wdp grant - redacted
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Greater Raritan Valley Workforce Delivery Project TAACCCT Grant Proposal. Redacted.TRANSCRIPT
RVCC Workforce Development & Career Education The GRWDP project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, TAACCCT Grant Program
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY) License
TAACCCT Grant Proposal A Workforce Development and Career Education Initiative Raritan Valley Community College
Greater Raritan
Workforce Delivery Project
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Technical Proposal
In Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, situated near the heart of the largest metropolitan area in
the U.S., urban and suburban streets and rural landscapes boast residential and shopping areas, farmlands
and historical sites, business and industrial districts. This Central New Jersey hub is home to nearly
460,000 residents. Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) has served the bi-county residents for over
40 years, offering more than 90 associate degrees and certificates in business, computers, education,
engineering, math, medical, and other career oriented areas. Our customized training programs address
our community’s unique needs. Our academic lectures, service learning programs, art shows and
performances, and facilities rentals engage and enrich the local community. RVCC is a partner in the
development of Somerset and Hunterdon.
RVCC proposes to leverage our tradition as one of New Jersey’s finest educational institutions to
establish “The Greater Raritan Workforce Delivery Project” (GRWDP) by implementing ten workforce
delivery programs (WDPs) in collaboration with local businesses, industries and career training experts.
We plan to identify emerging or growing industries in our community and develop best practices for highly
effective workforce delivery in those industries. We will establish the institutional infrastructure to ensure
successful implementation and to sustain continued transformation of these WDPs beyond the grant period.
I. Statement of Need
i. Impact of foreign trade on community to be served
Somerset and Hunterdon have had 14 certified Affirmative Determinations since 2007. Of the 14
registered TAW numbers, nine are currently active, including 70200 (VWR International, 7/2/2009), 70484
(Virage Logic Corp, 12/8/2009), 71938 (GPSG, Unit of Ortho-McNeil-Jennsen, 10/9/2009), 72252 (Avaya,
Inc., 11/16/2009), 72839 (U.S. Metal Powders, Inc., 6/18/2010), 72877 (Avaya, Inc, 5/3/2010), 74275
(Welch Allyn, Inc, 10/22/2010), 74275A (Welch Allyn, Inc, 10/22/2010), and 74701 (Avaya, Inc, 1/2/2011).
These TAA Certifications were petitioned by the One Stop Career Center, workers, and employers. We
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have averaged four new cases per year and expect the number to grow in this depressed economy.
ii. Targeted population in community to be served
RVCC proposes to target TAA-eligible and other unemployed/dislocated workers in Hunterdon
Somerset Counties. According to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
(NJLWD), among the January 2009 to December 2010 TAA recipients: 57% were female; 80% were 45
years or older; and 37% lacked a high school diploma. The industries from which they were displaced
include telephone communications, semiconductors and related devices, medical instruments,
pharmaceuticals, smelting and refining. Displaced workers worked in production, design and engineering,
sales support, and finance positions. According to the Greater Raritan One Stop Career Center, the primary
barriers to re-employment for these workers are: knowledge of current software, certification requirements
in other industries, inadequate educational level, lack of funds to sustain long-term training or certification
programs, age, family situations such as need for childcare or family support, and the extremely limited
public transportation options in Somerset and Hunterdon, which present a commuting hardship for low-
income individuals.
ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) is an acronym created by the United Way
to describe individuals and families who struggle every day to make ends meet. They work in jobs that are
essential to Somerset’s and Hunterdon’s economies, but are struggling to maintain their homes and lives.
They are a growing population that includes college students or recent graduates, young working families
with children, underemployed adults without benefits, active duty military personnel, family caregivers, or
seniors living on fixed incomes and struggling with health issues. Their annual household incomes of
$20,000-$60,000 are not enough to be self-sufficient. ($60,000 is the minimum annual income for basic
self-sufficiency for a family of four. A $20,000 annual income brings that same family below the poverty
level.) These families’ incomes are falling behind their costs of living; their essential jobs pay low wages;
they struggle with rising housing costs; they have no savings and face hard choices when emergency
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medical care or home repair expenses overwhelm their meager resources. According to the United Way in
our two counties, there are 31,347 (28%) ALICE households or households living below poverty in
Somerset, and 13,025 (27%) in Hunterdon. Combined with the impact of TAA-related displacements, these
families have few hopes of recovery without viable career pathways to increase their incomes.
RVCC’s GRWDP will establish a career pathways program by developing ten one- or two-year
WDPs that will provide industry-specific post-secondary credentialing opportunities in Somerset and
Hunterdon. We will roll out WDPs in phases, launching with HVAC and automotive programs and adding
new ones throughout the 36-month initiative. Initial employer outreach has yielded important findings about
employee training and educational needs in these two industries. Employer outreach was achieved by
utilizing the DACUM model, a proven curriculum development process used for over 40 years on six
continents by major corporations such as AT&T, Boeing, Disney, General Electric, the Internal Revenue
Service, and the Texas Occupational Standards Committee. Two panels were convened for each industry
group – a Management Panel made up of senior managers (often owners) from local companies that
employ HVAC technicians, and automotive technicians; and an Expert-Worker Panel (DACUM) comprised
of top-performing technicians from the same companies. These panels provided the core knowledge
needed to complete a comprehensive job analysis – a process that incorporates Management Review,
DACUM, and Task Analysis to document and validate duties, tasks, knowledge, skills, traits, and behaviors,
required of workers in the field, while also providing a sense of emerging and dying trends affecting the
worker. This process engages employers in an industry analysis and uniquely uses expert workers rather
than instructors or managers to determine curriculum.. By recognizing these high-performing workers as
experts, DACUM narrows the gap between classwork and what workers actually need to achieve excellent
performance. Our Management Panelists have found it a challenge to find qualified candidates among
numerous applicants. In both industries, tasks have become increasingly technical, demanding formal
technology trainings. All four panels were concerned by younger applicants’ work ethic and professional
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behavior. These results have helped us to redefine our curriculum to include both technical and “soft skills”
– personal qualities, habits, and attitudes that employers seek.
iii. Targeted industries and occupations
Research and DACUM findings led RVCC to opt to launch with the automotive and HVAC
industries. USDOL projects growth in automotive service and mechanic jobs, but job openings will increase
as experienced workers retire. National growth from 2008-2018 is projected to be 5%. NJLWD predicts a
5.2% local growth during the same time period. Further, DOL asserts that “Candidates who complete
postsecondary automotive training programs will have better opportunities, as employers seek more
technical expertise,” which is consistent with our DACUM findings. Local employers are particularly
concerned with the absence of soft skills among young candidates.
A similar analysis was conducted for HVAC technicians. USDOL projects a faster than average job
growth and numerous retirements among HVAC mechanics and installers. They predict excellent
opportunities for new trainees, particularly from accredited technical schools or formal apprenticeships.
The national growth during 2008-2018 is projected at 28%, and NJLWD projects local growth at 21.1%.
The rapid increase in retirement of highly skilled technicians will generate significant openings. DOL
reports that “Already, contractors are reporting problems finding workers to meet demand” which was again
consistent with our DACUM findings. Across all of our Industry Panels, employers assure us that they
expect to hire in the near future and will support our program.
