All American Center for Workforce Innovation (AACWI)

Two innovative strategies were implemented and utilized to establish the All American Center for Workforce Innovation (Center), the heart and brain of the Workforce Demonstration Program. In addition to staff who manage/d and coordinate/d those activities, the FBRA/BRAC RTF utilized two disruptive technologies to more quickly and completely align, integrate and transform regional assets. The ‘Center’ is a conceptual, virtual and physical entity combining staff, infrastructure, study data, interactive 3D enabled distributed learning video-conferencing, and an online regional career exploration and talent development/acquisition platform.

The ‘Center’ is transforming the supply-driven workforce process by helping to create demand-based training programs and career tracks that will develop the local talent supply to meet the requirements of emerging, existing and expanding industries. The ‘Center’ virtually and physically connects the region’s workforce, economic, and educational assets with other regional assets and partners to create a synergy of effort and resources unmatched in this state, and perhaps the nation. This ‘Center’ helps discern specific occupational, employment, education, and training requirements for the emerging industries, creates career tracks, and shares job and program information with the region’s employment and training community, school systems, community colleges, universities, businesses, and citizens to create the talent pool for the future.

Strategy One: Utilized the extensive growth at Fort Bragg and in the region’s defense and homeland security sectors as the transformational engine to integrate and synergize the region’s workforce, economic, and educational resources to support the growing homeland security and military preparedness industry clusters. This strategy implemented a comprehensive outreach, education, and analysis effort, which established the foundation for the ‘Center’ in Strategy Two. Specific deliverables were a thorough resource mapping of regional and state assets, an exhaustive analysis of emerging occupational and academic demands, and a gap analysis of existing and projected industry and workforce requirements. This Defense and Homeland Security cluster analysis is being used to develop programs in Strategy Two that more efficiently and effectively align and integrate the region’s labor supply; education, employment, and training capabilities, and emerging employer occupational demands. The full report titled “A Strategy to Grow the Fort Bragg Region’s Defense & Homeland Security Economy” was formally and finally published in January of 2010.

Strategy Two: Established the ‘Center’ as the transformational mechanism to create specific career tracks within and initiatives for each of 10 program areas outlined in the initial DOL grant proposal. The programs within the ‘Center’ are helping to reinvent the supply-driven workforce process by fusing demand-based workforce requirements with education and workforce training programs to develop the talent supply to meet the requirements of emerging and existing industries. The ‘Center’ virtually and physically connects the region’s workforce, economic, and educational assets, and coordinates and collaborates across the regional assets and partners without regard to geographic or bureaucratic boundaries. This has helped create a synergy of effort and resources unmatched in this state, and perhaps the nation, attracting employers, job seekers, educators, service providers, and public, private, and philanthropic investors. The ‘Center’ benefits employment, education, growth, and economic development in all 11 counties that are part of the regional economy. It also allows the region and the state to leverage the growing and inter-related military and homeland security industry clusters by engaging private and public sector and academic organizations in such activities as program/course design, and research & development.

Strategy Two’s goals build upon Strategy One. This strategy is measured by the systems, teams, collaborations, and procedures that have been put into place in support of establishing and operationalizing the ‘Center’. The “Center’s” integrated regional efforts were unified and aligned to quickly discern the specific qualifications and educational attainment requirements of 1,000s of new positions at Fort Bragg, which will create multiple additional service and support jobs in the region. Specific goals include:

1. Developing skilled talent for the region’s targeted high-growth, high-skill, and high-wage industries, which include homeland security and national military preparedness;
2. Strengthening collaboration between the region’s education institutions to better prepare the entire workforce through increased life long learning opportunities; and
3. Enhancing the region’s entrepreneurial climate to create and expand businesses, and generate new high-growth, high-skill, and high-wage employment opportunities.

The FBRA/BRAC RTF and Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) created a partnership where FTCC initially hosted the virtual part of the All American Center for Workforce Innovation. The ‘Center’ has been staffed by subject matter experts at FBRA/BRAC RTF through the DOL grant. The FBRA/BRTF leveraged FTCC’s established information systems network capable of video teleconferencing, web casting, distance learning, radio and television studio capacity, and interactive three-dimensional simulation capabilities.

Estimates to build this networked facility from the ground up with the requisite capabilities exceeded $2.5 million. However, FTCC agreed to provide this basic infrastructure for a one-time investment of $500,000. The FBRA/BRTF Workforce Demonstration Grant resources were utilized for this. Initially establishing the technical capability of the ‘Center’ at an established educational institution leveraged other FTCC assets, provided immediate access to broadband internet capability and other networked informational systems, and significantly reduced start-up costs and time to implement ‘Center’ programs. Follow on funds were provided by the Golden LEAF Foundation and more recently, the NC DOC/DWD in the form of major ARRA grants to expand the Enhanced Technology Classrooms and Distributed Learning Network to the 7 sister community colleges and then to at least one high school, and even middle school in some counties, in all 12 regional LEAs. Click here to be taken to the Education web page.

