations, within each cluster, into pathways that group each cluster, into pathways that group the cluster occupations based on the cluster occupations based on commonalities.commonalities.

Career Clusters: Purposes

The 16 Career Clusters are an The 16 Career Clusters are an organizing tool for schools to offer a organizing tool for schools to offer a broaderbroader, , more durablemore durable preparation for preparation for the world of workthe world of work..

Career Clusters: Purposes

Establishes a common language – a Establishes a common language – a common framework for conversation common framework for conversation between education, employers and between education, employers and governmentgovernment

Provides better information about careers Provides better information about careers for parents and students, thus better for parents and students, thus better alignment between the jobs we have and the alignment between the jobs we have and the workers we haveworkers we have

Career Clusters: Purposes

Vehicle for improving CTEVehicle for improving CTE Alignment to the needs of the workforceAlignment to the needs of the workforce Improved and expanded program areasImproved and expanded program areas

Identifies academic, technical & employability academic, technical & employability skillsskills for a well-prepared, qualified workforce for -prepared, qualified workforce for employersemployers Cross-training, re-tooling and retraining the Cross-training, re-tooling and retraining the

workforceworkforce Preparation of the emerging workforcePreparation of the emerging workforce

Career Clusters: Advisory Committee

Membership includes more than 300 members on Membership includes more than 300 members on the 11 advisory committees.the 11 advisory committees.

Membership includes business and industry, Membership includes business and industry, associations, government agencies, labor and associations, government agencies, labor and secondary and postsecondary educators.secondary and postsecondary educators.

Membership is broad-based in terms of geographic Membership is broad-based in terms of geographic location.location.

Membership reflects occupations within each of the Membership reflects occupations within each of the pathways.pathways.

Membership is responsible for material Membership is responsible for material development.development.

Status of Implementation

Broad awarenessBroad awareness Alignment of state clusters to 16 clustersAlignment of state clusters to 16 clusters Statewide implementationStatewide implementation Local implementationLocal implementation Use in program approvalUse in program approval Use in broader high school effortsUse in broader high school efforts

Overview:

Economic ClustersEconomic Clusters

Defining Clusters

Geographically bounded concentration of similar, Geographically bounded concentration of similar, related or complementary businesses, with active related or complementary businesses, with active channels for business transactions, channels for business transactions, communications and dialoguecommunications and dialogue

Share specialized infrastructure, labor markets and Share specialized infrastructure, labor markets and servicesservices

Faced with common opportunities and threats Faced with common opportunities and threats Source: NGA: Governor’s Guide to Cluster-based EconomicSource: NGA: Governor’s Guide to Cluster-based Economic

DevelopmentDevelopment

Why Economic Clusters?

States should build sustainable competitive States should build sustainable competitive advantages for economic development.advantages for economic development.

Concentration, or clustering, gives businesses an Concentration, or clustering, gives businesses an advantage over more isolated competitors:advantage over more isolated competitors: Access to more suppliers and customized Access to more suppliers and customized

support servicessupport services Access to experienced and skilled labor poolsAccess to experienced and skilled labor pools Access to innovation, knowledge and Access to innovation, knowledge and know-howknow-how

Types of Economic Clusters Sector-CenteredSector-Centered

HealthcareHealthcare Information TechnologyInformation Technology Advanced ManufacturingAdvanced Manufacturing Transportation, Distribution and LogisticsTransportation, Distribution and Logistics

Science/Technology-CenteredScience/Technology-Centered BiotechnologyBiotechnology

Product-CenteredProduct-Centered Wine clusterWine cluster Furniture clusterFurniture cluster

Career Clusters and Economic Clusters:

Making the ConnectionsMaking the Connections

Why Make Connections?