In order to use these and similar industry findings to guide our workforce delivery efforts, RVCC
has begun to establish a GRWDP Steering Committee. Members will include state labor experts and local
employers to help assess industry growth potentials and employee training needs. Engaging local
employers, we will identify and add eight more WDPs beyond the initial two. Armed with data from the
NJLWD, we will gauge regional industry, employment and job displacement trends. Additional Committee
members will include the Assistant Commissioner of NJLWD, representatives from each county’s Chamber
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of Commerce, employers, the local WIB, One Stop Career Center, and United Ways from Somerset and
Hunterdon. Many of these members help displaced workers to return to employment.
iv. Gaps in existing educational & career training programs
Automotive and HVAC training opportunities within 20 miles of RVCC are extremely limited; only
two exist in automotive programs and two in HVAC. In automotive, the Hunterdon County Vocational
School offers Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) and Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
Certificate programs. They do not serve TAA-associated adults and lack distance or asynchronous training
options, as all courses are classroom or laboratory-based. The Edison Job Corps partners with AAMCO in
their automotive mechanic training program, which also does not serve TAA-associated adults, and has a
prohibitive 2000 hour requirement for completion. In HVAC, the Hunterdon Vocational High School’s
registered apprenticeship does not serve TAA-associated adults, and demands a two-year commitment
from students for a one-year curriculum. Rutgers University’s Center for Continuing Professional
Development, beyond a 20 mile radius, offers an HVAC program that is available entirely online. While
flexible, it is inadequate; DACUM Panelists have indicated the critical importance of hands-on skills training
via face-to-face interactions. No other automotive or HVAC trainings exist in our service area.
RVCC is a traditional two-year college; our strength is in transferring graduates to universities to
continue their education. As a result of a County consolidation effort, RVCC assumed responsibility for the
Somerset County Technical Institute (SCTI) in July 2010, which became “RVCC @ Bridgewater.” This
program provides adult vocational and technical education, requiring a training approach that primarily
leads directly to work rather than further studies. We are building infrastructure, policies and practices to
meet the expanded mission, new student demands for employment preparedness and industry demands
for highly qualified graduates.
In the course of assessing and building capacity for these new demands, we identified several
factors we must address. Re-Focus: RVCC needs several industry-driven curriculua and the infrastructure
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to develop them. We must build and improve an in-house staff capacity to integrate the DACUM process
into our curriculum development processes. Academic Support and Remediation: RVCC’s Academic
Support Center provides tutoring resources and general “study habit training,” but only at the main campus,
which is inconvenient for students at the Bridgewater site. The satellite’s current math and English
remediation methods are inadequate and must be strengthened. We also wish to establish reliable,
consistent mechanisms to respond to challenges from students about coursework. Neglected Soft Skills:
In response to the global demand for soft skills competency among employees, RVCC needs to improve
our tools for evaluating and improving student skills in its career-oriented programs. Student Support:
Alerting students at mid-term that their performance may lead to a failing grade is often too late to resolve
underlying issues. We will move student retention to the forefront by adapting more effective predictors of
student success and a proactive approach to providing resources and support to struggling students.
RVCC needs a technology-based infrastructure to allow students to make up missed classroom instructions
and improve retention and program completion. On another front, RVCC needs to enhance its employment
opportunities board with an active job placement program. Our advisory boards lack direct links to our
Career Center, which squanders that potential resource. The job board and internships are supported by
two part-time staff who collectively support 8000 students in 32 weekly hours. Outcomes Tracking: RVCC
uses surveys to track graduate employment outcomes, which yields an incomplete picture. We have poor
feedback between industry, faculty and curriculum developers to glean post-graduation performance, which
hinders effective adjustment to market demand. We plan to leverage several powerful data systems
currently used to track and report on student retention and performance, and to enhance outcome tracking
to bolster student support, retention and completion.
II. Work Plan and Project Management
i. Evidence-based design & overview of proposed strategy
The mission of RVCC’s GRWDP is to strengthen the local economy by transforming today’s
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dedicated students into tomorrow’s exceptional employees. It hinges on the delivery of two promises: 1) To
employers: Graduates will be the kind of employees they seek; and 2) To students: When they complete
the program, they will be well-positioned for economic success through employment. While our overall
service model is based on a strong evidence-based study conducted on a USDOL demonstration in 2000
(see page 13 for details), every one of our strategies is rooted in a research study that has confirmed the
efficacy and effectiveness of these methodologies. RVCC proposes the following career pathways modeled
WDP development and implementation priorities and strategies:
Priority 1: Accelerate Progress for Low-Skilled and Other Workers – RVCC will provide critical
advisement and self-paced, contextualized support to match students with appropriate WDP programs and
help them advance. Strategies include:
1.1) Develop and implement self-paced contextualized learning that combines basic skills
with specific career knowledge i – Employers express consistent concern about low basic skills
competency among job applicants. Our faculty will work with remediation experts to develop highly
contextual math, reading and writing curricula to deliver the precise (DACUM-determined) skills needed.
Before students begin the WDP curricula, we will assess their basic skills. WDPs will incorporate
supplemental learning resources in the context of the field and strategically deploy tutoring options to
support students at critical learning points. We plan to adapt an I-BEST styled model, wherein a basic
skills/ESL instructor will work in concert with each WDP’s primary instructor to help students improve both
basic and technical competenciesii. We will expand the tutoring staff and train them in the contextualized
support materials. Stipended graduates will be placed in classrooms as peer tutors to assist current
studentsiii.
1.2) Improve Career Services by incorporating active job placement practices through WIB
partnership as well as job search training – We will integrate the GRWIB’s One-Stop Career Center’s
job search skills training program (resume writing, interview techniques, effective job search methods, etc.)
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into on-campus classes. Our new Employment Placement Coordinator (EPC) will co-locate at the WIB 50-
75% of the time to leverage WIB placement resources and experiences. The EPC and One-Stop staff will
leverage our combined industry connections to match graduates with companies. The EPC will share
insights on specific businesses gleaned from a new GRWDP Customer Relationship Management system
(CRM) from to prepare students and graduates for applications and interviews, and will
document all efforts in the CRM. DACUM Panelist employers have already committed to supporting our
graduates, who will be valued as highly qualified, pre-screened workers.
Other related strategies to accelerate successful job placement include: Tapping local industry and
business connections, the EPC will coordinate early job shadowing and field trips to facilitate early job
visioning and help students focus on their ultimate goal and inspire a commitment to the workiv. Our
Instructional Systems Analyst (ISA) and the USDOL Apprenticeship and Training Coordinator will closely
partner on registered apprenticeships. Through reciprocal technical assistance, our curriculum review
process will benefit from their experience, while their curricular updates will benefit from our process. We
will collaborate to garner local industry support to link students to registered apprenticeships. Students will
complete capstone-styled internships near the end of training to provide a final check-point on how well
they have synthesized their learningv. This is critical to the delivery of our promise to students. Any
deficiencies that surface will be rectified prior to graduation so that graduates are well-positioned for job
success and employers are assured a highly qualified employee. The EPC will coordinate internships,
providing oversight and data gathering for the CRM. GRWDP’s Business Outreach Director (BOD) will
assist in identifying internship opportunities through relationships and partnerships s/he established and
documented in the CRM. Internships further allow employers to “try before they buyvi.” Our hope is to
convert successful placements into permanent employment, which will reflect well on RVCC’s GRWDP
efforts.
