What Happened?
States nationwide are investing in workforce development programs that teach workers the skills in demand from employers in booming industries. The programs are designed to increase economic sustainability and growth.
Tennessee
The winners of Tennessee’s Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP) competition were announced, each receiving a portion of a $10 million appropriation by the state’s General Assembly. The competition is a statewide initiative to increase opportunities for residents to obtain a certificate or degree after high school that teaches the skills in demand by employers throughout Tennessee.
The recipients of the skills gap grants include partnerships between local agencies and academic institutions or technical colleges. Local alignment groups will use the funding to:
- Develop skills gap forecasts
- Identify the highest priorities
- Develop programs or equipment needed to fill those gaps
- Implement strategies and measure results
The program underscores the value of providing training that directly correlated to current workforce needs. By better aligning employer demands and worker skills, Tennessee aims to improve economic stability and appeal to more high-growth industries.
Drive to 55
The LEAP competition is part of Tennessee’s Drive to 55 initiative – a goal to have 55 percent of state residents with a college degree or certificate by 2025. The project calls for collaboration between the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Drive to 55 aims to engage the private sector in supporting:
- College entry and completion
- Adult education and training
- Closing skills gaps to better prepare the workforce for future needs
To jumpstart the effort, the Drive to 55 Alliance is offering a Tennessee Promise scholarship program that provides two-years of tuition-free community or technical college to high school graduates. Moving forward, the alliance will target adults who would benefit from workforce training programs and certificates.
North Carolina
North Carolina awarded $205,000 to 26 employers statewide to assist in building a more skilled workforce. The grants were provided through the NCWorks Incumbent Worker Training program which reimburses businesses for the cost of training efforts to make their employees more skilled and competitive. The $205,000 in grants will provide more than 475 workers with training programs, and will be matched by more than $238,000 in employer contributions.
The grants and employer funding will be used for a variety of training programs including:
- Instructional courses
- Training for certification exams
- Skills assessments directly related to training
The grants have been awarded to businesses in a variety of sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, administrative and logistics. The competitive grants can be worth up to $10,000 with each organization limited to receiving $40,000 total funding. Once training has been completed, each grant recipient must write up a final report within 45 days from the last training. This will be reviewed by the Division of Workforce Solutions.
The awards come after North Carolina awarded more than $717,000 in grant funding to 69 businesses to train 1,655 workers in 2014.
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