Mid-Atlantic Consortium To A Better Trained Workforce Pathways

Awareness 8-12 years Work With Others CORE VALUES Self- Assess- ment Develop An inquiring mind Ethics Decision- Making skills Assistant- Ship years Post-Secondary Education 18 – 24 years Adult Leader- ship 21+ years Employees Mentor, Coach, & partner With youth Pre-School Under 5 years Early Development 5 – 6 years Guided Exploration years Work-based Learning 16 – 20 years Life Cycle Approach to Workforce

Program Goals  Develop multiple pathways for youth and adults to enter the workforce.  Develop education, training, curricula, and technical support.  Build public/private collaboration within the food industry.  Develop and implement learning options for those employed in the food industry.  Develop and implement a marketing strategy in support of the MAC project.

Who Is the Target Audience?  Those who are candidates for employment in diverse sectors of the food industry.  All ages of people: one project starts with 4 th graders, while others will help any age.  Those still in school, those who have dropped out, those in "welfare-to-work" and those already working in the food industry in areas such as: ProductionDistribution ProcessingRetail PackagingFood Service Wholesale

Food Employ- ment Oppor- tunity Food Science Tech. Program Articulation Out-Of-School Initiatives Career Pathways Supermarket Experience &Young Consumers In-School Initiatives Mentoring Planning Integration Factory Floor Classroom Pathways To A Better Trained Workforce Initiatives

Key Youth Themes in Workforce Development  Preparations for & Success in employment  Improving educational achievement  Support for youth  Services to develop the potential of youth as citizens and leaders

A Youth Development Approach  Encourages a Sense of Personal Identity  Broadens a Young Person’s Perspective  Focuses on a Young Person’s Assets  Communicates High Expectations  Focuses on a Young Person’s Assets  Communicates High Expectations  Provides Opportunities for Leadership

Students and Family School Business Coordinating Organizations

Key Youth Themes in Workforce Development  Preparations for & success in employment  Improving educational achievement  Support for youth  Services to develop the potential of youth as citizens and leaders

POSITIVES  Great interest existed in career possibilities when explained.  Potential 1st job to develop skills.  Location and number of stores were seen as a big plus. 500 Young People's Perspectives of Food Industry

500 Young People’s Perspectives of Food Industry NEGATIVES  Students see part-time, minimum wage and boring jobs in the industry.  No or little information about career ladders/lattices in the industry were available to students.  Parents see the food retailing industry as “dead end, requiring little training and education.”  Those employed in the industry cite supervision as a major cause of leaving.  Parents/students connect the industry to production agriculture which has many negative perceptions.

Food Industry Internship Goals Provide Students with a coordinated school and work-based experience. Provide exploration and early training to students for a career pathway in the food industry. Provide the food industry with: Increased potential pool management candidates Increase overall pool of workers Reduce costs of turnover Improve individual image of the store and the food retailing industry Build business and community partnerships to enhance education.

Cornell Curriculum  Fundamentals of the Food Industry  Managing and Training People  Economics for Business  Effective Communication  Customer Relations  Food Store Sanitation (Required)

Cornell Curriculum (cont’d) Choose a Minimum of One Elective:  Grocery Management and Operation  Produce Management and Operation  Meat Management and Operation  Service Department Management (Deli, Bakery, Cheese, Seafood & floral

What Do We Need for Replication?  School Involvement  Business Involvement  Facilitation