1.3) Build and deliver strong upfront advising practices to effectively counsel incoming
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students on career/educational expectations leveraging upfront assessment toolsvii,viii – RVCC will
work with , the world’s largest independent predictive analytics company, to leverage their
array of proven pre-assessment tools and design a reliable Aptitude Assessment Tool (AAT) with high
predictive ability and low burden to complete. will continually adjust and validate the tool’s efficacy.
RVCC will hire a full-time Advisor/Retention Specialist (ARS) who will be well-versed in industry and
educational expectations and attend WDP “101 courses” to understand what and how skills are taught.
S/he will interact with industry experts, including DACUM Panelists and Task Analysis participants. The
ARS will meet with new students to gauge their abilities, job histories, and expectations, and counsel them
on choosing a suitable WDP. S/he will supplement advisement with the AAT, and build a strong relationship
with the tutoring staff to fully embrace the academic support options that improve completion rate among
low-skilled students. Advisement helps improve student-to-program match, which facilitates acceleration
and retentionix.
The ARS uses a case management approach to provide support and encouragement from start to
graduationx. S/he will assess students’ circumstances, match them with appropriate WDPs, proactively
identify and address barriers to completion, counsel them through sustained interactions, identify and
connect them to academic support and external resources, and shepherd them through program
completion and graduation. This vantage point in student progress makes him/her a key asset in data
gathering efforts, particularly as related to retention and completion. S/he will leverage the CRM to
document her retention efforts – including counseling, remediation or other support, progress notes, etc. –
which will be tracked and analyzed to identify potential predictive insights to help us improve future
retention strategies.
1.4) Continuously assess and refine approaches to accelerate progress for low-skilled and
other workersxi – Using the project’s evaluation mechanisms, the Project Executive Director and faculty
will continuously assess and refine the above approaches.
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Priority 2: Improve Retention and Achievement to Reduce Time to Completion – RVCC will
institute systems to facilitate students’ ability to complete WDPs in the shortest time possible without
sacrificing quality. Each WDP will have its own completion certification. Every student will receive the
credential deemed appropriate by his/her industry’s Employers Panels (e.g., AAS degree, Certificate).
Every graduate will earn all industry-recognized credentials deemed “Necessary” by DACUM while many
will also earn additional credentials deemed “Helpful.” For example, all HVAC grads will earn their EP 608
Type 1, Type 2, and Universal certifications and many automotive grads will earn multiple ASE
certifications. Strategies include:
2.1) Improve retention and achievement by adding flexible lecture deliveryxii – We will hire
Tegrity, whose lecture capture technology is used at colleges and universities worldwide, to engage and
train RVCC faculty to construct an innovative system for capturing, storing, indexing, and making available
lecture videos for flexible access by students. Students will be able to replay the lecture or to view it while
interacting with the class as it is being recorded. We aim to build a system that is easy to use for faculty
and for students who miss an occasional class. We will test the system in its first year to ensure we achieve
our intended results. Continuous adjustments may include policy issues such as the maximum number of
classes students may stream without jeopardizing the value of live lessons, the types of classes that may
not be streamed, and other issues related to the impact of this technology on learning outcomes.
2.2) Develop and implement an effective “course challenge” system that allows students to
receive credit for demonstrated competencyxiii – We will provide opportunities for effective, accurate
test-outs for displaced workers who already possess relevant skills and competencies to waive certain
classes. To implement this fairly, we will define clear challenge procedures for all courses. Students may
opt to take a formal assessment of their mastery for credit. We will hire a Test Design Consultant to work
with faculty to develop these exams.
2.3) Implement an early alert system in conjunction with proactive student outreachxiv –
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Early alert is essential to retention. Mid-term recognition of poor performance leaves little recourse for
remediation. An early-alert system will be designed and implemented to enable timely identification of
challenges to student success (e.g.,frequent absences, missed assignments, poor grades, poor attitude,
etc.). Relying heavily on the CRM, this system will facilitate our ability to proactively address underlying
issues and increase retention and completion. will work with RVCC to determine the
predictive factors; they will analyze the data and notify the ARS if a student is deemed at-risk.
2.4) Enhance relationships with community-based organizations to provide support
services such as mentoring, counseling and childcarexv – Life circumstances can be serious barriers to
job training and employment. The bi-county United Ways have agreed to provide support services to
GRWDP students to facilitate their program participation and completion.
2.5) Continuously assess and refine approaches to improve retention and achievement
rates to reduce time to completionxvi – Using the project’s evaluation mechanisms, the Project Executive
Director and faculty will continuously assess and refine the approaches outlined above.
Priority 3: Build Programs that Meet Industry Needs – To meet our promises to employers and
students and to strengthen the local economy, RVCC will design WDPs to supply businesses with excellent
employees. Strategies include:
3.1) Integrate industry-validated competenciesxvii – To meet our promise to employers and
students, RVCC plans to launch industry-driven curricula to ensure we deliver well-prepared, valued
employees to local industries with plans to hire in the coming years. We will establish a Steering
Committee to align our efforts with industry needs. It will meet quarterly to share perspectives, propose
ideas, and establish and assess progress against quantifiable performance benchmarks. The Committee
will leverage economic forecasting data and their local knowledge to identify the best potential WDPs.
Members will include local business and industry such as area Chambers of Commerce, industry and
business partners, emphasizing employers who have hired RVCC graduates; community-based
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organizations and public workforce entities such as the Greater Raritan Workforce Investment Board
(GRWIB), One-Stop Career Center, and Somerset and Hunterdon United Ways; economic experts who
collect and analyze economic impact benchmarking data; the
( ), an expert in analyzing WDP outcomes and comparative analyses of similar
institutional programs; and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJLWD) to
forecast regional employment trends. will serve as an advisor. An RVCC fiscal liaison will support
fiscal decision-making.
Only an industry-driven curriculum can consistently meet local industry needs. We aim to use a
DACUM guided curricular process to graduate employees with high proficiency in industry-validated skills.
The DACUM philosophy states that expert workers can best describe their occupation; occupations can be
described in terms of the tasks performed by successful workers; and successful task performance is
directly related to the knowledge, skills, tools, and attitudes of successful workers. We will hire an
experienced DACUM facilitator as our ISA to oversee the effort. We will work with expert workers in Task
Analyses to establish clear success metrics. DACUM and Task Analysisxviii engage local employers’ input in
planning, implementation, evaluation, and improvements, and gain their buy-in. The BOD will serve as the
primary business liaison to foster and maintain these relationships. S/he will use a CRM tool to track and
document his/her efforts at converting businesses into partners.
3.2) Develop soft skills training into the cornerstone of WDP training – There is great
employer demand for employee soft skills competency. Soft skills are behavioral competencies critical to
getting hired and to long-term professional success. Because soft skills mastery involves changed
behaviors and attitudes rather than new knowledge, ( ) will train our
faculty to weave these principles into courseworkxix. is a leading manufacturer of innovative, hands-on
educational material used in classrooms worldwide. will also assess our overall soft skills efforts and
recommend improvements. Every entering student will complete a soft skills assessment. The ARS will
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ensure students understand early the importance of these skills. Those with weak scores and/or who
demonstrate poor competency (e.g., poor team work abilities, punctuality or work ethics, etc.) will remediate
through an intensive supplemental soft skills class. It will be competency-based, ongoing with open entry
and exit points. The ARS, who will have excellent facilitation and soft skills, will teach the class and meet
with students to support their advancement. Simultaneously, the BOD will work with industry partners and
both Chambers of Commerce to achieve a shared language and understanding of soft skills.
