Please attach board minutes from meeting where Self-Assessment was discussed and approved
Self-Assessment – High Performing WIB Standards
1. The LWIB has analyzed the regional labor market using the most current available data and is effectively using this information to guide policy and investments
Guiding Questions for Standards Number 1.
LWIB Response: Note responses to guiding questions may be grouped but groupings and individual responses must cover all questions and identify the questions being answered.
a. How and when did the Board complete a regional industry cluster analysis based upon NAICS codes and location quotients?
(This analysis, as well as all those mentioned in this section, may need to look beyond the local workforce investment area for a more comprehensive understanding of the regional labor market)
b. What industry clusters and sub-clusters, for which the data indicates a regional competitive advantage and the potential for growth and/or employment opportunities, have the Board identified? How were these identified?
(Example: An analysis of the manufacturing cluster may require comparing aggregate and longitudinal employment information with the industry output information provided by the Deloitte study entitled, “Manufacturing Pennsylvania’s Future: Regional Strengths that Build from Current Strengths and Address Competitive Challenges.” It may also require using additional sources of employer output data, such as that being prepared by IBM Global Business Consulting for DCED and/or the PennTAP study on business establishments)
c. How does the Board strategically connect the investments it oversees to its targeted clusters and/or sub-clusters?
d. How has the Board ensured that private sector members who represent the targeted clusters and/or sub-clusters are Board members?
e. How does the Board stay informed about the result of investments made to assist these clusters? How does the Board use this information to make adjustments in the investment of resources?
a. Timeline for Industry Cluster Analysis:
The Industry Cluster analysis started in July 2003 as part of a U.S. DOL/ ETA grant that supported the first formal analysis of the Lehigh Valley’s employment clusters and location quotients.
Availability of the RDAT data tool from the PA Dept. of Labor and Industry enhanced our ability to define and analyze employment clusters.
A Research Intern was employed during the Summer of 2005 to perform an in-depth analysis of employment clusters combined with a linkage with related priority occupations. The analysis started in June 2005 and concluded in August 2005.
At that time a comprehensive analysis of clusters and related occupations was submitted to the Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board and Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.
The clusters are consistent with the targeted clusters defined by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the regional plan prepared for the Lehigh Valley region’s use in planning, economic and workforce development.
The clusters and related occupations and listing of major companies involved are now posted on the Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board’s (www..org) and CareerLink’s (www.careerlinklehighvalley.org ) web site.
The clusters are used extensively to guide incumbent and new entry workers into appropriate targeted clusters and high priority occupations.
Targeted employment cluster and occupation data and information are continuously updated using PA Department of Labor and Industry and US Department of Labor resources. Ongoing analysis and presentations are performed by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s Director of Research.
b. Process: Targeted industries are determined using qualitative screening criteria in combination with a quantitative statistical approach and the review of previous studies.
Screening criteria isolates industries which will: ■ Provide above-average wages and be less reliant upon low-wage labor
■ Incorporate a high-technology, knowledge, skill-set component ■ Have the potential to become “gazelles” ■ Have synergy with existing Lehigh Valley workforce, infrastructure, educational institutions, soft-and hardware ■ Leverage existing Lehigh Valley assets without exhausting land resources ■ Expand upon established competitive positioning in the U.S. and globally
■ Have a high value-added component in local economy ■ Be classified as growth industries at the state and/or national level.
Conclusions: The Committee’s conclusions from this approach have resulted in a recommended targeting of six broad categories of industries:
Advanced Materials Manufacturing Including: ■ Basic Chemicals ■ Plastics ■ Bio-medical ■Pharmaceuticals.
Technology Intensive and Support-Related Manufacturing Including: ■ Electronics ■ Communication Equipment
■ Specialty Printing and Packaging Design and ■ Manufacturing.
Financial Services Industry Including: ■ Securities ■ Commodity Contracts, and other ■ Financial Investments ■ Monetary Authorities ■ Banks ■ Fund ■ Trusts, and ■ Financial Vehicles ■ Insurance Carriers.
Business Services Industry Including: ■ Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services ■ Specialized Design Services
■ Architectural ■ Accounting ■ Legal and ■ Advertising Services.
Information & Communication Industry Including: ■ Software Publishers ■ Internet Services ■ Internet Publishing and Broadcasting ■ Sound Recording ■ Motion Picture Broadcasting ■ Telecommunications.
Healthcare Industry/Life Sciences Including: ■ Hospitals ■ Ambulatory Health Care Services ■ Nursing and Residential Care Facilities ■ Biology Laboratories/Other Research Facilities.
