Why Vision?

The goal of Vision 20/20 is to create a 3-year workforce development strategic plan (2012-2015) so that:

• LMC serves employers and the community by providing programs that meet regional employment needs of the future
• LMC graduates students with the skills, abilities, and knowledge necessary to be successful in the competitive 21st century global workforce
• LMC graduates successful graduates who become active in the regional workforce
• The economic development of the regional is enhanced

The Vision 20/20 will include strategies such as:

Defining and establishing a strong workforce development system

• Defining,  clarifying and communicating the workforce development system at the college
• Clarifying the appropriate institutional structure and practices to develop an effective workforce development ‘system’
• Identifying workforce development partners within and outside the college
• Establishing a pipeline between the college and external organizations such as the Workforce Development Board, One Stops, and CBOs with institutional contacts and procedures
• Enhancing the existing pipeline from high school to college to university and/or career

Strengthening curriculum design and development

• Identifying the employability and training needs of regional industry and business; and developing an action plan to address these needs
• Reviewing, developing, and enhancing the curriculum to meet the current and future needs of economic and workforce development
• Exploring ‘flexible’ and innovative training and educational solutions (stackable certificate, hybrid courses, contextualized courses, etc)
• Contextualizing curriculum to address the needs of career programs and student demographics
• Determining goals and strategies to make each program the ‘gold standard’ – the best of the best
• Analyzing the scheduling pattern of the major and other curriculum to enable students to compete programs expeditiously

Syncing student support services to support workforce needs

• Wrapping the appropriate student supports around workforce development – from orientation, career exploration, enrollment, counseling, advising, tutoring, mentoring, to internships, and job placement
• Developing informed and ‘do-able’ education plans
• Enhancing career counseling and placement services
• Enhancing outreach, marketing and program promotion
• Collaborating with external organizations such as SparkPoint, United Way, Good Will, Opportunity Junction to provide student support services that the college cannot offer

The final Vision 20/20 Workforce Development strategic plan will include the thinking, planning, collaboration and integration that has begun in projects such as the SODA Foundation planning and implementation grants, the Career Advancement Academy grant, and other projects and initiatives on campus aimed at enhancing our programs and services with the goal of improving student success in the area of workforce preparation.

The plan will include:

• Deliverables, activities, responsibilities and timelines to implement the strategic plan
• Resources and supports needed (information useful for future grants and college funding allocation)
• Data and research needed
• Professional growth and development needed