Central Region Consortium Work Plan

Objectives & Outcomes for 2007-2008

ABSTRACT:  The Central Region Consortium infrastructure provides a collaborative and coordinated network and response strategy for the fourteen colleges in the region to meet the market demands for education and job training.   This network is designed to bring staff from career technical education and economic & workforce development together for information sharing and problem solving.  Dissemination of information, combined with collaborative exchanges and coordination of services, places the Central Region Consortium in a key position to provide statewide leadership.

I.          Increase the active involvement of chief executive officers, chief instructional officers, chief student services officers, Vocational and Economic Development Administrators, the Academic Senate, management information systems officers, the statewide discipline advisory committee, and Economic Development Centers and Initiative Directors in regional consortia planning.

Efforts to increase active involvement included:

·         Maintained a comprehensive contact matrix of all community college staff listed in Objective 1 for the Region’s list service, mailing list, and Web site directory.  With this information in place, both new an existing contacts received ongoing communication pertaining to Region meetings and statewide events.

·         Invited all Regional EWD Center Directors to report during the Annual Planning Retreat.

·         Resources provided by the www.crconsortium.com Web site encouraged involvement and included links to online event registration, event agendas and minutes, the CCCCO’s Program Approval Handbook; college Web site home pages; CCCCO and EWD Web sites; and more.

·         Facilitated the endorsement of eighty-three (83) applications for New Occupational Programs, requests to Add New Option to Existing Program, and/or conversion of low-unit (fewer that 18 units) certificates of achievement for the colleges in the Region.

II.          Conduct, at least six, meetings with appropriate staff from each college in the region to coordinate programs and services.

The Central Region Consortium coordinated the following events/meetings in 2007-2008.  Combined total attendance from all events was 276 participants.  

GENERAL MEETINGS / EVENTS (seven events = 276 participants):

July 31, 2007 – Career Pathways Web Development Work Group – Meeting conducted via CCCconfer conference call. (5 participants)

September 25, 2007 – EWD Rural Opportunities Studies Work Group – Meeting conducted via CCCconfer conference call  (8 participants)

October 11, 2007 - CCCAOE Fall Conference, Cathedral City – General meeting – Topics of discussion included Career Pathways, Strategic Plan Goal Areas, Center reports, Work Ready Certificate approved by Region, and Perkins IV funding split (22 participants)

November 16, 2007 –The Evolution of Student Learning Outcomes for Central Region Colleges  - College teams shared information on the status of SLOs on their campus. (79 participants)

February 27, 2008 – Career Development Workshop in Fresno.  Presented by the Statewide Career Development Collaborative.  (39 participants)

February 28, 2008 – Perkins IV Accountability Workshop, Chuck Wiseley, Presenter (56 participants)

March 12-13-14, 2008 – CCCAOE Spring Conference – Sacramento – General meeting – Topics discussed included conversion of low-unit (12-under 18) certificates of achievement, Career Pathways Web site, Center of Excellence report, Center reports, System Office report, Workforce Leaders’ Institute, and CCCAOE Board Report (30 participants)

June 18-20, 2008 – Annual Planning Retreat – Sessions Included:  Utilizing the Services of the Center of Excellence & Uncovering Data Resources, Portofino Working Group Project, EWD Initiative and Center Reports, Five Minutes of Fame Roundtable, Planning for 2007-2008, CCCAOE Board Report, Statewide Career Pathways Project, Faculty Entrepreneurship Project, and Program Approval.  (37 registered participants)

III.         Meet at least quarterly with the Chancellor's Office staff.

Gary Mendenhall, Project Director, and Sue Clark, Coordinator, met with the Chancellor’s Office staff in Sacramento on September 17, 2007, January 7, 2008, and May 12, 2008.   Mr. Mendenhall and Ms. Clark also attended Regional Consortia Chair meetings on October 10, 2007 and on March 12, 2008 during the CCCAOE conferences.

