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VotkEducatioa Cosatils-The Collaborative ipgroach. testitstiosal Atekages. Youth anowledge Development leiort,12.5. isployeset and Tr-ail/lug k4einistratios (Mir

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. Case .Studies Cos. eity Atititsdei; Cosaseity CharectaristiCsi,community:tei4veiiant: '*Coessuity

1109Damst **Cooid i,ation; *StIsciitional Cooperation: Sditoatiail Emil Aisikets,,_114sdatiomal Sistorp:"=. 1decatiOnal xe ; Objectives; Pra*t icek47-4414scattoe .Rork Selatioaship ;mplblieet Critaties Pieancial -Suppprt; Jbb traisieg; -Nodal.; seeds lausseent:

.Progt.sk..Detige; Prows* linvalopment; *ProgramliffectiVenesst Program' Itipleneetatice: ;regain Ispriieseet: Success: Vo iational 'location: Progress . rvisTxrtsas Pork Educatioe Consortia* Project; *Ilorkidscation

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.&UiIICT. . ti. Intended ,for use by counitil and mitt ushers 'as well as 'iaaiaidaals incolaunitias that at* Co$asiderisg-41raing,or Joining

as edticatios.,werk council, this raport.liscu.4fee>th*-Aature, Enaction, -end 'growth asi-delielopseit et ,lork--o, Aucatiti councils, and

esanises,,he collaborative processes- thikf cOuiicils engage ii. The '..dscatioe and, work coeecil concept, the liort.ldscatica COesortiss Project, and _se iedepeadest study of. worle= adsaation coo:mils_ are

. descrthed.- Analysed.esztisiths prowess iikeoiodecil foreatiol i

inclading the plaieleg4of..,gOals imd:ictivf.ties.: -Various. council . opetatioas evolv.img from or inclailet in tire Piocess cf .council formation are Investigated., Discussed nexti, are *tone of the external ArioroesAiffacting council davoltilisost. Pcilioving u aaalysii of the

.co,llaboratiis process, different dimensions 4-3,61g which to; gasser*

success in *C1'140,129 contiguity *Collaboration are identified. Sussarisot sort. .are a series ot roceseetidatiosi .pertaining tc -- istegritisq council activities and ilikesting changes, the seed for

e capecil lumber' to act aciestitkNomarrepresentatiyea, the role of *Tensility leadership,. and the nee for cosecila to-paricdically

1:10 their_operatione. relatid tito-;volsmi rsport on linkages bets*** education and eiployeest and training system*. is available

isetstately--see Dote.) (1111)

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OVERVIEW

There are a range of institutions with responsibilities for facilitating the transition from school-to-work. These include school based

programs of vocational, career and cooperative education, CETA youth

programs in-school and out, the Federal/State Employment Service and a

range of community-based organizations.. In addition, business is organized

in Many areas under the National Alliance of Business, Chambers of Commece

and under CETA Private Industry Councils._ Organized_ laboris represented

by the branches of"thiASL;CIO Human Resources Development Institute as

well as Local Building Trade Councils. Each of these institutions has

colliborative responsibilities and mechanisms. Vocational, career and

cooperative .education all have- advisory councils. In CETA, there is the

overall planning council as well as .youth planning councils. Private

Industry Councils have a breadth of membership in order to serve as a forum

for collaboration. The Employment Service has its 11101 local private

employer-councils. The express purpose of the business and labor groups is

to intermediate with other institutions. In all cases, the aims of these

councils, advisory bodies and intermediaries is to help achieve broad

community input and awareness as well as to promote coordination and

collaborativ.

While there is extreme variability in Mmeffectiveness of these

delivery institutions and their coordinative mechanisms, "balkanization"

tends to be the rule rather than the exception. Mst'advisory groups and

planning councils have limited impacts even in their direct spheres of

influence, much less in achieving linkages between isolated and sometimes

competing spheres. There is a perpetual search, therefore, for new

coordinative mechanisms as well as constant reconfiguration of existing

bodies.

The Education and Work Council is one attempt to "build a better

mousetrap." Work-education councils are addressed to the broad problems of

transition between education and work, but their primary focus is the youtn i transition. The basic aim of the councils is to achieve "collaboration"

between institutions involved in the transition process locally. The means

to this end is not Federal mandate and extensive Federal support, but

rather local initiative with a decidedly nongovernmental' focus. The notion

is that the work-education council will not be limited to specific areas of

concern or to- a bureaucratic delivery system, nor will it be involved in

"turfsmanship." Rather, it will represent all elements in the community

and will be able to build a locally based agenda for collaborating among

existing local institutions.

The notion of the work - education council was first exposited by former

Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz in The Boundless Resource. A set of

councils were established in 1976 with seed money provided by the Department of Labor through three intermediary units in order to assure their

relative autonomy--the National Manpower Institute, the American Association "-of Community and Junior Colleges and the National Alliance 0

Business. Thirty-three councils were eventually established after careful

review of sites in order to determine the most fertile local conditions.

Under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act, Federal support

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was continued on a gradually'phased out basis for a second and third year

of operation. A total of $5.4 million in federal funds was provided for

direct and indirect support of these councils, or an average of only

$165,000 per council. In other words, the Federal support does not provide

for service delivery and a major activity agenda, but rather for linkage

functions to promote improved activities using already available local

resources. The councils were continued under YEDPA in order to provide adequate

_ time_ to. findout.whether they worked. The issue of their effectiveness was

of particular significance with the initiation under YEDPA of local Youth

Advisory Councils and of Private. Industry Councils under the 1078 CETA

Amendments. The youth councils represent a government mandated approach

heavily dependent,on prime sponsor bureaucracies. The PICs are much more

independent but they also have significant delivery responsibilities under

'direct appropriations. Presumably, the Education and Work Councils are

different than either and can, fill a unique role, although the implementation experience should also provide lessons for PICs sand youth

'councils.

-Assessment of the impacts of councils on collaboration and transition

problems is difficult. By design, the agenda of the councils varies from

locality to locality. Collaboration is a vague concept and even more 12 difficult to measure in varying local contexts. it is always difficult to

assess whatiowould have occurred in the absence of such institutions.

Finally, the competitive selection of sites left open the question whether

the experience would be the same in other locations.

With all this said, the need for better linkages is undebatable while

the resources and attention devoted to linkages under various programs is

substantial. It is necessary to better understand the linkage process as

well as all possible options. To this end, the Office of Youth Programs

initiated an early case study of the progress of Education and Work

Councils. Under an interagency agreement with the National Institute of

Education, OYP provide continued funding while NIE sponsored a major

evaluation of the councils and their effectiveness.

This volume contains the first report of the NIE-funded assessment,

the OYP funded case studies, as well as background papers commissioned by

NIE which provide better understanding of education work councils and how

they can,be evaluated. A final report will be available from the NIE study

in fall of 1980.

This volume is one of the products of the "'knowledge development"

effort implemented under the mandate of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977. The knowledge development effort consists

of hundreds of separate research, evaluation and demonstration activities

which will result in literally thousands of written products. The

activities have been structured from the outset so that each is selfstanding but also interrelated with a hot of other Wivities. The

framework is presented in A Knowled e Development P110 for the Youth

Employment and Demonstration Projects t of 1 ow e qe eve oPment

'Plan for the mouth Initiatives Fiscal 1079 and Completing the Youth Agenda:

A Plan for Knowledle-Rrein Difiraminatimn*IcatifOr

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1 Infineation is available or will be coming available from these

verious-knowledge development efforts to help resolve an almost limitless

number of issues. However, policy and practical applications will, usually

require` ntegration and, synthesis from a wide array of products, which, in

turn, dependsdn Am/ledge and availability of these products. A major

shortcoming of past research, evaluation sad demonstration activities has

been the failure to organize and disseminate -the products adequately to

assure the full exploitation of the fiedingt. magnitude and structure

of youth knowledge development effort puts premium on structured

an is.and-wide7disseminition,,

As part of its knowledge development mandate, therefore, the Office of

Youth. Programs .of the Department of Labor will Oganize publish and

disseninatelhe wfitteh products'olvall major activities funded under YEDPA

or mounted- in conjunction with OYP knowledge.development effots. Some of

the same products may also be published and disseminated: through other

channels, but they- will: included in the structured series of Youth

Knowled Deeelo ntik its in order to facilitate access and

9.a on. The Youth Knowledge e-Development Reports, of which this is one, are

divided tato. lie ,roa categories:

1. Knowled t.Fraraeworls.: The products.APthis category

are concerned tne Structure of knowledge development activities, the

assessment methodologies which are-employed, the measurement instruments

and their validation, the translation of knowledge into policy, and Ape

strateayZr dissemination of :findings.

2.. ilcotesearthorn,l, bility Development: The

products in this category represent imallfsee xisting data,- presentation

of findings from new data sources, special , dies of dimensions of youth

labor market problems, and policy issue assessments.

3. ProgramlEvalUations: The products in this category include

impact, process and benefit-cost evaluations of youth rragrams including

iehe Summer Youth Employment Program, Job Corps, the Young Adult Conservation Corps, Youth Employment and Training Programs, Youth Community

Consewation and Improvement Projects, and the Targeted Jobs.Tax Credit.

4. Service and Participant Mix:. The evaluations and demonstrations

summarized in this category concern the matching of different types of

youth with differ ht service combinations. This involve, experiments' with

work vs. work plus remediation vs. straight remediation AS treatment

,' options. It also includes attempts to mix Aisadvantaged and more affluent

partitipants, as well as youth with older workers.

5. Education and Training Approaches: T(hCproducts in this category

Present th711Tarictti-1xperiments to test the impact and

effectiveness of various education and vocational training approaches

including specific education methodologies for the disadvantaged, al - ternative.education approathes and advanced career training.

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PrilEmployment ands Transition Services: The products in this

category' present the findings of structured experiments to test the impact

and effectiveness-- of-school-to-work transition activities, vocational

exploration, jobsearch assistance. and ether efforei to better prepare

youth for labor market success.

Youth Work Experience: The products in this category address the

organization ;of work activities, their output, productive roles for youth,

and the impacts of various *employment approaches.

0. jggIgnentatiOn Issues: This category includes cross-cutting

lowayses.14-_:tki-FEETEirliiions concerning "how-to-do-it." Issues such

as learning curves, replication processes and programmatic -"batting

averages* will be addressed under this category, as well as the comparative

aCmantages of alternative delivery agents.

) . 9. bed n'and 0 anizational Alternatives: The products in this

category re .6$en assessments o emonstrat ons of alternative program and

delivery arrangements such as consolidation, yeaaccround preparation for

summer programs, the use of incentives, ,,a64-41Multi -year tracking of

individuals.

10. Special Needs:Groups: The products in this category present

findings on the-special problems of and the programmatic adaptations neidedo

for significant segments including minorities, young mothers, troubled

youth, Indochinese refugees, and the handicapped.

11. Innovative Approaches: The products.in.this category present the

findings of those activities designed to explore new approaches. The

subjects covered include the Youth Incentive. Entitlement Pilot Projects,

private sector initiatives, the national youth service experiment, and

energy initiatives in weatherization, low-head hydroelectric dam restoration, windpower, and the like.

12. Institutional Linkages: The products in this category include

studies of institutional arrangements and linkages as well as assessments

of demonstration activities to encourage such linkages with education,

volunteer groups, drug abuse, and other youth serving agencies.

In each of these knowledge development categories, there will be a

range of discrete.demonstratioe, research and evaluation activities focused

on different policy, program and analytical issues. In turn, each discrete

knowledge development project may have a series of written products

addressed to different dimensions of the is For instance, all

experimental demonstration projects have both" process and impact evaluations, frequently undertaken by.different evaluation agents; 'Findings

will be published as they become available so that there will usually be a

series of reports as evidence accumulates. To organize these products,

each publication is classified- in one of the twelve broad knowledge

development categories described in- teims of the more specific issue.,

activity or cluster of activities to which it is addressed, with an

identifier of the product and what it represents relative to other products

in the demonstrations. Hence, the multiple products under a knowledge

development activity are closely interrelated and the activites in each

broad cluster have significant interconnections.

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These iricings on Education and Work Councils supplement the materials

in Linkages Behind the Education and Employment and Training Systems, VolLanes .Likewise, the problems addressed by these councils are noted

in Between-. Two WorldsYouth Tranition frog School to Work and Eminloyment

and i$aini Pr rams for Youth-- at Works Best for Wham? in the research

or you emp oyment an top oya ty eve oilmen ca *gory.

O

Robert faggart

Administrator

Office of Youth Programs

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',Education and WorkCounetils: Progress

and Pr6blens...\.

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lainAspusment of Cosiaunity Work

_Education Councils -; Ten Case

Studies'

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Coliunity Councils and the Transition

Between Education and Bork. 4.... 2;1

frucial Issues Pertaf4ing to the

Establ*shment of Conowkity -

Educatidn,Work Councils..

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EDUCATION AND W4111C COUNCILS: . Progress and"Problems .

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t',.

. bAudrey Pyrager

Judith Goldberg

Marcia Cohen

PeterPinn.

Russell Williams

Kevin Bell

Prepared by:

Abt Associates Inc.

for

National Inttitute of Education
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TheEducation andWork Council Concept t 1:2 The NOrk-Bducetion Consortium Project 2 0

1.3 The Abt Associates Study ...5

t'.4 A Guide to this'Report 6

a

2.0' ovum FORMATION 9

2.1 An Overview of the Results of Council Formation...... 9

2.2 'Council Goals and Objectives 10

2.2.1 COuncil Target Groups 10

2.2.2 Types'of Goals 12

2.2.3 Goaf-Confliot 14

2.21 Thdriftocess of Goal Development 15

2.3 Cou4cil Structure 17

2.3.1 ,The Local Intefmediary..-.. 17

23.2 Council Me3bership 21

2.3.3 Council Staff' 28

2.3.4 Council Leadetshii and Decision- Making 31

2.4 Organizational Relationships. 36

2:4.1 Rlationships Throtigh Members 37

2.4.2 Relationships with Other Organizations 40

2.5courfOxl -4 . 42

1.5.1 The Effective, Use of Seed Money 43

2.5.2' Alternative Funding Sources 43

3. COUNCIL ACTIVITIES 491 3.1 Three MOdels 50

1 3.2 Activities 52

3.2.1 Research 54

3.2.2 Public Awareness 55

3.2.3 Student Development. 56

3.2.4 Staff Development' 60

3.2.5 Administrative or Policy Concerns ..61

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

a. 3.3 Activities and Community 62

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3.4 Activities and Council Goals 63

3.5 Participants and Recipients 64

4.0 THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL roams 67

.4.1 Pre - Consortium Council History 67

4.2

4

The Federal Intermediary 73

4.3 Type a Locility 76

4.4 Existence of Other Youth Transition Programs 77

4.5 Community Traditions and Values t' 77

op,

4.6 Community Boon=p

:Situation .1 78

4.7 .Community Politics 79

5.0 COLLABORATION 83

5.1 Definitions-of Collaboration .183

5.1.1 Research Definitions A84

5.1:2 .6a municetion of the concept

by Intermediaries r 87

5.1.3 Familiarity With the Concept

by Council Members and Staff 87

5.2 Implementation of the Collaborative Pvicess

by Education 4nd Work Councils '89

5.2.1 Dimensions of Collab4;ration 91

5.2.2 The Breadth and Depth of Council Activities 94

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6.0 KEY ISSUES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION, AND WORK'

COUNCILS* SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 99

6.1 Council Activities Need to be Better Integrated

with Planning and Implementing Specific Changes

Designed to Improve !math Transition to the Workplace 99

6.2 Members Need to Perceive and Act in Their Council Roles

As Institutional Representatives as well as Individuals

Rather Than as Individuals Onlivelf Changes in_ Institutions

are to Occur 100

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TABLE OF CONTINTS,(continued)

6.3 The Effectiveness of- Council Leadership Needs to be

Recognised as aCriticil Factor in Determining firm

'Successfully a Particular Council Develops 101

6..1 The Relationship If Staff to Council Members 102

6.3.2 The Role of the Parent Organisation 103

6.3.3 Federal-Local Tension 103

6.3.4° Developing A Sense of Mission 105

.-- - .6.4 Cfouncils Need to Reassess All Aspects of

Their Operations Periodically In Order to

Determine if Coils Are Being Met. 105

6.5 {Conclusion , 107

li , 0 . ,.. 4 .,.. ' ? , 41. T. 4mm:qv Aa liDlIFINITIONS OF COUNCIL ACTIVITIES FOR . t -

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1.0' INTMODUCTION

This report presents the findings and conclusions from the first

phase of a two-phase study of eddeation and work councils. The study, begun

in Juiy, 1978, it intended 'to examen the role and effectiveness of council

activities that attempt to improve the transition of youth from school to

'work," Under investigation are a group of education and work councils

funded by the Department of Labor's Office of Youth Programs in April. 1977.

The objectives of this two -phase study met

to present a clear picture of what councils are,

how'they function, and the key variables which

affect, their growth and development;

- to define the collaborative process that councils

engage in, and explain hot collaboration relates

to council operation*. and

'e to descrite>how collebdration.and council operations

relate winstitutioria change, and how these three

factors in. turn improve youth transition) which is

the long, -term goal of education and work. councils.

This Phase I report focuses on the first two of these objectives. liFt describes Councils and the forces which affected them at a time when councils

bad -been in existence for 18 months to two years. It explains what the

councils accomplished and suggest3 some challenges facing them in their early

stages.of development. As such, this report is primarily intended for council

staff and members, as well as individuals in communities who are considering

forming or joining an education and work council.2

1.1 The Education and Work Council Concept

As outlined in The Boundless Resource, the book which first developed

the concept, the education and work council was to be a "new institution that

would take the transition from youth to adulthood, from education

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to work,

1

Request-for-proposal N1E-R-78-0007, Pl

2"A separate paper focuses on the policy issues involved in the federal funding and support of education and work councils.

1
r. as Its particuliir responsibility."3 The council was to "...Kay/ '' 'essentially on local community initiatives...(and) facilitate the transition of the younger members of the community between institutionalised

education' and whatever is to follow it, although without commitment to the

one-Say order of experience this suggests."4 Actually, the education and

work council was not conceived exclusively to serve youth, although graying

concern over youth unemployment caused federal officials to urge that the

ei

first demonstration of education and work councils focus on youth transition problems.

Council functions were to include "both the rendering of services

directly to youth and the 'brokering. of-functions of established institutionsparticularly schools, employing enterprises, labor unions, employment agencies, and families."5 Council reprosentation'was to include

ali these institutions and target s:oupsOn an attempt to foster 'collaborative processes" at the local level. MS authors of the council concept

were mindful of the divergent self - interests involved, particularly as

represented by the business and education sectors, but they were also

confident that collaboration and institutional dhonge could occur, given

time. They prescribed a five-year period in which to allow the concept to

prove itself.

1.2 The Work- Education Com4rtium-Pro ect

The councils that are discussed in this report are part of the WorkEducation Consortium project. This project consiets.of 32 local educatfitn

and work councils and three non-profit, private 'Intermediary" organisations,'

the National Manpower Institute (NMM), the American Association of Community

and Junior Colleges (AACJC) and the National A:lianas of Business (NAB).

311111a:a Wirtz and the National Manpower Institute, The Boundless Resource:

A Prospectus for an Education /MOrk Policy, Part ft Youth, Chapter 4, "New

Means" (Washington, The New Republic Book Company, 1975), p.66.

4114, p.65.

sIbid, p.65.

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The history ofthe Work-Education Consortium project dates back to

President Gerald Ford's 1974 Ohio State University Commencement address on

. the subject of bridging the gap between the worlds of work and education.

In his addr400, President POW called fors the establishment of a federal

inter = agency *ask force consisting of representatives of the Departments of

Labor (DOL), Commerce (DOC), and Health, Education, and Welfare ONNWO to ---

develop new approaches that could be taken by the federal government towards

bridging the gap between education and work. Members of the federal governm

meat were also influenced by the work of the National Manpower Ingt4pute..

led by a former DOL.Secretary, Willard Wirtz. In August, 1975, Millard

Wirt* and the staff of the National Manpower-Institute published The Boundless the book which first developed the concept:of a local comm-

. nitx council to address school to work transition issues. The inter-agency

task force and NMI staff then designed the Work-Education Consortium project

to demonsiratothiconcept of local tration and work councils.

As the developer' pf the education and work council concept, NMI was

the first organisation involved in the project. In March, 1976, DOL gave

NMI a contract . to: identify communities that demonstrated some degree of

collaboratiOn between the various sectors that are responsible for or have a

stake in youth's'transition from school tolwork. NM! canvassed 300 communities, visited SO, and inApril,.1977, selected 21 for participation in the

Consortium project and receipt of.$50,000 seed money funding. In most oases,

this money went to a. local nonprofit organisation, a college, or a local

government agency in cooperation with one of the above, for the purpose of

establishing ucation and work council. If an education and work

_. cnbil was dread established and incorporated in a community, the funding

went directly to the uncil.

AK= entered.in 4.%.contract with DOL in October, 1976. It began

its selection process in December by announcing the availability of a Request

for Propisal (RFP) to establish an education and work council. Copies of the

RFP were sent to over 300 interested community and junior colleges represented by or affiliated with AACJC. The Rrp described the education and work

council concept according to the vision contained in The Boundless. Resource.

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.. Of -37.capleted applications receivedi seven colleges were selected to

receive the seed money funding.6 The criteria for selection4included

the lack o&-effectiie cooperative efforts underway to establish community

education -and wock-oaincils or similar mechanisms, strong commitment by

the College to give iesdership.to deVeloping such a council with broad

cosismnity -participation, arU other considerations such as geographical

, . distribution; type (Fugal, urban, suburban, etc.) and size of institution.

The National Alliance of Business became involvel, at obos.t the . . same time as AACJC. 'DOL asked NAB to reallocate some of its existing DCEt

funditt to support the establishment of education and work councils in

five cities sewed by NAB "metro" offices. Each of these five offices , received $25,000 to sponso an education and work counel. The money

*eat to those NAB metro offices that were felt to have the greatest level

- . of youts1 transition-, activities alreae on-going. The funds were to cover

the hiring of executive directors to work, with existing or newly formid

councils.'

. Thus, the'Consortium project came to consist of 32 councils which

were* given seed-money ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 per year to support

_a smell staff and organise a local constituency including representatives

- of local educatioii-institutions, businessva, government, labor, comannity

orgonizations, and other groups. The -Consortium project is continuing at

--04i-time_With;ON/ as the sole intermediary. Eighteen councils received

':$20,400;$2745004ach, for a third year of operations through March, 1980.

Nine"-AcidittonakcOuncils received $2,000 each for continued "networking".

. . _ Of the -five wishing councilovsome __ oeised to exist and some continue to

operate without-any Consortium funds. :zany of ,Cie councils funded by the

Nork-Edneation.Consortium project recently agreed to incorporate as a

groups 'Calling theriselves the National Work- Education Consortium.

The project design had two notable features--local determination

ant.local...independence of any one institution. There was no federal

. _ -desiga.for councils. Their agendas were to be locally determined by

6One of these seven subsequently dropped out of the project.

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; their members. This feature derived from previous experieice-with feder-

,- ally'designed programs, -and reflected the shift, in the early 70s, to

revenue sharing* On:flow:1 decision-making in a number of spheres of federal

' actiivity, _including education and employment programming. A second feature

. councils was their status as independent decision- Raking bodies. Unlike

other local councils such as CETA. planning councils or advisory councils on

vocational education which advise particular institutions or programs, education and work councils were designed to operate as independent oommunity

'organizations which could influence not one but many public and private

institutions to improve local transition services. Education and work

councils were to conduct their own activities with their own staff, and

ultimitely, their. own financial resources.

1.3 The Mt Associatnt,Study,

lin July, 978, the National Institute of Education (NIE) of the

Department of Beath Education and Welfare, cOmmissiormidAbtAssociateasinc.

to study the oounali in the Work-liducation COMFOrtiun prOjnOto The first

step in Phase T was to assemble an advisory panel and conduct a series of

interviews with' key officals involved in the project, including representa

tivesiof the three intermediary organisations and of the federal interagency task force. Abt staff then selected sites for in-depth stpdy. An

interest in variety across the following four criteria guided the Phase I

site selection process: service area (rural, small city, large city, other),;

existence of other youth transition programs in the area; history of council ' in the community; and federal intermediary sponsor of council (National Nonpower.Institate, American Association of Community and Junior Colleges or

National Alliance of Business). A fifth ckiterion, the type of council

. - approach, was also considered, such that some of the selected councils

sought collaboration primarily through the sponsorship of _activities and

others sought collaboration primarily by actin as facilitators. After

review of written repor4and consultation with Council and intermediary

representatives, 12 sites were chosen for study.

5

.19
. N The Phase .l field investigation began in December, 1978, but most

of the councils -were visite:fin March andApril, 1979. An average of 20

interviews were conducted with council, staff and a majority of council

members, both-active and less active, at each site. Council meetings were

also observed during these visits. Figure 1-1 lists the 12 councils which

were seledted and gives a capsule description of each.?