3.3) Improve WDP equipment/staff per industry recommendations – We are committed to
providing a top quality training program to displaced workers and ensure flexible delivery. RVCC will
upgrade its equipment and staff to meet the industry expectations collected from our review process. The
technology is both an educational tool and an asset to help students become familiar with current hardware
and software.
3.4) Continuously assess and refine approaches to building programs that meet industry
needsxx – We will employ a multi-pronged continuous feedback system. The EPC will track student
workplace performance during job shadowing and internships and graduate workplace performance, and
share it with RVCC faculty and administration via the CRM tool. Simultaneously, the BOD will update
industry partners on DACUM and Task Analysis results, student commendations and success stories,
using a newsletter, meetings, phone, or social media. Efforts will be tracked in the CRM. The BOD will
assess and refine these efforts.
Evidence-Based Design: The GRWDP initiative replicates the philosophy and the critical success
factors of a strong evidence-based model. In 2000, the USDOL Employment and Training Administration
(ETA) funded 39 local WIBs to participate in the sectoral employment demonstration (SED). These
initiatives sought to identify workforce needs and opportunities within a local or regional industry or cross-
industry occupational group while also focusing on economic performance and competitiveness. These
efforts targeted specific population – such as low-income workers, dislocated workers, or new entrants to
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the job market – to meet both industry needs for a competitive workforce and the needs of those targeted
for improved job opportunities. Sectoral initiatives were typically long-term efforts that, over time, attempt to
improve the functioning of their regional labor markets, benefiting both workers and employers.
The demonstration examined the potential for successful involvement in sectoral initiatives by local
WIBs in their intended roles, including developing employer linkages, coordinating with economic
development, involving private sector in the workforce investment system, and developing workforce
investment plans as part of a comprehensive workforce investment system focusing on individual job goals
and the needs of firms for skilled workers.
An Aspen Institute study from September 2002 to December 2003 examined the range of projects
and outcomes achieved by 38 WIBs that participated in the SED. These sectoral initiatives focused on
business goals, aimed to meet the needs of the labor force as well as the needs of the sector, and included
employer and/or industry involvement. The WIBs played a central role as workforce intermediaries that
focused on customized solutions for a specific industry at a regional level, and convened industry
partnerships with the dual goals of promoting industry competitiveness and advancing the employment of
low- and middle-income workers.
The Aspen Institute study found that workers in SED programs saw their median personal earnings
rise from $8,580 to $14,040 one year after training and $17,732 after two years. Based on earnings alone,
48% of participants exited poverty. Another outside evaluation found that employers reported a 41%
reduction in turnover and a 19% reduction in rework.
RVCC will launch ten WDPs customized to specific industries in our area, and has established the
same dual goals as the successful SEDs in our promises to employers and trainees. We will embrace all of
the critical success factors of the SED by addressing employers’ needs and industry-specific workforce
needs; addressing workers’ needs through formal career paths and reducing employment barriers;
bolstering regional economic competitiveness by engaging economic development experts in workforce
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issues and aligning education, economic, and workforce development planning through the DACUM
process and Steering Committee; acting as a workforce intermediary to engage a broad array of key
stakeholders; and, as a regional community college, promoting systemic change to achieve ongoing
benefits to the industry, workers and the community. See endnotes for research-based evidence for
individual strategies.
ii. Project Work Plan
Project Work Plan
Priority 1 Accelerate Progress for Low-skilled and Other Workers
Activity Implementer(s) Costs Time Deliverables
Stra
tegy
1.1
Deliver self-paced, contextualized
learning aids that combine basic skills with specific career
knowledge
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ 410,100 Start Date: 7/1/11 10 sets of self-paced,
contextualized materials, satellite tutoring center; cost-effective I-
BEST resources Curriculum Contractor
Equipment $ 40,000 End Date: 6/30/14
I-BEST Contractor Year 1: $ 147,200
Milestones:
8/1/11 Hire I-BEST Expert
Year 2: $ 125,700 8/15/11 Hire Curriculum Contractor Year 3: $ 137,200 8/29/11 Hire Peer Tutor
Cost per Student:
$ 809 9/6/11 First I-BEST class
10/1/11 Tutoring Center Operational
Stra
tegy
1.2
Improve Career Services by
incorporating active job placement
practices through WIB partnership as well as
job search training
RVCC Strategy Total:
$ 223,667 Start Date: 7/1/11 Established pipelines for job shadowing, internships, and
careers for 10 programs WIB Equipment $ 667 End Date: 6/30/14
Year 1: $ 72,667
Milestones:
8/15/11 Hire Employment Placement
Coordinator
Year 2: $ 74,000 10/1/11 CRM Operational
Year 3: $ 77,000
Cost per Student: $ 294
Stra
tegy
1.3
Build and deliver strong upfront advising practices to effectively
counsel incoming students on
career/educational expectations
leveraging upfront assessment tools
RVCC Strategy Total:
$ 206,833 Start Date: 7/1/11 A Set of Advisement Best Practices Developed from Data
Analytics for 10 Programs Equipment $ 333 End Date: 6/30/14
Year 1: $ 53,833
Milestones:
8/15/11 Hire Advisor/Retention
Specialist
Year 2: $ 69,500 9/6/11 Soft skills Assessments in
Place
Year 3: $ 83,500 9/6/11 Basic Skills Assessments in
place
Cost per Student:
$ 272
Stra
tegy
1.4
Continuously assess and refine approaches to accelerate progress
for low-skilled and other workers
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ 233,833 Start Date: 7/1/11 Report of the efficacy of
Priority 1 strategies with recommendations including
business case for sustainability Equipment $ - End Date: 3/1/14
Year 1: $ 133,833 Milestones:
7/11/11 Contracts in place with
, , and
Year 2: $ 75,000 9/1/11 Data Gathering Strategy
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Coordinated with and
Year 3: $ 55,000 1/15/12 First Report Due
Cost per Student:
$ 325
Priority 2 Improve Retention and Achievement Rates to Reduce Time to Completion
Activity Implementer(s) Costs Time Deliverables
Stra
tegy
2.1
Improve retention and achievement by
adding flexible lecture delivery (i.e.
streaming, download to portable devices,
etc.)
