Problem: Employers throughout the United States and the developing world have one thing in common: the need for entry-level workers with decent basic skills, a solid work ethic, personal responsibility, computer savvy, and the ability to function effectively on teams. And schools, particularly in large cities, are failing to produce enough of these kinds of workers.

For the United States, this means a dearth of skilled workers to replace the huge baby boom generation that is just now reaching retirement age. With a less qualified, less competitive workforce, the U.S. standard of living and quality of life would inevitably deteriorate.

For developing countries, the lack of skilled entry workers puts a brake on companies' abilities to expand and provide jobs. Already, many of these countries, all with rapidly expanding youth populations, have unemployment rates approaching 40-50%. The lack of enough jobs for young people results in poverty, crime, social unrest, and tensions with surrounding countries.

Strategy: Prominent multi-national companies would channel funds through the Haberman International Policy Institute in Education (HIPIE) to establish Workforce Development Centers (WDCs) in urban centers throughout the U.S. and the developing world. WDCs would equip urban youth with skills and work habits that would enable them to find jobs and benefit from higher level technical training. Specifically, WDCs would:

• Employ the very best, research-based methodologies and technologies to accelerate the learning of reading, math, communication, computer and core technology skills, and to integrate these with the teaching of personal responsibility, character, essential work habits, customer service and teamwork skills.

• Use the best research-based tools and strategies available to select WDC instructors and directors who can form the kind of high performance work team that can most effectively deliver the accelerated learning model the WDC would provide.

• Place graduates in jobs, advanced technical training programs, or the university.

Key Features:
Financing and governance: Corporate sponsors would provide grants to HIPIE to establish the WDCs in partnership with host country agencies or industry-education consortia. For the WDC's first three years in a site, HIPIE would select staff and provide quality control for all WDC operations. Host country/city agencies and/or industry-education consortia would contribute both financial and in-kind resources (e.g. facilities) to help HIPIE mount this state-of-the-art program in their city. These agencies or consortia would also provide representatives to an industry-led advisory council to ensure that the WDC is producing graduates who are valued by the local business community.

Education and training programs: WDCs would provide three programs:
• Basic English and Math– computer-assisted tutoring program designed to raise skills from 4th grade to 8th grade level. Completers would be eligible to enter Career Readiness Program described next.

• Career Readiness Program (CRP) - CRP is an intensive, 8-12 week, 6-8 hours a day program designed to advance English, math, computer, and employability skills. Success factors include the challenging cross-disciplinary curriculum, faculty teaming and small group coaching, daily feedback on class and individual performance, emphasis on time management, and the heavy use of courseware to manage instruction and reporting and to facilitate the learning of English. Instructors and students remain together for the entire instructional day. The curriculum features an unusually high degree of workplace problem-solving, career guidance, and development of interpersonal skills and workplace ethics, all of which encourage students to learn from one another and collaborate effectively.

• Core Technologies Program (CTP) – CTP is an intensive 18-20 week full-time program designed to expose students to six technologies: mechanics, hydraulics-pneumatics, thermodynamics, electronics, electricity, and computers. Entering students must have at least 9th-10th grade proficiency in English and math and be able to pass a computer literacy test. Students receive sufficient theory and practice in each technology to assist them in deciding whether to prepare for a technical career. They also receive sufficient preparation to ensure their success in higher-level technical training offered by a company, college or university.

Placement Services: The WDC would place graduates of the Career Readiness and/or Core Technologies programs in jobs or into education and training programs of a company, college or university. Alumni would be asked to "give back" to the WDC by mentoring and giving talks to current enrollees, recruiting new students, helping new graduates find job vacancies, etc.

Conclusion: HIPIE believes it can foster international goodwill and economic development through practical, intensive, research-based programs to equip urban youth with the skills required to succeed in the workplace or benefit from postsecondary education. In so doing, HIPIE can develop a language of communication among the world's young people, for they all need the same set of skills and attitudes to become part of the modern, competitive, global workforce. We have already attracted some of the most qualified, experienced individuals to design and implement a coherent strategy to carry out this vision. We seek partnerships and resources from industry to build a cadre of teachers and a critical mass of programs that will help industry gets the workforce it needs to prosper. Together we can leave this legacy for a more hopeful, peaceful world.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER FLOW CHART

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER PROGRAMS			SAMPLE OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS of CORPORATE SPONSORS/PARTNERS or TECHNICAL COLLEGES   12-40 weeks		TECHNICAL JOBS IN INDUSTRIES
CORE TECHNOLOGIES (CTP)			Heavy Equipment Operator (mobile)		ENERGY     MINING     CONSTRUCTION     AGRICULTRE and FOOD INDUSTRY     MANUFACTURING
18-20 weeks	Mechanics		Heavy Equipment Technician/ Mechanic
	Hydraulics-pneumatics		Mill Operator
	Thermodynamics
	Electronics
	Electricity
	Computers
			Millwright/Industrial Mechanic
CAREER READINESS (CRP)
8-12 weeks	English		Industrial Electrician
	Mathematics
	Computer applications		Welder/Metal fabricator
	Career and employability skills		Machine Trades and Repair
			Driller	Note 2:  Career Readiness and Core Technologies graduates would qualify for some entry-level jobs, but serious technical jobs would require additional occupational training.
BASIC ENGLISH   Courseware-assisted, tutoring program for those with 4th-7th grade skill levels.  Need 8th grade skill to enter CRP program above.			Note 1:  Career Readiness Program graduates also qualified for non-technical entry-level jobs in almost all industries, including hospitality, business, health care, social services, etc.

 
For additional info: Delia Stafford (d.staff@ix.netcom.com)