.A Guide to this Report

The succeeding chapters of this report describe the early development of education and work councils and the factors that have affected

. . council development. Chapter 2 analyzes the process of council formation,

including the planning of goals and activities., Chapter 3 investigates

the council operations or activities that have flowed fromthe process of

council formation, and in some cases, been part of it. Chapter 4 describes

some of th3 external fortes that have affected council development so far,

and which are likely to have greater effect as councils become accepted

community institutions. Chapter 5 analyzes the progress of the collabo.

cativo process and 'begins to identify different dimensions along which to

measure success in achieving community collaboration. Recommendations 4r0

noted where applicable although the najor themes and recommendations are

summarised in Clepter 6.0.

40 It should be emphasized that the information collected on councils

aad discussed in this report represents a "snapshot" of a constantly evolving-iet of phenomena, taken at a time when councils had been operating for

. between 18 months and two years. Futire-reports will document the case

histories of four education and work councils, and investigate the tole

of local councils (not li.sted to local edUcation and work councils) in

the provision of local youth transition services.

7Lengthier descriptioss of these councils are not provided here, because

it is assumed that the reader is familiar with the concept and operations

of education and work councils. Readers desiring more information about

the activities of these councils should contact the Rational Manpower

Institute.

6
'1,, FIGUat 1-1

DESCRIPTIONS OP 212.1WELVE COUNCILS IN ThE ART ASSOCIATES STUDY

1. Wordester, Organized4hy business and education leaders in 1974,

the'Nercester Career Education Consortium received NMI funding in addition to local, state and federal grants. its Midm: activity has been

the operation of a_ clearinghouse of field experience opportunities for

high schodl students.

2. Jamestown, Ma.: Existing since 1972, the JaMestOWA Area Labor Management Committee was funded by NMI in an attempt to learn whether an

(existing:council, with goals to train and educate adult workers, could

also, bra an. education and work council anctinclude youth transition from

school, to weft as a goal.

3. Philada1614,7pa.: Since its separation from the Advisory Council on

Career' Education of which it was originally a sub-comeittee, the

Education-to Work, Council of Philadelphia has focused on working with

program operators and aiency administrators rather than youth themsalves.. The council has facilitated the acquisition of program grants

by a number (*community agencies.

4. Livonia, Mich.: The local public schools and Chamber of Commerce formed

theWork/Education Council of Southeastern Michigan, Inc. in 1974. It

has` adopted a brokering-mde'of operation, and recently expanded its

service area from-Livonia to"all of Wayne County in an attempt to become

eligible for CM funds.

S. Lexington, Ky.: Vas Lexington Education Work Councirwas formed under

the impetus of-the Work-Education Consortium. Formerly under the

chairmanship of the $ayor of Lexington, the council has operated ajob

referral center fog youth. Thi council has sought public awareneiksof

youth transition issues by sending cut a regular newsletter to a large .9

local mailing list.

.01 Puget Sound, wash.: An advisory groupto Private Sector Initiatives,

Icc.# a non-profit business-based organization concerned with adult

unemployment, the Puget Sound Work Education Council has served as a

brokering agent for youth transition programs. It helped initiate a

replication of a successful youth employment center and it cosponsored

workshops for guidance counselors under, two differoneprograms.

7. Mesa, Ariz.: The Mesa Work-Education Committee, also known as Project

TilKeitiot, is part of the Mesa Community Council, a non-profit agency

which'oversees and evaluates community programs. The committee has

tried'to iaiAd upon other efforts of this affluent, civic-minded community, such as the school system's comprehensive career education . program, by improving community.awareness of youth transition problems.

7

2.1 /.2 -..-*W

0f
'FIGURE 1-1 (Continued)

CAPSULE DESCRIPTIONS or THE TWELVE COUNCILS IN THE AST ASSOCIATES STUDY.,:_ /7;

.-.r

ilt

8. Sioux CI GOAD, Inc., a college - affiliated ccemunitY

development' agenLy, is the fiscal agent for the Sioux Falls Area

Community Education -Work Council. The council has been concerned

chiefly with the lack of transition activities and opportunities

for part-time work in the small farming communities outside the city.

9. Bayamon,_ Puerto Rico: Operating in a political, environment that is

3:7-7nsantly hJghly centralised, and in a cultural environment that favors higher-education for all Puerto Rican youngsters,

the Consejo de Educacion y Trabajo de la Comunidad has attempted to

gain broad community participation in addressing problems related to

the availability of, career information and the rele7ande of post -

secondary eduaaticg,to Puerto Rico's futute job needs.

411.1 10. , St. Albans, Vt.: Established under the-auspices of the Community

Coilcge Vermont, theComminity Education-Work Council4of Northwestern Vermont has become -an independent organizatiosti. In a rural,

economically depressed twat the Muncil has focused its concerns on

local economic

11. Santa Barbara, Calif.: The Santa Barbara Community CateerDevelopment

CouThlallfe a sairirouof chief executive officers of business and

education which has adopted a number of successful strategies for

improving career education in schools. The council helped the counfy

schools obtain a $260,000 grant from Youthwork,9/nc. to give high school

students career counseling and on-the-job training id local industry.

12. Bridgeport, Conn.: Originally funded under the Business Education

Liatson (BEL) pragtan-of NAB, the Bridgeport Work Council has received

MA support to continue sponsoring seven programs, each of which was

developed by either NAB or the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce. The

programs are aimed at educators and inner-city disadvantaged youth.

9

22

>4

9
1'

40061010,011ATt11

The purpose of this chapter is to explain how education and work

councils are formed and to describe the challenges that face councils in

this first stage, of development. This Chapter-describes four key elements

of the formative process: the development of goals aud objectives; the

levilopeont of council structure (the staff, the members, the leadership,

the-procedures for meeting and asking decisions, and the relationship with

the parent organizakionWthe development of organizational relationships;

and theeneration of alternative funding sources. . 2.1 An.Cverviamr cif the MeZolts of CouncilArmation

( ., The results of council formation vary across councils. .Goalstakegents most consistently focus on youth. Local education amd work councils

empl *no to:three staff persons, although councils sponsiOred by- local

a. _0'4

pare organizations and councils that existed prior b) tne'ConsortiVm

project-11y have larger staffs. The executive director is the key staff

moon, and be or she usually has abackground in the educational sector.

Council :membership includes representation from 'education, busidebs, labor

and, government. Education and busitess members are xost active, although

laborand community organizations are active on a few councils which represent these sectors in greater numbers.. The chairperson typically cones

from business? Occasionally, he or she is a prominent lublic official.

Members meet at least

.quarterly and usually monthly, and most councils have

executive committees'and tee groups that meet more frequently than the whole

council. Decision-making stytis include both centralized and decautralized

models, although the conditions contributing to eacOvary from council to

council. Voting is usually conducted openly and informally, by consensus.

The challenges of council formation also vary across ca AGilu, but

sollpatterns are noticeable. Establishing goals and objectives .is difficult

and time-consuming and sometimes frustrates the business representatives of

councils who are eager to get on with specific:activities. Councils have _ RA

difficulty maintaining the representation of youth, and parents and representatives of labor are infrequently active i0Zither the formation or

operations of education and work councils. Moreover, most councils have

23.,
'faced some opposition from existing community programs and institutions,

: _ . 4 .; eltholb councils. succt 4,!& IS generating addit4onal funding has helped

to give them-*re time to establish themselves es causality insiitutioes. __ . The **jot processes and structural -.Xeatures of (*anal fonsetiori

, x Are qipeSesed4in this chopter,.,,To illustraefour "findings and oua:Siscussin o't the challenge;'fsting councils iwithis stage of development,

exaxiies- are taken iroo the.eicp erieneas o1, the 12 councils visited as part

td-teiles first phini .i..-If Ibis.' Study.. ,s; . ..,,

I- - , . r> ,...7

. J...;.(.. .; ' ,

:

'.-: ' . C*Itit Goals .U4'0 eat ives

i, - 4

, . '-- With the exception Of the jisiestaim Council which serves working

.s. ;adults, the consortium councils' -goals reflect the preside that they exist

4,04,

.. to improve youth transitionlf- The target- geographical erees are specified , 4 .,. ; . 4 " +. . inteirme of initerel boundari4:-ae city st a, grOuP of counties or a MetroTr,

politan area. Counci4 havelit developed measurable objectives; rather,

their goal statementsdittcuss process and arZebf activity. A liglimutri of

..,-. the ioals and pcipUlation.tatfet group, listed-in council goal statoments/

:is :presented 'in Figure. 2-1'. ..

.-_

(....- -. 4 .242.1 ."Council Targee,Grolips

Target groups fall into four categotiosi youth, adults, youth

seii and adults, or youth service agencies, Councils that specify youth as a

`4t,r; prjmert 9t often do not clearly identify their target beyond that,

althciu01 s apparent from speaking. to council staff and members that an

their-mein-concern -is with high Ohool youth. Implicit in most councils'

focus on youth is the provision of service to those who work, ttith youth, :' 'AI primarily teachers and guidance counselors and some youth ser7ive agencies.

.-. -.4., Business ii generally not accorded the same status .48 a "youth4erving"..

, group. -;:t =.. Only one site specified-inner-city d_isadvantagedyouth aS a*teF.

get group. 4ridgeportls high satioa -population is 60% minority; thue,

1where explicit, updated goal statements were not available, information from discussions with staff and membership, .,

".

.

. . ., 241 .. .1.,"-

... . :., t . . 7

we derived this
..__ ."j

- ;- ' - -. --- a4 -' - - - - 4ii.t

1*' tot tUP Gto -.

} .- ,w.s

I 4 Iidbsc. louth fI!*, .9 i U ,utI,ccato olstukot$ t, th.

S ''2) *p put s,tiiu .- c tint1434sttsp Of aid dèi$1oo of cro.i tatsia.

-. sc.1..mis4 asuupttcs.1 cppurtuidttid, ; i 7suU, :t3 y.uI aido,. ,.c.tt. tkit4,.c cidi

- .- -. UIluii* uteaconry $ pqiuiqipatm o as.fuily-in ?ss bocupsulue

-c 41 to vek ii oII1bi fit iii Mtk .theidstofsut. to ip1Q. ..-1.Mt

.

').a - cci M hi aWonoçstfaoui qiidtut at tJ.4r 1dii. .11)2

- actooL ouiltydtsM.aiutojad ) to .slt. di. ccb1 of youtt i plOuon1 ty pco,tfl stidoot. with

-- -') -1ysutb aM .ui4t.- ,.z..r sXn.gi.g aid i cu.tbon 3sb ccpsTlSato. aid £twitit

,j* ittUs -, cc tuoctac. as to ci:..c. - -: ---. -

.-. ,*usb aid you I) to. 1iwv. oosCtlO.at oounsslii bi .ch...

- - cc.aloc. -'- -2) to twida. tt. .i.pu.nt çaqul.Ioust$ hi it. baiiki aid c.taii .' -

-, -- -. Natotw '- .stUct' i,t ci kota5n ttt bid1up aid c.tail. ..c'ocR 4r aM th* Mwi. 4) infoclitton

- - to pioriô. y.utk.ithb.tt idout uucl4 at sock

-- : : .i. 1 i.t

- - 11fi - -. -' ' /-usoI*f1fl$ onc%ns. ' (4

t t.1., tict cit isUu auty

LL,omt. - iti-ai4t.

4 '-

1) ito hip, sict aid coordhist. peuptá, to faoiilt.t. youth

-' -S -. - '

-tatoiltici a to Oou.i.p tot ouot4la. cui c.,catooI to asiut.iu a

- -. .- cusSi 4u.Stk(. oppuctunitiso ór youth tot aiiøts

3) a4upti.n. ot accttltoU tod ctdtcaitonpiopc.**

ii .nt to ...o.. .n.to wita it ttoti.sslMticc Of- wt oiiia4io. I loon j'.. cft.uP aid 'wotk oppoctimit.. tot youth

- - - -, thst sStvsW.th a) to ...lityouth ioyusat atonelso t ssutco5lf4.act. luptcv. 5-.-,-

4 , -5-

' - piasias oftoilni. '- - -- tO ilsItit titlist, tO %IJfl.IILOM $Sii t* tidoC thto

S - I) to .saMci ant .tt limoantIt. 'coJsotI

- -. -- - . 1) t ptioNihitotaitá .c*. tot youth imM a.00l.

- -.

S pu-,t ficid--

4 3- M. To anceucoshiga nsf t.nsi to thI.dnsLtoMSaM lafustip world

- 3) to inctuson youth'. M.uttodksg .1*. wo34,sL onok av4ow tk

loch work.

-:

- 9 to hitsqut. work aid sorvlCt l.tl.iic. .kt ducitlon -

- to bulU .efl.botttiv. nstworks lan'(4 dlv.ts. àcnsinity soatocs -" wotso.tit 111gb' orhOol 9 to t='=;: tot iistt. lb. nt$11C4 St PO9I 10 liSiP -: V

.tulacuis - stidoot. in tanalt1.n ,. 2). do ffOIOS *4.x.nsi. of corouc cppoitludtl.. to iii .tidtot*

S S S 3) .10 luptcu.cuSor qiltiocs

- - - I) to dihip oiuicu). -

- - 1) to $ód1f. 31atotst1*i us. of oct.01 tsoIIitIs.

- 6) to It.atlty ant IikqcpoM. thappcosiss of cOlIabOI.t*cft Iii Ottul

4-- - -

- - 1t1us

7) to at-idsoatictol p).acnln .ffnfl

I) .v 1 1t oat ipp)y tot ,.i.t.f pclt.t. t.nte bit Pall. - Itidsid. l to to a qttslyat Lot fcopc dOiIgii sal yUcy oncoonsatotlon.,

- ituslvlag' both progias facilItatIon liSt policc Sidlysi.

-

- Za.ljiptoc Tolith -. - 1) to I4sntlty .stopds of .otoidnt bOut.,, to youth flln*ltlOfl -\ 3) to dsViIOp jejant. and iCtlVltlII r.let.d to vut). transition

- 3) to cultiust. tad Isusiop 'itlatlup c.tou,ccI aM aitliltisi

- 1ito,..tabllib.youthpucy '-

- -. - - 1) ye ditcos InsisO t.tatid to It.' lntOctic3is of !400$tion aid

-- r all lidlelluahi

- toss Youth (149 --

-S

1) to act cc a c.taly.t is coordlUtlap (,.cuns,I to, youth in otd.c - - -. to fitillist. utlll,atto, of .trticui ty -youth lii tclo.ltloo

-- 2) to iaoolye tbu csh1ty 1* p vi5g aid tJpls*antlfq tiansitlon

- -

.. . 3) to iãohu youth is £dantltylrig liIi sat d.v.joplop solutions t

- - - tran.itIai pccf4Ins I)

-.

- I) to ior.... youth sasisanus otTaci.utlon pgob1s - 1) to act a. to op.n tovan N, youth sorviol iori..

- 6) to tacllltlt. diann.js .1 ounlnstloS aid oc11at.g.tiv .ft.ets

- -'

- Jon*stcun in-putt uark.i. 1) ofosa--kabce-n.nap..snt cousolls is I iustdal lastI

- - 3) -Indussiap idult .5111. ttaIstn ,tOfTs

- -S - -

- - -'- ;A'1tz--> " - 11

(. - I- .- -,) ,--'

-: ' 'S --S £ -

) S-

- - -. d: :.':

- - .5. 25

O'I, -

:

--4-',

-:
. ' '.;,

, . ,

,,

, 3 . disadtantagea youth are a particulerlyoippropriate choice of target group for

Y bitiOpundl. Moreover, *pacification off- service to a disadvantaged sub-

,. .. 4../. groOpof'youth_causeddisseasion in some councils. For example, some buslnesi:repiesentatives of the Mesa council sought to have it focus on finding

.. 4,

. . jobs for.drcto-outs free Mesa's high schools and college drop-cuts who re- .,

,....., ,turned to Mesa looking for work. The council's educators did not see this

job-finding:role.as appropriate to the "process" orientation advocated by

140t''orto their,; orof*ssionel concerns for all .youth. As a result, the

cdqncil never Olearly'idontifieg drop-outs as a target group.

. A

One council includes both youth and adults as its target groups.

Livonis,bas coordinated community career education resources for both these

,groups. The Puget Sound council is beginning to move in this direction.

Theilhiladelphre council serves primarily the community organizations and

s government agences that serve youth, focus which seems appropriate in

4, view of this large city's complex delivery system. Jam-mtown is the only

council that focuses specifically on adults. The Jamestown council predates the Work-Edupation Consortium project, and it simply continued with

-it* preViousloaiiief adult training, adding only the development of inidant train 4g prog:ams tefits agenda,

2.2.2 Types of Goals

The goals of the Consortium councils can be summarised according

to the types of issues mentioned in their goal statements. Figure 2-2

Arof summarizes these issue6: Excluded free this sunmary are goals that Kern

mentioned only once, such as Livonia's objective to evaluate vocational

and career education programs and St. Albans' concern with establishing

*-1,inkriges.witheeenosic develtpment organizations.

six councils, five of whit% are NOI-sconsored, list collaboratimas one of their goals. Eighteouncils list facilitation among th.tir goals,

0 perhaps.a reflection of a broadly-shared understanding of their role as

catalytic agents. Frequently included in goal statements is is reference

to improving career education by exposing studeniPand counselors to the

world of work. This type of reference appears among the goals of seven

-h

Ani

12

26
r. ry / 11 MN 84 M ' MM M 84 M M M 84 4. 4 MM Co MM K 84 Si 84 H 4 V 8484M84 84 . 4". 6 , Ar M a
councils. Oommunity.awareness, needs identification and information

clearinghouse are the -next most frequently cited goals or activity areas.

Ogy'twocouncils mention a policy role. Institutional change is not an

explicit goal of councili, although it is implicit in the activities of

- one or two councils.

nouncils, choice of goals reflects the influence of their intermediaries, particulariy for NRI and 11AB-sponsored councils. The

Boundless Resource and NMI staff foamed on a "process" orientation--

"collaboration" and suggested that councils conduct activities like

needs identification, information exchange and community awareness, all

of which are mentioned most freTielitly by till- sponsored councils. On

the ;they hand, a "project" orientationkis adopted by NAB- sponsored

councils. The provision of sobs or work experienbe is an explicit goal

of the councils sponsored by NAB, an organization whichhas as its main

activity job placement in-the private sector.

2.2.3 Goal Conflint

The lack of:goal specificity, the focus of attention on relatively

non-controversial goals such as the provision of youth and youth-server

exposure to the world'of work, and the lack of any explicit reference to

the goal of institutional change may suggest that goal development was not

easy for most councils.

v. virtually all of the councils experienced some degree of goal conflict as part of the goal evolutionprocgas. In some councils, goal conflict did'hot surface overtly. In the others, goal conflict did surface

and was either successfully or unsuccessfully handled. The principal indicator of unresolved conflict was turnover among previously active council

members and sometimes among staff. Where conflict was unsuccessfully

handled, the principal short-term outcome was to delay the council's natural evoluterinary process. Successful goal conflict resolution Seemed to

require leadership capable of this difficult task.

29

14
*Mil conflict occurred for a variety of reasons, but most critical

were the legitimate differences in perception of community needs and the

lack'of equal involvement on the part of all council members in the process

of goal determination. The go* conflict that occurredion the Philadelphia -

Work Education council reflects the fact that each member perceives commanity needs from a different vantage point. As a representative of an

'Organization, each of these individuals must advocate and rally support for

his ca'her organization and its approach to the youth transition problem.

ThArOositive anPect of the conflict here is that it is out in the open and

all members are aware of it.

Lack of equal member involvement in goal determination may also lead

to goal conflict. The lack of uniform involvemegt of-council members may

reflect staff dominance in the goal-setting.process, the dominance of one

particular sector, or the dominance of the council's parent body or historical affiliate. As in the case of the Lexington council, goal coeflicc may

also reflect the natural growth of council membirship. When new members

are admitted to the council, a certain degree of goal conflict and re--

definition of goals may be necessary.

2.2.4 The Process of Goal Development

The councils can be characterised by three modes of goal developments

Adaptation-er use of goals inherited from a parent

body= . Goals de4Loped early, independent of a parent body

and remaining relatively unchangeos and

Goals still being developed.

Most councils that existed before the Work-Education Consortium or

broke off from 'a larger parent body inherited their goals from these earlier

organizations. The Puget Sound council is an advisory arm of Private Sector

Initiatives, Inc. (PSI). The council accepted PK goals, including its

decision to broaden the service area of the council.from Seattle to the Puget

Sound region. Likewise, the goals that Bridgeport inherited from the Bridgeport NAB metro office and the Chamber of Coimmerce Education Subcommittee went

15

30
0

4

1Z

unchanged. Livonia and Philadelphia inherited goals iron their predecessor

- affiliates, the Livonia Public Schools and Chamber of Commerce and the

Philadelphia Public Schools Advisory, Council an Career Education, but in

both cases former goals were adapted to meet new perceived needs. The

policy oriented goals of the Sioux Falls council were developed in response

tc,the needs, assessment activity of its parent organisation. Finally,

Jamesto wn continued the focus of the labor-management council as previously

formed, broadening it to include skills training to receive NP funding.

Goals'develoged without paient organisation input,

At least three councils had_no starting point for goal development

sent and took longer than the above-mentioned councils in developing goals.

The Mesa Work Education Committee-agreed an a tentative set of goals at its

third meeting; but only six membiracomprised the Committee at that time.

Two meetings later the Committee expanded to temembers. A new goals

statement was called. for but one was never produced, and the Committee staff

basically, operated from the earlier goals-statement. The Bayamon council

spent its initial'seven months conducting a needs assessment which resulted

:in a set of objectives and activities that have not changed since. The

SantaJlarbera council also developed its goals relatively independently of

its parent organisation, WAD. The process took six months and the members

remain satisfied with their shorts.

Gals still developing

The Lexington council set priorities for areas of concern during

their first six months and later identified projects to address these areas

of concern. However, they have since started new needs Identification

processes and have a "Committee on Haw Directions" reidentifying goals.

The St. Albans council had not coalesced as a group at the time of our site

Visit, so its coals were also still developing.

The process by which goals and goal conflict MO, evolved in the

Work-Education Consortium project contributes substantially to the councils'

alai development and future influence in the community. The length of time

taken in the process per se seems to_be less important than the uniform

16

32
41.4..

involvement of the amalmvihip and the constructive guidance of council

leadership. The parent otganisetiOn or historical affiliate can provide a

1-- useful starting point-for the development of goals, but strict allegiance

to thee* goals can also impede prospects for changing the status quo. As

a corollary, councils which start with a set of agreed upon goals and

therefore avoid conflict miss the cmortunity to surface issues which may

reguire.community-wide confrontation.

2.3 Council StruCtiire

In the previals discussim of goal evolution, it became clear that

the goals that emerged represented only an outer shell in which was cloaked

other circumstances, events and perinnalities. We noted, for example, that

some councils were influenced in their selection of goals by a parent organi-

,zation. We noted that members representing different interests had legitimate sources of goal conflict. We*also alluded top but did not detail, the

role of goal conflict in producing turnover. For example, we did not elaborate on *who' quits or *who' they are replaced with. Patterns were found in

both these areas. We also mentioned the critical role that Luncil leader-

- *hip plays ikthe resolution of goal conflict. A second key element of the

formative prn6ess for Most education and work councils is, therefore, the

development a'Ociunoil structure. In this section we describe the critical

aspects of"council structure, including relationship to local intermediary,

. membership, staff, and leadership and decisidn-making.

2.3.1, The Local Intermediary

While councils received limited assistance in the development of

goals end activities, they received considerable guidance concerning the

structural aspects of council development. liala staff, for example, placed

Particular emphasis on the importance of local education and work councils

becoming incorporated and thus independent of their parent organizations.

All 12 education and work councils were or are linked to local intermediaries. Three councils.developed these affiliations prior to their entry

into the Werke-Education Consortium project. The Jamestown council, established in 1972, was formed by labor, management and municipal government

0 e, ;. noVr.O.l... 4-

17

f.

3.2

(

R.;

-eallo.11.110.111.1.1

s
, .

, . constituencies for the purpose of forrang labor management councils in

local indlIstries. The Livonia council; established in 1974 and incorpor-

.. .ated in 1977, was formed by representatives from the Livonia Public Schools

and Chamber of Commerce. The Worcester council Was. founded by the Worcester

Chamber of Commerce and became incorporated in 1474. The Worcester and

Livonia councils operate independently and are incorporated.

Six of the education and work councils funded initially by the Con-

., sortium are dependent on a local organization in some respect. The organizations playing this local intermediary role include the NAB metro in Santa

Barbara, the Chamber of Commerce in Bridgeport, Privte Sector Initiatives,

Inc. (PSI) in Puget Sound, the Center for Community Organization and Area

Development, Inc.ACENCOAD) in Cioux Falls, the Mesa CommunitYCouncil (MCC)

in Mesa, and the Interamerican pitversity in Bayamge.

p

At a lainimum, these

zloi

organizations are 'Ala fiscal agents for the councils. n 1977, when:the

councils were first funded, two more had local auspices The Philadelphia

council was a subcommittee of that city's advisory counc 1 on career Oct

cation, and the St. Albans council was sponsored by the Immunity College

of Vermont. The Philadelphia council became independent lin(1978 to achieve

neutrality among local youth service providers, and the St. Albans council

became independent, also infra, to pursue its owe goals of improved yeah

transition independent of the community college. Oily two of the education

and work councils are structural subunits of a larger group. The Puget

Sound council is an advisory arm Of Private Sector Initiatives, Inc. and

the Mesa council is one of about 20 committees that maks up the Mesa Comas -

pity Council. Figure 2-.3 summarises council relationships to their

-laccl intermediaries.