The state-of-the-art interactive 3D capability is helping train modeling & simulation professionals for both military and civilian applications. It is also now being used to conduct meetings and/or deliver lessons, instructors, and training simulations out to other campuses, colleges, and classrooms, including all twelve regional K -12 school systems and four Workforce Development Boards.

The FBRA/BRAC RTF also worked to ensure that the WDP Implementation Plan integrated each of the key principles that comprised the US DOL’s related WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) initiative including identification of the regional economy; formation of a core leadership group; conducting a strategic strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis; creation of a shared regional identity and vision; and devising strategies that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and with a Timeline (SMART).

Finally, the FBRA/BRAC RTF leveraged the unique resources of numerous partners. Our program has garnered significant local, regional, state, federal, for-profit, and non-profit leveraged resources totaling almost $10,000,000 in additional committed direct resources over the past four years. These resources, augmented by the U.S. Department of Labor BRAC Workforce Demonstration Grant investment and the region’s indirect leveraged resources, are having a significant and critical positive impact on the entire region’s economy, workforce, and educational systems.

Key stakeholders include the region’s employers, eight community colleges, five universities, four Workforce Development Boards, 12 JobLink Career Centers, 12 public school systems, 11 County Boards of Commissioners, relevant state agencies, regional business organizations and economic developers, regional Councils of Government, and key philanthropies.

Workforce Demonstration Program Steering Group
The “Center’s” Steering Group included representatives from all 11 counties in the region. Steering Group members were appointed by their constituents within each common interest area. Of the 21 voting members, three were from the Board of Directors, three economic developers, three Workforce Development Board Directors, two university representatives (one public and one private), two community college presidents, three K-12 public education administrators, three business leaders, one representative from Fayetteville Technical Community College, host of the Center, and the FBRA/B RTF Program Director for the Workforce Center. The Steering Group also included Ex-Officio representation from the North Carolina Military Foundation, Training and Development Associates, the Defense and Security Technology Accelerator, North Carolina Military Business Center, North Carolina Department of Commerce, and Ft. Bragg. The Steering Group provided oversight, review and evaluation plans for program development and requests for funding, and made recommendations to the Board of Directors.

Advisory Committees
The purpose of the BRAC RTF Advisory Group (AG) was to support the planning and development of the ‘Center’ through advice, counsel, and direct participation using professional knowledge and expertise. The AG fulfilled this purpose by performing the following functions:

• Program Review: AG members contributed unique professional expertise and experience to assist in the identification of needs and priorities for the development of the ‘Center’. Members provided advisement and oversight for education and workforce programs and initiatives such as grant requests, technical reports, and implementation plans.
• Interagency Interaction: The AG provided a forum for exchange both between and among the various agencies working together to improve the region’s workforce. Members represented the best interests of their agency in the overall planning by providing an insider perspective regarding issues, concerns, opportunities, attitudes, perceptions, and thinking patterns of their organization.
• Liaison: AG members kept their respective agencies informed of FBRA/BRAC RTF activities. AG members projected the voice of their agency and worked to identify opportunities and reduce duplication of efforts.
• Ambassador: AG members monitored FBRA/BRTF progress and explain to others including but not limited to government agencies, the region’s population, and business and industry. Members promoted a greater collaboration between agencies invested in development of a productive workforce and opportunities for regional talent.

Composition of the Advisory Group
The FBRA/BRTF Joint Education and Workforce AG was composed of all representatives from the three focused AGs: the K-12 Education AG, the Higher Education Council, and the Workforce Development Boards. In addition, members also included private educate and training providers, The focused AGs met independently when there were issues exclusively relevant to that group.

The K-12 Education AG was composed of the superintendent or designee from the 12 public school systems in the BRAC impacted region. School Systems: Bladen, Clinton City, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland.

The Higher Education Council was composed of the President, Chancellor, or designee from each of the eight community colleges and five universities within the BRAC impacted region. Community Colleges: Bladen, Central Carolina, Fayetteville Technical, Montgomery, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, and Sandhills. Four-year Institutions: Campbell, Fayetteville State, Methodist, St. Andrews, and University of North Carolina-Pembroke.

The four Workforce Development Boards in the region – actually co-leads of the WDP - are represented by their Director or designee. Workforce Development Boards: Cumberland County, Lumber River, Mid-Carolina/Triangle South, and Pee Dee/RCS.