Building Capacity:
Meeting Today's Workforce Needs

Key partnerships among industry, education and training, and economic development are being established to increase the pool of highly skilled, educated and trained talent capable of entering the knowledge-based workplace.

Making It In KC

Making It in KC is a 16-week manufacturing career-training program that prepares students for entry-level manufacturing positions. Students develop skills in computer literacy, problem solving, teamwork, applied math and key manufacturing principles. Graduates receive 12 hours of MCC credit, a 10-hour OSHA General Industry Outreach Card, Six Sigma Greenbelt Certification, and priority consideration for a position with partner companies.

Clinical Faculty Academy

The Clinical Faculty Academy prepares existing clinical nurses to become adjunct faculty at area educational institutions. This is part of an overall strategy to expand the capacity of area nursing schools to meet student demands to enter nursing programs in the KC region. This "train the trainer" approach will increase the skills/proficiency levels of clinical faculty nurses while providing additional capacity for those seeking entry into this high-demand sector.

Simulator Initiative

The Human Patient Simulator (HPS) initiative provides state-of-the-art clinical training for nursing students using an HPS lab. The "mediplex," which is housed at MCC-Penn Valley, includes two adult HPS, two Emergency Care Simulators, and two pediatrics HPS. The lab is a regional resource and a means of expanding nursing education capacity and capability within the greater KC area.

Nurse Preceptor and Mentorship Initiative

The Nurse Preceptor/Mentorship initiative develops bedside nurses as mentors and preceptors for new nursing graduates and existing nurses—encouraging retention within the field. It equips practicing nurses with the necessary skills to recognize issues that cause their peers to exit the field and provides them with the professional resources necessary to retain these highly trained/skilled workers.

Nurse Re-Entry Initiative

The Nurse Re-Entry initiative provides opportunities for training and refresher courses for non-practicing licensed nurses to return to the nursing profession and to learn the latest medical techniques and practices. This innovative measure seeks to attract non-practicing nurses who have the aptitude and basic technical knowledge, but may require short-term training to prepare them to re-enter the workforce with new technology and in new work environments.

Financial Assistance for New Clinical Faculty

The Financial Assistance for New Clinical Faculty Initiative provides financial assistance to nurses with baccalaureate degrees to receive additional education, leading to graduate degrees. The goal of the initiative is to create future clinical faculty to expand the capacity of area nursing educational institutions.

Expanding Skill Sets of Current Workforce:
Incumbent Worker Training

Skills of workers in emerging and growing industries often do not keep up with rapid advances in technology; OneKC WIRED initiatives target those sectors experiencing the greatest gaps.

University of Kansas Bioscience Career Training Project

The University of Kansas workforce development project provides additional skills training for incumbent workers at life sciences/biotechnology companies in the KC region. In addition, a partnership with local community colleges provides linkages to programs that lead to certification or degree status.

Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs)

The Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs) initiative is part of a national effort to promote lifelong learning and to raise the skill and education levels of the incumbent workforce. LiLAs are individual asset accounts - similar to a 401k - in that both the employee and employer fund them. LiLAs provide financial resources and incentives for employees to continue their education and training. They create systemic change in the way individuals can invest in their own futures, with accompanying employer involvement and investment.

Developing the Educational Continuum:
The Workforce of Tomorrow

It takes years to create a scientist or engineer starting from the time a student express initial interest in science or math in elementary school. Our region is taking steps to more effectively prepare students to pursue career pathways in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) professions.

Partnership for Regional Education Preparation-KC (PREP-KC)

PREP-KC is a regional intermediary organization for K-12 education and workforce preparation. The goal of PREP-KC is for every student to graduate from high school fully prepared for college, careers, and citizenship. PREP-KC works closely with superintendents, school boards, teachers, and principals in the Kansas City Kansas and Kansas City Missouri school districts to invest in strategies to improve academic achievement. The ultimate goal is to increase college-going and access to high-quality employment for the more than 47,000—mostly low-income—students served by these two districts

Project Lead The Way

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) works to shape a future generation of engineers and engineering technicians. By partnering with schools, industry professionals and the community, PLTW gives middle- and high-school students the tools to be successful in college programs and engineering careers. The program provides meaningful hands-on experiences that bring the engineering field to life and makes math and science relevant. PLTW's goal is to get students excited about engineering while also producing more engineering professionals.