,Mven though not all the education and work councils we vitited operated under local sponsors, all bad local orginiiational homes that affected

them to different degrees. Por some, like that Lexington council, the home

in the administration building of the Lexingtoe4ublic Schools is simply an

addreps. For. others like Santa Barbara and Mesa, the home is more than an

address. Some influence ii felt from the pazent organisation, although

33

18
4

FIGURE- 2 -3

siMUNCIL RELATIONSHIPS TO LOCAL AUSPICES

9.6=4" _ LOCAL,

naznaDniiins NATURE OF RELATIONSHIP

NAB

Santa Barbara

Bridgeport

AA=

Bayamon

St. Albans

NEI

Trioni a

Philadelphia

-Nig et Sound

Worcester

Sioux Falls

Lexington

Nem

Jamietown

NAB Metro

Bridgeport Chamber

of Commerce

interamerican

University

None

None

None

Private Segtor

Initiatives; Inc.

None

MEMO; Inc.

None

Mesa Community

Council

None

IFiscal agent; overlapping boards

Fiscal agent; overlapping board; with Chamber and NAB Metro;

NAB was previous fiscal agent but auspices changed to enable

receipt of CBTA funds; no staff sharing; share location.

Fiscal agent; share space.

Originally sponsored by the Community College of Vermont; CCV

was fiCical agent; shared staff. Still share office spa40

Established in 1974 in its present form.

Originated as part of the Advitty Council on Career Education.

.11

Share staff and location; council is an advisory arm of POI and

all council activities are subjevt to PSI approval; no fiscal

relationship.

Established by the Worcester Chamber of Commerce.

Pima agent; share staff; share location.

Initiated through personal relationship between University

professor and 1111 senior staff.

Fiscal agent; technical assistance and direction provided"by MCC

Executive Director; Council represents the "youth transition"

committee of the MCC; share secretarial staff; one administrative

staff is on loan frostWX4 share location.

,)

Established in 1972; broadened focus to accommodate consortium funds.

o O
0'

.1 "t,"*. 4 ,

thiie councils are free td isvollWes they see fit. For other councils like

Puget Sound, Bite's /Foils or Bridgeport, their home is a comtral influence

in thefi4Xistetale. The Bridgeport council basically supports the on-going

activities' of the National Alliance of Business aetrooffime, except that

the addition of one staff member has allowed the expansion of these activities. yi Puget Sound and RiOux Palls, the council exefltive directors have

cone from the staff or board of directors of their parent organisations, and

have brought with them that orgassisationts philosophy or concepts of what

needs to be done in the area of youth transition. The remaining councils

relate to their organizational homes in unique ways. Philadelphia is independent'of Rohm and Neat (a multimillion dollar chemical company), but its

Glocation at the aciha

able credibility in

legitimacy from its

s0d Haas executive offices lends the council consider:

thelepaaunity. The Bayamon council enjoys similar

affiliation with the /nteramerican University.

NIC encouraged its councils to become independent of their. parent

bodies and to incorporate, but the evidence suggests thatearent bodies are

not necessarily a negative influence and that incorporation does not guarantee success. Four councils--Worcester, Livonia, Philadelphia and St. Albans--

becaie incorporated. This tactic proved appropriate for councils like St.

Albans, whose formation wee thwarted by its local intermediary. Incorporation

, may have helped the Wier educatiOn4i

and work councils that decided upon it as

well, although here the effect is confounded with theta the receipt of Con-,

wartime funding. Theti funds allowed the Livonia4SndiPhiladelphia =mils

to hire full-time executive directors, a factor which may have been more

important to the early growth of these councils than incorporation. For other

councils, like Bayamon, the suggestion to incorporate might have been premature.

Bayamon'eouncil members and staff believed that the councils link to the Inter-

, 141: americaa University legitimised it in the eyes of the community. Incorporation,

they believed, might be more suitable at a later date when the council had

achieved legitimacy on its own.

1'

e k'

20

36
, incorporation can play an important symbolic role in tile early' development

with respect to 16Cal councils. Separation from a local intermediary by

more,crucial role.

sent of independent leadarship from membership and staff, may play an even

of an, adueetion and work council; but other factors,such asth#tdevelop-

..i.,.

Xn4conclusion. local intermediaries can, play a variety of roles

2.3.2 Council Membership 4

MUch of the literature surrounding education and work councils,

ea and such of the informal guidance provided by the NMI and AACJC intermedi-

%. aries, stressed the'valne of broad, active council membership. In analyzing councils' achievement of this, several factors Wre found to be

important, includt# the process of membership designation and Members' .r,

motivations for jOiaing the council. As a council begins to grow: other

factors affect 4w, bzOad, active involvement ef membership/ such as_the

. -

=-;.. relationithi tiwien the membership and staff. Each of these :factors is IC

disccssed'in Sections 2.3.3 and 2,3,4, while this*ection dismisses the

'., features of education and work council member6ip noted above.

<. Designation,

Council origins, and in turn the selection of membership, vary

across intermediary auspices. AACJC colleges were asked to submit pro-

. posals. The fri6cessfel colleges in turn, hired council executive directors.

.

. _ who invited -Ober* to join. NAB did not engage in a proposal process;

,.

-.. , The national Organization selected five metro offices to receive apprat -

.-. ,

, * stately $25,000 each to hire council executli? directors, or Business -Edu -

.* cation Mason 031M4 Directors, as tl-ey wee called. Each of these metro

offices then organized a council, the members of which were usually individuals who had been involved with NAB programs previously. As in the case

of AACJC, council formation and selection of the executive director were

independent of each other.

The NMI ootncils exhibited sore variety in their development. In

. some cases the executive director initiated' the idea for the council and

chose the membership. In other cases. a small group of community leaders

* -

:10

IIMtM.

4.) 21

La. 3 7

*
., ...41

,

t.3 r,

T';. I% > s >providict the and *waived- other community leadgs and organise- ,' tione_intheeducetiop and work council concept prior to hiring an executdve djrector. 'Sometimes the executive director and an executive committee

constituted the initiators of the concept, and they jointly selected the

larger membership. The Sioux Falls council is unique in that its executive

) '.director asked community leaders to*nominate members.

,% "anoil executive directors and initial Mitters did not have a

egy for attracting membership, although ,same guidance from the intermediaries was given. Theli,sRproach was info 1. They contatcepeople they

knew who were in the appropriate sectors or who were activedn,issues like

youth transition. Failing that, they relied on individuals in the !Appropriate sectors who were hard workers or known volunteers. Council initiators

tried to attract high -level representatives, and their success was related

to theirown status. y_theiitatus was not perceived as sufficient to

induce the particiiition of a high-levAl official, responsibility for council

#tendance was delegated to a was for council

initiators to invite others in their own otos to join them as members.

';...A.0-}

ft/A

dill*

---7*

Seams* of the different approaches to council formation and membership selection, and the diffitint orientations of the 'selectors," no two

I,

councils are identical fn their size, sectoral representation, or

rP

ucture.

Official council roster from 11 141 members. The NABS -spon'%ik ed

councils are the smallest, with 11 and members each. The AMC- moored

of)

councils are this largeovaveraging 37 members each. Consistent with the

.0 efficient, smallrgioup style reflected in councils selected by NA8 is one

exceptionally small-NMI-sponsored council. The Labor-Management Committee

in ilrestown, with an 41 labor atirbusiness membership, has only 13

members..*

220

88
Sectoral Repteientaticn

:lsocept for the Jamestown Labor-Management Comadttee which did not

alter its bi-sectoral structure upon receipt of DOL funding, and the Bridgeport Work Council, all education and work councils attempted to gain braes&

sectoral reirelertatica.. figure 2-4 identifies sectotaIMar l involvement on the

-councils.

In. eneral, councils include representation from at least four

sectors: education, busliess, government and labor. Among these, the education sector'is the most active in terms of attendance at meetings -and

participation in activities. The business sgOtor'is active in its acceptance of leadership roles.' The representet401-af-labcr is often a formality;

while nine councils have a labor representative, only three achieve active

labor participation. '16xith'and the public -at -large are represented on a . few councils, ;but are not actively involved. Counedl leadership is generally sympathetic to youth involiemont but unsure of bow'to sustain it. One

or two councils also sought and achreved media involvement in their activities, 'but media people are not generally council. members.- ;lost colefils

include a representativmof the local CiT4gency,i4 this individual is

actively involved intt activities in only a few cases.

findings on seatoral representation and active involvement oh eau-

. ;,,,cation and work councils support SOW hypotheses'and not others. for

example, we expected to find educators constituting a larger.Ncentagf '1g

council members on AAOJecouncili than on SIIA0unolla. Amo.04%he oounciis

we visited, this expectation was -sat borne -out. Or. the other hard, business

membership as. a proportion of total semborOpo is highest on the Jamestown

and MAB councils, asiwa* expected. Be also found that in councils where

business is very act and assumes leadership roles, private sOrpes of

support for council activities are more frequently and more successfully

sought. demestown, Bridgeport and Puget Sound,. all councils witiiit private

sector image, are three of the four mich,o5048,1a that have received funds

from industry exclIssive of isikkind.;.gontributiOns. (See Section 2.6 for a

'4

23

a= .0

%;1
?LGSMS 2.4

OP s ON =CAMS AND wow cOr.0 TLS

c. 5

1-:Couttoile

. Na jar,-., Sector-.

-3ect;ors- Represented

-Euidness 12,

: Education 11

toreros/ant 9- '

Youths 3

o Eublit-at-Lapj* 4

A1

2-24

3

40

PEN

# Councils

with !Warm

Active-.

7

3

11

7

4

P1
-0.4 0. ';'',':: ' -.. /, ._ i. ...- . ,

. , .4. further diSoussion of council funding sources.) Two factors appear tgpoon-

. ,..- 'tiI*ite t4ie;hOr's ... .... passive role; first, few council executive directors or

. .

.

. , 7 initiators come, free the labor movement, second, and perhaps related, most

-4- .

, '-Orencile have cely one Or two labor representatives, compared to quite a,

inseam representatives of both

.

. odu cation'and. h Osiness. Not surprisingly?,

the councils that enjoy active labor participation (thrapillts, Puget Sound and

Zamaiptcwn) ate,alio:those that are concerned with adulttranCitiOn issues,

... -, AithOugh-:we slic)%not quantify representatite into sub- sectors,

thereare somegeneralisatkeethatcan be ventured about the representation

and ekti4ainyolvem,nt of certain suh.sectors._ Among educators, representativica' of the public koh schools domiiate end-thekloOuncil,peua 'includes a

4V-:_Y7-

vapriseatiOVe_ct theschoOlu vocational ed0Oatiou program. -onior high

. an4-elsmemtery,041ool persOnnel aia not represented on most of the education

4160106!'; coMMunif.: college administrators are sometimes repre-

;Molted, but theyOarticipate far less actively than their public high

16hocit.cotiterpertat Four year college or university are only

occesiomallk:Coacil partiCipthts..

The businesi sector is most often represented by Individuals.from

large companies, usually industry. Some councilsoitained the participation

of local bankers, a good Source of community c^ntacts and possible funding:

elt

sources, but otherwise commercial and other small business representative

are relatively absent.from education and work councils. Indeed, councils

need to consideejihat they ao much to offe to local small businesses

as,they.have to large companies. !Argo companies often already participate

in Cooperative education and other exchange programs with the schools. They

Participate it CETA 4 ogress for training and job placement, often with

their can facilities idouvervisory resources. Small businesses who do not

possess program'knowiedge or their own training facilities can gain access

to these resources through the education and work council.

&, 25

41
.06

IS Motivations for Membership

To describecoUncil members by their sectoral or sub-sectoral

affiliation is convenient for analysis purposes but somewhat misleading.

Obvpsly, council members cannot represent "sectors.* A business leader

from company *X* may represent company "X", but not the entire business

community. It is perhaps more relevant to describe council members

a.:Conding to the reasons they give for joining education and work councils.'

There are at least three identifiable motivations, for joining

councils. One is participative --the individual and his or her organization feel they can benefit the council and be assisted by the council.

hh example of this is the women who joins the council because she has just

accepted.a job as a youth oounselor for a local service agency. She . __believes that her job performance will benefit from her Itticipation and'

ef that the council will benefit from her knowledge of youth" A second

2, motivation is se12-interest, if at the individual primarily seeks the

benefit that affiliation with the council can provide. $lor example, the

head of the bank'scomiunity relations department joins because his

affiliation with the council will be good for the bank's public image and

attract more bank business. A third reason why people join councils is to.

serve as 'the boss' representative." A company president does not have

the tic) and asks the training manager to attend instead. The training

manager joins because he or she has been told to represent the company.

People who join as *the boss' representative* generally have the, most

'United perspective of how they can assist the council or how the council

can assist them.

We also asked council members directly why they joined. Whatever 4

their actual motivations, most.council members said that they joined to

help youth make a better transition Their responses resembled- those one

would expect Of community volunteers; many responses did not refiect.jOb

vneecis or self-interests. 'one members of the Philadelphia council provide

an ixample of a council, each of whose *sabers does have a vested interest

in active council participation. They see their participation as directly

42

.
NJ

* Waited to theiroan professional and /or self-interests, since their

collaboration helps determipe whether and how they will receive assistance

in seeking funding for their agencies' youth programs. In many councils,

however, members eitherdo not have strong participative or self-interests,

or do not openly express these interests. Codncil leaders may need to take

greater responsibility for asking members are of these interests, or, if

that is not possible, for rebuilding-or augmenting the council with members

. who do recognise these motivations.

Turnover.among membership'

Many council leaders equate broad, active councWmembership with a

lack of turnover. They point to the continuous participation of their membership with pride. Likewise, other councils associate turnover with

failure to achieve active,-broad participation. In this sectibn, we dis-.

cuss turnover among council membership in an attempt to. put the issue in

perspective for education and work councils.

Given the voluntary nature of councils, we were surprised that turn-

. over was no greatef than it wan. Abcut half the councils experienced turnover equiValent to that which a small business would witness in a giyen

yeas- -20%. The councils which experienced the. least turnover appeared tobe

the smaller or more narrowly constituted councils, including the Jamestown

. and NAB councils. Councils whose.core membership existed prior to thelCon-

/11 4 sortium project, such es Livonia and Philadelphia, also experienced relativelrlow turnover. High -level business representatives are the most

4 likely to quit. Conilict over the project vs. process orientation-of

councils is a major source of turnover among these representatives, as

the failure of council leaderShip to resolve the conflict in a decisive

.1

way.

The lack of turnover can indeed be a positive indicator of estli

council development. One example of,a large council that holds togeihe;

will is Bayamon. Through the petseverance of the executive director and

president in maintaining regblar personal contact with council ambers, and

with the help of special incentives (meetings are held in a reserved room

40

. 43

xz
-6.z

. It / 7favoritt-rettaurant; following

,:partcipation. An average of 25 to

weeklimeeting.2 Strong democratic

agreements arise, helps to keep the

dinner) the council has achieved active

30 of its 41 members attend each bi-

. leadership, particularly when diggroup together!: While the Bayamon

council may undergo changes and turnover as it seeks to challenge existing

institutions sloe* in the future, a strong, cohesive base from wh$1,20 . launch these change initiatives is being built. Moreover, this cOreeiveness is ievelopfng despite the lack of a tradition of vollintarism,'extreme

dissatisfaction with the education system; which was recently Criticised in

a report by the National Eduction Aisociation, and overt political factionalism which characterize the Bayamon environment.

On the, other hand, turnover need not be a negative experience. A

few of the councils we visited, clearly got off to, a poor start, usuallyy

. because of an inappropriate choice oC'executive director. In such cases,

early turnover among membership or staff) gives the council a chance to

begin anew before too much damage has beer. done,

Of some concern is the concentration of turnover among high-level

r business representatives who are then replaced with mid-level officials.

These Chaney' may allow a council to continue its norMal activities, but may

inhibit the council from undertaking serious efforts at creating change, in

community institutions later on. The power of high-level'officials, and the

hands-on implementation ability of mid-level officials, may both be needed

to,carryout change.

2.3.3 Council Steif

As previously discussed; the staff of several NMI-sponsored education

Ind work councils were.effectively in place prior to the establishment of the

. full Council membership, even prior to the grant award. Pot this reason,

the selection of siefffr,xas,uot 40 issue that, received substantial attention

from NMI. NAB and AACJC-sponsored councils selected executive directors'

after grant awards Out before membership involvement), and both of these

2The average, attendance for all councils ranges between'45t and 700.

M wft

20

a 44 ,.1

'Ca

1
,0

: ,c; 14estguidance in this selection proceis. As will be

'Aisn:In this sickion, compcil staff end "the circumstanCes of their involVement

can play koruOikil role in'theekirly development of edccatio9 and work

../ councie,

. Allyouncilthave'at least one stiffpersonan.executive director

.: and.most-havt direCtor, an administrative or research assistant and

*mem

a, imerStaty. 'The are the .smallest, with only an

. --- :-,.

. / AACJC-sponscred councils have larger staffs .4

. . ? : .*' -, : wbilthr Aire- partially suPported bY federal prog ram , like- CET% or gISTZ., NIL_

*tats -or;,sohook internships, or by parent 'organisations. Finally, a few of

the cou abili have consulting support. 'AACJe reserved $3,000 fro*, each of

t

tive ilirectOr .1 Tile' iiitt

4,14 councils' budgeis.to pAy,f-t an outside evaluation of their fi1,àt year

of °petitions. The.tiPO AACJC-sponsoced carnal, we visited continued to

receive-col-moulting services, one from a university professor of industrial

education ,and one from a free-lance consultant. The Jamestown council

retains.thi'services of three part-time consultants who are local college

professors. Dian-eines. the executive director is the most important "

staffiumember; and is the locus of our. attention in this discussion.

Bectoral Representation of Executive Directors

Two-thirds of the education and work council executive directors -

have spent most of their working lives related to the educational establishment; althOUgh a few have had other jobs or job interests which involve other

sectoii. For example/ the Bayalen executive director taught elementary

school for almost 20'years and then took a job negotiating on-the-job training contracts for the local CETA office, prior to becoming an education and '

work council staff member. The-Bridgeport director has strong ties to local

4

:industry through hi% previous job as the Corporate Development Director of

'the University of Bridgeport. *Thettivonia council director was an assistant

principal in the Livonia public school system who was seeking a change in.

careers:

4

1:k

'10 45

g-
t. h .., Designation and Turnover

In the course of discussing bow a council's membership bec *stab-

., 'lishe4, se noted how the executive director became involved. Op and AACJC

loCakintermediaries hired their executive directors, who in turn organized

. . the.membership& The hiring of the executive director was usually accomp

Hailed by one or two peopletaand,these individuals often had littie.subseguent involvemenlraith the "education and work councils. In three Out

of,four of. these cases, there was turnover in the director's position, in

two'cases within a few months of the council's inception. There was turn

over in three of the eight director's positions among 1011- sponsored councils..

There appears to be a relationship between_the.manner in which a

director is designated andthe lopgevity of that director's job, although

the precise, relationship is in every case mediated by the director-10erticUlai strengths.. In general; there appears to be less turnover eiong . directors who are chosen with conscious and broad membership inpOt. In

e.

other cases, the' executive director appears to be retained fora particular

strength he or she brings to the,00uncil's activities, such as valuable

contacts or the ability to raise funds.

A The desig n of-the work - Education Consortium project ISMS flawed, . . perhaps unavoidably so, in the respect that the executive -.director was

Often'hired prior-tethe involvement of the council's membership. In some

At

cases, this situation workeeouttilther because the director was perceived,

as particularly capable or becauie he cm she was aware of the lack of a

mandate and made special efforts to assure the Council of their prerogatives.

In Other cases; this situation did not work out, resulting either in.the

director's resignation, the resignation *Uses* **Oberst :or an *Pass*

between the memberihip and the staff. Counci*whose membership has changed

or which are ready for self - determination may wish to consider stafUelec-

'tigps.

4

30

46

S

, , _
4

St ,Characterittics

acrosi the councils, there was, agreement on the skills, knowledge,

-attitude, and other attributes necessary for executive directors. Figure

-2-5 summerists the executive director chaxacter'stIcs endorsed by toune'ls.

Of foremost-importance is the ability to 'ilk with representatives of

. different sectors in a collaborative or LAcilitative style. This was both

themost valued ability and-the one which was considered to be most absent

-emodg- council directors'in the councils we visited. Just as important and

'_necessary to thelicIlitative role is strength in interpersonal common'-

-.colons...experience% making, using and keeping contacts, throughout the

140,.

- "A3thOugh,councils were encouraged by the intermediaries to use

4.varlity of contacts to arrange for `future funding, many councils looked

priviaiily to their executive directors to:idekify funding sources, writ*

NN

fmbpogals and get money for .thaw, hence the high value placed on. this ,(1?

ability. Alsovalued are executive direct4 abilities in expediting actin

vities and developing, projects,, gathering and disseminating Information to

the council, organising, administering and managing.

The staff characteristic that most often led to early.turSover was

inexperience, which usually manifested itself as an inability to manage

2.3.4 Council Leadership and Decision - Making

in the previous sections we have dearibed council membership and

staff. More important than the-chara4terfatIcs or the background of these

people as Sndividuals, however; may be the characteristics of council readership and dec's'oii-making that they, together, forge. MMI and AACJC prigided

guidance to their councils on the subject of leadership. AACJC in particular stressed the''importance of the staff-council relationship and the role

of the council in directing the staff, rather thali the steff,directing the

counc114 Methods of structuring education and work councils to insure that

they be true decision-nkling (as opposed to advisory) bodies also emanated

from,the council* themselves and were shared in the cootie of their interactions with each'othec.

N.

1/4 I 47

31.

4
, 9

TIOOMI 1

1 counous

e b`sising CritilAeing, ling

Amoutive Imees4)Ve ., Director Director

for Attribute Por Lack 'of

Attribute

,,.* 0. Ability to wort withidiffsrent A 5'

0 sectors and ability to:

-,-; iaOilitat*relationsbips

* _mediate conflicts

. -''act ac an a detail* or broker

,

t. 4= minimise political Jiff riAces

4o ''Skills ik'interpersonakcommunications $ 1

. .-., r.

1

01

bebeves,diilomaticellY

--nIU-CattigrelL.....- .MW. MaL.dbft.7.8.. AMA.

41, uses iiaVaIntaine coatacts

bas V2 drew on

Ability to identify and cot funding

good proposal 'triter

entrepreneur

)D, Attribute of action orintotion,

'ability4p 4

.0 expedite activities.

40,1op projects

facilitot,projecte

= ovAillity to organize

sdiipitter

magige,staff

" Ability bili tir gather and disseminate

inforOetion to<nvibere

Willingness to report to council

and carry out cduncilinitiatives

3

2

.4 Attribute of prestige 1'

1

3

oe

.QSZ.e.,

:

32

1.8' C

.....06

S
i4

. Ciuncil membersurff and representatives of parent organisations

. are the eaters thskoomifsea councilseleaderMhip. Council leadership

emanatecfroM the executive director in some cases, and from the council,

president or execctiVe committee in others. ins third set of cases, the

axecutAile4iceatar and president together represent council leadership.

In sow oasis, a representative of the parent organisation provides much of

the impetup for council activities.

The gualities'ct * good loader or good leadership_are:diffimat to.

specify in the abstract-;Peeple seem to Aeo;;"leaderss or *good leadership"

when they see it, but they -have a bard time analysing the particular qualitier that make a leader. AA in4ight tram the community organisation liter-

, ature may be helpful to *keit .:and work councils. in evaluating their

leaders. Eamon and Lorents3 ascribe leaders of "resource exchange

networks," affiliations of individuals and organizations 'for the purpose of

exchanging resources to achieve mutually igreed-u0OS goals. According to

these authorse.the lead*: of tho network is an unpiidvolunteer. He or she

,clan nudge the network into action without directing its activities, and;

more importantly, can doil openly with the issue of leadership. The best

leaderi ire isithei laypersons or dissatisfied professionals who, through:

yearn of experience, understand the wastehat results when Individuals

specialise too much and define their roles too narrowly. Moreover, good

leaderecc coordinatccs have the capacity to begin, how resources can be

used, and their antennae are constantly !saaanire, to send and receive

signals for resource availability. They also know when to use different

resources. Finally, the early leader remains a leader, even though new

leaders can and should emerge. Perhaps these are some of the qualities of

leadership that education and work councili shouldiseek to attain.

Models of beciiiop-Making

4 NO

Closely tied to the issue of leadership is that of decision - making.

