Overview

Today's knowledge-based economy requires a workforce with more brains than brawn—highly skilled workers capable of embracing new technology, developing innovative products and processes, creating new business models, and increasing productivity. Such knowledge workers fuel the growth of companies and regional economies.

OneKC WIRED builds on the premise that the economic growth and competitiveness of our region will be determined by our ability to develop a highly skilled and educated workforce—one that meets both current and future needs.

A unified regional focus is required to successfully compete in today's marketplace. The Kansas City region is at the center of our nation's effort to maintain our global competitiveness. We invite you to join a growing alliance of leaders who are committed to ensuring the future of our region—and our nation!

About OneKC WIRED

OneKC WIRED is an innovative approach to regional workforce and economic development—one that recognizes the new reality that a highly skilled, educated and trained workforce is the essential foundation of a strong regional economy.

Through OneKC WIRED, we have created a dynamic, entrepreneurial partnership strategically designed to drive significant economic and workforce development transformation within an 18-county, bi-state region. Our partners are integrating and building upon what were once independent activities to develop a comprehensive system of workforce development, education and training, and economic development to meet the region's current and future needs.

We are initially targeting the high-demand industries of advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and healthcare; but we will continue to assess regional and industry trends and explore strategies that enhance our region's competitiveness.

The OneKC WIRED Projects in Progress are organized into five major categories:

• Building Capacity: Meeting Today's Workforce Needs
• Expanding Skill Sets of Current Workforce: Incumbent Worker Training
• Developing the Educational Continuum: The Workforce of Tomorrow
• Creating Infrastructure and New Platforms: New Economies
• Regionalism: Thinking, Acting, Working and Growing as OneKC

Innovation is a process, and sustainable transformations take time to build. OneKC WIRED is leveraging existing regional resources and relationships to design, demonstrate and disseminate innovative transformations in workforce development throughout the region. The rate at which initiatives move from the demonstration phase to dissemination will vary. In some cases, broad dissemination—both geographic and to other industry sectors—may not occur until after the initial grant period.

A growing regional alliance is committed to sustaining these efforts in the Kansas City region beyond the period of the grant, including key leaders from business and industry, education and training, economic development, state and local government, and the philanthropic and civic communities.

About WIRED

Kansas City competed nationally with more than 100 regions for a WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The region was among 13 awarded a $15 million WIRED grant.

WIRED is part of our nation's global competitiveness strategy to build strong regional economies supported by a highly-skilled workforce. There are now 39 WIRED regions across the United States and Puerto Rico.