The LVWIB collaborated with regional private sector employers, education, government, economic development and consultants to define our key employment clusters and related occupations. (Attachment 6)
c. The Board connects its investments by directing resources toward: (1) workforce centers that provide core and intensive services that assess and direct people to careers within Lehigh Valley’s growing industry clusters; (2) training only in high priority occupations within Lehigh Valley’s growing industry clusters; (3) employment services that align with regional employer workforce needs; and, (4) marketing and community forums that educate a universal population regarding workforce needs, skill requirements, education attainment and employment opportunities.
d. The WIB’s Accountability Committee monitors the Board’s membership and strategically works with the Chamber of Commerce/Local Elected Officials to target private sector representatives within our industry clusters/sub clusters to serve on the LVWIB . (Attachment 7)
e. The LVWIB stays informed about results of investments through the Finance Committee’s reporting process and through the Accountability Committee’s Scorecard. (Attachment 8) Adjustments are determined by LVWIB ’s Alignment and Access Committees who have oversight over Lehigh Valley’s industry clusters and their needs and growth, which is completed in concert with Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.
2. The LWIB is investing resources to promote the development of skills and career ladders in the Commonwealth’s High Priority Occupations.
Guiding Questions for Standards Number 2.
LWIB Response: Note responses to guiding questions may be grouped but groupings and individual responses must cover all questions and identify the questions being answered.
a. How does the Board guide its investments and the resources under its direct control into the development of the region’s high priority occupations?
b. How does the Board guide the investment of funds not directly under its control, such as WEDnetPA, into the development of the region’s high priority occupations?
c. How is the Board using industry partnerships and other employer contacts to validate data and reveal new and/or changed occupational information?
d. How has the Board sought out industry and academic experts to uncover new and/or substantially redefined occupations?
e. How has the Board determined what additional occupations should be added to the Commonwealth’s list of high priority occupations?
a. The Board aligns its investments towards high priority occupations and works directly with community partners (MRC, community colleges, community based organizations, economic development corporations including those in surrounding regions, SHRM, Chambers of Commerce) and cluster employer organizations to determine: projected workforce needs, skills requirements, career ladders and training curriculum changes needed to create a pipeline of workers prepared for high priority jobs.
Our marketing efforts are aligned with demand occupations within clusters.
b. The WIB plays a leading role in the Economic Development Council of the Lehigh Valley. This Lehigh Valley-based Council is comprised of economic development, education, workforce, and industry partners with approximately 50 members. The committee is briefed on the WEDnet program and their input is gathered to determine the focus of which business to recruit. Lehigh Carbon Community College and Northampton Community College are partners on this council and, with the guidance from the council and the LVWIB , companies are recruited to receive WEDnet funds.
c. The Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board, Inc. continues to initiate, develop and participate in industry partnerships and business groups such as Chambers of Commerce, professional organizations, and the Society of Human Resource Managers to address aggregated workforce issues. These partnerships examine industry data and occupational information to determine and shift training needs that lead to increased global competitiveness. Data is derived from various sources including the PA Department of Labor & Industry Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, Lehigh Valley employer roundtables, the Manufacturers Resource Center “Driver Industry Growth” study, and other studies as referenced in the answer to question #1 of this Self Assessment. Data are validated through LVEDC, SHRM, our CareerLink employer base and through LVWIB’s workforce development initiatives.
d. The Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board (LVWIB) collaborated with regional private sector employers, education, government, economic development and consultants to define our key employment clusters and related occupations.
Employer Roundtables were conducted by the Lehigh Valley WIB, Manufacturers Resource Center and the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation to solicit input on occupations, skill requirements, and training needs. Senior executives were grouped according to their employment cluster to gain a view of specific industry needs. Examples of clusters interviewed include chemicals, electronics and semi-conductors, plastics, financial services and health care. These industries were first identified as a result of the Deloitte study entitled Manufacturing Pennsylvania’s Future: Regional Strengths and Competitive Challenges.
The LVWIB also contracted with a national consultant, Edward Barlow, to prepare a report on emerging national and global forces impacting our employers. The results of that report formed the basis for a seminar with LVWIB members. Mr. Barlow also provides advice and counsel to LVEDC regarding efforts to target key industry clusters that can take advantage of the educational, infrastructure and other assets of the region.
The selection of the LVWIB ’s targeted clusters and occupations was coordinated with the Lehigh Valley regional targeted clusters by integrating efforts with LVEDC, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and a team of private sector employers, education, government and labor union representatives.
The targeted employer list from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry as well as DCED’s recent analysis by IBM Business Consulting, were also integrated into our analysis.
e. The LVWIB held meetings with all training providers and workforce development professionals to explain the Commonwealth’s new High Priority Occupations Guidelines and petition process. After a careful review of industry clusters and employer workforce skills needs, it was determined that four new occupations would be petitioned for inclusion on the list:
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
Excavating and Loading Machine Operators
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Machinists
3. The LWIB has organized, or actively supported the development of industry partnerships in key targeted industry sub-clusters and these partnerships are developing innovative approaches to improving their competitiveness and promoting best human resource practices.
Guiding Questions for Standards Number 3.
