Career Pathways - Steering Committee - Minutes

Date: February 8, 2007
Location: Bellevue University-Lincoln Campus
1001 South 70th Street, Suite 219

In Attendance: Dennis Baack, KC Belitz, Gregg Christensen, Seth Derner, Dean Folkers, Mary Hawkins, Marshall Hill, Rich Katt, Jim Linderholm, Joan Modrell, Joe Rowson, Greg Smith, Arlene Sorensen, Trish Souliere, Randy Vlasin

1. Call to Order - Chairperson Rich Katt called the meeting to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.

2. Introductions - Because a number of the Steering Committee members are new, the request was made for introductions. Randy Vlasin was introduced as the new Executive Director of FutureForce.

Rich then explained that FutureForce is the intersection of education, business, and government, all working together to maximize efficiency. FutureForce Nebraska is being recognized nationally as a model of collaboration.

3. Coordinator Report - Seth reported the top priority at this time is still revising the website. FutureForce is growing and we need to have information available online. Leaders from business, education and government were invited to a brainstorming session on December 13 and 14 facilitated by Innovation Labs. The final report is almost complete. The future activities were discussed as was the new Perkins legislation, which centers all around curriculum alignment and a statewide perspective.

4. Pathway Committee Reports

Construction – Jean Petsch
Jean reported that she is working on establishing a framework, guidance and funding. There is a good potential for the Construction Pathway to acquire $30,000 to $40,000 from the Kiewit Foundation for the purpose promoting career awareness in the construction and student recruiting. A group from Sydney sponsored an event in fall to promote construction awareness among middle school students.

Health Sciences – Deb Brennan
Deb reported that the group will be meeting again to refocus its efforts. Some funding is available from FutureForce. Grand Island is a piloting a tech prep program for dental assisting. Also, South Sioux City has reported that based on information gained from the Career Connections website, there is a great amount of interest among its students in health science.

Dean reported there is a new diversity recruiter for the University of Nebraska Medical Center Nursing program who is interested in connecting with FutureForce.

Finance – Bonnie Sibert
Bonnie reported that the Finance Pathway has not yet met, though a good deal of groundwork has been done. She met with Wendy Boyer and Erika Volkers from the Omaha Chamber of Commerce regarding the possibility of merging the Finance and Insurance Pathways. The decision was made to keep the pathways separate at this time. A number of potential players have been identified, but representation in the northeast, central and northwest areas of the state are lacking. Specific areas to be explored are accounting, corporate finance, banking, and security and investments.
Money is available through FutureForce to assist with the development of the Finance Pathway. Randy VanWagoner has volunteered to be the champion.

Entrepreneurship – Gregg Christensen
The Entrepreneurship Pathway has been focusing on best practices and coordination with the community colleges. Also 4H is piloting a program called Entrepreneurship Science Investigation. They are looking for grant funding to continue the program. The next meeting will be March 9.

Donna Vrbka
Donna reported she has been working with Education Quest. They have determined that parents are the key to successfully distributing career information to children and to that end have printed an informational brochure. Nine schools are serving as pilot schools to roll out the career cluster education information.

FutureForce has served as a very effective clearinghouse that has spun off a number of activities, for example, the Middle School Curriculum project and the Nebraska Career
Information workshop. 4-H is also devoting extension officer time toward careers and developing programs. The roll out will be at the State Fair.

Transportation, Distribution, Warehousing and Logistics – Greg Smith
The TDWL pathway needs to step back and refocus its efforts. Some career awareness activities have occurred and a two million dollar grant has been obtained from the Department of Labor but the main problem faced by this career field still persists, which is moving beyond stereotypes.

This may be a better path for adults in transit due to insurance issues but there is some difficulty in reaching the adult market.

Biosciences – Seth Derner
The biosciences pathway has met and initiated discussions regarding where the labor needs are. This does not appear to be a well-defined industry in Nebraska.

5. Review of Pathway Committees - Another suggestion was made to revisit and analyze the labor trends across Nebraska. There was discussion about how to engage the business community as there appears to be a lot of interest at that level. There was discussion regarding the identification, communication and assessment of twenty-first century skills.

6. Pathways Survey - It has been difficult to assess at what stage the committees are. Seth developed a survey to help define progress.

7. Upcoming Events
Governor’s Summit on Workforce Development will be held April 10 and 11 at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel. The Governor's Summit on Workforce Development is an opportunity to examine the challenges Nebraska faces in workforce development. This two-day conference brings current workforce development challenges to the forefront,
promoting prosperity and growth in our state and local workforces. The Governor's Summit on Workforce Development commits itself to understanding the foundation for a strong Nebraska workforce and presenting this important issue to attendees. It is key that our workforce be built with the help of local leaders in education, business, economic development, health care, and government.

The third annual Nebraska Research and Innovation Conference will be held at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska on March 21, 2007. Academic and business researchers will have opportunities to explore potential collaborations. Attendees can hear distinguished speakers and exchange ideas while interacting with students, faculty, and business people. Registration opens February 7, 2007. The registration deadline for
displays and poster presentations is February 28, 2007. The attendance registration deadline is March 7, 2007.

8. Next Meeting - The next meeting will be March 15 at 11:00 a.m. the Bellevue Campus in Lincoln.