Located in:
- III. Operational Planning Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
- a. State Strategy Implementation
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include–
- 2. Implementation of State Strategy
Describe how the lead State agency with responsibility for the administration of each core program or a Combined Plan partner program included in this plan will implement the State’s Strategies identified in Section II(c). above. This must include a description of—
- 2. Implementation of State Strategy
- a. State Strategy Implementation
III. a. 2. F. Partner Engagement with Other Education and Training Providers
Describe how the State’s Strategies will engage the State’s other education and training providers, including providers on the state’s eligible training provider list, as partners in the workforce development system to create a job-driven education and training system.
Current Narrative:
Core and other partner agencies will collaborate with the “MaineSpark” initiative (with a goal of ensuring 60 percent of Mainers will hold a credential of value by 2025) to ensure alignment of activities, sharing of information, participation in and contribution to cross-training and professional staff development, and participation in local, regional and state strategy implementation sessions. They will ensure local and regional employer stakeholder groups are apprised of the goals and work of the initiative and have opportunity for input on the specific credentials of value being considered and promoted.
Similarly, system partners will work with the University of Maine system to support work initiated through the “All Learning Counts” initiative, funded by the Lumina Foundation and focused on expanding opportunities for adults, (especially people of color) to attain credentials. The initiative supports the goal of MaineSpark and seeks to expand access to a range of credentials from micro-credentials to traditional degrees. Like MaineSpark, “All Learning Counts” is a coalition of public and private organizations working to develop a micro-credential ecosystem and to support adult learners in gaining credentials demanded by employers. Two critical components of this initiative are to validate skills learned outside of educational systems (non-institutional learning) for credit toward credentials and provide more flexible, accessible programming and access to support services that will address personal and academic challenges facing adult learners.
Key partners include University of Maine Orono and Augusta, the Wabanaki Center, Eastern Maine Community College, the Maine Department of Corrections and its vendor Edovo, the Maine Department of Labor, the State Board, the Maine Department of Education – Adult Education, the Maine State Library, the United Technologies Center and Educate Maine. Educate Maine is another collaborative initiative that promotes education and career readiness through teacher education and connecting teachers with businesses to ensure curricula are meeting the needs of industry.
It is important to stay in communication with the state postsecondary system and also the private institutions to stay current on their initiatives and avoid duplication. There must also be engagement with employer training departments to determine what foundational skills their current and perspective employees may need and how they might be integrated into their training and hiring efforts.
Adult education needs to draw on other agencies with expertise in the delivery of English language services to coordinate ways to meet the ever-rising demand for instruction.
A learner referral system between the various programs and service providers must be developed, introduced, put into place, and promoted to ensure learners, and the partner agencies have awareness of and access to the most appropriate provider.