IV.        Meet with the Statewide Advisory Committees representatives and the VTEA Statewide Discipline/Industry Collaborative projects as designated by the Chancellor's Office.  A minimum of two meetings is anticipated.  The Chancellor's Office will convene and facilitate these meetings.

The Chancellor's Office did not convene a meeting of system leaders in Career Technical Education and Economic & Workforce Development in 2007-2008

V.         Collaborate with the VTEA Statewide Discipline/Industry Collaborative projects, Accountability Collaborative, Career Development Collaborative, Special Populations Collaborative, Work-Based Learning Collaborative, Statewide Advisory Committees, the Statewide Academic Senate and the Chancellor's Office staff, to:

A)         Assist in the development/implementation of statewide consortium and partnerships with the VTEA collaboratives:

Within the Central Region, individuals serving in a variety of capacities, provided assistance in the development of statewide consortium and partnerships with VTEA collaborative projects.  Their involvement in both Regional Consortium activities and VTEA Statewide Projects served to strengthen partnerships.

• Gary Mendenhall, Region Chair, provided support by serving as Vice President of the Central Region for the California Community Colleges Association for Occupational Education (CCCAOE).
• Ms. Sue Clark, Central Region Consortium Coordinator, provided assistance through her role as the community college co-chair for California’s Joint Special Populations Statewide Advisory Committee (JSPAC).   
• Dr. Hazel Hill, Dean of Community and Economic Development, San Joaquin Delta College, served on the Statewide Advisory Committee for Research and Accountability.

B)         Provide communication about and dissemination of VTEA collaborative activities, outcomes and products to all community college providers of VTEA collaborative specific discipline/industry cluster education.

• The Central Region Consortium office disseminated materials for the following Statewide Discipline / Industry Collaborative Projects, as received, via the region’s electronic list service:  On-the-QT Newsletters and Work-Based Online Learning Course information disseminated for the Work Based Learning Collaborative; FLASH Newsletter to region for the Family & Consumer Sciences Collaborative.

c) Assist with professional development activities:

The Central Region Consortium Office provided assistance with professional development activities as follows:

• Coordinated the events listed under Item II of this report for the 14 colleges of the Central Region;

VI.        Collaborate with the Economic Development Initiatives through Regional Centers and Initiative Directors.

• Collaboration included invitations to Center Directors to participate in the Annual Planning Retreat.  Content of reports from these Centers will be documented as part of the meeting minutes and final report of the Central Region Consortium.

VII.     Conduct, in coordination with the California Community College Association of Occupational Education (CCCAOE), seminars to address workforce needs.

• Provided financial support, in the amount of $1,000, to CCCAOE for the Fall 2007 conference in Cathedral City and spring 2008 conference in Sacramento.
• Gary Mendenhall, CCCAOE VP for Central Region, provided CCCAOE Board reports to the Region in October 2007, March 2008, and June 2008.

VIII.     Expand professional development that provides academic and vocational faculty and counselors with the knowledge and skills required to implement economic development and workforce preparation and ensure responsiveness to special populations. 

• Supported participation in California’s Joint Special Populations Advisory Committee’s (JSPAC) statewide conference by providing travel funds in the amount of $2,000 to the project’s fiscal agent.   (215 total participants from community colleges and K-Adult education)
• Provided $10,000 to the Statewide Career  Development Collaborative to support statewide Career Development Workshops.  (Coast Community College District, Fiscal Agent)

IX.       Participate in statewide and regional workforce development marketing efforts.  Encourage regional collaboration to market workforce development.

• Updated and maintained regional Web site, www.training4me.com.  The site offers a comprehensive directory of community college providers and services. The Central Region Consortium Office served as the primary point of contact for receipt of web site inquiries.    Each inquiry is forwarded to the college lead vocational education administrator and/or economic development practitioner for follow-up.   No inquires were received in 2007-2008.

