MONTGOMERY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 2014 EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT RIGHT NOW (EARN) GRANT “… if the employers who are looking for talented and skilled people know what skills they have most in demand, then why don’t we let our workforce efforts be driven by the sector that has the jobs to fill? So that’s why this EARN initiative is pretty new for us as a State. It is the wave of the future when it comes to workforce development.” Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley on the EARN Maryland Initiative, June 12, 2013

Workforce is a Top Asset in Montgomery County In order to be competitive and market our community for new jobs, we must ensure we have the workforce of today and prepare for the workforce of tomorrow

Rx for Employability A Career Pathway System Engage Employers/ Industry Partnerships Engage Training Providers Operational Capacity and Effective Leadership Align Resources and Goals Performance Measures

Industry Designed Strategies to Meet Critical Workforce Needs The overarching goal of the Rx for Employability program is to leverage the many resources in Montgomery County in a coordinated plan matching designated individuals with designated career pathways.  Rx for Employability will initially offer 3 different career pathway programs, two distinct entry-level career pathways for immediate opportunities and one incumbent worker program that enhances career pathways by addressing new regulations. The pathways are: 1) Sterilization Technicians leading to a career path in infection control and 2) Pharmacy Technicians leading to a career path in Pharmacy. The incumbent worker program addresses recertification requirements. 3) The Coder Bridge program has been developed to bridge the skills and knowledge for currently employed ICD-9 participants to ICD-10  A Community Care Coordinator position description and training requirements are being explored as a career pathway of the future.

Developing a Model to address Career Pathways Develop a consistent training cohort Create collaborative training programs (Industry and Education) that blend the application of technical skills with employability skills (Career IQ). Address barriers through the support of Career Navigators leveraging coordinated existing resources (MMF, HHS, Community partners)

Designated Population For each of the programs the targeted training participants will be the unemployed or underemployed living in Montgomery County Focus groups/Industry interviews indicated that initial cohort participants would ideally meet the following criteria: a. GED or High School diploma, b. Basic computer skills, c. Good interpersonal skills, d. The ability to be trained in functional language spoken and written proficiency.

Anticipated Outcomes MBDC will use strategic data collection and monitoring to ensure success. Within the next 2 years – Rx for Employability will: Implement a total of 14 career pathway cohort groups Facilitate approximately 210 individuals on a career pathway Connect industry identified job demand with highly qualified employees Reduce participants’ need for social services, while increasing independence Facilitate coordinated utilization of existing resources (non-profit services) Create a sustainable industry lead workforce development collaborative model to be replicated addressing other industry sectors workforce demands