There are two modes of decision making -- centralised, in which decisions

are made by council leaders ic an executive committee and staff, and

38eymour Sareson and Elisabeth Lorentz, The Challen 41 of the Resource

Exchange Network (San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Lon ns Jossey.Bass'

PublisheFs, 1079.)e 1 129. "

.4

3

49

2
V 0

A r deoehtFtlised, 1n which decision's are made by the entire council. -rive

councils use a centralised decision asking process. Staff work with one

Or more council leaders,as a team, which then announces decisions.to the

rest of. the council. at meetings. Two of these councils use committees

ter review aide's, but still turn to their leaders to make decisions.

Lifted, some at bars in these councils expressed relief at being able to

theirjecision-arcking responsibilities to leaders that they

. thereby saving than the time that involvement in these decisions

would take.

:43 There are five councils which generate decisions as a gvAoupO. Two

of these are very small - -11 and 13'membera, respectivily. Two were existing under sOme'other auspices or in some form before the Werk-Idubation

Consortium. Two councils cannot be categorised as incorporating one form

of decision-making or' the other, since they demonstrate different forms

okdecision-making on different. issues. -In only one case, nilaaelpiis;'

does a council make decisions,formally through a parliasientary process

utilising committee reviews and votes. !, The other dounciii all decide by

consensus. ,How DeCiftons Are Midi

Somme councils use strUctures to

process. $e oral councils use standing

membsecto work on specific projects or

consist of officers elected once a year

facilitate the decAtion-making

committees or task groups to enable

issues. Executive committees, which

and the leaders of the standing

committees, actas a vehicle for communicating gesultil of the task group

-activities to the general membershfp at its4 egula; meetings. The executive

reemmittde usuallveets more often than tame whole council, perhaps twice t

month. Each Successive layer of organisation 4n this system !gather! infor:

nation and makes decisions for the purpose of enabling the general membership e.

to make informed decisions on larger matters concerning theiouncil. The . ,NMI and AkCOCrsponsored councils basically follow this structural model.

.

34

50

r
Bach of the NAB councils uses'itr own model, ilk er of which

involves an executive coxisittee or task groupie In Santa Barbara, the

power of the individual members, plus en elected chairman, provides the,

leadership. for the council. The fact that the NAB metro director hired

th4ouncilis first executive director before the council ve formed seems to

matter little inthis4issel the council members as a grout appear to under-

*tend their colitictive-power and are willing to use it. The executive

director of the Santa Barbara council plays the mole of general assistant to

the council, organising its ideas on piper and carrying MOugh eu selected

activities. In Bridgeport, the decisions are basically made by the,,exediltive

director and council proofdente-who invited eachlgt the 10 council Members to

"AA. This council operates as advisory to NAB's on-going boner programs.

The health of a council's leadership and decision.asking.capabilities is key to its self-idoutity and to-its. ultimate influence in the

community. Crucial to the decision-making capabilities, in*tiritt are

four,factorst the relationship of the stiff lo the membership= the use

of organisational structures that involve a marimem'number of members and

also admit Outside influsices= the'continued involvement pC early leaders .

and planning to&evelop newlieiders= and the background and qualifications

of leadership. These factors -are discupsbelowl:

Council members need to play anhactive role, in the councilisdecisim-makingrprocAs. The staa needs to understand its proper role.

Staff can suggest-ideas, facilitate discussions and manage meeting' and

data gathering.effortse but it should not dominate the decision making

proceis. A staff which 'is large or which answers as such to a parent kl

organisation as to the education and work council membership, or which is

selected without sufficient input from council membership, may come to

; dominate a council's decision-making and isolate it from key avenues for

on -going community influence.

14 35

A

I
it

The leadership and dicision-miting structure can oleo enhalce the

council's self - development and, ultimately, its influence in a 0ommunity.

Poi one, the method oft'forming task groups to handle specific problems 0Q:be

1 a *ems of tapping new leaders/4p sources. Second, councils that open their

taskgroups to the public generate more intimate awareness !f the council on

- the partct the public and plant the seeds for longer-term, community based

leadership-in the area of'youth transition. ":',At the time ,of our visit, seven

i

owns had active standing' committees and in three--Bayfreamon, Philadelphia

andlexington- -the committees were open to'the public.

4 47

The continued involvement of early leaders can play an important role

in the development of a ancil's self-identity. Fox example, the lack of

qontinued.imilolvement of its initiators hurt the Mesa council. The early

leaders departed before the membership had established a self-identity.

Council initiators and early 1Qaders also need 0tke plans to develop newt

'leaders, for two reasons. First, in most cases it is unrealistic to expect

leaders.o'be able4tomaintilin their commitment to the leadership function

for more than a ii&ar ci?twa. The10ivery characteristics that make leaders

*a what they are also usually make them very busy people. Second, even if one

could retain the loiderahip.of those who began as council leaders, it may be

wiser to'allow new leadership of those to take over after home time. Alter-

,. ations in the council's goals, such as the inclusion of adults as a trans-

.ition target group, or the expansion of the council's geographical scope,

may'ofOcr.a pTitious otkOrtudlty for frObange.in counc44:leadership.4

Present council ;eaders need to think iti plan for this eventuality if a

smooth transition' is to .be accomplished. 2' .. ,*, 2.4 Organisational Relatiinshipii

As noted.in Section .2.2, coordination with local communitiinstitutions and afAicies which are inveved in youth transition is a stated goal

of a majority,of education and work councils. Theoretically, councils

achietre and maintain these linkaghs via their membershii,"or their relationS`

&hips with other local: organisations. Thiirsection describes council'use of

these basic methods of achieving iinAge As will be illustrated in this

r

4.

0

36

52

1
'-' - , y.:)

4- 0; ' "0-

. < motion, d

.:trating ,port

fhó iariety,o

,

. Y ' .24.1 SlationahipOhrough"Aembers . .

.

.

- 4

. , ii e . / r

orgln!mtion4 Iiekages 3.0

it ?Ioneilsearli age4z.,- ee-logat councils has n di

an active 4'24mMtire frusJuet becoming filer with

ff fault.

-A.

. Local linkages-through members are achieved ie two ways: ,.. through

. 4 t. s. institutional representation on Ole:cOunciland through overlapping amberaiilvvitliOther iitatitutioAs or councils. 'Asmdiscussei inp;Otion 2.3,

mostcoUnci ",;K4ortt broad sictoriltepresentation, even if the numbeFol.

: 4,_.; iadividUa4s representing a motor or 'the grnstitutions representing

-_, t. 07 ., . that sector is liiiited.:''. 4 .

.

!'

414

4 Pigure-24 illustrates the education and work councils' overlapping.

,;4 . .

. , . membership with other keyccimunity councils. These councils tnalude.three

. mandated CITkcouncils (the planning council, he youth council and tEtt Pro-

` 4,,' poled PIG' or Private Industry Council) the mandated local area vocational

.educaiion'adviiorycounCil (iACY1), the.madated local economic development

Planning council, and otiter non-mandated' butevalent community councils

.k . . . .r 4.Z

concerned with youth transition sponscred by NAB, the Chamber of CommerCe or

the-public sChool'system. ""; According to Figure 2-6, two-thiFds of the education-and work councils

. . include membership from the local .Chamber of Commerce (usually its aducatiOn:

committee). This appeals to be the most common linkage. Aspresentatives'oe

. . local-CBTkplanning councils and public school career education advisory

. councils sit on five education and work councils. At least four councili

expect to become the Pia or incorporate PXC membership. There is fairly

'limited Cross-fertilisation between 'education and work councils and MTh youth

councilse'LACYEse and economic development planning covens; although several

lore councils do have vocational educators or CETA staff among 'their aaabakahiP.

Patterns of overlapping memberships among specifictoundils reflect

. , the goals of the council and .the ambitions or special knowledge of its leadership., The three councils that.have',the strongeet linkages to CA can be

used as an example. The Philadelphia council's primary goal involvel mediation among the numerous CET& service deliverers in that city. Governient

AY. a

372

53

S

I.,

% ;

,e

:et

4

X
-

Nandeiad

;".%

maw 2-4._

4 ovisouppiwa,ccundi lassetwouve

Prevalent but lice -Mandated

Local Area ! Vocational Economic

47 n private Education Develop-

, CETA CErA Industry .Advism,rY sent

, 1 Planoin4 . youth council -Councik Planning Councilap_ Council (PIC) %ACM Council

:5= ,4}. ,::

'4;'' Santa latkitica, X . eXpoot!1 . liti4gepott:

,..,. micac . obsirson' -*-

et: Albans'

11 ..

... 2 . Livonia-': X expected . X'

-. di las rill*

'eVecteati; *, Philadelphia X X

, 'Puget Sound X X

P' Warcesto

-::i Ixington x expacted Nets . 4iimasto,wri ..

expectmd

Chamber of

e:ommerce Other. (e.g.. _ (e.g., Public Schools

NAB Advisory Education Career- Education _

. boar.. Cosmitteej advisory counc 'l)

X

X

x

S .5 I

s

e 4

.54

Nr0012040
4

4 k

: 034.- 4. . egencits and Ops that receive CETA funds comprise a majority of the Philadelphia council. The Livonia ooune#Vs consciously seeking to garner CETA

funds and become a political force (per4ape the P/C) in the greater Detroit

area. In Puget Sound, the 040011 executive director has extensive knowledge of local government and cOmmunity-based organisations and,was able-toattract Membership from these groups because of his contAts with these

organisations.

The pattern of linkages by. the two councils that serve econoilcallar

depressed rigionsare neavi4y influenced bby this condition. noh tries to.

cultivate linkages with local economic development groups. The St; Albans

council is developing a strong linkage with the local economic developient

organisation, while the Bayamon. council haste. one of iteactive'members.

a government official of the Economic Development Administration in Puerto

Rico.

Male further investigation of local linkages and their outcomes

the subject of Phase II of our study, some coaa4its can bo ted* Mere. A

major observation is:that CETApaiticipation on education and work councils

>, has been weak. One reasoh is that theexecutive directors and Council

preildents tend tc be educators or business representatives, not c110 or

government affiliates. Another reason is that. the CETA. affiliation is sometimes viewed ai casting a 'negative image over, the council, especiallvith" , employers. There is knowledge that CETA exists, but theta does not to

be a clear understanding of what CETA can do for the council, except insofato,

as councils can use CETA funds to add secretarial or-other administrative

staff: A.thid reason for thei!ieck of active CETA participation maybe the

disparity in target groups betwiLeducation and work councilor and the CETA

organisations. CETA focuses on the economically disadvantaged and unemployed,'

in-school and out-of-school youth. Most education and work councils operate

on behalf of in- school youth of all economic bankgrounds. Some CETA representatives astbe unwilling to invest a lot of,energy in an activity which

. - does not directly support their needs, just as some council members may ge

unwilling tO4docus toosluch of their attention on onlylgiie segment of the

AC

youth population..

-

39
4

4 Representatives of career education advisory councils are more

frequently found on education and work - councils than are memb4rs of valve-,

tional education advisory councils. One reason is that the concept of

education and work cnuncils is concerned with the broader programmatic area Not surprisingly, none of the council leaderi or initiator* repro-

, sent. vccationalgeducation. Vocational educators are peihapi most, active

in areas like St. Albans where Canadian industky is expanding and new

training programs need to b- e developed to encourage therexpansion and to

induce youth to stay in the rural tricounty area t o occupy the new jobs.

%tile certain local councils are frequently repieselted among

the'membership of.education and wo k councils, there is little documentation othe overlapping council. memberships held by education and work

councimembers. Our interviews revegledonly some overlap in this

diiection, with council members most often members of career education

.advisory i,louncils.and Chamber of Commerce

4-4.0 appearsthei relatively few education and

CETA planning council members, and almost

. . . economic development planning"councils.

education subcOmittees. It

work council members were also,

none were members of the local

2.4.2 Aelationthi s with Other Organisations

One of the most difficult challenges facing councils Sri their early

development has been that of defining roles for themielves in relationship

to other councils, programs, andtOrganizations that perform similar functions.

Education and .pork councils have not had diffidulty.obtaining the partici-

. nation of high school educators or business leaders, perhaps because these

representatives feel that thecouncil can have an influence on their jobs

, v but it

4canot replace the functions carried out by them. On the other hand,

the education and work council can riplacethe function carried cut byan

ineffective local career or vocational education advisory, council, if it

chooses to do

%. Sol& councils didv, atteapt to- take dyer services performed by other,

.programs or councils, with varying outcomes. One education and work council

sought to perform the clearinghouse function of 'bringing local eiployer and

40

5/6

4.

44.14.1,
4 teaohera.togethere a function which was being served by the high school's

ft career education program., This caudal believed that the clearinghouSe

service was more bppropriately provided by the council than by the.school.'

Although the council began A clearinghouse program, it exists in addition

to that operated by the school. The'hostility that devebOied between these

organisations as a result of the Council'sOction has not been tempered,

even though the council bah triedto support the career education program

imother:ways since that time.

- . 1?, Allqher education and work council sought to be the local catalyst..

for coordination among 4feral well-estailidhed, long-standing you't' service

agenc ies. Its effort met with. early resistance, and caused it to cancel a

"conference of local service agencies schiduled to kick off the education and

wcrk oonloil$, operation. In addition, numerous early attempts to viln the

'involvement of the local cantor education advisory council in this education

. 44 V and work council's Activities were unsuccessful. In the face of these

. obstacles?, this codicil was forced to retreat and reconsider its role. "

s Both of the situations just described are characterized 4r a misperception on the part of "the council's leadership'of the community's willingness to accept the council in the role it has chosen for itself. It is

.7. unlikely thAt any education and work council can simply declare ite role in

the community and expect existing organizations and councils to move over

and accomodate. A council should be- prepared to work to achieve this legitimacy. In some cases, the council may have to settle for a more narrowly

defined role at the outset, anb work to expand that role in the future.

This particular approach is illustrated in Philadelphia.

. The Philadelphia council emerged as,an offshoot of the local career education advisory

council and chose as its focal point thCBTA service delivery system. . Rather than trying to duplicate the activities of the career education

council, the Philadelphia council sought to act as a clearinghouse for CEV

youth service deliverers. It provides information on new grant opportunities, assists agency staff in 'preparing applicaticos and acts as a neutral

and. informal ground for the discussion of bow to allocate these funds'and

A 57

41
,at

__ 7

In short,. carving out a role for a local education and tivrk council

can be very difficult, particularly whore the council is perceived as dupli-

- rating on-going services. Even if these.existing services are not we ll Per

formid, councils need to develop sophisticated and politically sensitive

.strategies for defining their role in the oemmunity. Inviting membakship

which represents other local programs and councils may be an important early

step towards identification of the council's appropriate role. Moreover, if

the tisk of- inviting representatives of these councils and agenqieS is Pert

xi:vices adiOng existing agencies. This bouncilis role is rather special-

, ixed, and it does not Ziuplicate the role Of any existing council or pro-

;gram.! Indeed, Philadelphia's success in its narrowly defined role has

enabled it to puriut other activities, including persuading the Common:

wraith : of Pennsylvania to open up a third GBDtesting center in the

Philadephiiirea to serve the backlog of individuals Waiting to take the

test.

-a

formed by those among;the council semberihip and staff who eke well -known

and respected in the commun4ty, the representeivia of other groups may see

a piofessional or self- interest tatecoming involved in the education and

w9rk,couicil's formatioamilmal.

2.5 Council PUndiog -

te

In,1977-1970, the Work-Education Consortium, unding played a major

role in council -budgets. Since that, tile, kowever,"councils have succese-

, fully'sought alternative funding and have proven the viabilitiof the seed

:11 money arrangement under which they were funded. CBTAiremains the mo st.P0Pe-

. ler source of'aliernative support, and the largest source of other support

for,mbst councils, but other avenues are being.explored.

At the outset of the Constortium, council budlets canged.in gist from

$25)000 where the Consortium piovided"1000funding to $140,000 where it provided only 25% of the total council budget. ?lye councils out of 12 were

supported solely by .Consortisem monies during that first PePr, including all .

: four NAB and WM-sponsored councils. The Neil- sponsored Philadelphia

!

. .

, . council was also supported totally cot of project funds that year. Duiing

the second year, the Philadelphia and St. Albans councils were no longer .

42

I

S

ti

I
74 1 totally de;i;akii' Conautzum support. In facteduring 19784979tjthe

iiile0,141a councli sucCiitsfully garnered 23% of its funding from six

newly,Asppe4 iiiiiinesources. 'Figure 2-1 proviCes an overview of the bagetr

of each council, their. 46urcesof support and their prospects for

. .future- support. , .

>: "2.5.1 The Effective.Wse of Seed Money

Ip accordance with the project's intentions, m ost 1511- sponsored

councilsredUced the=ir level of4dependence on Consortium funds during. the

9400nd loWar. Six of twelve councils decreased theiireliance on Consortium(

'funding from the first to the second year, two councils increased their

dependence and fouritumained the same. The, lamestown Luba Management ed.

ComMittee use the only council to experience an increased dependence oniGon- .

. soreium funding in,the second ylar* due in large part to a cutback in Ceders!).

econolic developmeht funds. Moreover, in all cases where the proportional.

dependence on the Consortiukwas decreased from the first to the second year*

the budget was increased through the.use of alternative funds.' Alterations

in cohncils dependence on coneortfm fending and leveli of council funding'

If

are depicted' in Piguie 2 -8.

While those findings appear 'to be sdpportiv4 of a seed money concept,

they suet be considered In conjUnction with the corresponding- effects of size,

and therefore stability, oi.council,budgets. .Thai Philadelphia* LexingtoN

Wbrceiter* Puget Sound and It. Albans councils ill increased their level of

''funding. The WoroestertcOuncil'enjoyed the largest increeie* from $80,500 4

to $150,000. It also expanded its funding base,to include local CITA sources,

State EmiloyMent and Training Council funds, NM Career Education monies and

other locaitsupport. Thus, education and work councils were table to use their

'seed money to leverage sufficient other.funds and funditii sources to continue

tr their Operations.

2.5.2 Alternative Funding Sources`

A list of other non-Consortium,funding sources tapped by councils.

is gi4en in Figure 2 -9 showing the increased variety of funding. sources

. , sought in the second year of the project's histoiy. CBTA is the councils'

43

59

7
4.4 . mos 3-7

1101141101:1011011 ateliatind 0010101. 7011171110* OXACOs atn0011011,00

;. A zWorkNotattel Inah.0000otitt.

Coasettion Comattlip (

4 ANN iii As .fordins Ai I fetal total at tout lair* et total 010tot Olin Maas Otter towline Altodastives nalpt ball*

g . rkii 2 70/7* 77/70 70/79 Tor 70/00 7700 70/70

1111M Sorter& doldrort

Atd7d

NOS. * Nos - Imam 111114 it. Alines 111$0

lionalt 301

sallemialphit 1000

000* toad - III

llscoostor

f .S111

Max 004.6 lit

4 Ina

Mot ,

dosiation

O

'It

'770

0 30%

1000

t a

. 00 ' toboalos 11411100 43$0100

loodaytk. coo. Os CM 410.090, smotis

et is "Ammo (1 71.10)

. other pliant . $73,011 w

Coaannity CM Boononlo 11/7 77) OE

Colloaos 00 Oevolopoot 0$7000 043.740

. r.CPUs lit CPUs Zit COMA $74.i$0 070,330 lateolst 10 Moils. 144

Clundats it Chambers It r

Ot Nsaboadip; II Mkt 030,000 144.077 toonlation 110 loath Surto,* . OUSSAlless .I I%

COMAS 71 tooth Iota.: St O WC. le

. locel triolmos- /noel boasts- Local wallop. sitAeo mdtloo

elm ant ten - son and doge- coataltationt diatoms 330 . dittoes ISO .... Rats Dwast: MS Comte Weal M ari. 110400 1130.000 rent.olAtaan 104 170 potions, tlier

tints .440 COO: 21t . ., MICOCs aft Wools MI : A A A Weals at Naha No. 030.100 . 411,11110 sestirrost Mee sateen MO,. tomedattans 4t

43% COW 110 allis Sitt Pitts CUR 00491 007401 ten 4t fosizawn St losinnu. '. . A

Sit firral es Cats 314 9100 Coomaitty 030.110 140;100

!slit./ Iwo 11. Otttid nods 17% C0000llt NU o. . Ill Mt 710 Sodattettl Ott 0140002 i3042S

davolognoot.

. '1 anew: 11t

. Conomolty

St

..

It Oalloato

.

0

Is v

*. V

Il A I 44

60

-
0

nano 2-6

Nunn Ole COMMA EXPERIINC1106 MORT MANGE

nom MR 110 7W 2, SY TYPE OP PIMP

4 4001 ,

Increase in prop6i0on

of ,budget unmated by

14Oik-EducationConsorLicit funds

Increase in

Budget 'from

Year 1 to

Year 2

Decrease in

gadget fuse

Year 1 to

Year 2

Total

Budget

. Toter

Remained.

the Sane

' r

Decrease in .proportion

of-budget covered by

Mork-Educatice ConsOrti

1-

11

1

2

6

" Equal proportion of

budget 131% Work- EdUcation

Consortium funds

at

4

MIIM=m1M

VAAL 4 ,12

4

45

6.1
"

cti MUSE 2-9

EMBER Di COUNCILS USING Al.:TERNATIVE IPItItiG SOURCES

ruldingiliburces 19/8-19/9 197941940

. CM . - Economic Development Related

. tipsiness. laudations

.

41

Ir. 2

2

.

45

2

3

I

Schools 4 1

. 1 Aca COmmunity College r 2

United Way

%, 1

. i

Chamber of Commerce .1 1 Youth Services . 1 Career Education , 1 State Education

, -1 2

Other Loos' . 1 1 Membership 1 Other :

. .. 1 Other Federal A .

14

4

46

62

rt
F

1

S.

It

. most frequently and most successfully tapped fupding source. Itprovides

as much' as 24% of Livd4a's budget during 1977-1978 and as muchas 55% of

Lexirigton'A6dget in the following ieir. The Mesa counpil.increased its

. . CETA support from 40 to 24%; Lexington from 270 to 55%; and, rcester from

bt to 27% with local CITA monies alone. Emring.1978-1979, five councils

tapped CET,. Cands. Business coniributions helr-v1 to support two councils,

during the first year and a third during the second year, but business

contributions were aignficiant in only one council. it In Puget Sound, a

Privet; sector-oriented,councik, local businedt.and foundations contributed

more than half Of-he council's budget in each year of its operation.

Looking at i79-1980 plans, each of the councils that. receiyed

CETA funds the year adore planned to continue to receive CETA funds. Five

additional councils werelooking forward to other federal sources of funding

including the Fund for. the Improvement 54 Post-Secondary Education (PIPSI)

and Youthwork, Inc. One site intended to seek economic development- -funds

through association with an Agency receiving Economib Development hdministra-

. tion (Sph) planning grant monies., 70pr other councils to businesses

and local agencies fornew.funding sources. Local, non - business contributions are in genetal not by councils. ,

4

47

63

1.

t.
3.0

4.

I COUNCIL ACTIV/TINS

Aslin orgenisetionaland administrative.work of establishing

a coencil as a functioning body is performed, councils also begin to perform

10, activities pursuant to their basic purPosesi Alva step toward legitimisation

in their comiunities, councils begin to conduct cammunityneads assessments ' '40 and activities designekto iroresse.the public awareness of locil youth

transition nteds and of the.councieiexistence. At this stage, members and

,. staff learn about transition issues and transmit this information to gr oups

in the'opmmunity--civic clubs, grour Aployets and others--but council

participants are still working independently in these endeavors: In the.next

. .., . stage ofbouncil development. coungils begin to engage in activities that

involve cooperation and a modest level of participation fropother council

* .

members and individuals outside the council. During-thip stage, councils

piimara undertake student and staff development oe vities. Council

Members discuss careers with groups of students or participate in student

shadowing experiences. They help convene career guidance institutes fot

local teabgers and guidance counselors. for councils, ills,* activities , represent the first concrete,, substantive steps towards council legitimise-

.14 =tiOn in the communal,. They are in opportunity for council members to

p experience first -hand what the local needs are, and they are an opportunity

for specific individuals in community institutions to experience the council

and its capabilities first - hard. At most councils have experienced, needs

assessment and public awareness activities axe abstract exercises ii.they are MI

4 not, soon accompanied by 'these more concrete activities.

Council activities wereat this stage of development at the time

of our site visits. .A few councils were'jcst entering this stage; the

majority were several montheinto it. Indeed, it is a stage that m arks a

plateau where many councils remain for several oonths.

This chapter describes council activities. First, des of ectiIwo identified. This was-a major issue in the development of educe-

. tion and.workcouncils, with NMI advocating a facilitative or catalytic

approach rather a project' orientation. Second, types of activities

are described, including research, public awareness, student development.

49

64
0

staff deellopmentand policy/administrative concerns. Third, actirities.

ere asses4in relation to commusitpneidst goals idehtified by councils,

f" 041, s auk thelorticipihts in and redUients of council activities.

