Get to Know Metro North
Metro North: Elk River Connecting with WIOA Partners to Address Challenges and Opportunities in the Healthcare Industry
Metro North ABE-Elk River is a member of the Local Workforce Development Area( WDA) # 5 and the Regional Workforce Development Area # 3 and aligns with Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services( CMJTS) whose central office is located at the Monticello Workforce Center. These two WDA’ s cover a vast territory and include several Adult Basic Education programs and two different Workforce Centers and work together to promote the mission of WIOA.
One example of their shared vision and partnership is the Healthcare Sector Summit held on October 14th, 2016; planned and hosted by the Region 3 Leadership and Planning Board, Stearn-Benton Employment & Training Council and CMJTS, Inc. Workforce Development Board. This first in a three part series focused on gaps in the healthcare industry in hospitals, while future summits will focus on healthcare industry in nursing home and assisted living facilities and private sectors.
The Healthcare Summit began with Labor Market Information and Gap analysis presented by Luke Greiner, a Regional Analyst, DEED. Then representatives from CentraCare Health, Fairview Health Services, and Renville County Hospital and Clinics addressed a group of 150 participants about the shortage of healthcare employees and opportunities in the healthcare industry. Participants who represented a wide range of organizations and individuals that provide community support— healthcare providers, workforce development providers, education( colleges, universities, technical colleges), Adult Basic
Education, economic development professionals, community foundations, chief elected officials, and others discussed solutions on how to train and prepare individuals for employment in the central Minnesota health care sector.
Metro North: Anoka Building innovative partnerships to move learners forward in post-secondary pursuits
Metro North ABE is evolving in its partnerships with our college sites. With ABE campuses at Anoka Technical College and Anoka Ramsey Community College, Metro North is ideally situated to support adult learners who need Accuplacer brush up, TEAS( Test of Essential Academic Skills) preparation, and Developmental Education support.
Currently, Accuplacer prep is offered at both sites, but beginning at the end of January 2017, Metro North is partnering more directly to develop and offer Accuplacer“ bootcamps” designed as short( 20 hour) intensive courses to improve student skills, particularly in Arithmetic level and Algebra level mathematics. The college partner handles enrollment and partners with Metro North to schedule and to develop curriculum. We intend to offer Accuplacer bootcamps for each semester Fall, Spring, and Summer.
Metro North has also partnered with ARCC for the past two years offering supplemental instruction and co-teaching for the Developmental Ed English Language Learners program. ABE instructors partner with the ARCC instructors to develop curriculum, deliver instruction, and collaborate on student needs and achievement. College credits are offered for the coursework, which allows for an earlier college entry point for the students and reduces costs to the student. These students would otherwise have to pay for the courses to meet the necessary functional levels for some of their college coursework. Students can concurrently enroll in other college courses that apply toward graduation, so their timeline for acquiring their post-secondary credentials is enhanced.
Beginning in Fall 2017, Metro North and ARCC will also be entering into an instructional partnership to support Developmental Ed Math. For the majority of the 2016-2017 school year, the two programs have been developing curriculum and a pilot instructional delivery model. With this variety of programming, we are building a more symbiotic relationship with our college partners that helps generate student interest and involvement with ABE but also better meets the needs of the“ edge” learners pursuing a post-secondary program and degree.
6 METRO NORTH CONSORTIUM | vol. 5