Dear partners and community leaders,

On behalf of the investors of SkillUp WA, we are pleased to announce the job posting for the Executive Director position for SkillUp WA

SkillUp Washington is a pioneering partnership of private foundations, employers, non-profit organizations, community and technical colleges, and public and private agencies working together to help low income working adults and employers meet the demands of a changing economy.

Also known previously as the Seattle-King County Workforce Development Collaborative (or 2ndChance WA), SkillUp WA is focused on increasing the skills of the working poor to boost them out of poverty. Presently, there are over 78,000 residents of King County who have no post-secondary education credential and whose incomes are under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. By creating career pathways that respond to real needs, SkillUp aims to double and then redouble the number of working poor receiving the post-secondary education that is critical to their future. (For additional information, consult www.skillupwa.org)

SkillUp WA seeks an executive director to develop and coordinate its growing programs, which to date have been bolstered by more than $2 million in partner investments. Candidates seeking to apply should submit a cover letter and resume via email only no later than Sunday, October 11th at 5 p.m. PST to the SkillUp Search Committee through Helena Haas at Helena.Haas@seattle.gov. Inquiries in advance of the deadline date can be submitted to the same address. If chosen for an interview, you will be contacted to do so between October 15th and November 9th, 2009.

Qualifications:

SkillUp is seeking candidates with a proven record of designing and management of education and training and/or social welfare programs in Washington state. Candidates should demonstrate at least five years of senior management experience; considerable knowledge of current federal, state and local workforce programs and private sector initiatives; and extensive background in strengthening public-private partnerships and working with foundation and corporate leaders.

Duties:

The Executive Director will serve as the principal strategist and manager of SkillUp’s initiatives. Among other duties, she or he will:

• Act as the primary strategist and communicator of SkillUp’s mission, seeking continued growth in support and participation in its efforts.
• Organize and support strong working coalitions with service delivery organizations and others to expand SkillUp’s impact in each of its major program areas and to make certain its goals are aggressively pursued. Develop and implement formal working agreements to increase that impact still further.
• Maintain a strong working relationship with each foundation, corporation and agency supporting SkillUp WA, making certain the programs they sponsor are closely aligned with SkillUp’s distinct program and goals.
• Regularly report to the SkillUp WA Executive Committee and the SkillUp Investors Council, which serves as the organization’s Board of Directors.
• Administer the organization’s budget, staffing, and contracting processes.
• The new Executive Director will begin work on January 1, 2010

Salary:

• Negotiable and DOE
• SkillUp WA is an equal opportunity employer

Thank you for your interest and feel free to inform others whom you think may wish to apply.

“From Work Station to Graduation”: A Forum facilitated by Port Jobs
 
I would like to highlight the productive and engaging forum that was sponsored by SkillUp Washington and Port Jobs on June 5th at the South Seattle Community College’s Georgetown Campus.  Many kudos to Susan Crane and Port Jobs for their great execution of the event.
 
We had a large turn out.  At least 120 attendees from community colleges, the city, the county, employers, and nonprofits were in attendance.  The discussions were productive and provided important feedback regarding the postsecondary education system for SkillUp Washington investors to consider.
 
Our keynote speaker, Dr. James Rosenbaum of Northwestern University, gave a valuable presentation.  His PowerPoint slides, along with many other useful resources presented at this forum, are posted on our “Policy Advocacy” page at http://www.skillupwa.org/initiatives/policy-advocacy/.

Our moderator was David Harrison, Board Chair of the Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board and instructor at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.  Many thanks to David for his excellent facilitation of the panel discussion.

Steve Johnson
SkillUp Washington

Please note that the contact and web site information noted below has changed.

CHECK US OUT ONLINE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK

I am pleased to inform you that we’re launching a website in record time. As of Labor Day, you can check us out at www.2ndchanceWA.org. This is the first version of the site, which will grow as our partnerships develop. So your ideas are welcome. The website communicates the essence of our partnership to help more people grasp opportunity and more employers to find qualified workers.

OUR INITIAL BUSINESS PLAN IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR YOUR REVIEW

A strategic business plan for our partnership to help more people grasp opportunity and more employers to find qualified workers is now available. We recognize that the key to breakthrough solutions is to invest time and energy into asking the right questions to the right people so we invest in the right answers. With the initial business plan as a reference point, 2ndChance will be working between now and the end of the year to hear each partner and attract new ones, challenge assumptions and offer new perspectives as groundwork for our shared actions. If you haven’t heard from me in the next three weeks, I’d like to hear from you. Here’s how you can do it:

• The business plan will be featured on the new website, where a comment form will be provided.

• Request a copy from me directly at steve.johnson@2ndchanceWA.org.

• Come to the Investors’ Council meeting from 10:30 to 12:30 on September 22 in the Boardroom in One Union Square at 600 University St. The meeting is open to the public and will focus on review of this plan.

BUILDING ON-RAMPS TO THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES

Entry into apprenticeships in the construction trades is a promising approach to helping us increase the number low-skill adults who attain a credential beyond high school. Emerging efforts to connect low-skilled adults to good paying “green” jobs in the construction and energy efficiency industries only enhance the importance of the construction trades. So do the efforts to find suitable employment opportunities for young adults with criminal backgrounds and gang involvement. The Seattle PI recently highlighted the efforts of the PACT program at the Seattle Vocational Institute to pull all these elements together in one program. You can read more at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/372452_svi28.html. Congratulations to Bob Markholt and his team at PACT for their great work and this well-deserved recognition.

Steve Johnson
Interim Managing Director
2nd Chance Washington
206.388.1650

I’m Steve Johnson, and I’d like to invite you to check out the first newsletter about 2nd Chance Washington – the new name for the pioneering collaboration of workforce funders in Seattle and King County.

Already, the Seattle Foundation, United Way, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Allen Foundation, community colleges, the City of Seattle, King County, and others are working together to create opportunity for people who need another chance at decent training and rewarding work. And at the same time, create new opportunities for employers to hire workers ready for today’s jobs.

This newsletter is going to a select list — people who care about a stronger workforce and opportunities for those who need it, whether they are employers or potential employees. Because 2nd Chance is about making progress through the power of collaboration.

Please read our entire newsletter to learn more about our accomplishments, upcoming actions, and related developments.

Let me know what you think.

I’ve served in the area of economic opportunity for years and like you, I know how high the hurdles can seem. That’s why I’m excited about this project, its mission and your feedback. I look forward to hearing from you.

Steve Johnson
Interim Managing Director
2nd Chance Washington
206.388.1650