3.1 Three Models

The councils/,group themselves into three models

the types of activities' they undertake. The first model

accorcling to'

1 is represented by

councils which engage in only those activities that iinfolve facilitating,

coordinating, or stimAlatiaeattivityon.the part of others in the local

community. Five councils (bridgeport, Livonia, Mesa, Philadelphia and Sioux

-Pills) fit this model. Typical activities conducted by these councils

. include needs assessment studiespublic awareness4pnd clearihghoult functions. These activities in45ive putting,key people:and-institutions in

touch with"lachother, lining uiresonrcea, and motivating, and Misting,

other kadividuels,and agenCies to collaborate together or undertake acti-

. vities for themselves.

.

.

.A second model consists of cOacils which, in addition to twill- .

. tating activities common to Model One,. also conduct one orlmore service

delivery activities which are one-time undeitakihgs that axe not funded by

outside agencies. 1Mo couneils'fall into this category (eayagon. and St.

Albans). Examples of Modal 1Mo. activiti:A include job and career awareness seminars for students, and occupational counseling and teacher skills

conferences for school guidance counselors and classroom instructors.

.1n the third model, a council combines facilitative act ivities

(Model One) and one -time service itlivery'activities (Model Two) with actual

2mpwoilramialeitemstationonanoiseirfundedb.outsideencies.

Pour councils.(Lexington, Dania Barbara, Puget Sound and Worcester), typify

this model. The Lexington council uses Public Service Employment (NE)

funds to cull'a Job Center which trovides'job referrtals andcounseling fOk

youth. Tt,t5ouget SoundCouncil has staffed and is administering a Center

1

4 The Jamestown council has been excluded from consideration in this

chapter because it did not-target any of as activities

` to youth or

youth serving agencies.

65

50

.r'

4
on Work and'Prodletivity to conduct resesrah and seminars on transition

4

iisues and to trait educators and youth. The Worcester council is training

CETkitorkers in r4i:cing 841 steriotypingunder a $30,000 State Employment

and Training Council grant. The Santa Barbara council has been awarded a

$2604110 lOuthwork grant under 'thick) it will recruit and train 250 empioyekbased counselois as part of a team effort bo.promote increased .yoUthhiring

in the commuiaty. In addition to these programmatic efforts, one other

council (LiAa) is currently attempting to secure handing to engage its

program operations by becoming the local Private Industry Council (PIC):""

The firs two models of council activity fall within the expressed

mandate of the Consortium to support council: Abet promote collaborative

endeavors rather than engage in ongoing

prisingly, therefore, there.were mixed

in two of thOhlitigouocile Nit A have

In Lexington and Worcester, the council

program implementation. Not surfeelings about administering programs

established externally-funded prograMe.

s were divided over whether to assume

a-purely coordinative role or toadminister.programs which servethe community directly. The Sahta Barliarei council's decision to pursue the ieuthi;lork

grant andthe Puget Sound counci141 decision to establish and run a Center

on Work and Productivity were unanimously,approved in theJa two sites.

.2Councils that have pu440..lid 9er models of f-adtivity have also considered the issue of process va.m.oject onientetion. Forekample, the

Ionia councilt decislonto attempt to become a PIC was malilonly after

considerable controversy among the membership. Likewise, the Pfiiladelphia

councilr.vbich doeslrot administer any prograia and has no immediate plans

to

44 do sopihas bein'acuteiy sensitive to the need to shun programmatic activities lest it compete with its own members' orgaii;atiorie.*.'On the'few

occasions when a board member proposed a councif-activity that appeared' to

constitUte program implementation, a majority of the other Council members

Iguickly opposed the suggestion.

Indeed, conflict Arises in councils exemplifying'all threejsodelsof activity. This is a reflection of the faot that while councils go

through a goal development and consensus stage, additional conflicts surface

. when councils get to the point of specifying activities associated with.

1:0

r.

51

66
s

r

, Opals, or making decision, about unforeseen activity opportunities. It is

also a reflection of the heterogeneity of se6ces1 affiliations in most .0/0,

councils and the differeit styles of operation common to those sectors.

Thtscurce of conflict is inevitably the tension between "facilitating" and

'doing" and the sides are usually drawn with educators favoring the first

mode and:business reprosentatiwea the second. It is lossi0 that the Slate

Barbara counciPmembars avoid this conflMbscause their bond as decisiOnmakers within their respective orVanissaons and sectors is stronger than

their sectoralbonds. The °40° orientation they embrace may Select their

s . ..,,, respective roles as organisational decision-makers,.

While the description of council models of activity is Useful in

illustratig one of the, cey.conflicts of early CounciltlevelopaeTtt, it is

important to provide a more complete deicription of the content of council

activities. All lOcils facilitate and/or conduct activities in at least

one and usually three of the activity areas discussed below, and it is

t

0 during this stage of develOpment that councils seriously begin to confront

the issue of

: their role in the communia 0 T$

3.2 Activities 42

To examine council activities; we :lied McClain and Sockol's catOori-

. zationof thirty specific activities in which councils might enga3e.2 2We

five categories include: Research, Public Awareness, Student Development,

Staff,Development,,end Administrative/PoliCy Concerns. Figure 3 -1 indicates

how many councili engaged in each maAccicategori, of activity and each species

7.

tiv activity. The authors' definitions of the specific activities are pro-

. vided in Appendix A. The significance of the councils' involvement in the

.activities is identified'as *major or "minoe'according t6 the amount of

. '.council Staff and member tc: . .,,devoted to the activity. 0 .

. . . 4 '4) t i

3I . 2Thomas MO4lain aqd Richard4Sockol, Communityfron/Work Collaboration:

A Massachusetts Perspective, Institute for Governmental Services, University

of Massachusetts,. January, 1978. *

..

to

52-

67 6.

co
, . . .7,

.r 7 .

,e4 ,,,, :et - MOPS 3:11

COUNCIL tam=

19711.4970

.morre

-4 avuoi 0 torrviviaa

s. iaaj W-777MTlar . ktiVity:, isotleity Activity ' I. IMPARPCM . a. Needs hssessaent

b. Coolpational Outlook Sienarah. a. Other - .

,11..:'9011LICAPSIMInt

a.. CourioitY VisitatSom Pays . lo Relations. , it Ponies-

_941$1.1114; Pkosentation

itiffolitter

1.-,Other " n

xu. starami aria:mem

a.'capitar Speakers b. Carets/Dar

a. Etta Visit .

.a. *Diadem Di/

a. !microchip

1: ltsrk-gtc4y g. alternative fiemestar h. Career Sesames Center

1. gindamt-riperated Suskuss Contsiwhypeantioeship Caasumity Issourol Sank 1. Other .

4.

iv. wart vivatexaorr

a. In-garvioe Workshops b. Cur Titoism *Infooloe' _ C. Career Oulftre Institut* . .1. paahey/3I'40-istrtion Site

'delis' . . e..Cossunity a,socerak. Dirootary. t. Other . - V. ADMIIMMATIvi/POLICI 'commas

a. Ister-Dirisiat/ftats Coilahoratiom

b Coordinailom of School and ' Son-School Prcrjassa ,_

a. litabliehment of OrbOolo.

. !mines* Partnerships 4. Coanteracting gum and Mn Sale Stereotyping ' e. isrsloing Special 'Maas

Population C. CrislemUallings Lioinaing and

4,o 4,,CCIPCitiOn Procedures

g:Iliatutory Saatrictions

i-4.4%:' Outer - ' 1 3 .p,, 4 . S 3 .,, - 9 3 2 4 r'

'7 2 2 0 1 10 4' 4 3

4- 2 5 2 0 t 2 0 4 1 1 $ a 2 1 t 3 2 1 4 is 2 2 ' 7 3 1 7

4, 1 I 1 "3 7 0 1 10 1 9 a a

81.1..11. 7 $ 2

1.3 1 7

1- 10

4. 1 "IL .3 1 11 0 , t 11 0 0 11

'0 0 11 3 1, 7 1 0 '9

, 0 1 10 3 ., 0 $ 0 0 11 , 2 1. 8 1 2 4 Z 0 9 2 1 8 1 2 8 1 10,.1. . -

1!

53

68 . k ,1 / , ' !

,7.,
As the data in Figure Z-1 indicate, six to eight sites engaged in a

major way in at leaseone activity within each of the five major categories

of activity. Other data not displayed on this table reveal that only the

Lexington council engaged in at least one major activity in each category,

while the Philadelphia ***moil conducted at least one major activity in four

of the five categories. With one exception, al! the other sites undertook

major activities in three of the five categories.ti the time of our site

visit, St. Albans whparticipating in a major activity in only one categorlY

3.2.1 Research

There was so much diversity in the specific activities which the

sites engaged in that only one specific activity out of 30 was undertaken by

more than four councils, namely, needs assessment.,

Needs assessment was performed by at least six ;.louncils ana represents the major fori(of research activity performed by councils. It was

usually carried out by'staiif members, in the community, for the purpose of

assisting the council in determining what activities are appropriate in

order to achieve the general goals established by the council. In one

N council, a formal needs assessment questionnaire was also distributed to

council members in order to determine their perceptions of local youth transition needs. Needs assesament activities may absorb a large share of staff

time and may extend throughout the council's life. In one council, this was

intentional, and represents a source of continuing conflict between the council

staff and membership over the council's relative emphasis on research and

policy as opposed to other activities. In other councils, needs assessment

activities which occupy too much staff time were postponed or left incomplete.

Some needs assessment activities were completed, but these often did not provide the council with a great deal of new information. Some examples of needs

assessment activities are given below:

4

e Acting on the assumption that educators and

counselors had little information about

local employers, the Bayamon council staff

undertook a survey of employers' occupational

and job requirements. Very few empi ere

responded to the mail survey and aftt a short time, no additional effort was expended

in this activity.

54

68
;*

'e The Sioux Falls council staff conduct on -going

research and needs Assessment activities as a

major part of thiir responsibilities to CEOCOAD,

their parent organisation. Oue such survey

revealed a Aired that had not been previously

identified by the council or its staffatht

importance of involving parents more effectively

in local youth transition activities.

Some members of the Mesa council urged it to

focus its efforts on the local dropout problem.

As a first step, the staff agreed to research

the dimensions of the problem locally. A major

problem was encountered when the staff was

unable to access(tnformation about local dropouts from a centralised source. AlMkort was

finally completed after several months time

'(other staff responsibilities frequently

intervened to delay its completion).

The St. Albans council undertook a survey of

the transition needs of the city's high school

population. It hired a consultant to conduct

the survey, but by the time some teacher

resistance was overcome and the necessary

administrative arrangements were made, the

council had begun experiencing internal

difficulties and analysis of,the survey was

postponed.

A To summarise, education and work councils encountered numerous

obstacles in attempting to conduct local needs assessment activities.

Limited staff, the leek of centralised, local data sources on youth, and

poor cooperation from employers and sometimes from schools all impeded

council efforts to acquire informatftnecessary for establishing specific

objectives for their operations.

3.2.2 public Awareness

The purpose of local public Awareness activities was generally

two-fold: first, to make the public aware of local youth transition

problems, and second, to gain support for the local education and work

council. Media public relations and community foruma were the most popular

public awareness activities conducted by councils. Four councils, including both "facilitative" and "program orieneed" councils, undertook each

55

70

11'
activity as a major part of their operations. Community visitation days

wort not sponsored by education and work councils, perhaps because this

actiPity was resisted by schools seeking to minimize classroom disruption.

Although NMI encouraged councils to undertake public awareness

activities, several councils limited their conduct of this type of activity. The Santa Barbara council conducted neither public relations nor

community forum activities because the powerful elite who comprise the

council did not see the need for broad public support of its activities.

The Sioux Palls council conducted community forums but not public relations

activities. The council's staff and parent organization Boma their

attention on research and policy issues pertaining to youth transition.

Community input was important to them, but media publicity for the education and work council as such was a lesser priority. The Puget Sound

council aligned itself with its parent organisation, Private Sector Initia-

. tives, Inc., and sought primarily private, not public support for its activities. In its first year and a half, the Bayamon Council conducted numerous

community forums but avoided excess publicity. Members of the Bayamon

council discussed the issue'whenan important publicity opportunity arose

less than one year after the council had been in operation. The council

chose to eschew the publicity in favor of and strengthening its own cohesiveness first.

In general, councils did not undertake public awareness activities

to achieve specific results, and there is no evidence that councils which

0 engaged in public awareness activities developed at a faster pace than

councils which did not. Indeed, sore councils learned that too much publicity or premature publicity can cause dissension among council members,

and that-publicity may be most valuable when councils have developed some

sense of security about themselves first.

3.2.3 Student Development

Unlike research activities which were conducted primarily by staff,

and public awareness activities which were performed by both staff and

council members; student development activities primarily involved the

56
fit

council_members, usually the business and education representatives. The

primary focus of these activities was, in-Pchool youth; their purpose was to

increase student knowledge of and experience with *world of work. The

most common student development activities included career speakers, site or

plant visits, shadow experiences and the development of career resource

centers and community resource banks. Council members either conducted the

activity themselves (such as speaking to youth about a particular career or

occupation or leading students on a plant tourhor engaged others from their

organisations in the activity's implementation. So councils did not conduct

student development activities directly, but rather facilitated their conduct.

In a minority of communities, usually rural or without a history of community

involvement, student development activity was innovative or new to the community. In other communities-it represented an expansion of similar activities,

involving larger audiences, more frequent activities, or the additioge some

new activities. In two of the 12 communities visited, the council was per-

, ceived as seeking to replace existing structures and programs in its chosen

role as facilitator of student development activities. A sample of the types

of student development activities conducted by councils is given below:

ek The Sioux Falls council coordinated the development of a shadow work experience program in a

rural high school. Several council members were

involved in different aspects of the program:

in gaining support from local organisations like

NASand"the Job Service; in leading the council"

to a university professor-who had created

curriculum materials for such a program; and in

volunteering and approving the use of one -rural

high school as a pilot site. Twenty-two students

were enrolled in a career awareness class for

six weeks, preparatory to their one-day shadowing

experiences. Persons to be shadowed were also

briefed as to their responsibilities -by the

program's collaborators. Afterwards, feedback

from students, employers and shadowed employers

was obtained.

57

72 4.1
e

In'Sayamon, individual council members--usually

educators and business representatives -- participated as-speakers or as referral sources for

speakers in all-day seminars for olm,Bondary

school alad youth and school guidance counselors.

In one "seminar, the'iorning speaker, engaged the

11, youth present in exercises in carter decisionmaking, while the afternoon speakers described

their own, occupational backgrounds and the

details of their jobs. Although this program had

been conducted by the Interamerican University

Puerto'Sical-Sayamon,s.parent organisation,

the University agreed that its program had not

been successful and allowed the council to take

it over.

The Livonia council helped to implement the

Michigan Occupational Information System in 12

sites, includinc four public high schools in

western. lchigan. They influenced the Wayne

County Office of Manpower to provide $114,000

for computer programs, the Livonia CITA Office

to contribute about $17,000, and the Livonia

Public 'Schools to provide $9,514 for the

maiLtenance costs of terminals located at these

facilities. High school and out -of- school youth

can use these facilities to learn about the job

requirements of various occupations.

441, Figure 3-1 illustrates, there area few activities commonly

classified as "student development" that were%not underteken by'the education and met..Xcouncils we imiestigated. These includes internships,

work-study programs, alternative semesters and contract apprenticeships.

There are at least two posilble reasons why the councils did not undertake

these specific efforts. First, each of these, activities requires Or*der

and more intensive participation by a community's business and educational

institutions than the activities previously described. Sine councils were

not at a stage in their development where most of them felt cemfottable

about their role or their power in the.commuesity, it is not surprising that

they shied away trait activities which involved substantial resources outside

of the council membership itself. Business representatives, in particular.,

were reluctant to involve superiors in their, Vanisations or colleagues in

their own or other firms, unless they felt sure that such an action would

Se

73

4

.))
benefit all concerned. This attitude was not prevalent in all councils, but

it did keep some councils from broadening their scope and expanding business

participation in council activities.

A second reason why these particular activities were not undertaken

may involve the nature of educational participation on most councils. As

heinously mentioned, representatives of public high schools were most frequently represented and most active on councils. Educational institutions

which serve out-of-high ¶chool or alternative school populations were less

frequently represented or active in council activities. These types of

institutional including community colleges, vocational institutes and alternative schools, often have a mandate to develop intrnshipi work-study or

alternative semester projects that ace rat provided by traditional high

schools. Moreover, today's educational environment makes it unlikely that

traditional high schools will engage in such projects. Declining enrollments, pressure to keg* lOcal_propertiy--taxes down while increasing teachers'

salaries, and the *back to bisic01 uovement in education all at pressure on

traditional educational establishments to do away with any programs that

dilute the importance Gf the school and teacher. The prod' ams that get

dropped are oftekthose that_ involve including work-study,

alter-oaXike.sehe#ar aryl internship projetta.1_

-_z The conduct of student development activities by education and work

councils-is not a nei/ or unique contribution of education and work councils.

Other community councils and programs often sponsor. similar activities. As

a-result of conducting these activities, however, education and work councils

have begun toarelate concretely to their communities. Although the councils

4V

may cone into conflict with other community organizations in the process,

conduct of these activities may be a necessary step-if councils are to legi-

. -_ 1 timise themselves as community organisatiOnsandcarve out a role for themselves as one such institution: What remain -to be seen is whether councils

-. - will go beyond this-stage_and.begin to involve broader and more intensive

community participation in activities and projects that are not currently

available in most aommunities.

59

74
3.2.4 Staff Development`

Bight.councils conducted at least one or two major staff development

activities..- These activities were designed to improve the skills and knowledge of, and resources available to, the community's youth service providers.

This-group primarily. includes members of community service organizatians.

school teachers and guidance counselors. but occasionally includes represenitives of business as well. Some activities, like the preparation of community

resource -directories, were completed by staff. Others. like -service workshops, utilized the resources of council members and institutional affiliates.

of council members. A few specific staff development activities are described

below:

The Mesa council staff developed a !IOuth Counselor's

Guide!. The guide is in three parts -- "Social Services!.

'Proprietary Schools!. and "On-sits Programs'. Each

part begins with an alphabetical index. In the case

of the section on social services available to Ness 4 youth. 88 agencies are listed. Contactlinformation

for each program is provided. along with Wa statiment_

of the program's purpose, participation guidelines,

sources of support, user costs, types of youth serviaT

social services provided, etc. The proprietary

schools listing includes 101 schools, with iarmation

on accreditation, loaner staff and student enrollment.

class schedules, entry-requirements. etc. At least

175 .guides have been-distributed _ A fee councirither'90 -sponsor. or were attempting to

co-sponsor, ler Guidance-Institutes. The Puget

Sound,counoil co-sponsored a month-long institute with

the Taal Metro National Alliance of-business and the

Tacom:-Coaanunity College. Public school educators and

publicsector officials attended the institute. designed

to increase educators' awareness of the business world

and of specific occupations and their requirements.

Council members helped convene the institute and acted

as keynote speakers. The Bitidgeport _colincil executive

director assists the NAB metro office-with its Career

Guidance Institutes. which serve approkimptely 3u a:ea

teachers, counselors and school-administiators hs)

eight-week sessions, familiarizing them with the

operations of 25 local companies and 300 different

jobs. The St. Albans council is hoping to participate

in a Career Guidance Institute recently proposed by

the Chamber of Commerce in St. Albans.

60

75

s.
The Santa Barbararuncil, in conjunction with NAB, v6

the Office of theldounty Superintendent of Schools,

the local Employment Development Department {Yob

Service), and five high schools obtained a $260,000

Youthwork grant to initiate an employer-based counseling

program for 500 youths from participating area high

schools. The council is responsible for 9ne task

under the grant - -the recruitment and traiOng of 250

employer-based counselors. At the time of: our site

visit, council members bad recruited over 125 counselors

and the executive director had held several training

sessions.

3.2.5 Administrative or Policy Concerns

Although coundils did not attempt .o influence policy, particularly

when, that involved coordination with state or federal level actors and activities, several councils did seek to address issues of current concern, such

as sex role stereotypigg. 'Figure 3-1 reflects the policy issues that councils,

particularly council staff, became involved with. There were councils, particularly.council staff, became involved with. There were activities in four

s:it#6:71(Philadelphia, Puget - Sound, Sioux Falls and Worcester) which focuseilu.

counter-acting sex role stereotypes. The Philadelphia council conened a team

of people concerned with helping young women in school to pursue vocational

education geared to nontraditional careers. The proposal was gaisequently

funded for $190,000 by two agencies of DOL, the Office of Youth Programs and

the Women's Bureau. The YWCP runs the program, which has enrolled 100 women.

The council's executive director was responsible for locating the funds

through his contacts with DOL, and the council continues to support the prot)"gram through informal technical assistance provided to the staffabY the executive director and through several key members of the council who participate

on the program's oversight committee. The Worcester council's staff was

awarded a $30,000 grant to train CETA staff in the reduction of occupational

sex stereotyping. The Pugetigound council's Center on Work and Productivity

previously focused exclusiveVon youth, but a new thrust divmted at adult

groups with unemployment and underemployment problems, including primarily

women and handicapped persons, is bolting institutionalized in the Center. The

staff of one council, Sioux Falls, devoted primary efforts to conducting

research that could affect local, state and federal policies in a variety of

areas pertaining to youth transition, including sex-role stereotyping.

61

76

411
Three of the four adminiitrative/policy concerns which PO council

or only, ne council engaged in represent activities which necessitate

involvement with jurisdictions beyond those of the comic* themselves and

involvement with the regulatory process. Inter-district/state collaboration,

c.edentialing, licensing and certification procedures, and statutory

restrictions all entail working with "higher" level bodies such as state

legislatures or agencies beyond the confines of the council's primary maLdate,

including school boards, industries, unions, and other groups in neighboring

communities. Such activities require special knowledge (e.g., of legislative . or decision-making processes), a great deal of effort, and frequently, preexisting personal contacts. Indeed, the bne council which engaged in statewide collaboration, Philadelphia, has an executive director who had previously established' contact at the state level. Purthitmore, a former Philadelphia eSucation and work council member now holds iOcey policy level position

in Pennsylvania state government. In short, education and work ccuneilS are

community cc ails, and their focus of attention has usually been their

immediate community. Even though state and federal policies affebk.local

transition efforts, council members usually preferred to conduct and facilitate concrete activities in their own community than to influence state or

federal policy vie -1 -via youth transition.

3.3 Activities and Commanityinnl!

Council activities were also examined to determine whether the activities constituted new ventures in the communitktr whether they had already

been implemented in the community by other agencies and were merely being

.continued or expanded by the cbuncils. In Bridgeport, council activities

were similar to those undertaken.by the NAB metre office except that

additional staff, namely the Brgeportcounbil's executive director, became id

involved in those activities. Other sites built upon existing cervices in

the hopes of improving the& same with controversy and some Without. Por

example, the Worcester council attempted to take over field experience

clearinghouse activities previously undertaken by two other institutions in

order to be able to provide more coordinated service. The Bayamon council

encountered less controversy than Worcester in attempting to take over a

62
a

Lt seminar program, presumably because the interamerican University which had

been conducting the program and which was the council's parent organization,

approved the action. Indeed, by adding incentives like free meals and by

addingtmore speakers from different occupational backgrounds, the seminars 0

have achieved greater popularity under the council's direction. In short,

most councils have undertaken activities whir'l, if they are not unique to

their communities, at least represent an attempt to improve existing service&

3.4 ictivities and Council Coals

One possible indicator of effective council management and leadership,

ind hence qt early developmental progress, might be the extent to which a

council!, activities conforaltitits expressed goals. The councils revealed

ao a wide ,range of congilliCe between goals and activities. There was a good

match between goals-mid activities in four sites (Livonia, Philadelphia,

Santi Barbara and Sioux Palls), partial congruence in two sites (Bayamon and

Puget Sound), and little relatioaship between activities and goals in one

mesite (Ness). At the time of our visit, goals had not been well specified in

St. Albans, aside from a brief discussion in the original propow,0,0&%0Algk

while in Lexington the staff and council members frequenw'5Updated goals.

Documentation is lacking in the last two sites (Bridgeport and Worcester) to

assess this dimension of council activity. Three of the foUr councils whose

activities matched their goals most completely are also sites in which considerable council activity was undertaken (Livonia. Philadelphia and Santa

Barbara).

A few sites attempted to evaluate the extent to which their activities fulfilled their goals. Bayamon and St. Albans were required, as a

condition of their AACJC contract. to be evaluated, and both qpparently1P

benefited from the resat's. Theitaluator of the St. Albans council pointed

cut the importance of cutting ceincil ties with the local community college

if the council was to establish its own identity and provide service to high

school-age(iyouth. Staff and membership of the Bayamon council also took its

evaluator's findings to heart. seeking to involve key sub-sectors (e.g.. the

media) which were not previously involved in council activities. The Sioux*?

%IA

63

73
Pallareeuncil commissioned ao peocese,evaluation which helped to provide the

r't council with some suggestions for restructuring itself. Finally, teveral

councils utilised simple feedback instruments to evaluate discreteCtouncil

activities. .11 3.5 tlitticitants ri Recipients

The number and type of individuals who participated in council

activities varied according to the type of activity being conducted. The

number and type of individuals who engaged in council activities also

varied considerably across sitetis. In sites such as Bridgeport. Livonia, "

and St. Albans, only one or two persons implemented the majority of activities. In other councils such as Philadelphia and Puget Sound.,several

people participated in directing activities. In five councils (Bridgeport,

Livonia, Mose. St. Albans and Worcester) activities Were run almost exclusively by staff members, sometimes with the assistance Of one or two

A!

council members. In four sites (Lexington, Philadelphia,inta Barbara and

Puget Sound) council members were heavil7 involved along with the staff.