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ 578,405 Start Date: 7/1/11 4 electronic classrooms for digital dissemination of lectures, 1000+ hours of archived lectures Tegrity Equipment $ 225,000 End Date: 6/30/14
Year 1: $ 198,980
Milestones:
8/1/11 Contracts in Place with Vaddio and Tegrity
Year 2: $ 173,475 9/1/11
First Electronic Classroom Operational
Year 3: $ 205,950 9/6/11 Begin Lecture Recording
Cost per Student:
$ 1,522
Stra
tegy
2.2
Develop and implement an effective
"course challenge" system that allows
students to demonstrate
competency to receive credit
RVCC Strategy Total:
$ 116,000 Start Date: 7/1/11 An efficient system for students to challenge any
Industry-specific course across 10 programs
Test Design Company
Equipment $ - End Date: 6/30/14
Year 1: $ 44,000
Milestones:
11/7/11 Contract in Place with Test
Design Company
Year 2: $ 40,000 2/1/12 First Course Challenge
Assessment Completed
Year 3: $ 32,000 6/1/12
Cost per
Student: $ 1,526
Stra
tegy
2.3
Implement an early alert system in
conjunction with proactive student
outreach
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ 111,833 Start Date: 7/1/11
Data-driven early alert system
Equipment $ 333 End Date: 6/30/14
Year 1: $ 36,333
Milestones:
8/15/11 Hire Advisor/Retention Specialist
Year 2: $ 37,000 9/6/11 Establish Referral Protocol
with CBOs
Year 3: $ 38,500 10/15/11
Teach First Supplemental Soft Skills Class
Cost per Student: $ 147
Stra
tegy
2.4
Enhance relationships with community-based
organizations to provide supportive services such as
counseling, mentoring, and childcare
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ - Start Date: 7/1/11 Referral pipeline to assist
students in finding wrap-around services from local CBOs
United Way of Hunterdon
County Equipment $ - End Date: 6/30/14
United Way of Northern New
Jersey Year 1: $ -
Milestones:
9/6/11 Establish Referral Protocol
Year 2: $ - 10/15/11 Build a Directory of Services
Year 3:
Cost per Student: $ -
Stra
tegy
2.5
Continuously assess and refine approaches to improve retention
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ 233,833 Start Date: 7/1/11 Report of the efficacy of Priority 2 strategies with
recommendations including Equipment $ - End Date: 3/1/14
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and achievement rates to reduce time to
completion
business case for sustainability
Year 1: $ 133,833
Milestones:
7/11/11 Contracts in place with
, , and
Year 2: $ 75,000 9/1/11
Data Gathering Strategy Coordinated with and
Year 3: $ 55,000 1/15/12 First Report Due
Cost per Student:
$ 325
Priority 3 Build Programs That Meet Industry Needs
Activity Implementer(s) Costs Time Deliverables
Stra
tegy
3.1
Integrate industry-validated
competencies
RVCC Strategy Total:
$ 657,467 Start Date: 8/22/12 10 completed DACUM studies
and Task Analyses Web Programmer
Equipment $ 1,467 End Date: 3/1/14
Year 1: $ 228,467
Milestones:
8/15/11 Hire Instructional Systems
Analyst
Year 2: $ 211,500 8/15/11
Hire Business Outreach Director
Year 3: $ 217,500 12/1/11 First Full Industry Analysis
Complete
Cost per Student: $ 913
Stra
tegy
3.2
Develop Soft Skills training into the
cornerstone of WDP training
RVCC Strategy Total:
$ 306,000 Start Date: 7/1/11 Soft Skills competencies fully integrated into the curriculum of
Equipment $ - End Date: 6/30/14
Year 1: $ 134,000
Milestones:
7/18/11 Contract in place with
Year 2: $ 77,000 9/6/11 Soft Skills Assessments in
Place
Year 3: $ 95,000 10/1/11 Complete Staff Training
Including "Training the Trainer"
Cost per Student:
$ 425
Stra
tegy
3.3
Improve WDP equipment/staff per
Industry recommendations
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ 861,200 Start Date: 10/24/04 The necessary modern
equipment to train students per DACUM and Industry Analysis
Equipment $ 600,000 End Date: 4/28/14
Year 1: $ 290,400
Milestones:
10/28/11 Automotive equipment ordered
Year 2: $ 285,400 7/1/12 Equipment for 4 Programs
Ordered
Year 3: $ 285,400 7/1/13
Equipment for 7 Programs Ordered
Cost per Student:
$ 1,133
Stra
tegy
3.4
Continuously assess and refine approaches to building programs that meet industry
needs
RVCC Strategy
Total: $ 233,833 Start Date: 7/1/11 Report of the efficacy of Priority 3 strategies with
recommendations including business case for sustainability Equipment $ - End Date: 3/1/14
Year 1: $ 133,833
Milestones:
7/11/11 Contracts in place with , , and
Year 2: $ 75,000 9/1/11 Data Gathering Strategy
Coordinated with and
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Year 3: $ 55,000 1/15/212 First Report Due
Cost per Student: $ 325
iii. Project Management
Professional Qualifications of Full-Time Project Manager – Executive Director of Workforce
Development, Michael Metzgar, will be the full-time Project Manager for GRWDP. RVCC’s growing
workforce-focused mission and the addition of the Bridgewater Campus led to the creation of Mr. Metzgar’s
position to oversee the integration of best practices into workforce delivery programs. He is a principal
architect of the proposed design. Prior to joining RVCC, Mr. Metzgar was the Director of Instruction at The
Maricopa Skill Center in Phoenix, AZ for six years. During his tenure, he developed and managed budgets
in excess of $10 million; directly supervised over 70 staff persons; created a self-paced remediation
structure; doubled school enrollment via partnerships with a local high school and a new satellite campus;
overhauled curricular and industry feedback methodologies to reflect a more industry-focused educational
approach. Prior to that, Mr. Metzgar spent six years teaching and in administration at The University of
Advancing Technology in Tempe, AZ. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from Lehigh University and a
Ed.M. in Education from Harvard University.
Mr. Metzgar reports to and is directly accountable to Eileen Abel, Senior Vice President for
Academic Affairs. Dr. Abel is RVCC’s chief academic officer and has direct responsibility for faculty,
curriculum, instruction, and assessment of all credit programs. She assumes the school’s leadership in the
President’s absence. The new GRWDP staff – the Advisor/Retention Specialist, Business Outreach
Director, Instructional Systems Analyst, and Employment Placement Coordinator – will all report to Mr.
Metzgar.
Expertise/Resources Used in Project Development & Implementation – The following experts
and resources will help us develop and implement the proposed project: In addition to serving on our
Steering Committee to share insights on student needs, the GRWIB will share and leverage their job
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placement resources by allowing us to co-locate our Employment Placement Coordinator at their site. The
Somerset County Business Partnership (SCBP) and Hunterdon Chamber of Commerce (HCC) will work
with our Business Outreach Director to forge industry partnerships. They will also join the Steering
Committee to give the industry perspective. The will
serve on the Steering Committee as an advisor, provide us with key economic trends, help us to analyze
GRWDP’s economic efficacy, and guide us in setting meaningful performance benchmarks. The NJLWD
will provide employment outcome data to help us refine current data and gain a clear picture of the project’s
economic impact. ( ) will work with us to integrate soft skills into
existing classroom practices and recommend improvements to our soft skills training methods. The
Hunterdon County United Way and United Way of Northern New Jersey in Somerset will join our Steering
Committee and offer their supportive services to our students. is the data company that
will adapt and customize our data collection process, which will facilitate our impact evaluation process,
and provide us with information for grant reporting. will also guide our continuous quality
improvement procedures. Tegrity will provide class recording and streaming expertise; and
Corporation will provide CRM tools for student tracking. Tegrity builds award-winning lecture capture
solutions, and specializes in database driven, enterprise information systems architecture.
