Talent Sustainability Report

Transcription

1 Talent Sustainability Report Machine Tool Technology Program Interim Report No. 1 Program Capacity and Student

2 Talent Sustainability Report Machine Tool Technology Program Interim Report No. 1 Program Capacity and Student February 2012

3 INTRODUCTION The Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance Project PMRAP/2.0 is a strategic initiative of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc. (REB), in collaboration with the broader regional precision manufacturing industry and the local technical/comprehensive high schools. A major outcome of the project is to develop strategic approaches to implement collaborative activities and programs to create a sustainable talent pipeline that will respond to the regional precision manufacturing industry s need for a highly skilled and agile workforce going forward. This regional precision manufacturing industry, although focused in the Pioneer Valley Region in Massachusetts, is better characterized economically as part of the Knowledge Corridor - (Figure 1), a highly inter- dependent region that straddles the border between western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. Figure 1- Pioneer Valley and Knowledge Corridor Currently, the industry is hiring new workers, investing in new equipment to improve operating processes, and is cautiously optimistic about their book of business moving forward. Continuing this positive trend will require a coordinated and effective approach to sustaining growth and competitiveness, and will necessitate a coordinated response to their on-going demand for a skilled workforce. The availability of an agile, appropriately sized, and well trained workforce is the differentiator that will give the precision manufacturing industry the competitive advantage it needs to grow and create wealth opportunities for its employees and investors. Currently, the companies are experiencing a critical shortage of qualified employees at all points along their employment pipeline, and this reality is constraining their growth and expansion. In addition, the combination of retirement and natural turnover of younger workers will likely mean that Massachusetts manufacturing employers will need to hire more than 100,000 replacement workers over the next decade even if total employment shrinks from its current level. 1 Manufacturing employers in the Pioneer Valley face similar issues. PMRAP /2.0 is using the Regional Precision Manufacturing Technology Advisory Council, developed under the original PMRAP project, to lead and coordinate activities to support the Machine Tool Technology Programs that are conducted in the region s seven (7) vocational technical/comprehensive high schools. The Machine Tool Technology Programs are the primary source of new entry level talent for the regional precision manufacturing industry, and their ability to train and graduate sufficient numbers of students is a critical factor in responding to the industry s workforce needs. The success of the Machine Tool Technology Programs to respond to industry s workforce needs requires the implementation of industry driven activities and supports to assist each school to graduate students who are prepared for careers in the precision manufacturing industry. 1 Staying Power: The Future of Manufacturing in Massachusetts, July 2008, Pg. 56.

4 OVERVIEW The Interim No. 1 Talent Sustainability Report (TSR) of the Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance Project /2.0 (PMRAP /2.0) presents data, findings and analysis, and thoughts going forward on the program capacity and student enrollment in the Machine Tool Technology Program at the following seven (7) vocational technical high schools in the Pioneer Valley Region. Westfield Vocational Technical High School Chicopee Comprehensive High School Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School William J. Dean Technical High School Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical High School Franklin County Technical School The student enrollment data for the Report was obtained from the Department Chairs in the Machine Tool Technology Program in each of the seven schools. The Report, prepared by the PMRAP /2.0 project team, analyzes and compares current program capacity and student enrollment data with selected data from school years covering the time period of September June In June 2012, the Interim No. 2 Talent Sustainability Report will be prepared and will focus on the graduation and workforce projections data for the June 2012 graduates and ensuing graduating classes. In August 2012, a Final Talent Sustainability Report will be prepared that will present a comprehensive analysis of the data and findings from the two Interim Reports, make projections and recommendations on talent sustainability issues moving forward, and offer recommendations for collaborative actions to address any areas of concern that may emerge from the Final Report. The PMRAP/2.0 project team will use the information from the Final Report as the framework for its work on talent sustainability for the school year. The Interim No. 1 Report can be viewed on the web site of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County Inc. at and on the web site of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association at The Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance Project /2.0 is funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative- John Adams Innovation Institute. Matching cash and in-kind contributions were provided by the lead agency, the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc., Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association (WMNTMA), and the Massachusetts Office of Housing and Economic Development. In-kind contributions were also provided by other project partners. CONTACT INFORMATION For additional information on the Interim No. 1 Talent Sustainability Report or on PMRAP /2.0, please contact David M. Cruise at or dcruise@rebhc.org. For information on the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative- John Adams Innovation Institute, please visit their web site at

5 Program Capacity and Student School Program Capacity Change 2010 to 2011 % of Capacity Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr.11 Gr. 12 Westfield Voc. Tech (+) 2.0% 81% Dean Technical Pathfinder Regional Smith Vocational Putnam Vocational Chicopee Comp Franklin County (-) 11.9% 76% (+) 7.3% 92% (-)15.4% 81% (-)11.7% 89% % 63% (-) 8.3% 75% TOTAL (-) 5.1% 80%