In those sites in which council members were involved in activity implementation, education sector representativestparticipated in more council activities than did members representing in any other sector. Por example, the

Mesa, council's youth service aepoy conference was organised largely by

that council's executive director and its high school (career education)

representative, although other council members participated .'As group leaders

and discussants.

(yhere appears to be a relationship between activity level and member-

'. tV

ship involvement. Active sites (Lexington, Philadelphia and Santa Barbara)

experienced extensive somber participation in council activities. The staff

of thekvonia council conducted such of the council's business without the

visible involvement of its membership, although there was considerable

*behind the scenes" involvement by council members.

Although an examination of sectors' participation in council activities failed to reveal any definite oatternst some patterns emerged from an

anallais of which sectors were the intended recipients of council activitiA6

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4!
Teachers were the beneficiaries of et least one major council activity in

every site except Bayamon and Sioux Falls, and school counselors were the

intended beneficiaries in one of these sites and in four others. Council

members themselves were the target audience of one or more major activities

in sight councils. Whether as facilitators or implementors, six councils

focused at least one activity on Aecondary school students, and four other

councils sponsored activities designed for yolth in general. Thus, ten

councils devoted some time, either through their stagy, their membership,

or a subcontractor (in the case of Mesa) to helping youngsters.

It is interesting to note that three councils (Livonia. Philadelphia, and Puget Sound) have made plans gTexpand their original target

4#

audience of youth to the adult population. projects focusing on adults

were just getting underway in one site (Puget Sound) at the time of our

visit, and being actively sought in two others (Livonia and Philadelphia).

On the other And, Jamestown, a site not considered foriiirposes of analysis in this chapter because of its exclusively adult focus, was expectedAtoexpand its mandate to include youth but failed to do so.

Business was a target of council activities in five sites (Bayamon,

Mesa, St. Albans, Santa Ba;bara and Puget Sand). In the first three of

these sites, the activities primarily involved making busin4ss groups aware

of the council's existence, of local youth transition issueo,cee of prograniii,

they could participate in to hire disadvantageitouth. Government agencies:-

in particular youth-serving agencies, were a target group in five sites

(Bayamon, Lexington, Mesa, Philadelphia and Puget Sound). The general

public was targeted for one or more activities by only three councilajBayaa

.47 man, Lexington and Sioux Palls). In no site was labor a recipient of

council activity.

Cleary, the three major audiences of most cOurmils have been thett

own members, school teachers and guidance counselors, and youth (whether in

ischool or at large in the community). Less attention has been given to activities targeted to business, government and labor. If we consider multiple

sectored affiliations of the recipients of council activities to be an indicator of a.council's growth, then this limitation is further corroboration

that councils are at a pivotal point in their development.

05

80
:45

The fact that educators were the lost frequent participants in most

councils' activities and also the!most common recipients of them indicates

the need for other sectoral-/r*presentatives to become more involved in

ti

initiating council activities and for more activities to be aimed at sectors

other than education. For 'caplet business representatives need to become

more active in initiating council activities limed at other businesses in

the community. Otherwise, councils may become overly involAin the activities of-the educational sector to the exclusion of activitiellSlike job training and places*, that occur intthe private sector: and in community based

c16 'organizations and which are essential to successful youth transition. More-

* over, without such a broadening of focus, the councils themselves will not

become established as community organisOions.

4

4

2 '?; ,F

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0

ti
4.0 TEE ROLE OF ENIFIRONORTAWORCES

31'n council's development has beenaffecPed by contextual factors.

These factors are termed "environmental forces" to distinguish them from

variables pertaining to the council itself- -its membership, staff, leadership, etc.described in Chaptir.2.0. Environmental forces create a local

context for each council's development. Our investigation of environmental

forces. in 12 council sites found that tblse forces played a minor role in

the early deyelcsment of most councils, compared to the roles played by

leadership and member participation. Some forces, such as thr-4ouncil's

. parent organization, are critical in the early development a a few councils,

and some parent organizations.continue to have substantial influence ov:r

councils. Other Laces, sucks the politics of a school board or town

councilor the magnitude of the youth unemployment problem, have had less

V! A!

influence on council development up to this time. As developing councils

become more integrated into their communities, however, it is likely that V

environmental forces will begin to play a larger fole in the evolution of

local councils.

This chapter discusses the various environmental f.otors which have

affected council development. The first four factors considered are those

environmental facitOiA used in our site selection prochuret _ru-Consortium

council history, federal intermediary type of localit'; and existence of

other major youth programs. Other external factors examined include: the

role of the parent organization, the community's teaditions and values, the

community's economigIJituation andgthe community's politics.

4.1 Pre-Consortium Council History

One of the differences among the Ilcounoils is their prior history.

Altho4)ugh a few councils were already functioning as covncils when the Consortium was founded, other councils were first introduced into their communities as a result of the availability of DOL funding through** Consortium

project. There mere, as well, * number of councils which occupied a middle

ground, with an interest group already formed or a few key individuals in the

community having discussedthe idea.

67 1
Our original hypothesis was that councils which were existing prior

to the Consortium project might be further along in ,their Owelopment than

new councils. They may exhibit better attendance level( at council meetings, p

more active and bioader participation of council membership, and more,activities that involve linkage with institutions and individuals outside the

councils. Bt'sed on a sample of twelve, including only two which were existing

prior to the Ccnsortium, it was difficult to confirm or deny this hypothesis.

However,- the examples provided by the two councils which pre-existed the

Consortium do provide some insight into the challenge that having a history

confers on an education and work' council.

In joining the Consortium, the Worcester Area Career Education Con-_

sortium's director hoped to be able to guide the onuncil away from conducting

specific projects, and towards a facilitative role in the Worcester community. . EMIft funding permitted some financial support for this purpose to supplement

the extensive grant lupport that the council was already receiving to conduct

specific projects. This process orientation would have engaged the Worcester

council in a wider network of community relations, as a clearinghouse for

Worcester's programs and services aimed at improving youth transition. Even

though the Worcester council included representatives of these programs among

its membership, its exeout've director encountered internal and external

resistance to this initiative, and the council was forced to retain its

project orientation. Consequently, the fact of this council'il pre-existence

did not enhance the speed or effectiveness of its role transformation in the

community. Indeed, pre-existence may have been a hindrance in this case.

The council's reputation for conducting projects was perhaps too valuable to

tamper with.

While the Worcester council's executive director sought to use the

NMI. funding to charge the role of the council in the community, the Livonia

council's director sought to change both the role of that council and the

council service area. Th executive director of the Livonia council sought

to broaden the council's pulview to include the entire Wayne County area.

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83
J

Thus, the council's service area would include less effluent cities such

as Detroit, along with more affluent communities such as those represented

by Livonia. Curiously, the Livonia council's executive director sought to

=build up the project orientation of the council. A key goal was to establish the council as the Wayne County MA's Private Industry gouncil, with

an ability to administer funds and operate projects. As in Worcester,

there was opposition to these initiatives from the council membership, many

of whom resided' in Livonia, although the Livonia council's executive director

was successful in changing the service area of council activities.

low

The moral in both of these stories is that council leaders who expect

to use new monies to change the role of existing councils can also expect

opposition frowexisting.council members who may be comfortable with the

status quo. Worcester council members were comfortable with that council's

project orientation and uneasy about its becoming "prangs" oriented. The

Livonia council.members, may of whom resided in Livonia, were reluctant for - the council to expand to serve a larger area, but were convinced to do so by

the increased prospects for power and control over resources that such a move

would permit the council.

Interest groups that were to become councils experienced some of the

same difficulties in becoming a Consortium council. Among this group are

Philadelphia, Puget Sound, Mesa and Sioux Falls. In each case there was a

community group concerned either with yoOth or with inter-sector collaboration

already existing when NAM began, screening sites for possible Consortium members. In each case, joining the Consortium as an education and work council

meant that either the group's focus or its membership had to be broadened.

With such changes'came growing pains and, sometimes, controversy. The independent development of the Sioux Falls and Puget Sound education and work

councils was hampered by their linkages to parent organizations. Since that

time, there has been a division c labor between the CENCOM staff and the

council in Sioux Falls which may ultimately serve to strengthen that council's

independence and foster new council leadership.

69
Mesa and Philadelphia present more extreme cases. The Mesa council

initiators were insufficiently involved in the selection of an executive

director and were unsuccessful in their attempts to distinguish the respective roles of the education and work council and the local career education

advisory council. Some early membership recruitment efforts faltered, then

some of the Mesa council's key actors resigned. To compound these problems,

the council's executive director was inexperienced and could not manage the

identity crisis confronting the new council. Thus, in this situation, a

variety of problems contributed to the original interest group's failure to

capitalize on its previous experiences. In Philadelphia, an original activist on the Philadelphia advisory council on career education led the NMI

grant effort and was chosen by a group of his colleagues to become the executive director of the council, once it was formed. The individuals were

successful in articulating a council focus on CETA youth-serving agencies

and an interest in performing a function that was clearly not being performed

by any other group. The leadership, and the members' involvement in the

choice of leadership, were probable factors in the achievement of the desired

transition in this case.

the third group of councils were new. They had neither an internal

organization nor an external reputation. Their challenge was not to extend

and solidify their membership or to develop or re-cast their reputations in

the community, but rather to inseminate a few key people with the community*

collaborative council concept, so that the development of internal organization and external reputation could follow. A potential liability in the

early development of ei.h of these newly-organized councils was their connection to a parent organization which (often) supplied the funding and the

executive director. In Bayamon, St. Albans, Bridgeport and Santa Barbara,

the funding and executive director were supplied in this way, prior to

membership organization. In the first two of these sites, this sequence of

events did set the council's development back. Each has since hired a new

executive director, chosen by the membership, and their progress in terns of

internal organization and development of ccmi. unity image or purpose have

improved. In each case, too, the original parent organization is no longer

70

85
provide a mechanism through which locilCOUncils could receive technical

assistance and share information with each other: DOL also chose three

intermediaries in order to study the effects of differencesamongthem.-

For example, how would the on-site presence of a federal intermediary_

affect the councils ?, Now would the orientation.endlatiaq.4-the-lederal

intermediary affect the councils? How would the circumstances under which:

the intermediary became involved in the Consortium affect its relationship

with the oouncils? These questions are answered below, following a brief

description of the nature and extent of intermediary - council relationships., 1;1', -NAB-council relationshipi

The. Washington NAB office was asked by the DOL to locate and_fUid

educatiow.and work council activities in five, localities. Once the Washing-.

ton

. . offite hid identified the five NAB metro offices.to receive $25,000=

each to support education and work councils, its job was efactivelyliOita.

, The education and work councils calected by NAB had little direct comeitpication-with the MAR offilie in Washington, D.C. Oosaunications were infrequent'ehd usuallyjnitiated by the NAB metro of".ce. When contact was

initiated,-it was usually for the purpose of obtaining information on BAB-

. - sponsored-piograms or news of upcoming legislative initiatives. The NAB

office in Washington, D.C. rare* initiated contacts with local councils.

NAB-sponsored councils received most of their information from the clearing-

- house activities of NMI and some relationships they had established with

other AACJC or NMI- sponsored councila in their geographical area. No-substantive technical assistance was provided and little was sought. The NABopobsored education and work councils were, moreover, not necessarily under

the contYll of Lie local metro office. Formal reporting to NAB included

brief quarterly reports, annual reports and periodic financial reports.

AACJC-council relationships,

VOL asked IACJCto participate in the Consortium project by locating community colleges willing, to administer education and work councils.

AAC3C was given extra funds to support these councils -- $50,000 for each

council. To distribute these funds, AAC3C issued a request for proposals.

After selecting the colleges to receive wards, the Washington office of

AhalC tried to maintain a constructive, non-directive relationship with

86

71
4

its newly funded councils. Information exchange between the Washington -

based AACJC and the two AACJC councils investigated in this study was free,

quest. AACIC responded to council requests for information, and initiated

--information exch ange. AACJC staff visited all the councils at the outset

ciftha-projectto address the membership, and returned at least once to

monitor council progress and provide assistance. AACJC staff from Washingtan also maintained frequent telephone contact for sharing information,

solving problems or just ,.sterling. Unlike the NAB metro offices, the

local AACJC- affiliated community colleges exercised greater control over

council develo;ment,- and the Washington office of AACJC occasionally interveiled to prevent'-the colleges from exercising too much influence. For

example, early in,1977, Washington staff voiced over the St. Albans

council's dependence on the Community College of Velkoot. AACJC was concerned that becauseM the College's influence, the council was not concentrating,,on youth but on the College's own, older constituency. The St,

Albans council subsequently severed ties with the Community College of

- Vermont,

Formal reporting by AACJC-sponsored councils included monthly.,

progress indtinanci&l.o.ports, annual reports and evaluative case studies

-.Air

IiillOUsliy;developed-by7AACJC and the councils).

- . AACJC-counrilt. also.perticipated in NMI-sponsored clearinghouse

.Activitiesi and the Coheortium's first dissemination conference in Burling-

- . -ton, Vermont was in fact hatted by the Vermont council. The St. Albans

counctl,director has beeh actively involved in the development of the new

Consortibi.

I*15-coUilcil relationships

The NMI staff were-the architects of the community education and

work daimon concept, and-its most ardent supporters among the three intermodiniss. NMI encouraged the councils and the concept of collaboration

that they embodied in several ways. Willard Wirtz or other senior NMI

officeis addressed opening sessions of many councils. NMI program officers

maintiinedtelephone.contact with the councils, visiting occasionally to

provide guidance and exchange information. They provided each council with

87

_72
t,

-""

.P" affecting Mate Barbara-presents the exceptional case, in

- thait the Seinta_13afbeta liAS-did not _iiitelyrto become involved in council

_ activities*, excel-if-in contacting-16:y members who fiould in turn contact others

and -form a counai.--icifteir -the ice's recognition of

thecneecr for 'council--irid4eticienceFindAti ability to attract high- level, --- powtsfu3;- comity liakderis-to'oxgan xe the council,_ were factors in the Wick

=

%T. -

... -

deveio;pMe_nr6f._this"-_couticil ,into"74n skidepOndent opal unity "tenure group. The Lexington It did not have a parent

, organisation which mulct-04dt __its development, and its .*-frrlY growth was

primarily !gfected

. _Tosuiimaris_eCxe Nand that councils t##t-_had a history in their

chlwanitiest or':+.10-4P.that.-:h.ta int'areSt-groups-;--e4talklished, were not names-

_ sarily. ibltwto .usesrthitr: bkitory andi-eiperlenee :to in-dV4tO . their early , . dpvelOpment. The-- -aisinells'.thWits$ iblrie do-so- bigif,ited fr4415ersuasive

ibd rids ehdeati =le pew agresan -o f o to fors an

, the teat OC-Ari *listing-one.

%I'. iiii,.-riideralzinteirssidiary . ..

.r.. _ era

__ _ _. -

. *

- . -... -....._ ,_ _ A1-1--cxxnalizh---,'"ad-'",0"-fetirair

.,-.: -- ;. ."..: ,- iatiimof.s.i:y.----provided weedsoney and -,---:-. --;.1,-;;;_--;;-_:- _:.----.- ----, - _J- ,- .......-_---::,--- . _ . . 0--spifoin:rde0_ reije".eitz-,iilttliseijcti.,:. 4.9.---tiji_iciL,._i4rwi-.-._i*z_4._-f,--thAle-iioirwlrtils studied were . ... - spoirisiiiid- by 'JiA!...7k .-",:tilip.-11111kB-. The----ilmaining?aiskiffils ware selected by

_ lixt. __:**- oittinc4i ttfi'0."r-- 10erilb-di.efits arc llate.4 . again -here:

--.2'._---14.1.....4.1144.t4°-::::::....' -1114I --,........- --.?,..-.-.--c..- -..tift.'11-hans ' ,L--:::,

,",-- co4a0*

-IirLi7-:

-:-.,..... _ ..,.04ePcft- _-

4 Ifsk ba Zs.

--Jamestown

. LeitingtOn

itircei_ter

$iogxIluget - . _Livonia

The printery:trona-Os of .ate _federal interim:U4Y in the Work -Sduali.=, Th. tion Consortium project-waSto def.fideralise the project's and

73

4

88
U

a copy of The Boundless Resource, urging particular attention to Chapter 4

which describes the concept of a collaborative, local education and work

council. NMI also sponsored a number of conferences for members of the

_gonaortium, including four regional dissemination conferences for council

-e--t. staff, council leaders, and other interested community officials.

.

.

. . . .

. . .. As the_leader of the collaborative Council movement among the

intermediaries,:NMI=was expected, -to provide a great de46f-technical

, ."

assistance and information exchange to councils. All councils praised NNI

for its responsiveness to reqUests for information. The conferences were

also cited as beneficial, particularly by those coutpils that utilized the

, . opportunity to engage in detailed discussions of hila establish and guide

, .. a -council's early. development. The information exchange generated *ring._

these meetings continued primarily between NMI and individual_councils, and

to a lesser extent among the councils, themselves. NNI's'inforMation.;equire- , ments of councils were also extensive. NNI required detailed Warterly

progress reports and financial statements:LAe with all. interMediaries, NMI

also required its counci,i to provide considerable dOeumentation in their

annual proposals for continUed funding.

-r:

. 4= Because of-their high expectations, some councils west ineVitab4

disappointed in the extent of technical assistance provided by NMX. NhI did

not try to provide dire4ction. Nost,councils appreciated this, but at least

one council was frustrated by it. A few councils were also disappointed,i0.,.,

1..*= NNI's lack of aggreseiveness in seeking future funding sources for the -

Consortium councils. Even though tax had encouraged councils to locate lobetiav

sources for future funding, many councils still expected NMI to obtain grants

ft- them and to exert influent* on their behalf.

The problem of expectations helps tar explain the differences in

relationships between ihe:f4deral intermediaries and their locally-sponsored

= tr

certainly where NMI andiNAB areCencerned. In contras t to the

NN/ councils. the NAB councils hadireiexpectitions, and generally perceived

_ . , themselVes_as receiving fundsto.suppert[an'elcecutive director to expand

existing actifities, in a sense, their feces' was the most locally determined

of any of the intermediary- sponsored councils, simply because they had so

little direetion and no demands placed on them from Washington.

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89
Consistency of message to the councils was also a problen which

plagued each intermediary at various times. 'Ex, in particular, was naturally caught between its zeal for the Consortium project and Lts desire to

be non-directive. The result was that mats role was,often unclear to

council members and staff. AACJC staff also had some trouble initially in

locating the correct balance between intervention and non-intervention.

'Moreover* both NMI and AACJC had received additional funds from DOL to

sponsor education and work councils. Each felt accountable to DOL for the

program's development. NAB, which bad not received any additional,fundn

avoided the problem of mixed messages by hardly intervening at all in the

progress of councils; development. Since there were no additional funds

involved, NAB probably did not feel as responsible for the councils' development es AACJC and NMI did.

The business orientation of the National Alliance of Business and

the Chamber of Commerce probably affected the style more than the substance

of council activities. The NAB councils are smaller and their decisions are

made more efficiently than in ma and AACJC councils, bu&the issues of

concern to the membership and the activities undertaken by them are quite

similar to those of councils sponsored by other intermediaries. In AACJC,

NAB and NMI-sponsored councils, for example, one finds the pattern of concentration upoAhat the edwational sector should do to alleviate transition

problems. Council activities are 'infrequentLy directed at what business

should or can do to ease youth transition. Santa Barbara's counal pro-

,-; vides an exception, however, in that it has successfully engaged 150 employ-

, eesOf area employers as *youth counselors" for a Youthwork program. No

--- other council in our sample successfully involved the local private sector

et to that degree.

Although NMI is not linked with any particular orientation by name,

most of the NMI staff that councilscame into contact with were research

and policy-orierted. The primary way in which this orientation came

across was in respect to NMI's emphasis on "collaboration" and on a process

orientation. Ne) council, NMI or otherwise, disputed the importance of

collaboration and the facilitative or catalytic role this council could flay,

75

$0
although in one or two cases the words seemed to get in the way of action.

In short,NMI's orientation, like NAB's,

of the councils.

also affected the style of some

er7 Education and work councils sponsored by AACJC are not necessarily

affected by that organization's educational orientation. The effect here

is largely that produced by the circumstances of the local community college

and the conceptual awl practical guidance given by Washington -based MC3C

staff.

Overall, the ,:ole of the federal intermediary it council deviplient

was minor .pared to the role played by council leadership, nature of the

membership and membership participation. The most serious problem in the use

of a federal intermediary was the uncertainty of roles and expectations thy,,

arrangement created among federal intermediaries and between intermediaries

and councils.

4.3 Typ* of Locality

Some researchers of education and work councils have suggested that

such councils may be most appropriate and therefore, most successful, in

rural areas where there are limited resources for inter-sectoral activity

and where career and vocational education programming is lacking.]i Two

of the councils we visited were classified as "rural." In these areas,

education and work councils appear to be valuable for all services, particularly those which bring specific projects or activities to remote locations.

Or.

The value of councils in urban areas may be measured precisely

bi

bytheir ality t' clear of involvement in the. delivery

services--facilitative or otherwiseperformed by other agencies or groups.

Moreover, this is true in both large and small cities. Through general

revenue sharing, small cities are sharing in the proliferation of new

funds and programs for all types of social welfare purposes, and they now

-_appear to be facing the same types of coordination problems that_plague

large urban areas. The experience of councils like Mesa, population 136,000,

_ - and WOccester, population 200,000, are good examples of this.

Gregorylfurzbur; et al, An Assessment of Community Work Education

Councils: 10 Case Studies,* unpublished paper, Novembe: 4, 1977.

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91
4.4 Existence of Other Youth Transition Programs

Another key aspect of the community context which is somewhat

related to the oommunitrtype and size factors is the presence or absence

of other major youth transition activities. Mt was thought that councils

operating in program-rich areas would choose to de-emphasize programs in

favor of either brokering activities or other non-program modes of operation.

The presence of other major programs is, indeed, restricted to

small ane large cities. There are major youth transition activities in

Puget Sole!, with a Youth Job Entitlement Program, and in Worcester, Philadelphia, and Mesa with federally funded career education programs. In

each case the council operates independently of the programalready in

place, and the councils do not use council members or resources to expand

the impact of these other programs. Nor were these:the councils that

da-empLasized programs--although Philadelphia and Puget Sound do come close

to takJng on a brokering role.

In smaller _areas serving primarily rural populations, there are

few transition programs underway. The Sinux Falls council, for example,

chose at one major activity a six-week career education course followed by

a two-day shadow program for 22 high school students from a small town 30

miles from the city. There was consensus among council members and townspeople that nothing in the way of transition programs would otherwise have

been provided. It(Duld appear that the choice of council vole or mode of

activity, as one objective in council development, is considerably clearer

for mune/a members in communities which serve rural areas and which hav

k, no major youth transition programs.

4.5 Community Traditions and Values

Perhaps the most obvious way in which community traditions and

values affect the development of education and work councils is in theil.

ability to gather volunteer resources to participate on these councils.

Most councils were able to create a membership roster of between 11 and 41

members within a short time after notice of grant award. The tradition of

voluntarism in American communities demonstrated itself in the creation of

77

92
r

these councils. Early support for the education and work council was

particularly enthusiastic in Mess, where the resources and idfluences

4,

of

the Mormon church, and its emphasis on community seXf -help are behind many

of that city's volunteer efforts.

In one site, a high degree of active, voluntary pirticipation on

the education and work council was achieved in the absence of a community

tradition of voluntarism. Council leaders in Bayamon, Puerto Rico used

other means to induce members to join and maintain their steady involvement

in council meetings and community-oriented activities. Meetings have been

held in reserved rooms of favorite restatwants. Council'memberskmeet at

7:30 P.M.,'conduct their business, and adjourn for dinner at about 9:00

P.M. Awards are sometimes presented to council members at these meetings, . in recognition of their performance of some outstanding community service.

Perhaps more important than these incentives, however*is the perseverance

of the executive director in maintaining regular telephone and personal

'contact with council members, contact which often must occur in thvevening

at council members' homes. In the absence of a community voluntarism tradition, special incentives and a special effort on the part of council

leaders may be especially important to the council's early development and

its ultimate percletion of itself a$ a valuable community institution.

4.; Community Economic Situation

One environmental famem which can affect the initiation of a

:council, its ability to decide upon goals, and its choice of role and

activities is the community's economic situation. Elements of the

community economic situation may include the level of youth unemployment,

the rate of student drop-outs, or the percentage of households in poverty.

LI very few communities were data oft:current levels and trends in these

nPe

areas collected, partly because it was unavailable and partly because

councils simply did not try to collect it.

