Community Partnerships for Adult Learning
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Highlights
Introduction
Background
Making GED Diplomas More Accessible
Getting To Work: Project ACHIEVE
Transition To Postsecondary Education
The Workforce Education Initiative
Conclusion
Complete Profile (PDF, 270kb)
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THE WORKFORCE EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Begun in October 2002, Louisville's Workforce Education Initiative (the WE Initiative) has an ambitious mission: "to increase the skills and education attainment levels across the board, from GEDs to PhDs, of the people in our community." Although it is an overall leadership and coordinating group, in a sense the WE Initiative is a "bottom-up" creation. It grew out of the many community partnerships that developed over time in Louisville—with the additional impetus of the city/county merger and the Brookings report; the state's "Go Higher, Kentucky" initiative, and funds from the state Department of Adult Education and Literacy. Support also came from the state Council on Postsecondary Education, which is encouraging the formation of pre-K-16 education councils in each county. Louisville's council became the WE Initiative, and its goal is to bring more coordination to Louisville's many partnerships to ensure that community needs are met without duplicating services.

The WE Initiative is composed of "all the movers and shakers," as one member put it, leaders and representatives from local government, higher education institutions, businesses, the Jefferson County Public Schools, faith-based organizations, community agencies, and workforce development organizations. While still recruiting more members to make the WE Initiative as representative as possible, the group has already set some challenging goals. They want to build a workforce development system capable of responding quickly to the needs of employers locating or expanding in the greater Louisville area and to "deliver a quantum change," rather than incremental improvements, in Louisville's educational attainment levels.

Understanding clearly that no one institution can take on the task alone, they see collaboration as the way to achieve their goals and develop a stable infrastructure capable of surviving inevitable funding and leadership changes. They believe that the WE Initiative "has the potential to help create a true workforce development 'system' that is responsive to the needs of individuals—rather than the 'patchwork quilt' of opportunities" that exists now.

The group plans to set "quantifiable, measurable goals" to drive their efforts. At present, three subcommittees are at work developing specific goals and objectives for pre-school through grade 12, adult education, and postsecondary education. The group also wants to raise funds to continue Louisville's version of Kentucky's "Go Higher" media campaign. The state campaign ended when funds were cut, but WE Initiative members want to continue it locally.

The WE Initiative partners know that they need the participation and support of other businesses, labor and education organizations, government, and workforce development agencies in Jefferson County and the other counties in Kentucky and Indiana that contribute to the region's economy. By focusing on mutual interests and concerns, so that members see participation in the WE Initiative as essential to their work, not simply as an "add-on," they hope to bring these others on board.