We will identify an Assessment Expert to work with Instructors to build reliable, secure testing tools
for course challenging, which would allow students with existing expertise to accelerate their training
schedule; and a Remediation Expert to help us develop the basic skills contextual curriculum and shape
our methodologies, such as adapting the I-BEST model. An external data automation/interface contractor
will be hired to automate, streamline and connect the DACUM and Task Analysis processes to a
competency-based grade book for each WDP. RVCC’s vision in creating such a system is to map all
assessment elements to their DACUM connections. We will also hire a Technology Support expert to train
Instructors to properly use the class recording/streaming system. The system must run smoothly, with all
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technical issues resolved, before Instructors use them to enable students to make up missed lessons. This
is an important part of our overall retention improvement strategy.
Organizational Chart and Team Communications
The faculty convenes in regular departmental meetings to discuss academic policies, suggest
ideas and share strategies to improve student experience. A monthly forum between faculty and
administration allows all to share, discuss and identify solutions to a range of issues.
The GRWDP team will also meet weekly to discuss and update on progress against stated goals –
industry and worker involvement, identifying new WDPs, developing curricula, implementing project steps,
and troubleshoot concerns. Every team member will use the CRM to provide instant updates on progress
and challenges. In addition to tracking and reporting on the impact of our work, the CRM is also a powerful
communication tool.
The impetus behind the program design are our promises to provide qualified employees to local
industry and to offer relevant training that enables placement in jobs at or above area standards. We must
engage local employers, job placement partners, government agencies who track and report relevant
trends. To that end, we are establishing a formal Steering Committee to guide our efforts, and a DACUM-
centered process to implement our programs. As previously described, Steering Committee members will
include local business and industry, community-based organizations and public workforce entities,
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economic experts, the , the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
(NJLWD). As the workforce intermediary, RVCC will convene the Committee quarterly to share industry
perspectives and propose ideas to meet our goals, establish quantifiable performance benchmarks, and
review progress against those benchmarks. Throughout the project life, the Committee will leverage
economic forecasting data and their knowledge of local business opportunities to identify the best potential
WDPs. Beyond quarterly meetings, RVCC have customized roles for each Committee member to be
directly involved in project planning and implementation, with Mr. Metzgar as a primary liaison and including
direct responsibilities between Committee members and three key project staff including the Business
Outreach Director, the Instructional Systems Analyst, and the Employment Placement Coordinator.
Role of Employers & Public Workforce System – Employers and the public workforce system
are integral to the project’s planning and design. Our focus is on Central New Jersey industries, not
specific employers. Employers from the HVAC and automotive industries have already participated in
DACUM Panels – HVAC (12 members) and automotive (11 members) – a critical part of industry analysis.
Their input confirmed the first two WDPs to launch the program with. We will form new Panels for each
identified WDP industry. Employers with a history of hiring RVCC graduates will join the Steering
Committee to help us remain industry- and employee-centered. Employers will also work with our EPC to
place students in internships, apprenticeships and permanent employment. The GRWIB will be both a
Steering Committee member and a partner by allowing us to embed our EPC on site to share and leverage
their resources, and by bringing their job search skills training into RVCC’s classrooms.
Procurement Processes & Procedures – Guided by a 27-page Policies and Procedures Manual,
RVCC’s Purchasing and Contracts Department handles all procurement processes. They aim to efficiently
handle procurement needs while maintaining the highest ethical standards. RVCC has clear criteria for
determining purchasing authority and has fully documented bidding and purchase order requirements to
ensure accountability to grantors. While purchase orders are required for all procurements, the system is
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streamlined to allow for expedited check requests, online requests and purchase order processing, and
allowance for emergency purchases to prevent procedures from hindering operations. Purchases are
coded against a commodity list and vendors are verified before purchases are authorized. These systems
are fully integrated into the College’s Banner accounting system. These procedures were developed in
accordance with RVCC’s public and private funders to meet relevant guidelines and reporting requirements.
RVCC’s Financial & Reporting Systems – RVCC uses SunGard’s Banner Enterprise system for
all our transaction processing (general accounting, payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and
purchasing) and student records. Supplemental reporting is done in MS Excel. Each month, the
Controller/Executive Director of Finance prepares actual vs. budget and reports for review by the Finance
Committee. A detailed commentary of variances is prepared quarterly. The Assistant Controller prepares
a Treasurer’s Report for review by the Vice President of Finance for every Board of Trustees meeting to
compare cash receipts and disbursements to the prior fiscal month. The Grants Specialist prepares grant
reports monthly using data from the system. The Principal Investigators and Assistant Controller review
these prior to forwarding to grantors and submitting in respective online systems.
RVCC’s Ability to Secure Resources & Work with Third Party Rigorous Evaluator – RVCC
plans to collect and analyze both external and internal data to support the planning, implementation and
management of the GRWDP initiative. External data will largely be provided through our collaboration with
the , which will provide us with trend data and research analysis from across the region and
beyond as necessary to assess which industries have most potential and to compare our performance
against current industry results. will provide us with the tools to collect internal data and
set the metrics for that comparison by determining which types of data to collect and how to use that
information to measure the impact of the different program components on student performance.
iv. Sustainability
RVCC has long been successful at seeking public and private funds to supplement student tuitions
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to support our programs. For the proposed WDPs, we will continue to collect tuitions from students for their
coursework. Those students who require additional soft skills training to supplement their in-class learning
will be assessed a fee for the extra instructional hours. In addition, the Executive Director will research and
apply for both public and private workforce delivery funding opportunities. ’s primary project
role is to track our processes and procedures and recommend streamlining and improvement strategies
aimed at enhancing our impact and student retention and performance. will also calculate and
compare the financial costs and benefits of the strategies to make recommendations aimed at long-term
sustainability. These adjustments will allow our programs to be more effective at meeting our goals; a by-
product of these improvements will be increased efficiency and decreased operating costs. Strategies may
include cutting student recruitment costs, reducing operating expenses through targeted use of
technologies, consolidating courses with redundant curricula to reduce delivery costs, co-locating relevant
courses at public workforce entities, local business, community-based organizations, or other types of
agencies, etc.
In its 40-year history, RVCC has grown its annual budget to $50 million per year. While tuition
represents a significant portion of our revenues, RVCC also relies on public and private grants and
contracts to supplement these funds to maintain a high quality education. Examples of current and recent
government contracts are: $1.8 million: Title III, Developing Institutions grant, US Department of Education;
$1 million: National Science Foundation; $370,000: Advanced Technology Education award; $300,000:
Computers, Science, Engineering, and Math Scholarship (CSEMS) grant program; $400,000: Science,
Technology Engineering and Mathematics Scholarship (S-STEMS) program; $1.7 million: Career Technical
Education Partnership (CTEP). We have received several State DOL Customized Training grants and we
are a former fiscal agent for the GRWIB. RVCC operates a Foundation, which raises funds to enrich our
College offerings and to ensure affordable, accessible and quality educational and cultural opportunities are
available to our residents. The Foundation receives grant awards from private sources such as; $100,000:
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Aventis; two $100,000 grants: Johnson & Johnson for Bridge to Employment programs in two municipalities;
$100,000: MetLife; $200,000: 3M Corporation; and $50,000 annually for 19 years from Merck and Co. We
are confident that we will be able to sustain the project beyond the grant period.