LWIB Response: Note responses to guiding questions may be grouped but groupings and individual responses must cover all questions and identify the questions being answered.
a. How does the Board ensure that there are multiple employers from a targeted cluster engaged in an ongoing collaborative and cooperative partnership to identify human resource needs, develop a shared training process and generate strategies for improved industry competitiveness? For example, how have Industry Partnerships been utilized to assist targeted sectors in improving their competitive position in the global marketplace? b. How is the Board supporting the development of industry partnerships? c. How do the industry partnerships assist in identifying high priority occupations required for the current and future success of the cluster, including any emerging occupations not captured by the labor market data? d. How have the training needs of the targeted cluster been collaboratively identified and addressed, including innovative approaches to developing the cluster’s human capital? Have these efforts addressed human resource challenges, such as, but not limited to, development of career ladders and lattices, increasing retention and recruitment success for industry sectors in which a significant challenge is identified, or improving job quality in sectors or occupations where such an intervention is appropriate. e. How has additional financial or in-kind support been obtained and/or leveraged to implement the partnership’s designed training initiative? f. How have industry designed, employer-validated training initiatives been implemented?
g. Where a LWIB is part of a common labor market in one or more sectors, what regional efforts have been made by the LWIB to include other the appropriate partners, including other LWIBs, in developing approaches to addressing industry-specific challenges?
a. The Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board, Inc. continuously engages multiple employers from targeted industry clusters through various collaborative initiatives. For example, LVWIB has recently received Industry Partnership Planning and Incumbent Worker Training grants for the following targeted sectors: Health Care, Logistics and Transportation, Chemicals/Plastics/Rubber, Metals/Metals Fabrication and Advanced Materials & Diversified Manufacturing/Nanotechnology. These partnerships address aggregated training needs that lead to improved global competitiveness. Our extensive employer base and affiliation with various business and industry groups, such as the Society for Human Resource Management and other professional organizations, ensure that the Board has an ongoing and comprehensive relationship with targeted industries. Furthermore, Board members, WIB Executive Director and CareerLink operator staff serve on the boards of these organizations to ensure alignment of strategies.
Partnerships in key targeted industry sub-clusters, such as the Virtual Manufacturing Augmentation Center identified industry partnerships, employer work skills and education needs.
b. The majority of our Board is comprised of private sector leaders in the Lehigh Valley who open the doors to other businesses and community partners to support the development and sustainability of industry partnerships. The Board recognizes that the strength of these partnerships lies in a comprehensive, yet targeted approach to engaging employers and uses marketing aimed at occupations within targeted industry clusters. _________________________________________________________________________________
c. Since Industry Partnerships engage and convene multiple employers, they are able to collectively identify high priority occupations, in order to address workforce issues. The partnerships examine industry trends and work with industry experts to identify emerging occupations. The LVWIB has identified most employers in our Region and has aligned them within an industry cluster. This provides an avenue to access emerging occupations and the demand of workers needed within high priority occupations in the greater Lehigh Valley.
d. The Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board, Inc. has convened ongoing planning sessions with employers who collectively uncover training needs. These partnerships also include business resource organizations and educational institutions, such as the Manufacturers Resource Center, community colleges and career & technical schools, who actively participate in these meetings to hear, first-hand, the needs of targeted industries. Employers have identified career ladders and industry-wide certifications as effective tools to build the strength of their workforce and promote the viability of their industry cluster on a regional basis. Cluster training needs are identified by employers within the cluster, training fairs are held to drive people into targeted training, training vendors are made aware of developing needs and marketing of cluster training needs is a priority at our Lehigh Valley CareerLink workforce centers. The LVWIB and developing business and industry career lattices and ladders first in individual businesses then for the industry cluster in general. The purpose is to determine skill sets, career steps and training requirements to recruit. They are used to identify new training and educational curriculum development. Partnerships between school districts, higher education and employers in the development of the Career Pathways program help identify curriculum and education ladders for students to prepare for and enter high priority occupations. This collaboration is also evident in the implementation of several 2 + 2 + 2 pathways in high priority areas such a manufacturing, engineering, and biotechnology.
The Lehigh Valley has an established a Regional Economic and Workforce Development Center which includes a Rapid Response Team prepared to address business and industry retention and workforce issues. (Attachment 9)
e. Business groups and educational institutions involved in Industry Partnerships provide in-kind support and expertise, which leverages State dollars to implement additional training opportunities. Business and industry is also responsible for leveraging resources by having incumbent worker training done during the work day/shift.
f. The Lehigh Valley Chemicals/Plastics/Rubber Industry Partnership is a good example of a training initiative which is currently being implemented:
The State awarded planning and incumbent worker training funding to the LVWIB in 2005.
Planning sessions were held with Chemicals/Plastics/Rubber employers to determine aggregated training needs, especially pertaining to higher level skill requirements.
Industry cluster needs were aggregated and validated with employers.
Educational institutions collectively developed training programs which were offered to employers.
Employer-selected training and education programs are now underway.
g. Through the work of its Industry Partnerships, the Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board, Inc. collaborates regionally to improve the competitiveness of targeted industry clusters. For example, the Metals & Metals Fabrication and Logistics & Transportation Industry Partnerships involve surrounding workforce investment areas, such as Berks and Schuylkill Counties.
Surrounding WIB’s are notified of Lehigh Valley’s awards of both Industry Partnership and Incumbent Worker Training Grants and are invited to serve on the team if applicable.