X.       Facilitate the dissemination of information, articles, position papers, and products developed by Career Technical Education and Economic and Workforce Development Program projects to colleges, and education and economic development entities in the region.  Link regional Web site to the Chancellor’s Office Web site.

• The Central Region Consortium office sent and received 3,899 electronic messages between July 1, 2007 and June 16, 2008.
• Newsletters and correspondence from Statewide Collaborative projects, Statewide Advisory Committees, CDE, and the CCCCO (to include CTE and EWD project information) were disseminated to the Region’s 298 electronic list service contacts, as received. 
• Disseminated correspondence on behalf of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.
• The Central Region Consortium office maintained the www.crconsortium.com Web site.  Recorded visits to the site in 2007-2008 were 1,899. 
• The www.crsonosrtium.com Web site is linked to both the CTE and EWD unit pages of the CCCCO Web site.
• Maintained 4 lists for electronic list service communication.  These included two lists for communication to Central Region colleges (298 contacts) and two lists for communication with regional consortia chairs and CCCCO staff (42 contacts).

XI.      Sponsor regional meeting/workshops:

a.        For Career Technical Education and Economic and Workforce Development funded projects to promote the regional economic development plan, networking, sharing of best practices, and updates on legislative and other current events impacting the regions.

• The meeting schedule and meeting topics set by the Central Region Consortium are based upon priorities established by regional participants during the June annual planning retreat.  In 2007-2008, the following topics were the priorities for meetings planned:  Perkins IV Accountability, Student Learning Outcomes, Rural Opportunities Studies grants, Career Pathways, and Uncovering Data Resources.
• Meetings of the Central Region Consortium promoted networking, sharing of best practices, and events impacting the region, as evidenced by meeting minutes posted to the http://www.crconsortium.com web site.
• Updates on legislative and other current events were forwarded electronically to the Region list service upon receipt by the Consortium office.

2. For Career Technical Education and Workforce Development initiatives to promote collaboration and linkages between the Local Workforce Investment Boards that will encourage local community college participation in the One-Stop system.

The Central Region Consortium is a partner with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.  The Consortium is committed to disseminating information to the region on behalf of the Partnership.  Electronic communication was forwarded to the region list service upon receipt.

c.        In coordination and collaboration with the CCCCO Career Development Advisory Committee, provide faculty and counselors with access to professional development conferences and workshops to learn the latest research and best practices for conducting career development/career management student support services and/or integrating career management activities in the classroom.  Each region will receive $10,000 for this purpose.

• $10,000 was paid to Coast Community College District to support coordination and collaboration with the CCCCO Career Development Advisory Committee.

• Disseminated information to promote participation in Making Powerful Connections career workshops as received. (39 counseling staff attended the February 27, 2008 workshop in Fresno.)

XII.       Maintain Internet connections with the CCCEWD home page.

The http://www.crconsortium.com Web site LINKS button provides easy access to the http://www.cccewd.net home page.

XIII.     Facilitate and coordinate assistance efforts to colleges that will be used to enable special population students to meet state adjusted levels of performance.

• Supported the work of the California Joint Special Populations Advisory Committee by providing funding to support the statewide conference ($2,000) and a regional representative to the committee.  Sue Clark served as the committee’s co-chair.

XIV.  Conduct one statewide conference for Special Populations program personnel.  This may be coordinated with the California Department of Education.

·         Provided funding to support the California Joint Special Populations Leadership Training Conference, Career Scene Investigations, in November 2007. (215 participants representing K-Adult and community college education and private industry)

XV.       Conduct a statewide conference for new and/or prospective Vocational Education Administrators.

• The Central Region Consortium contributed $4,730 to the Los Angeles/Orange County Regional Consortium (Citrus College, Fiscal Agent) to support the 2008 Workforce Leaders’ Institute held at the UCLA Conference Center, Lake Arrowhead, April 2008. (65 participants)

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