III. Evaluation
i. Progress & implementation measure
While the proposed project is based on a strong evidence-based workforce delivery initiative,
variations in implementation and RVCC’s relatively new emphasis on employment-focused training make it
important to monitor and improve the efficacy of the WDPs. To that end, RVCC will engage
to build a process evaluation plan to assess our strategies.
will continuously monitor and refine program strategies through ongoing data analysis. At
the outset, will design the data collection procedures for each strategy to isolate the values of
individual activities. This includes matching students from our program and the comparison groups;
designating program elements to evaluate specific strategies; defining the strategy sequence over the
course of the study; and specifying the measurements to be taken. The design will consider sample size,
and study constraints such as costs and accessibility.
Once the program is underway, will collect and analyze data continuously to understand
how the strategies in each priority contribute to the overall objective. They will bundle four primary data
sources into the plan. Three already exist at RVCC: 1) The Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) is
a SunGard Banner Enterprise component. Relevant data elements include demographics, course
enrollment and final grades, credits earned, graduation rates and certificates earned, transfer rate to
university within three years, annual enrollment, and term-to-term retention. 2) RVCC’s SharePoint System
extracts and aggregates or disaggregates ISIS data for performance evaluation and institutional reporting
to internal leadership and external grantors. 3) The Learning Management System reflects real-time
progress and tracks such data as attendance, assignments, and test/quiz scores. 4) A new CRM system
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purchased from will capture internship availability, student participation, performance and
feedback, students’ soft skills assessments, skill gaps and remediation, and job search skills and efforts.
We will purchase the CRM at project launch and will train the four new hires (ARS, BOD, EPC,
and ISA) to continuously track their efforts in the CRM so we can capture their efforts for analysis.
will eliminate personal identifiers from the data in all four sources, reorganize and
consolidate them into an integrated, encrypted Data Repository. This will be used to determine student
needs and skill gaps, to model patterns of student behavior to identify critical program components for
success, and to surface program elements with the greatest or least impact. The data collected will be used
in computing progress and implementation metrics, some of which will be common to more than one
priority area. The progress metrics will be computed separately for students in the strategy group and a
control set, and the comparison will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy. Below are our
preliminary metrics:
Activity Implementation Metric Progress Metric Priority 1: Accelerate Progress for Low-skilled and Other Workers
1.1 Deliver self-paced
contextualized learning aids
Tutoring Center opened Percentage of credit hours completed out of those attempted
Number of self-paced materials developed for the program
Number of successfully completed courses per term
Curriculum Contractor hired Time to graduate upon enrollment Tutors hired (includes I-BEST tutors; academic tutors and peer tutors
Percentage of credit hours completed out of those attempted
Number of classrooms with integrated I-BEST and peer tutors
Number of successfully completed courses per term
1.2 Incorporate active job placement practices
Number of programs for which pipelines have been set up
Number of students utilizing the job placement facilities
Employment Placement Coordinator hired
Number of students obtaining placement interviews through the job placement facilities
1.3 Deliver strong upfront advising practices
Advisor/Retention specialist hired Time to graduate upon enrollment Soft skills assessment in place Number and percentage of students
enrolling in remedial English and remedial math courses
Basic skills assessment in place Number of successfully completed courses per term
1.4 Continuous assessment and
refinement of approaches
Data Gathering Strategy in place The percentage of data requirements captured according to plan
Number of strategies reviewed in the The number of adopted strategy
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quarter adjustments Priority 2: Improve Retention and Achievement Rates to Reduce Time to Completion
2.1 Add flexible lecture delivery
Number of electronic classrooms set up for digital lecture dissemination
The number and percentage of entering students who enroll consecutively from fall-to- spring and fall-to-fall
Number of lecture hours recorded Time to certificate/diploma for entering students
2.2 Develop course challenge system
Contract completed with Test Design Company
Number and percentage of students attempting course challenge system.
Number of industry-specific course challenges in place
Number of course challenge credits earned.
2.3 Implement an early-alert
system
Retention specialist hired Number and percentage of students identified as at-risk by early-alert system
Data-driven early alert system in place The number and percentage of students who enroll consecutively from fall-to- spring and fall-to-fall
Number of supplemental soft skills classes delivered.
The number of students enrolling in soft skills classes
2.4 Provide supportive services
Develop referral pipeline Number and percentage of students accessing referral pipeline
Build a directory of services available to students
Number and percentage of students accessing each available service
2.5 Assess and Refine Strategies
Data Gathering strategy defined The percentage of data requirements captured according to plan per quarter
Initial assessment report generated The number of adopted strategy adjustments per quarter
Priority 3: Build Programs Which Meet Industry Needs
3.1 Integrate industry-validated competencies
Instructional Systems Analyst hired Number of industry interviews granted to students, by program
Business Outreach Analyst hired Number of Industry offers granted to students, by program
Number of task analyses completed Number of Industry offers accepted, by program
Number of industry analyses completed
3.2 Incorporate Soft Skills training into the WDP curricula
Number of programs for which soft skill competencies have been integrated
Number of Industry offers accepted, by program
Percent of staff members trained in Soft Skills training
Starting salary offers, by program
3.3 Improve WDP equipment/staff per industry recommendations
Amount of automotive equipment ordered Number and percentage of students transferring to alternative training program
Number of courses for which new equipment has been ordered
Year-over-year enrollment
3.4 Continuous assessment and refinement of approaches to
building programs
All contracts executed with data providers by target date
The percentage of data requirements captured according to plan per quarter
Data gathering strategy defined and agreed upon by all parties
The number of adopted strategy adjustments per quarter
Percentage of quarterly reports delivered on time
RVCC and will refine these metrics at the project’s launch. Initially we will receive monthly
reports to assess data accuracy and compare actual against projected results. By mid-year, quarterly
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reports from the Data Repository system will be used to assess the project’s efficacy and to guide
corrective measures in implementation.
ii. Outcome measures
To achieve its mission, RVCC’s Greater Raritan Workforce Delivery Project will rely on the delivery
of two promises: 1) RVCC promises employers that its graduates will be the kind of employees they seek;
and 2) RVCC promises students that when they complete the program, they will be well-positioned for
economic success through employment. We expect to serve 20 students in each WDP class. We project
the following student enrollment during the project’s three-year life: Y1/Fall: 40 students in 2 WDPs;
Y1/Spring: 80/4 WDPs; Y2/Fall: 120/6 WDPs; Y2/Spring: 140/7 WDPs; Y3/Fall: 180/9 WDPs; Y3/Spring:
200/10 WDPs. will calculate the following seven outcomes for these GRWDP participants as well
as for a comparison group of similar individuals who did not participate in any TAACCCT-funded programs.