KC Science Initiative

The Kansas City Science Initiative (KCSI) is a systemic science education reform initially spearheaded through a partnership with Bayer Corporation, the Kansas City Missouri School District, and the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute. The initiative's goal is to transform elementary science education from traditional textbook-based instruction to hands-on, inquiry-centered learning. Students actively engage in science through hypothesizing, experimenting, analyzing, and testing - allowing them to develop critical-thinking, problem-solving and other science literacy skills required and valued by today's sophisticated workplace.

Center of Excellence in Bioscience

In 2007 Johnson County Community College (JCCC) opened the Regnier Technology Center, which includes state-of-the-art facilities for bioscience. OneKC WIRED funds are supporting the development of simulation modules for career preparation and education, and the redesign of curriculum for online delivery in this emerging industry sector. JCCC's Center of Excellence in Bioscience will allow for K-12 faculty and student training in biotechnology-related areas.

Creating Infrastructure and New Platforms:
New Economies

There was a time when our region "exchanged" farms for factories, creating an entirely new economic base; efforts are underway to discover the new "exchange" and take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Animal Health Innovation Grants

Animal health represents a key industry cluster, with approximately 30 percent of the $15 billion world animal health market passing through companies in the Kansas City region. Additionally, veterinary schools at Kansas State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia are nationally recognized for their quality research activities. Moving discoveries from universities through private sector commercialization is critically important to reap the economic benefits of such innovative research. Animal Health Innovation grants support new partnerships between industry and academia, expand awareness for scientists in both communities regarding research interests and industry needs, and accelerate innovation and technology transfer/commercialization activities.

Regional Technology Transfer Network

The KC region does not have an organization that spans the entire continuum of technology transfer activities or one that has the resources to develop regional tools and infrastructure to support such a network. A new, bi-state regional organization will focus on developing and managing a comprehensive regional technology transfer network focused on efficiently and knowledgeably moving innovations to the marketplace. The network will also support active technology mining strategies to provide a coordinated system for identifying and assessing technologies existing in the academic and private sectors. Successful completion of this effort will represent a significant transformation in commercialization activities within the region.

Regionalism:
Thinking, Acting, Working and Growing as OneKC

The economic development community created a strong regional identity through the OneKC and Think KC campaigns. Key leaders from business and industry, education, economic development, state and local government, and the philanthropic and civic communities are building on that identity and taking steps to go beyond thinking as a region … to acting, working and growing as OneKC.

Local Workforce Investment Boards

The seven Local Workforce Investment Boards supporting the greater Kansas City region are teaming up with business, industry, education and training providers, and economic development agencies to develop a common platform and branding for the regional labor market and workforce services. This includes designing and implementing common assessment tools, broadening employer-based training opportunities, increasing occupational training activities, and expanding personal training support accounts.

• Full Employment Council - Kansas City (MO) and Vicinity, and Eastern Jackson County
• Workforce Partnership - Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte (KS) Counties (Area III)
• Northwest Workforce Investment Board - North Central Missouri College
• Workforce Development Board of Western Missouri - West Central Region
• Heartland Works - Kansas Local Workforce Investment Board (Area II)
• Kansas Local Workforce Investment Board (Area V)

Regional, Multi-industry Skills Gap Project

OneKC WIRED Partners and key stakeholders are collaborating to develop a multi-industry, regional tool (initially focused on advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and healthcare) resulting in the development of a "dashboard" or scorecard that measures the region's Human Capital Index. The process will include systematic updates that will form the basis for:

• Measuring progress against goals
• Assessing changes in industry's' needs
• Cataloging education and training programs - specifically those related to the three targeted industry sectors
• Highlighting progress and best practices (via indices such as Educational Attainment)
• Identifying existing or newly discovered gaps, and developing an action plan to close new gaps

Beyond the Classroom

OneKC WIRED partners are collaborating with key stakeholders to expand internships and teacher externships opportunities with area employers in advanced manufacturing, bioscience, and healthcare. The goal is to facilitate the connection and placement of young adults and transitional workers into available internship positions leading to entry-level career opportunities, and to provide teachers with meaningful work-based learning experiences that bring rigor and relevance to the classroom. For more information, contact the OneKC WIRED office.

Public Outreach and Education

The Public Outreach and Education initiative works with OneKC WIRED partners to develop and implement strategic efforts to increase awareness of OneKC WIRED-related initiatives, foster participation by key stakeholders, and ensure the sustainability of transformational activities. For more information to stay informed, contact the OneKC WIRED office.