Direct Job Training Resources to Meet Industry Needs
The most recent example of the Division directing job training resources to meet industry needs is the State Energy Sector Partnership federal grant award. In partnership with the Alaska Workforce Investment Board, the Division crafted a proposal for $3.6 million in funding, targeting the following:
- Industries of Focus: Energy-Efficient End User Technology, Geothermal, Hydroelectric, Wind Turbine, and Biomass
- Proposed Outcomes: At least 700 Alaskan workers will receive training and over 85 percent of participants will be employed in an energy-efficiency occupation.
- Key Partnerships: Alaska Workforce Investment Board, Alaska Energy Authority, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Alaska AFL-CIO, Denali Commission, University of Alaska, U.S. DOL Alaska Office of Apprenticeship, and Alaska Works Partnership, Inc.
- Participants to be Served: Minorities, recipients of public assistance, veterans, people with disabilities, low-income individuals, unemployed and under-employed individuals, dislocated workers, out-of-school youth, and incumbent workers
- Project Description: The Alaska State Energy Sector Partnership will implement a sustainable strategic workforce plan to increase the supply of workers with energy-efficiency skills to support energy efficient end user technology and the Geothermal, Hydroelectric, Wind Turbine, and Biomass industries. Training will include: course-related instruction; on-the-job training and customized training with existing federally registered apprenticeship programs and labor management partners; technology-based learning; and distance learning.
Another example is that during the summer of 2009, the Division oversaw the creation of a new summer youth employment program providing work experience for youth age 14 to 24 that helped these new workers meet industry demand. More than 950 low-income, disadvantaged youth participated in a variety work experiences around the state. Over 90 percent of the youth successfully completed work experience training and assessment, and 187 of the youth placed in temporary summer jobs were retained by their employer after the program.