Economic cluster growth and development Economic cluster growth and development depends on a globally competitive, specialized, depends on a globally competitive, specialized, and highly agile labor force at all levels in 21and highly agile labor force at all levels in 21stst century workplaces (See Figure 1):century workplaces (See Figure 1): Skill breadth and depthSkill breadth and depth Economic cluster “systems” knowledge to work Economic cluster “systems” knowledge to work

effectively in extended enterprises and effectively in extended enterprises and customer-supplier networkscustomer-supplier networks

Entrepreneurial and agileEntrepreneurial and agile Vertical and horizontal career mobilityVertical and horizontal career mobility

Figure 1: Work and Careers in 21st Century Workplaces From: To: Management Centralized Decentralized Functions Separated Shared  Professional/Technical Centralized Decentralized Knowledge Specialized Integrated Some Workers All Workers  Work Design Jobs Functional/ Cross-functional Teams Organizational Structure Vertical Customer-Supplier Hierarchies Networks

 Employee Job Task Work Unit PerformanceResponsibility Performance Business Process Management  Career Progression Vertical Vertical and Horizontal Limited Range Full Range

Source: Adapted from Schray and Sheets (2002)

Why Make Connections? (cont.) Provides a broader, more durable foundation for building Provides a broader, more durable foundation for building

public-private partnerships and engaging business and industry:public-private partnerships and engaging business and industry: Engage business and industry leadershipEngage business and industry leadership Manage curriculum integration and changeManage curriculum integration and change

Provides a better context for addressing:Provides a better context for addressing: All aspects of industryAll aspects of industry Career developmentCareer development High-level academic integrationHigh-level academic integration Secondary/postsecondary alignmentSecondary/postsecondary alignment Coordination with workforce development (e.g., career Coordination with workforce development (e.g., career

advancement projects)advancement projects)

How Do We Make Connections? Coordinate Economic/Career Cluster InitiativesCoordinate Economic/Career Cluster Initiatives

Business and industry leadershipBusiness and industry leadership Interagency teamsInteragency teams Statewide and regional coordinationStatewide and regional coordination

Build career cluster curriculum frameworks to support Build career cluster curriculum frameworks to support economic clusters economic clusters Foundation—“Systems” addresses all aspectsFoundation—“Systems” addresses all aspects Pathways—Focus on managing critical business Pathways—Focus on managing critical business

functions and end-to-end processes (Figures 2 and 3)functions and end-to-end processes (Figures 2 and 3) Specialties—Focus on occupations most critical to Specialties—Focus on occupations most critical to

competitiveness of clustercompetitiveness of cluster

Figure 2: Level and Scope of Cluster Foundation and Pathway Curriculum Content

Application Level

Occupation 

Functional Cross-Functional

 

Design 

     

 

Improve 

   

 

Trouble-shoot 

     

  

Operate/ Maintain 

     

  Scope of Application

Figure 3: Addressing Complete Functions and End-to-End Processes (e.g., product realization, software development life cycle)

Processes(Tasks and results)

Occupational Cluster 1

Occupational Cluster 2

Occupational Cluster 3

Task 1 

 

   

 

Task 2 

   

 

Task 3 

     

  

Task 4 

     

  Occupational Roles

Connections: Recommendations

Address the missing link in states--Align Address the missing link in states--Align economic and career clusters economic and career clusters

Coordinate cluster initiativesCoordinate cluster initiatives Economic developmentEconomic development Workforce developmentWorkforce development Career and technical educationCareer and technical education

Build career cluster curriculum frameworks to Build career cluster curriculum frameworks to support economic clusters and provide broad-support economic clusters and provide broad-based career opportunitiesbased career opportunities

Contact Information

Career ClustersCareer Clusters

www.careerclusters.orgwww.careerclusters.org Kimberly GreenKimberly Green

202.737.0303202.737.0303 kgreen@careertech.orgkgreen@careertech.org

Pam StaceyPam Stacey 405.743.6850405.743.6850 pstac@okcareertech.orgpstac@okcareertech.org

Economic ClustersEconomic Clusters

A Governor’s Guide to Cluster-A Governor’s Guide to Cluster-Based Economic Development: Based Economic Development: http://www.nga.org/center/divishttp://www.nga.org/center/divisions/1,1188,C_ISSUE_BRIEFions/1,1188,C_ISSUE_BRIEF%5ED_4063,00.html%5ED_4063,00.html

Bob SheetsBob Sheets 630.505.4100 ext.229630.505.4100 ext.229 rsheets@niu.edursheets@niu.edu