Located in:
- II. Strategic Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a Strategic Planning Elements section that analyzes the State’s current economic environment and identifies the State’s overall vision for its workforce development system. The required elements in this section allow the State to develop data-driven goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and to identify successful strategies for aligning workforce development programs to support economic growth. Unless otherwise noted, all Strategic Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.
II. c. State Strategy
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the State's strategies to achieve its strategic vision and goals. These strategies must take into account the State’s economic, workforce, and workforce development, education and training activities and analysis provided in Section (a) above. Include discussion of specific strategies to address the needs of populations provided in Section (a).
1. Describe the strategies the State will implement, including industry or sector partnerships related to in-demand industry sectors and occupations and career pathways, as required by WIOA section 101(d)(3)(B), (D). “Career pathway” is defined at WIOA section 3(7) and includes registered apprenticeship. “In-demand industry sector or occupation” is defined at WIOA section 3(23)
2. Describe the strategies the State will use to align the core programs, any Combined State Plan partner programs included in this Plan, required and optional one-stop partner programs, and any other resources available to the State to achieve fully integrated customer services consistent with the strategic vision and goals described above. Also describe strategies to strengthen workforce development activities in regard to weaknesses identified in section II(a)(2)
Current Narrative:
Stakeholders of the workforce development system and state agencies with responsibility for the administration of core programs developed strategic objectives to achieve the state’s vision and goals. These strategies reflect Maine’s unique economic, workforce, and workforce development characteristics; focus on delivering greater value to customers; and target opportunities for greater alignment between programs and increased system-wide efficiencies. Maine’s strategic objectives are discussed below and more fully elaborated throughout this document.
Aligning with Maine’s Economic Development Strategy 2020-2029, the Unified State Plan seeks to partner economic development with workforce development. The Economic Development Strategy identifies renewable energy (solar, wind, bio-fuel), sustainable fishing, aquaculture and bio-based products as sectors which will be areas of focus for the next 10 years. Coupling that with Maine’s already growing needs in health care and manufacturing, workforce and economic development will be partnering to address the needs of established and emerging industries. Being a large, rural state, local workforce boards will be identifying local industry sectors as areas of focus as well.
Maine’s strategy is three pronged to support employers, constituents and develop a sustainable system of growth for both of these important customers. The Strategic Objectives outlined below provide the framework and guiding principles of the implementation plan in III.a State Strategy Implementation.
Strategic Objective: Partner and Respond to Business Talent Needs
For Maine’s economy to flourish, employers must have a ready supply of capable and skilled workers. Maine’s strategic objectives begin with the recognition that the system must place business and residents at the center and construct programs designed to support them rather than placing programs at the center and requiring business and residents to manage the programs.
Specifically, Maine will:
- Align and coordinate with economic development efforts to anticipate and prepare for the next generation of talent requirements by executing a joint business engagement strategy and continual cross-agency communication on business needs and opportunities
- Work across state agencies to coordinate business marketing, outreach, and engagement efforts to streamline business access to services and talent
- Establish strategy for regular engagement with regional business groups, industry associations to ensure alignment of education and training services with employer demand, with a focus on priority industries in Maine
- Identify strategies to leverage private sector investment in training their workforce, including apprenticeships and other work-based learning approaches, advancement strategies, and an employer of choice designation for businesses offering quality jobs
Strategic Objective: Create a System of Lifelong Learning and Employment Connection for Maine Residents
The success of Maine’s economy will ultimately be determined by the strength and quality of its workforce. As part of this unified plan, Maine will build its workforce using a multi-faceted approach.
Specifically, Maine will:
- Align all public programs and funding that support Maine residents to increase their skills and education into a seamless continuum of programs and supports, with a focus on career pathways for in-demand occupations
- Implement and expand best-in-class strategies to build worker skills and education and success through long-term engagement of residents, including:
- Career pathways that are employer-defined with clear handoffs and connections throughout
- Work-based learning, apprenticeships, incumbent worker training, and other strategies that support earning and learning together
- Work-readiness skill development throughout lifelong learning process
- A concierge service across state agency, non-profit and higher education portals to create a “no wrong door” approach that networks existing capacity together
- Establish coordinated, networked and targeted strategies to engage untapped talent for high-priority populations with specific employment goals for each population, including:
- Families, using a two-generation approach that prepares both the current and future workforce for success
- Youth and young adults both in and out of school and work
- Veterans
- Individuals with disabilities
- Residents recovering from opioids
- Re-entering citizens
- New Mainers
- Rural Maine residents, including telecommuting and remote work strategies
- Older adults
- Recognize and integrate essential work supports with workforce system to support workplace success, including child care, transportation, mental health and other services; identify and address gaps in work supports
Strategic Objective: Build an Integrated Workforce Development Infrastructure Accountable to Residents and Businesses
Creating a workforce development system that is accessible, data and demand driven and accountable to Maine residents and businesses will require an integrated and streamlined way of doing business. In a large geographic state with unique demographics and very limited resources, the workforce development system must be nimble, efficient and effective to meet the needs of current and future employers. Working together, the core partners are committed to aligning and integrating their systems to ensure optimal access for Maine’s workforce and employers. Initiatives will be pursued that streamline customer navigation, data sharing and continuous improvement through evaluation, accountability, and data driven decision making.
To achieve this objective, the core programs will employ a range of strategies that focus on alignment and integration of systems, services and operations.
Specifically, Maine will:
- Establish coordinated infrastructure across public and private agencies with education and workforce programs and align along career pathways and within sectors with a focus on high priority populations that is responsive to changing business and resident needs
- Re-brand and re-market the newly defined and expanded workforce system as a transparent and easily accessible system
- Utilize data effectively through a common set of metrics across state agencies and move to an integrated data system
- Leverage funding to expand the capacity of the workforce system through private sector investments, competitive federal procurements and untapped funding sources; braid funds to support seamless service provision and partner with philanthropy to seed innovation