Organizational example:

Name

Industry Skill Panels
Washington State

Program Purpose

Industry skill panels continuously examine the workforce needs of the industries they serve. Panels recommend new, modernized training programs where none existed before and demand more training capacity when there are not enough graduates to go around. In addition to pushing for policy change, they support economic development initiatives aimed at building industry competitiveness.

Program Description

The state created over 40 Skill Panels, which are regionally-focused, public-private partnerships among public sector, labor, education and business representatives from target industries. The panels broker training services that are designed to the specific needs of local industry. The partnerships allow for the various stakeholders to share important knowledge and to take joint responsibilities for making policy recommendations that have a positive impact on the region’s competitiveness.

Members of the panels typically include 15 to 20 business representatives of a particular industry. These representatives are decision-makers within their companies, for example, chief executive officers, chief financial officers, human resource directors, plant managers, and supervisors.

Progress

As of 2001, Industry Skill Panels have:

• Contributed to curriculum development for customized training benefiting at least 4,000 workers in the health care, information technology, construction, manufacturing, and agriculture/food processing clusters
• Initiated labor-management committees to create the nation’s first four health care apprenticeships
• Developed a construction industry career ladder
• Created new upgrade training options, such as LPN to RN, using distance learning programs
• Created a free online internship system (Internmatch) in IT
• Supported two construction apprenticeship demonstration projects
• Created Vocational ESL curricula for construction and health care workers

Contact Information

Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
128 10th Avenue SW
P.O. Box 43105
Olympia, WA 98504-3105

T: 360.753.5662
http://www.wtb.wa.gov/IndustrySkillPanel.asp