From talking to council representatives and reviewing councils'

funding proposals, the two dominant neconanie concerns were school drop-,

outs and unemployed youth. Many councils were frustrated in not knowing

78

'01
at

the magnitude of the problems some that attempted to invest substantial

resources in studying the magnitude a these problems found themselvetk

bogged down and unable to proceed to "activities. ". In addition, some

council numbers, usually educators, pressed for cmsideration of the

problems of a broader youth population. Members of this broader youth

populetion, such as teenage mothers or youths in single-parent families,

were not selectIr target groups for council activities.

In a few sites the council suffered from a sense of being a

solution in search of a problem. In sites with a solid 4:clnic these and

an abundance of 'youth jobs" (fast food anditemporary work), councils

often found themselves floundering for laceof a sense of urgency.

Although experience in "youth jobs" may not necessarily improve the

chances of a emocetransition to a mare permanent career, the availability of work and the eagerness of youth to take jobs created uncertainty

of rpose among councils in such communities.

Xn sites _where youth unemployment was perceived to be a problem 41

because of a poor;qor deeriorkting ectigeic base (Philadelphia, Bridgeport,

Bayamon, Sioux #ills'surroundingst Livonia surroundings, and St. Albans),,

the councitisurprisingly chose not to focus their efforts cif-job creation,

but rather to lenO active support to career education. In contrast, the

councils which became involved in job creation programs (Puget Sound, Mesa,

Santa Barbara and Lexington) were by andi.large in areas whve jobs were

most available. This tends to support the findtv that councils tended to

tackle problems that they perceived as within their grasp, rher than to

tackle problems which they felt would take far greater resources than they

has.

4.7 Community Politics

The history of volunteer efforts: such as those represented by

education and work councils illustrates bow these efforts use three major

strategies, sometimes Oin combination, to achieve their ends. Education,

e4

collaboration and confrontation are these three strategies. Confrontation

becomes a relevant strategy when power, or control over resources, becomes

79

94
importot to a volunteer group. The intermediate objective thus becomes

gaining greater control over resources. over

(11 For three of thlp.12, education and work councils we vilAted, gaining

greater control ova resourcetwas an important intermediatelladective in

their goal of improved youth transition. In Philadelpia, for example, the

council became an advocacy organization fortcommunity-based organizations

in the city seeking their piece of the loc747:evenue sharing pie. Morey*:

the Philadelphia council acquired power viOome of its members. The

Philadelphia council was in turn able 1084 its position to successfully

convince the Commonwealth to open up athird GED testing center at a local

community ciege in the Philadelphia area, to.helpireOuce the backlog of

r ititt,JT applicantevaiting to take the GED test. In Livonia, the council director

felt Veined by the political situation there (conservative municipal,

government) as well as the economic situation (l unemployment rate). fa

successfully steered the council toward a broader target area in which

there would be greater resources to be had. In particular, the LiVronia

council was seeking to become the local PIC. The Santa Barbara Council

acquired power primarily through its memberseglnd with this power they were

Ot able to act to prevent the elimination, in a Proposition 13 environment,

of a youth transition service provided by Santa Barbara's schools. First,

an ad hoc coMmittee of the council went before the school board to ask it ,*

to endorse the council's career education policy. 161 school board did so.

I" Later, when thischool board was considering elimin'ating the career technicians in the high schools an0 junior high schools, the same ad hoc committee

returned to the school *acrd and asked it to uphold its er.dorsement of the

council's policy I. 'not eliminating the technicians. This two-step

strategy prevented the elimination of many of these positions.

The Santa Barbara example is particularly noteworthy because the

decision to confront the established power structure was made bye and

la

carried out with full support of, the entire membership.

Unlike the above mentioned councils, which used confrontative as

well as educative and collaborative strategiea '.o achieve their ends, most

education and work councils were apolitical. They did not seek to initiate

a.

80.
r.

41 4 0 confrontation with the existing power structure or tc acquire control over

resources:; On the other hand, few councils escaped the impact of local

politics and local political events, much as they might have wantad to.

The Bayamon councitLe,development$ ,egos been StXOngly affected by the local .

political miliei. The University under whose auspices council is oreratet is a haven for partisans co the party that is currently out of power.

The council membership; on,the other bane., represents a bi -partisan group.

In order to develop the council as a communitigft5itrItth transition service

provider, its leadership has had to operate very deliberately to avoid situ-

. atioaa which would pit the University against the power structure and force

tObouncil members to "take sides." One such situation was averted early

in the council's development.whem the council had voted to organize a career

day for sChRol siudents. The Department of Education* controlled by

the party in power, rejected, the council's call for a career day, arguing

against removing so many'stu'dents tvirn school for a day. Numerous attempts

to confront the Secretary of the Department failed. Counuil'leadership subsequently decided not to pursue the matter and embroil the council members

in controversy. While recognizing that ouch controversy might eventually be

necessary, the leadership of the Bayamon council felt that maintenance of

council solidarity was more important inte short ten and would LI the

long run make the council more &blab, take bi-partisan stands and become a

respected,owerfui community institution regardless of which party is in

power.

A structural impact of politics on the councils was found ib Isexiogton. The mayor was one of the ,..louncil fourdeis and personally attracted a

.number of i4mbers. When the mayor ar.ounced he would not run for .'e-election,

same members became less active. The - council's development was thus temporarily slowed. This ha- been the case also in other councilt %re key early

leaders, bowed, out or reduced their involvement in council act17. 'es before

t'vl council had developed enough of .its own leadership:resources.

A final example .of the impact of local politic on the councils

concerns WouTmiter. As a result of pressure to cut budrts, the Worcester

6

81

96

,r;
47.154 School Committee tentatively voted to eliminate the job of Career Education

Coordinator. The individual with this job was a key council member, and the

council was faced with a controversy regarding whether or not to fight the

School Committee's decision. The Chamber of Commerce, with which the

council shares office space, agreed to write a letter in favor of retaining

the,Coord4pator's job, although that action conflicted with the Chamber's

stand on limiting public expenditures. A number of council members were

also reluctant to oppose a out-cutting measure. When the council *went

out on a limb" in favor of the Coordinator and lost the battle, the council

became divided between those who had advised against taking such a stand

and those (mostly the staff and the affected member) who had been defeated

by the School Committee vote. The overruling of the council by the School

Committee led the council staff to feel that the organization had lost some

oCits potential influence in the community.

If councils are to achieve prominence in their communities, they

4;

will need to gain skill in confrontation and conciliation techniques. In

many cases it will be a savvy executive director who will make this possible; in other cases it will be the joint influence of prestigious' council

members which will make the difference. In conclusion, most education and

work councils are affected by local politics, although iew actively seek

politicization.

Although one of the cornerstones of the Consortium project was the

O development of conncils which were responsive to local needs, the role of

differences in local situations in determining council characteristics or

activities has been small. For almost every example of a council which

Beene to have been affected in a particular direction by its environment, a

counter example,,Gan be produced. It appears as if the freedom given to each

council to create its own goals, activities, structure and leadership style

has permitted a large *mbar of options, as noted in Chapters 2 and 3.

Although the local situation serves as the context for these options, it has

had far less Impact than the variables affecting the internal or4aiiiktion of

the-council at this stage of most councils' development.

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97

4.)
;5.0 pOLLADDRATIOW

"Collaboration" has been considered the keynote of the Work-Mu-

, cation Consortium project. Each education and work council was to be a

model of local collaborative action. Consequently, it became part of our

task to assess'the degree to which councils achieved this goal, and the

feasibility of fdl;e'achievement. In this vhapter, we discuss the different definitions of collaboration and assess council achievement of collaborationeccording to these'different definitions. The main purpose of this

chapter, however, is to offer a new understanding of the concept of collibomration: . . At the beginning of this study, our efforts to: monist** the achievement of collaboration were thwarted by. the varying definitionsithat council

members and staff .applied to the term. Moreover, thane definitions often

disagreed with "Se put forth by researdiers, Of the subject, as well as that

which we inferred frawoui realm of The Boundless Resource. Rather than

disregard these, definitions, we looked at them all. As a result of thii;fthe

nature of collaboration as a process or as a sequence of processes became

clear. We recogniied that collaboration simply "looks different* depending

upon where the observer stands, in time and place, vie-l-vis the education and

work council. The councils, looking at collaboration from ground zerobefore

collaboration is actually started, and while problems for collAboration still

-existhave Adifferent,viewpoint from those who focus on the effecttl'Of

poesiblec411abOration. Collaboration as a process engaged in by education

and work councils peeds to be understood as developmental, and therefore

timately viewed in different perspectives by the council members themselves

and observers or researchers of councils.

5.1 Definitions of Collaboration

In order to assess the achievement of collaboration from each of

these perspectives, it is necessary to outline the various definitions

applied to the termlicellaboration.*

83

4

.t
+c, 5.ti1 'Resear %Definitions

During the.1975-76 academic year, the Office of Career Education

Waited States Office of Education, SSW) sponsored 27 "mini-conferences"

for members of the businessi libcC and education communities on the subject

of career education. In one Ot4tisese conferences, Dr. Kenneth Hoyt, then

the director of the Office of Career Education, tried to push the career

education movement onto a more "collaborative" treat. He explpined the

moaning of collaboration by first distinguishing it from cooperation as

follows:

"Collaboration is a term that impliesti.e parties involved

share responsibility wetauthority for basic policy decisionmaking...Cooperation, on the. other hand, is a term that

assumes two or more papes,,each with separate .and autonomous programs, agretto work together in milting all such

programs more-successful. To'"cooperate" with nother agency

or organisation carries no implication that one either can,

or should, affect its policies or operational practicee."

Collaboration means that local career education actiristemustlid themselves of the notion that "what we do (our policies and operational practices) is none of their business,"2 while cooperation permits this attitude.

Dr. Hoyt continued by urging his audience to recognise that "...many

community resillices exist NOW...it is not a matter of building yet another

superstructure on the already complex system of Education." Rather it is a

matter of focusing primary concern on utilising existing resources and building new resources, of focuiing around the question of "'Now mach help can be

i made available the...individual?' not around the question, ,;ipr much credit

%I ZM can we get for helping?'"3

1 1enneth Hoyt, Monographs on Career Education: Community Resources for

Career Education, U.S.D.N.S.W. Office of Career Education, Office of

Education, 1976, Pp. -2.

2Ibid. pp. 1-2.

3lbid. pp. 1-2.

0

4

84

99
or In:short, the principle of collaboration encouraged by Dr. Hoyt

4 emphersissi *process' over 'structure.* It emphasises the collective good

over; individlal self-interests. Finally, it emphasises the need:Zor

'change, both in lareer,educetion activists' policies and practices and in

their attitudes about sha7'ing responsibility for the policies and Weretional.practices of each other's institutions. Cooperation involves no

--such change in'attite.

Dr. Paul Berton, a senior associate of the National Manpower

Institute and former NEW-senior staffer. looks at 'collaboration" from a different)perspective. -In paOiculars he envisions a council to community

education and work council) as a collaborative process. Be proceeds to

dihne'the structural elikents of that process, without distinguishing

CP "collaboration" frOif4d6op4rAion":

"kprocese-of collaboration means the participation of

the important institutions and *actors of the community

that have:the responsibility, tasouzces and influence to

deal pith the whole of the transition to regular adult

employment...A collaborative process is identified

by 1"..

being an organized activity with an agreed-upon

policy for its conduct.

the participation of representatives of education.

Wsineissi labor, :parents, the voluntary and service

organisation sector, the public. students...or at

least a sufficient number cf the above to provide

the expectation of significant achievement.

an involvement in the improvement of the transition arrangeleits rate than the rest of the

group being "advisory" to any one of the represented

institutions or sectors.

the development of, or working on the development of,

an Agenda, of substantive.actioqe. a prioritising of

the items on the agenda, avd pxanning, toward actually

carrying out the agenda.'

4Paul E. Barton. "Community Councils and the Transitions Between

Education and Work." Industry/Education Community Councils: NIB

Rapers in Education and Works No.9, 8.8.0.N.B.W., National Institute

of-Education. December, 1977. pp. 11-14.

85

100

4
1,

These definitions complement each other, with Barton's definition

fit helping to visualize what a collaborative process.migaklook like in

tP form of a community council: However, there is one point on which

these researchers *unto disagree. Hoyt seems to feel that collaboration

requires placing the collectiA) good above individual self-interest.

Barton and his colleagues argue (principally in other articles and correspondence on the 4ubject) that collaboration must buildon self-interest

rather than request a sacrifice of it. While the difference as expressed

here may be semantic, it does sound as if the supporters of education and

work councils expect council participarits to kind it in their self-interests to colliborate. This expectation may be overly optimistic. It is

very difficult to try and use this strategy of eguatin te'lf-interest with

the collective goosl in order to convince maple to pursue the collective

good, particularly when the benefits of doing so are far into the future.

The concept of "self- interest" is critical to an understanding of

the collaborative process, and it wea obviously t the center ofNIX's

interest when it posed the question Is collaboration Pownibletr NIB's

definition of collaboration, as offeritin the Statement of Work for this

stud, IS as follows:

"Collaboration is a participatory decision-making procePs

involving an organized activity in which representatives

from vested interest groups within a community give up a

portion of their self-interest in creatingacnex, overarching identity to achieve a comeln goal." " It would appear that the collaborative process, or the 'identity' under

discussion, is a community education and work council. Obviouily, NIX

researchers believe that in order for this council to work? -to be effect

in solving youth transition problems - -its goals, is an institution, must

stand higher on members' priority lists than their cawrgoals or those of

their institutions.

The concepts presented in each a: these 4efinitions--Hoyt's,

Barton's and NIB's--will be useful in developing the theory of coilabor-

-. SHIM RFP R78-0007, p.11.

0

86

1 0
o

c r E,1 ation further. Sor.too, will be some discussion of how the Were!

intermediari4s cogmunicated the term and how the council members under- stood ! 5.t.2 Comnanication of the Concept by Intermediaries

.Although opportunities'for,orientation to the concept of the

,council and of collaboration occurred during counCil'itart-up)meetings,

subsequentitedhnical'essiStance visits, and conferences, NU was The

:i0wwdiwow,ftwcwrwe which Taye.the councils their primary orientation to

collaboration and the council concept. Councils were instructed to focus

Chiefly on Chapter 4, entitled "New Mesas ". This Chapter, in the section

of the bock that deals with youth, offers practical suggestions, for council

activities.. It follows.a tepter called . "sew Ways,' which discusses the

need for 'different ia:ttitutional approach to youth transition. Building

upon these ideas, Chapter 4 dials with establishing such, new means as a

clearinghouse of work-study and cooperative education proteins, an occupational'information system, a yonthroiment follow-up component, etc.

'The reduction.of Institutional barriers is also addressed. In general,

then, Chapter 4 offers examples of activities that a(council could initiate

easily, as well as eons that would require WWI substantial collaboration.

. N

5.1.3 FiththerTmeiliitiarConceCouncilalembersand

Staff

The:main methodology fear this phase of Abt Associates' study of

councils and,the collaborative process was to collect data regarding council

structure, process and activities. However, individual mere also asked to

comment directly on their perception of the council'salievemant of collabor-

.atice.

Ire general, council staff were more comfortabilthan council

members in discussing collaboration,. and members from the public sectors

4 (education and' government) were more comfortable than those from .the private

sector. In at least two sites the council staff were reluctant "to discuss:

collaboration becausethey felt it had been overstressed and had caused

, Co

confusion and irritation among council members. Business representatives,

tts

87

102
, in paOiculair, tended to-b impatient with the lack of purposeful activity

on the part of their councils, and they began to equate collaboration with

ietieneive meeting*, repetitive discussions 'Old lack of actr4n. Listed below .is a sampling of Vinitions of collaboration offered; It is not

intended torepresent the majority of views, only the variety of theme

"rt having eyeryoncgive.pat &News"

'osveryone's involved, no .one's *wive"

"an 'whinge of ideas; a'cooperative

'efkort betwwen education and ind4ltre

"we all give up.solothing*.sommi.

)pnint4o.we can reach our `common

ueducatoia come Wes"

*c:

'"educational jargon not.uSed in business"

11"cooperation is two programs which

support nice) Other WithOut either one

having to give anything and collet:we-

-.lion is the 'haring of responsibility,

A commitment, end,authorite, ,f

(ccuncil-president)

(bossiness leader)

(school superintendent)

(banker)

(manager of &manufacturing plant)

Amber of -Commerce

representative)

(educator)

.As is evident from these moments, council members earn collaboration

ay- a jeinfleffort toward a common goal. Some members felt- it was important

that members "give up" something to be truly collaborative and at least one

council president implied'that collaboration involved change, in attitudes

it$4

'and prkt lats.

, Analysis of the actions of council members suggests that most council

members defined collaboration in terms of their own actions, not the actions

00.netiiiktions or other individuals in the community. The community's

-1,70

achievement cif: collaboration, with the council as facilitator, was not broadly

-recognised- by council members.asGpart of their mandate to be "collaborative*.

Thin council members Keeareci to equate the existence of the council with

evidence of collaboration, rather than te.think of the structure they represented as` facilitative of collaboration among sectors in the community.

l

88

03
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dor did the majority of council members see themselves as "sharing

policy-milting authority." Some candidly e8serted their lack of.intention

tb-work toward these.ends. ilusiness representatives in particular did not

soe how the mperience of being on, the council could champ the way they

emote their own institutions, much less permit thole outside to share in

makiwchangbs: This position was almost as frequent among educators, who

occasionally asserted therole of the council in influencing them to make

changes, but who generally did not entertain the idea of shared policy -

asking authority.

Most council members, however, expressed excitemen;. over the value

provided 4y the mandate for collaboration. They contrasted the education

and work council favorably with other community efforts and other councils,

and cited examples of business representatives and school officials, or,

in the case of Philadelphia, CB0s, working together for the first time.

If we accept Hoyt's distinction between collaboration and coopera-.

tion, then it is fair to saythit education and work councils engage in

cooperative, not collaborative activities. However, cooperation can also

be construed as an initial step in the development of collaboration. Individuals or institutions are unlikely to rush into sharing policy-making

authority without ever having talked to each other, not to mention developing respect for eachtotheris goals, trust in each other's judgments, and

joint participation in activities. The education and work councils did

allow this to happen.

5.2 Implementation of the Collaborative Process by Education

and Work- Councils

Another way to investigate the implementation of the collaborative

,process in the formation of the council is to assess it according to the

four features described in Barton's definition. Most councils partially

met at least three of the four criteria eatagiished by Barton. At the time

of our visit, most councils represented an "organised activity with an

agreed-upon policy for its conduct." All but one council was meeting regularly, and all had established structures (council president, executive

committee, and task groups) within which to operate. Councils also achieved

104

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0
the active participation of education and business, although attempts to

involve labor, patens, and, youth were less successtul. Councils were

.also independent%rather than 'advisory" to any of the sectors Or inatituAs- tions involved, even though:one or two parent atomisation* were Sufficiently dominant to influence a large part of the counalpooperations.

On the fourth criterion, the development of...an agenda Of substantive - actions, a prioritisating of the items...and a planning toward-actually

carrying out the agenda*, the councils had more difficulty. Many councils

attempted to create goals and activities designed to meet those goals, and

.most of these committed their thinking to paper.e,Nowever, little

Using was done, and there was little evidence of concrete objectives or

strategic thinking in most of the councils' plans. Most noticeable was a

lack of long-term planning. The leadership of-a few councils were aware

of these omissions; some argued that the decision to avoid prioritisatioN,

specification of concrete objectives and time frames for e4levemiwas

purpOseful. No doubt funding uncertainty also contributed o the

lance of council planning efforts. Nonetheless, council leadership and

membership, C perhaps the federal intermediaries as well, need to recognise the inconsistency between the councils' planning process and the

accepted tenets of a collaboratiVeprocess, particularly as this inconsistency can affect future operltions.

The NIB definition of collaboration,focuses on the notion of self -

interest, which is Introduced in the earlier definitions. Each of the

definitions of collaboration implicitly assumes that self-interests will

be recognised. On cosininity education and work councils, they would be

recognised by the Weathers and staff of those councils. Our study, however,

found that many council members participated Its volunteers on councils,

withoutteny_real awareness of the self- interests involved. This style of

participation hindered the proifilis of collaboration (according to every

definition) in a few councils.

The statement of work for this valuation asked, no collaboration

possible?" The answer is that the collaborative process can be construed

as being several processes, or as working on many levels simultaneously.

90

105
The process has begun, on at least one level, in the communities served by

education and work councils. For the - collaboration envisioned in The

Bouadless Resource, and by researchers to be achieved, however, more time,

a greater understanding of the concept, and a willingness to entertain

radical departures from normal inter-institutional and inter - sectors ways

of relating is needed - -both by council members as council members and by

council members as representatives of community institutions.

lb asest councils in assessing the degree to which they have engaged a local collaborative process, we proceed to describe three dimen10 sions of collaboration. This discussion is followed by a more detailed

description of one of these dimensions of collaboration, to further

illustrate how councils car measure their progress along this dimension.

hopefully, what will emerge is a new understanding of the meaning of

"collaboration":

5.2.1 Dissensions of Collaboration

Collaboration of the sort envisioned in The Boundless Resource

would seem to be measurable along three dimensions, as illustrated in

Figure 5-1. -.If the council is viewed as the catalyst for the collaborative

-141 process, the reach of council activities might defipe one dimension of

collaborative achievement. Council activities may involve only council

leaders, or they may involve the entire membership. Beyond council members,

other individuals may be involved in council activities at the local level,

and beyond thatoiollaboration could be sought with actorsat the state and

even federal levee'. Indeed, the staff of at leas' t one council perceived

collaboration as embodying the ability to affect local, state or federal

policy on issues related to youth transition, although most councils, as

previously noted, did not seek to collaborate with or influence agencies or

individuals outside their particular communities.

InstitutionalisatIon of. council aotivities is a second dimension of

collaboration. Council activities may occur once, such as in the compilation

of a directory; they may occur it series, such as when each week the local

newspaper spotlights the career of a different council member; or they may

become institutionalised, such as when the maintenance of a career resource

center becomes an on-going function of the council. The education and work

9i`

106 va

or.
0

0

federal

state

,

, local

community'

0

reach of council.

activities

FIGUR! 5-1

sions of collaboration

series .

institutionalisation

of council activities

on-going

two sectors, one

,institution each,

one individugl in

each -inVstitaion ,SN two sectors, more

than one institution each, more

than one individual

in etch

4t

0

depth and

breadthof

council

activities

three or more sectors,

three or more institutions ift each, and many

individuals in each

institution

92
councils in the Consortium project were encouraged to institutionalize

themselves. .Councils, A turn, attempted to become incorporated"to

break away from parent bodies, and to gain sufficient funding to enable

their staffs to continue carrying out council activities. Recently, a

.national organization was formed to further the goals of existing and

future education and work councils. Along this dimension, therefOre,

education and work ceencilshavebeen fairly:successful, although a major

test will come as they begin their fourth year of operations and first

year without, any Department of Labor Consortium project funds.

A third dimension of collaboration is the breadth and depth of

council activities'at thecoimunity level. %council may work closely with

two sectors, but'tbis may mean only that it works with one local high school,

OM employer and one individual. (usually the council meuber) in each of

these institutions. Councils that are broader in scope right 'Kirk actively

7:( wittrat leait one sector other than education and business, for example, the

government of labor sectors. Councils add depth, moreover, by working with

multiple institutions within a sector, or multiple individuals within an

"4.institution. Indeed, as will be examined more closely in the nant section,

collaboration between institutions within a sector, and between individuals

within an insitution:. may be ti of the most difficult types of collaboration for cduncils to facilitate.

We assert that councils must work along each of these three.dimensions in order to have a lasting effect on the local youth transition

problem, and that they must visualize each of these dimensions as mutually

reinforcing. For example, the goal of institutionalization can be aided by

increased breadth and depth of involvement in council activities. If

councils establish a large, broad constituency, their chances of locating

funding or other sources of support to maintain their existence will be

improved. Greater support,.in turn, enables the councils to undertake new

activities with larger numbers of local actors, and potentially, to be a

vehicle for extending their reach--perhaps effecting change at a state

or national level.

r

93

-108
Progress along each dimension of collaboration will also increase

the potential for long-term impact on youth. The institutionalization of a

local voice speaking on behalf, of local youth .guarantees contissus attentioq

to youth transition issues and the institutionalization of activities guarantees that their impacts'will continue to be felt. The increased breadth and

depth. of-local involvement maximizes awareness of the issue and the potential

huiantsources available to attack the problem. Reaching beyond the local

level can extend the benefits of the councils activity to other commuOties,

and can help maintain interest at other levels of government which are parts

off the problem and the solution.

5.2.2' The Breadth and Depth of Council Activities

Increasing the breadth and depthiSf council activities i2 the key

4140 challenge facing councils at this stage of their development. In order to

assist councils in better understanding this challenger we have identified

four different components to council progress along this dimension.. 'These

components are described below and illustrated by the current ac.i4ivities of

education and work councils. _The. word "cooperation* is used, because it in

fact describes current council progress. However, the possibilities for

collaboration (according to Hoyt this would involve shared responsibility

and authority for basic policy decision-making) in each type of interaction

should be borne in mind.

