Supplemental Funds to Support Liberty Partnerships Program Empire Promise Workforce Development Initiatives

July 1, 2006-June 30, 2011

The New York State Education Department is preparing to invite New York’s Higher Education Community to compete for funding under the Liberty Partnerships Program and needs a supplement of $41,185,000 over the next five years to strengthen its workforce development component, Empire Promise.  The following is a synopsis of the more detailed summary provided on page 4 of this document.

 
Please Note:

The supplemental funding requested in this proposal is in addition to the $18.125 million requested by the Department for the Liberty Partnerships Program.   The $18.125 million requested by the New York State Education Department will allow the Department to fund Colleges and Universities at rates that are appropriate to 2006 and maintain presence in the 10 regions of the State. That increase in funding will facilitate the ability of local LPP projects to (1) hire staff in sufficient numbers, with the necessary credentials at the market job rate; (2) keep up with the rising costs of fringe benefits and (3) consider the food and transportation needs of urban rural and suburban communities.

The supplemental funds requested in this proposal for LPP’s Empire Promise Workforce Development Initiatives seeks to link the preparation of at-risk middle and senior high school students to specific programs of study offered by colleges and universities that will prepare those students for high-need employment opportunities within New York State

Background

The Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) was established in 1988 under Section 612, Subdivision 6 of the Education Law to address the significant school dropout rate among New York’s youth. The authorizing legislation stated “the failure of many young New Yorkers to complete their secondary education limited their opportunity for a life of fulfillment, prevents them from advancing into postsecondary education and hinders the State’s efforts to provide a well-trained workforce for business and industry in New York.”  The Liberty Partnerships Program is included in the New York State Education Department’s Statewide Plan for Higher Education as part of its strategy to maximize the successful transition of middle and senior high school students who are at risk of dropping out of school into graduates, fully prepared for the rigors of higher education and the competitive demands of a fluid workplace in a global economy.

Performance Trend Data

·        LPP serves approximately 14,000 at-risk students in urban, rural and suburban communities through campus-based, school-based and community based programming

·        Annual School dropout rate among program participants is under 2%

·        Approximately 1,600 LPP high school graduates enter postsecondary education each year

Need

Under its new funding guidelines, the Liberty Partnerships Program continues its tradition of comprehensive dropout prevention and pre-collegiate preparation but seeks to forge greater relevance to State efforts to develop a well educated,  “world-class” workforce. The supplement requested in this proposal would be used to help develop and implement this component.

The new funding guidelines, scheduled to be released at the end of the month, offers special consideration to eligible applicants that incorporate LPP Empire Promise Workforce Development strategies to address New York’s critical workforce needs within its program design.  Identified shortage areas included but were not limited to:

·        High Tech Research and Development aligned with New York’s Centers of Excellence

§         Empire Development Corporation initiatives for economic and community development

§         K-20 Teaching and Educational Leadership

§         Nursing and the Allied Health Professions

§         Law, Public Policy and Government Service

§         Fine and Performing Arts

Goals of the Empire Promise Workforce Development Component of the Liberty Partnerships Program:

1.      Prepare students enrolled in the Liberty Partnerships Program for successful transition into New York’s workforce

Strategies:

·        Early introduction and induction into high-need professions

·        Academic immersion

·        College/employment placement assistance

 
2.      Create sustained higher education/workforce feeder efforts

Strategies:

·        Statewide and regional collaboration and articulation between Colleges and Universities with related missions, programs and goals

·        Collaboration and articulation with vested industry stakeholders

·        Professional development programs for local teachers and school personnel under the auspices of participating Colleges and Universities

3.      Provide access on a planned space available basis to interested non-LPP students who meet LPP eligibility criteria and performance/attendance requirements. Such students could include participants of other funded pre-collegiate programs such as STEP (Science & Technology Entry Program); College NOW; GEAR UP; Project Upward Bound; and, Project Talent Search; and, organized school, community, faith or industry-based programs

Non-LPP students may also include students who are not part of an organized funded program but students who (1) satisfy LPP’s eligibility criteria; and, (2) are able to participate in activities that will ensure their readiness for college and employment. These students must enroll in the local LPP or into one of the participating programs listed in the previous paragraph.

Strategies:

·        Comprehensive public relations campaign, community outreach, planned recruitment, sharing best practices with directors and staff of other programs

Proposed Use of Supplemental Funds

·        Pre-program planning for each Workforce Strand

·        Faculty/Staff Development

·        Articulated academic immersion program

·        10 Regional two 2-week summer residential program for middle school students

·        10 Statewide 6-week summer residential program for high school students (with stipends)

·        Coordinated/mentored pre-profession work experiences and internships (with stipends)

·        Community Outreach

·        Program Evaluation

Budget Projections