The numbers in parentheses represent our projected outcomes compared to current achievements of our
comparison cohort in italics, which were extracted by : (1) entered employment rate of completers
(90% / 75%); (2) employment retention rate of completers (95% of completers who enter employment /
92%); (3) average earnings of completers ($8,830/month / $7,884/month); (4) attainment of credits toward
degree(s) (90% / 28%); (5) attainment of industry-recognized certificates (less than one year) (Automotive:
60%; HVAC: 60% / 0%; Average of all 10 WDPs: 60% / 0%); (6) attainment of industry-recognized
certificates (more than one year) (Automotive: 85%; HVAC: 90%; Average of all 10 WDPs: 85% /
comparison: 0%); and (7) graduation number and rate for each program (Automotive: 85%; HVAC: 90% /
comparison: 0%). will disaggregate these outcomes for each WDP as well as for the subset of
students who receive basic skills instruction using the I-BEST model and other tutoring resources.
researchers will calculate employment outcomes (1 – 3) using New Jersey’s
Unemployment Insurance (UI) Wage Record data. Nearly all employers in the state report the wages of
their employees on a quarterly basis to the State of New Jersey when they pay their Unemployment
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Insurance (UI) payroll taxes. UI wage records include the following information for employed individuals: the
social security number of the employee, the quarterly earnings paid, the number of weeks worked during
the quarter, and the individual’s employer.
Through a data sharing agreement with NJLWD, is permitted to access the state’s UI
wage data for NJLWD-approved research projects. currently has in its possession the last ten
years of New Jersey’s UI wage record data.
To calculate the four higher education outcomes (4 – 7), researchers will use the student
unit record data (SURE) collected by the NJ Commission on Higher Education (NJCHE). All 19 NJ
community colleges report comprehensive data on their enrollees twice a year and on their certificate and
degree earners once a year to the SURE data system. The SURE data file includes the following fields:
social security number of student, demographics, date and program of enrollment, date of completion,
degree or certificate awarded, and program of study (by CIP).
has a data sharing agreement with NJCHE that permits it to use the SURE data for
research purposes. As part of its NJLWD-funded project to calculate employment outcomes for the NJ
Consumer Report Card, is currently matching degree recipients from NJ county colleges with their
earnings in the UI wage data.
Calculating Outcomes for Comparison Cohorts – will build comparison cohorts from
completers who enrolled in the same field of training and completed at the same time as GRWDP students
but who studied at different accredited colleges or training providers. We will select colleges that are in or
near Central New Jersey. This is a valid comparison cohort because these students will begin and
complete their studies at the same time, in the same occupational field and a similar geography as the
GRWDP students but will so at different training providers.
In addition to this comparison group, may enhance the validity of our findings of long-term
effectiveness by combining data from two other control groups. The rationale for using multiple comparison
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cohorts for the employment outcomes is that each of the comparison cohort options is in some way flawed.
Using completers who enrolled at the same college at the same time as GRWDP’s TAACCT students but
who participated in non-TAACCCT AAS programs has the advantage that the students studied at the same
time and enrolled at the same college but the disadvantage that the students have selected into different
fields of study. Students who select into different fields of study often do so, in part, because of differences
in ability. The cohort of completers who studied in the same field at the same college as GRWDP students
but who enrolled and graduated in prior years may be useful because the students studied at the same
college and in the same field as GRWDP’s TAACCCT students. They are not directly comparable,
however, because they began their studies and entered the labor market at different times. Finally, building
a comparison cohort from completers who enrolled in the same field of training and completed at the same
time as GRWDP students but who studied at different accredited colleges or training providers has the
advantage of using students who began and completed their studies at the same time and in the same
occupational field as the GRWDP students but who did so at different training providers. The last of these
three groups will be our primary comparison cohort. will extract data from the first two groups as
secondary comparison cohorts to help us further verify the strength of our conclusions.
When sample sizes permit, the research team will also use the data on GRWDP program
participants and on the comparison cohorts to conduct a quasi-experimental evaluation of the implemented
services. For the quasi-experimental study, the researchers will use probabilistic (propensity score)
matching techniques to select from the comparison cohort those individuals who are most similar in terms
of their observable characteristics, including their sex, race, age, and other demographic characteristics
using both UI Wage Record (outcomes 1 – 3) and NJCHE’s SURE data (outcomes 4 – 7).
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Endnotes on Evidence-Based Design i Bailey, T. (2009). "Challenge and opportunity: Rethinking the role and function of developmental education in community college." New Directions for Community Colleges 2009 (145): 11-30. ii SBCTC [Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges]. (2005). I-BEST: A program integrating adult basic education and workforce training. Olympia, WA: Author. iii Linderman, D. and Z. Kolenovic (2009). Early Outcomes Report for City University of New York (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP). New York, City University of New York: 78. iv Rademacher, I. (2009). Working with Value: Industry-Specific Approaches to workforce Development, A Synthesis of Findings. Washington, D.C.: Aspen Institute. v Polidano, C. & Zakirova, R. (2011) Outcomes from Combining Work and Tertiary Study. Adelaid, Australia: NCVER. vi Schreiner, Laurie A., & Anderson, Edward “Chip”. (Fall 2005). Strengths-Based Advising: A New Lens for Higher Education. NACADA Journal. 25(2), 20-27. vii Rademacher, I., M. Bear, et al. (2001). Project Quest: A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach. Washington, DC, The Aspen Institute. viii Metner, B. (1989). Perceived Quality of Academic Advising: The Effect on Freshman Attrition. Indianapolis, American Educational Research Association. Vol. 26, No. 3. ix Boylan, H., Bliss, L., & Bonham, B. (1997) Program Components and Their Relationship to Student Performance. Journal of Developmental Education. 20(3). x Rademacher, I, Bear, M, & Conway, M. (2001) Project QUEST, A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach. Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute. xi Gustafson, K. L. and R. M. Branch, Eds. (2004). Survey of Instructional Development Models. Fourth Edition. Syracuse, NY, ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology. xii Tergrity, Inc., (2011). "Case Study: Calhoun Community College." Calhoun Community College met the needs of non-traditional students with flexible tools for effective study and on-demand access to course material. From http://www.tegrity.com/images/stories/pdf/tegrity_case_study_calhoun.pdf. xiii CAEL (2010). "Fueling the Race for Postsecondary Success: A 48-Institution Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Student Outcomes." xiv King, C. T., D. T. Schexnayder, et al. (2006). Beyond the Numbers: Improving Postsecondary Success through a Central Texas High School Data Center Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. xv Purnell, R. and S. Blank (2004). Support Success: Services That May Help Low-Income Students Succeed in Community College. New York, Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation. xvi Lumina Foundation for Education (2011). "Achieving the Dream: Promising Practices." from http://www.achievingthedream.org/CAMPUSSTRATEGIES/PROMISINGPRACTICES/default.tp. xvii Rademacher, I. (2002) Working with Value: Industy-Specific Approaches to Workforce Development. Washington, D.C.: Aspen Institute. xviii Norton, Robert. "DACUM and Tech Prep: Dynamic Duo." Paper presented at the Mid-America Competency-Based Education Conference, Bloomington, MN, June 1993. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 359 339). xix ’s Soft Skills programs have produced significant reductions in turnover, increases in sales, and customer satisfaction. In one of the most compelling studies, Sprint Communications implemented the AlignMark system in 12 of 23 call centers. In 11 of 12 centers, turnover was reduced by 75%, and in the 12th there was a reduction of 54%. During the same period, there was no significant change in turnover for call centers not implementing the assessment system ( 2011). xx King, C. T., D. T. Schexnayder, et al. (2006). Beyond the Numbers: Improving Postsecondary Success through a Central Texas High School Data Center Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
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