6 Findings and Analysis Program Capacity The program capacity and student enrollment includes data for the last three school years (September 2009-June 2012) from Franklin County Technical School. Data for the remaining schools covers a four year period from September June The Program Capacity of 411 students for is unchanged from the previous two school years. The student enrollment of 330 for the school year represents an 80% program capacity rate, and is a 4.0% decrease from the 84% program capacity rate in the school year. Data The enrollment of 330 students for represents a 5.1% decrease from the enrollment level of 347 students in the comparable period last year. The enrollments at Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School and Westfield Vocational Technical High School increased from last year by 7.3%, and 2.0% respectively. The remaining school s enrollment levels ranged from unchanged to (-) 15.4%. The current enrollment of 73 students in Grade 11 reflects a 4.1% decrease from the same period last year (76 students), and will impact the number of students who will enter Grade 12 in September The current enrollment of 91 students in Grade 10 represents an increase of 12.3% from the 81 students enrolled in Grade 10 in the comparable period last year, and is an indicator that may positively impact the number of projected graduates for June The Grade 9 enrollment of 96 students is a decrease of 26% from the enrollment level of 121 students in the school year. With the exception of Pathfinder Regional, whose 9 th grade enrollment was unchanged from last year, the remaining six vocational technical/comprehensive high schools reported lower ninth grade enrollments for the school year. This 26% decrease is a reversal from the 26% increase that occurred in the school year. The enrollment level of 96 students is the same as the enrollment reported for Grade 9 for the school year. The retention rate for students rising from Grade 9 in the school year (121 students) to Grade 10 this school year (91 students) is 67 %. This is a significant decrease from the 81.5% retention rate from the comparable period last year. The successful transition from Grade 9 to Grade 10 is critical to moving students toward graduation, and the Regional Technology Advisory Council will need to intensify its work to assist the schools in increasing the retention metric. 2

7 The retention rate for students rising from Grade 10 in the school year (81 students) to Grade 11 this year (73 students) is 89%. This is also a significant improvement from the 79% retention rate from the comparable period last year. The successful transition from Grade 10 to Grade 11 is equally critical to moving students to graduation, and the Regional Technology Advisory Council will need to intensify its support to assist the schools in increasing the retention rate at this grade gate. Total Grade Graduation Data and Workforce Projections The planned number of June 2012 graduates is 70. This represents a slight increase of 1.4% from the 69 students that were projected to graduate in June This slight increase indicates that significant work remains to be done to increase the number of graduates available for possible employment in the regional precision manufacturing companies. The number of graduates has grown from 47 in June 2009 to the current projected figure of 70 for June The projected number of June 2013 graduates, based on the present enrollment of 73 students in Grade 11, and factoring in historical student mobility and school exiting data, will be slightly lower than the June 2012 planned number of 70 students. It is projected that 67 students will graduate in June 2013, a decrease of 4% from the 70 students projected to graduate in June The current enrollment of 91 students in Grade 10, which is a 12.3% increase from the previous school year, is a positive indicator. Factoring in historical student mobility and school exiting data, it is projected that June 2014 graduates will increase to 70. Interventions and supports from all the partners will be critical in ensuring retention of this cohort of students as they move through Grades 11 and 12. The Grade 9 enrollment of 96 students will have significant implications over the next three years and will clearly impact the number of students moving through to graduation in June Based on this lower enrollment figure, and factoring in historical student mobility and school exiting data, the June 2015 graduates are projected to decrease to 59 students. If we are to increase this projected number of graduates to a higher level, significant and sustainable interventions and supports from all the partners will be critical in ensuring retention of this cohort of students as they move through Grades 10, 11, and 12. 3

8 Program Graduates Projected Program Graduates In the school year, 106 students were enrolled in Grade 9, excluding Franklin County Technical School. Without factoring in any new student enrollment that may have occurred in Grades 10, 11, and 12 during the time period of September 2009-September 2011, and excluding Franklin County Technical School, 62 students are projected to graduate in June The 58% statistical four year graduation rate is an increase of 1% from the last year s retention rate of 57%. The Regional Technology Advisory Council will need to intensify its support and develop strategies and initiatives to assist the schools to improve the retention rate. We are headed in the right direction, but need to accelerate our collaborative efforts. Thoughts Going Forward We need to intensify our efforts to work with our educational partners to develop interventions and supports to increase student enrollment, and improve student retention leading to an increase in the graduation rate from the Machine Tool Technology programs. We need to increase the number of precision manufacturing companies that can commit time and resources to partner with PMRAP /2.0 and our educational partners to strengthen our new pipeline program activities and programs. We need to strengthen our professional involvement with EACH of the Program Advisory Committees to insure that our regional programs remain aligned with industry needs and have the appropriate resources and supports to deliver a quality program that will lead to an increase in the student graduation rate. We must continue our work at the middle school level to present technical education as a viable high school option, and the Machine Tool Technology Program as a viable technical education program that will lead to a professionally and personally rewarding career. We must develop summer programming opportunities for current and incoming students in the Machine Tool Technology programs as part of a concerted approach to improving student retention for students rising from Grade 9 to Grades 10 and 11. This action may lead to an incremental increase in the graduation rate going forward. 4