The oducation.and work councils engage in four types of cooperation.

The most common is cooperation between the council and other organizations.

Every time a council is given office space by an44ganization or a-guidance

counselor is, given timeooff to make a presentation at a council meeting,

cooperation between the council and an &ganization takes place. Mother

'common form of 'cooperation is between council members. In case') where members work together on a council committee, they cooperate. council When they-agree

on an activity to be pursued by the council, such as the compilation of a

resource directory, they cooperate. A less common form of cooperation is

between institutions represented on the council. When a business person on

the council agreegto take on two high school seniors for one day each in a

t'shadow day program, thelmisiness and the school Cooperate. In addition to

*.

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109
the cooperation between council members that is involved, each institution

is required to participate in the decision to conduct the activity. This

mode of institutional cooperation, with a business.or employer granting a

favor,to the-schools, is the molt coommonform of inter-institutional cooperation,.!CUriously, the least comm0form of cooperation engaged in is between institutions in the same sector or within institutions. In some

cases the superintendent allows members of the guidance department to

attend a Career Guidance Institute. In other cases, two business leaders

may aloPea2A together at a seminar for youth on job seeking skills. In

general, however, it appears more likely that a school wilet/h10 established cooperative relationships with ,a particular employer or employers

than it is for groups of employers to have cooperative relationships with

each other (other than for fund-raising) or for itigh schools to have

cooperative arrangements with each other.

Coweration Between the Council and Other Organisations

One of the most coition forms of cooperation between the council and

other organisations was in the all - important funding area. Theflargest.

non-Consortium source of funding is MA, and the most frequent use of CETA

is to support one or more council staff through PubliPiervice Enployment

slots:.

In addition to receiving funds, councils also donate funds from their

budgets to other organisations. This aettiod of supporting youth transition

programs was chosen by two councils. The St. Albans council gave 82,000 to

soearbyhigh school to purchase and install career education software for

their computerised Occupational Information System. The Mesa Council contributed 83,650 to the schools to employ a teacher during the summer to set

up a 49Obs for Youth* proggkm. (ft.neither case did the council became

substantively involved in the activity bayond the donation of funds.)

Other forms of 0Ooperation between the council and other organizations include cases where a council activity involves an organisation or

affects that organization. :nAlayamon, for example, the council set up a

Career Information Center at the Interamerican diversity for use by its

student°. 4*

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The Worcester council established a clearinghouse of field experience opportunities available to teachers, counselors and students. Almost every

council conducts one or more activities of this type, where the council as

an organisation performs a service for the members of another organization.

The final method of council cooperation with other orgarigtations is

through brokering. This form of activity consists of the council as an

organization working with two or more other organizations for their mutual

beaefit. The Worcester council arranged for some business representatives

to meet with members of a local school department, and together they

developed a career education curriculum. The Sioux Palls council arranged

.+w for a shadow day for a small rural high school by putting the superintendent

and guidance counselor in touch with the local NAB director, who agreed to

recruit businesses to participate.

Cooperation Between Council Members a

This category of!cooperation covers situations in which two or more

council members, as individuals, cooperate to accomplish something which

benefits one, both, or the goal of youth transition. This form of cooperation was most frequently evidenced in council members' working together on

task forces or committees, but it was also evidenced in other ways.

i In Santa Barbara, key council members from business and education

appeared before the school board to ask it not to cut the budget item which

provided career technicians in the schools.- Philadelphia council members

have used each other as resouebe persons when questions have dme up in

their own institutions. In Worcester and in Bridgeport, when one member!s

job was in jeopardy, the other council members went on record in support of

that individual.

On another level, cooperation between council members was constantly

emerging simply fran their interactions at council meetings. At each site,

counailimenbers commented positively on their experiences in talking with

fellow' members. A frequent finding was_that members of other sectors had

problems that we.e not too different from their cent Superintendents of

schooli and executive officers in industry shared in their frustrations in

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, dealing with employee, unions. Business representatives began to appreciate the -schools' in trying to educate ,certain segments of

the youth population.,. In several cases, council memberiemserted that

''thycould now call pertain individuals on the phone to got. help with

something-when they could not /do so before.

JCooperation -Betmeen Institutions Represented by Different

Council Members

The next level ot.cooperation goes beyond the ,members themselves

to include the institutions they repreder4._ Achievement of this level of

'cooperatiekis an imdication.that,organisations.in the Community are

hiing'influenced the.doUncil's_existence.

Somiccouncile have begun to Influence. cooperation between members.

institutions. In Bayamon, for example, curriculum designers at the'Interaierican University got together with some businesa)reprementatives on

the council and worked out a number otaingee in khf.nnivernitY courses

in order for them to be more relevant to the job market., A cents. in

labor movement. wee. introduced into the Livonia Public Schools

through discussions between the UAN representative and the school representative at council meetings. fostering such cooperation between member

institutione, is the main activity.of-the Philadelphia coOnciL They

brought comiunity-based. organisatices ICB0e) together-with the CITA prime

sponsor so that it could brief the:CBOs ow,the procedures for applying

for funding under the Tooth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act

(NDPA).

Business' involvement with other. institutions was restricted to

assisting those institutions in Making youth more acceptable andsuccessfa in the job market. Businesses opened their plants to classes on tours;

they visited clasirooms to teach students how to fill out job applications;

and they provided counselors for espediel job preparation program. No

individual interviewed mentioned an incidet in which a member representing

business asked for or received any assistance for his or her company from

council members or their institutions, however.

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)", Cooperation Withiw.Sectors

The least common areeof cooperation engaged by the councils was

cooperation within sectors. Seconder! and higher education had little

interaction; likewise for large and small businesses. Community-based

organisations competed with each other for scarce federal program dollars.

In recognition' f these barriers, some councili used their resources

and membership to reduce the distance between institutions in the same

sector; others facilitate intra-sectoral cooperation on behalf of youth in

other, more subtle lays. In a story recounted bra Santa Barbara council

member, a businessman was mop/aiming about the low level of skills he found

in the employees he hired just out of high school, which prompted another

businessman on the council to remerk,.You might get better workers if you

. - - didn't pay so little."

Susiness.was active in intra-sectoral activities for raising funds.

In Worcester a chief executive officer directed a campaign for fund raising

from among member anti non-member'businesses, An example of intra-sectoral

cooperation in goverment was the Philadelphia council- sponsored luncheon

meeting of a-representative of the city's youth agency with a Department of

Commerce official, which resulted in implementation of a new youth employment program. In' an example of intra-sectoral cooperation in education, the

Michigan Occupational Information System was implemented in western Wayne

County through the cooperation of a consortium of public schools, postsecondary institutions and*CIITA.

Conclusion

The types of cooperation described above primarily involve activities and partly iatstude change. The pattern of sponsoring activities as

. . one-time events limits the potential breadth and depth of collaboration.

What wou.d be different, and what no council at this stage of development

has yet chosen to do, 'is to forge some on -going alliances across sectors so

that cross-sectoral activities might become commonplace, and that the

changed attitudes of the council members might permeate their institutions.

Although this repetitive approach would still not be collaborative in the

Hoyt sense, it would imply that closer involvement between the institutions

is acceptable to each as anode of operation. Only then would the breadth

and depth of collaboration be 'enhanced.

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O 6.0 KEY ISSUES IN TEN DEVELOPMEMOIP SDUCNTION AND YORK COUNCILS:

SUMMIT OP PINDINGSzAND ABCONNENDATIONS,,-

CoUncil Activities Needtorbe Better' Integrated with

sLa.PlaalmAegimalepti - cifiojamges Designed to

Improve Youth Transit on to-the-ftrkplace

Council activities, the collaborative process and the very existence

of councils themselvesara to be udged in the fflal analysis on the basis

of the impact they -have on youth transition to the workplace. Presumably, a

IN council can help bring about changes in the knowledge, attitudessand.behavior of individuals, grasps and institutions in a particular community, and

in so doing, help them to improve youth's transition..

Although considerablavariety-existed in the mix of council

tins chosen,* individual councils,'.one similarity can be discerned. Virtually all council activities were shezt-term in nature and demanded modest

inveskment of time and commitment frisi'memberii--and their organisations. it

is undertandable thati focus on single, short-term activities would initially capture the councils! attention. -pecause they involve no major shift

in resources, theseActiiritAeS are not controversial. They are easy to

rally around and tepicient- a way., to get people collaborating on something

concrete. :They calierinitiated quickly and do not require a great deal of

organisatlonal,agreepinitcrexecute.':144 activities can serve as a startIry point for developing the, process of planning and implement-

-ing'injacerelitted changii,48,Men minor activities cause some themes in

personnel responsibilities, resource-allocation and communication patterns.

if reimmied often enough, these actikties can eventually become incorporated

pinto the regular_ stikthm.-of an inatitifec z. . Through=thisprocessv-what hailinitially been introduced as an acti-

: - vity can e*olie into change within in institution. For this to happen,

. -councils must.begin to-put more energy into defining, planning and working

towards such specifIc%impact related' changes.

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-.=.1110uill Mad..
C Likewise, collaboration must be seen as a process which develops

- on severalawvels, and which is boob an input to and an outcome of the

council's activities in the community. Collaboration,, no matter what

its aim, cannotAake place ins-vacuum, Frustration and member turnoevr will result unless council members feel they are collaborating

towards'something meaningful and that collaboration is part of a process

Which' will have eventual impact on youth.. Confining collaboration to a

yawle sector for a given activity of limited duration limits the potential

level of that collaboration. Instead, ow-going alliances across sectors

need to be developed, so thatcrosw.sector activities become commonplace.

If a council fails to address an aspect of the pliw.ning and execution

process, such as the institutionalisation of activities, or neglects to

develop a part-of sits.oyeralLmstem, such as facilitating collaboration

not just among its members but also among institutions represented by

- . its members, then all other aspects of the process or system will be

affected, an the council as a whole will be less effective.

6.2 Members Need to Perceive and Act in Their Council Roles

4

As'Inititutional Representatives as well as Individuals

Rather Than.as Individuals Only, if Changes in Institutions

re to Occur"

One of the primary purposes of an education and work council is

to be a mechanism for influencing grows and institutions to change in

ways which will enhance the prospects for improved youth transition. Such

group and institutional changes are essential if any serious and lasting

impacts on youth are to be achieved.

Social change efforts such as those represented by the education

and work councils must,strike a balance in their emphasis on the role of 0

individuals as compared to the role of group and institutional relation-"'

Ships. Unless a council makes successful efforts to anchor its changes

solidlrin-local group and institutional life, the council cannot hope to

affect more than a handful of young people. In addition, for impact on

youth to endure, supportive elements for those changes must find their

way into the groups and organizations that serve or associate with youth.

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"

01- A council can seek to effect group and institutional changes through

direct action, such as donating funds for a specific youth transition program

or Confronting local government on a budgetary issue, or through indirect

activities such as building community awareness about youth transition probleas. However * -41 basic and straightforward method, which should not be

overlooked, is to influence these community groups and institutions through

their representatives who are council members. Unfortunately, most members

presently define their council roles not as institutional representatives

but as individuals in a volunteer organisation. Moreover, Many members lack

the power to commit their institution's resources_b3 council goals. And

lastly, some individuals (such as chief executive officers) who do possess

the power to change the way their institutions operate, still place the

burden of responsibility for change on other institutions- in the community.

Each of these conditions, which undermines the reasons for the council members' selection (to gain representation of a particular sector or institution

on the council), needs to change at some stage of a council's development if

the council is to become a positive force for improving youth transition in

the community.

6.3 The Effectiveness of Council,Leadershi Needs to be

Recgnized as a Critical Factor in Determining Mow

Successfully a Particular Council Develops

The development of leadership is recognized as an issue but needs to

be better det4ned and understood by councils. Members are not clear about

(;) what constitutes effective leadership in the council situation andow this

leadership emerges. The development of effective leadership is essential for

handling goal conflict and achieving goal consensus, achieving member involvement, helping to define member's roles as institutional representatives,

successfully coordinating council activities with *wt related changes and

successfully developing new leadership.

Leadership in a council need not rest with one person, and such a

model may in fact be a liability once the council gets underway. Councils

which freely admit new members and tap new leadership sources from within but

retain the interest of early leaders are most likely to function successfully.

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Continued involvement of early :ceders is important, so long as new leaders

I are admitted to supplement the base of support. Leaders should be chosen

with maximum membership involvement.

council leadership, must underst how people from radically different perspectives (from business and from raeione.for example) think and

operate. The leadership must combine backgrnds and orientations in these

)

0

different areas, and be able to work in a col ibmrative style with different

sectors.. Among the education and stork coencili visited, this facilitative

skill and ability in interpersonal communication werethe traits most valued

et in executive directors, and also the ones most commonly found to be lacking.

6.3.1 The Relationshi of Staff to Council Members

The relationship between council staff and members is a critical

determinant of effective council leadership, and therefore, early council

development. Members held what might be called "line" positions in the

councils organization, each-representing different sectors or interests.

The staff should serve advise these line positions, and playoa facilitative and coordinative role between council members. Decision making for

policy and objective setting should rest with the council membership. The

staff should provide operational aseistance. In other words, leadership

must be grounded in the membership and fib's to the staff, not the other way

around.) A task k many councils at this time should be to assess critically

the respective roles and relationships between staff and council members.

It is understandable that in many councils staff currently perform

leadership functions which would better lie with the membership. In a number

of cases, a staff person wrote thtinitial council proposal and organised the

membership, ouwas hired by one or two people in the intermediary who had

little subsequent involvement with the council. Such a procedure was useful

to get the councils started.' However, councils must evolve beyond this initial definition of their leadership and seek to develop new leadership

resources. This will become especially important as councils move into net?

stages of development that demand new skills, approaches, and more concrete

planning for change and impact.

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6.3.2 The Aole of the Parent Organisation

Although parent organisations affect the development of councils in

several ways, the moit critical area of potential impact is when the parent

attempts to exercise leadership over the council. Education and work

council memberships were cautioned, both in The Boundless Resource and by

NMI and other intermediary staff, to develop independently of parent °ranisaticas. ThilOwes seen as a development goal in consonance with the goal of

#v engaging a collaborative process that avoids doianance by any one organisation. In turn, most councils have operated independently of parent organisations. ,

., . *ere parent organization relationships do exist, their effecI on

iMproved youth transition can be positive or negative. The effect of affiliation with a parent on the council's ability to bring different institutions together to agrer0Pon needed actions and posaitte changes within

institutions his often been negative. Unless the parent already has a point

of view and an operation that is clearly collaborative in'all aspect% or

widely respected, the prospects for an education and work until to attain

06.* attributes are substantially reduced. The effect of a parent organisation

...7.70, sation that has these atibutes is, conversely. positive.

40VOY

6.3.3 Tederc.wOhcal.TeniiOn

As the role of the parent organisation can affect council leadership,

other organisations whose role say become confused with that of a parent

organization can, also affect council leadership, and hence, early development.

In the Work-Education Consortium project. three federal 1!%termediaries contributed varying levels of support to fqoancils. but their involvement in the.,

project also created co:guidon among the intermediaries and between the inter-

?: mediaries and the councils they sponsored.

The Consortium project is part of a zecent trend in federal programming which dictates that local needs are paramount and they, rather than

needs defined by a distant federal bureaucrat. must determine local programs

and activities. The use of intermediaries was a method by which the federal

government could avast councils without appearing to intervene in their

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operations. Indeed, while the support given by intermediaries was generally

well- received, their most valuable contribution was the local mantle they

1 conferred upon.education and work councils. Had the federal government been

directly involved in council activities, it is probable that several council

members, particularly private sector representatives, would not have joined

the councils or maintained their involvement to the extent that they did.

On the other hand, the involvement of three federal intermediaries

also caused confusion among the intermediaries and between the intermediaries

and the councils they sponsored. The extent of NMI's responsibility for providing technical assistance.40 information exchange to NAB, AACJIC and the

-414,

councils sponsored by NAB and AAWC organizations was never clear. Moreover,

while most councils understood their "mandate" to be "local" (despite the

Irony. that implies) and 'ere able to internalize that understandiemind proceedith local operations, the'leadership of a minority of councils Were

torn between their federal and local clients. The development of at least

one council that we visited suffered because it was unable to choose a

primal, client!. tt

Establishing a project to demonstrate local initiative should not

relieve the federal government of its responsibility to spedify, monitor

irnd clarify if necessary, the roles and responsibilities of federal intermediaries. Indeed, the inherent contradiction between the Consortia

project's federal origins and its avowed demonstration of local initiative

underscores the need for greater discussion and better clarification of the

role of the intermediary agent of the federi/ government among all parties

concerned. Open-ended pro.4jects such as this one, with no federal design;

can be frustrating to local councils and federal intermediaries alike unless

aclear set of roles, responsibilities and expectations is itecified and

adhered to in practice.

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6.3.4 Developing A Sense of Mission

With the exception of a few councils, council members have not yet

developed a sense of mission or urgency as a group. Without such a sense

of mission* it is very difficult for a council to define its objectives and

41

significehtly address tile problem of youth transition. 'In contralpto a

traditional volunteer organization which relies primarily upon collaboration

0 and education to achieve its goals, a council with a well-developed sense of

mission, for example* is more apt to use confrontation and conciliation

techniques to affeOt its environment and accomplish its ends.

Mribers must feel they have tne ploWer co choose leadership, define

goalsand objectives, procure funds, pal realign and expand membership if

they are to develop such cohesion. Councils have presently been restricted

in a number of these areas. If executive director is selected before the

council members, for example* the council loses its first critical cpportlenity to face up to a major collaborative decision. A fireOchance for members to reveal their biases anti agendas on the. table is missed, with the

result that those agendas can become hidden and inhibit council development.

O *v

The processea of choosing leadershiOr* of hammering out goals and - measurable objectives, and of realigning and expanding membership can be

trying, but they are major ways for councils to get their members involved

and. to establish a sense of mission.'

6.4 Councils Need to Reassess All Aspects

of Their Operations periodicalq_Ari Order

to Determine if Goals Are Being Met,

4 , c

Underlying the progress that many, councils have made in getting

formed and conducting joint activities among members or their institutions

has been a high degree of optimise N4Jonfidence that collaborslone and

ultimately improved youth transition n can be achieved. This spirit was

evident in virtually all of the councils we visited, and it has been evident in our communications with other councils in the Consortium project

as well. Indeed it can be said that the degree of optimism apparent in

education and work councils sets them apart from many other tederal initiatives which are undertaken with far less enthusiasm.

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fit)

.Without trying to dampen this enthusiasm, we would urge councils to

undertake Jri-assesamnt more frequently and sore critically, particularly

now that most have-passed the first'stages of development. Early assessments

of the AACIO-sponimaied councils and of the Sioux Falls council helped the

development of those councils. Moreover, suchrassessments do not have to be

formal or wpitten in order to be useful; councils such as Worcester have

benefited frisk the informal scrutiny and concern paid to its progress by its

leaders.

0.

The features of council operations that require periodic reassessment

have been mentioned throughout this report, and ther;:include'primarily goals,

activities and sembershAvand leadership structures. Regarding goals, the

questions' councils net, to ask themselves periodically include:

Are the goals to which the council addresses its

effort- relevant?

SbaUld target groups be changed or further specified,

and should the -service area; remain they, sass?

Are- the youth that need t.ransitian help most getting

that help? 4;

s Are objectives specified in order to facilitate the

measurement of goal achievement?

Regarding council activities:

, Are activities designed to meet. goals and Objectives?

Is-there a clear rationale, plan or strategy to these

activities, or do they appear to be independent,

isolated efforts not clearly linked to goals or.cbjectives?

What changes might-be necessary in the mix of activities

undertaken, in, their participants ,end in their recipients?

In fulfilling goals and objectives, do activities duplicate those already performed .b the community? If so, is

there agreement that Wore than cise provider is necessary?

Re:Irding membership and leaderphip structures:

Are there any sectors or signfiicant groups, like you:th,

labor or parents, who are not represented oL the council

or whose representation is insufficient. compared to other

groups?

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Is the membership broad end deep enough, or are

the mambership,structures'flexible enough, to allow

the- participation of-multiple institutions within

.a sector and of decision-makers and decision implementors in an institution?

Does the lemhershipor leadership structure permit

the development of new ICadership reaourCrs?

Are the staff cognisa0rOf their facilitative role

%o.the membership in council decision-making?

Do leaders have the key attribute required of,

leader* of education and work councils, namely the

-ability to work in a collaborative styli with a

variety of sectors and individuals?

'In our opinion, these are the key questions that councils need to

consider as they love into the next phase of their development..

6.5 Conclusion

In conclusion, councils must be

Itachsone developed differently for many

tient can be made to eduvatioe and work

looked at in a context of diversity.

reasons. Some overall recommendacouncils for the future, but if the

future is iike.the past, each council needs to proceed in the context of

its own particular situation. Education and work councils have made tangible

accompliebeent6'!ibus far. Bach "site formed an education and work council

which carried out activities and became a forum for exchangiof views.

Almost every site was able to get further fundihg,fram non-Consortium sources.

The question that remains.is whether the council members are engaging in

activities of limited consequence which wLkj net produce true institutional

w-. collaboration, or whether council evolution litetroceed as it has, with

the scope of counciladtivities expanding as tim'iO4.on and as the

proceso becomes more comfortable for council membereiuld.the institutions

f' they seek to affect, until Such time as institutional collaboration can bo

demonstrated.

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RESEARCH

Needs Aniussment: Surveys conducted for purposes of determining the perceived needs of the commenity relative to the

youth -to rk transition.

APPENDIX A

DEFINITIONS OF-CCUINCIL ACTIVITIES FOR

SECTION 3.2

Occupational Outlook Research: Studies focusing on the

status of an area's education, training and4empipyment.

Other4spscify):

2. PUBLIC AWARENESS

Community Visitation Days: Local community members visit

classroore end exchange information with teachers and administrators-regarding the infusion of career-related concepts

into the curriculum.

PMblic Relations: Progress or education to work linkage is

4eported on a regular basis through active use of news media.

Community Forums: Pertinent education-to-work issues are

lriecussed,in public forums..

Audio-Visual Presentation: Print and nonprint media are

TaTilVicrjiproeutintationt

Newsletter: Periodic publications are produced which serve

as a source of news and program information.

Other (specify):

3. STUDENTANIVEWPWRITO.

Career Speakers: Individual representatives of carious

.Z;iiiET;iiE;i6 employers and employees' come to a school A

and talk to small groups of students about their-work.

Carear Day: avRepresentatives fr9m diverse occupiiions come to

a school-sponsored program to prsent-lnforaation.about the

occupation outlook in theirofield and the prereapisite

training and qualifications.

Site Vialt: A. group of students visit a workplac.e for ah

on-site presentation of occupational infomm0tion and a chance

to see.an4 interact with people at work.

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t. shadow Ds y: An individual student is paired with a worker

or a-day, Or part of a day, to gain first hand experience in i .-. a particular occupation. -1 -

,.. -.o 2 .:

. Interhships A student works, without pay, on certain aspects

of a job at regular intervals (weekly, twice a week) in cadet

0

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f

to gain hands-on exploratory experience in a particular

occupaticer

Work-Study: A student is released early from school and

JERVii-i part-time, entry level job.

, , Alternative Semesters A student or-grout:1'0f students engage

In a series of career-related activities instead of attending

regular subject matter classes.

Career Resource Center: Students and teachers use print,

-audio-visual amterial and career counseling -Staff to get

inforiatioWsiboit'cariers, career values and career

decision4aking.

Student-Op:retied:Business: A coup of Students, under the

supervision of rteacher, create and operate their Own

busAinesss a'school store, elardekor greenho60; a- weling

shop, 'a construction company, a beahborhood rehabilitation

service, etc.

untractApprinticedeips Businesiewprovide structural

learning experience for students,, under contract with the

localsechoOlAepartnt or,work.aducation linkage. 4

eommunitp4esource Bank: Businessmen, educators and others

NITOWFWEri---76,tok individually or in small

groups with interisted,stUdentspoutside the school setting.

Others. (SSecifY)

STAFF DEYBLatiliNT

Ih-ServiCe Workshops: /Groups of teachers and counselors,

often with the: assistance of outside facilities, meet after

school or during the summer months for information sharing,

skills training, program planwtng or evaluation, curriculum

development, etc.

CurriAulWa "Intl:times Blementary and secondary, teachers

shocTImguarstiblect matter to include.a number of

career-related topics emphasize career impatations of the

subject area, ..good woiRlhabits and the career development

process.

le

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careerEuidencelnstitutes The guidance,d§pertmerittoir other

sehool.staff are-provraiwith,resources for4esisting.

students-to clarifyvareer valueS and strengthee"cdreer

Ale'Cision.04aking:skills. The format is - structured and

eadouriges site Visitations and oiliudity*fgerectiolik-on

realistic career- related options for studerits. The National

Alliance of Business often sponsors these Institutes.

. Teacher/Spat Ad inistration Site=Visits, Local Business

n str es to s tw by a grouplirt7rzskers or adminis-'

trators to their work- places, including a plant tour and a

seminar on skilleAnowledge and concept requirements for

various levels of employment in the field.

Comimunitt Resource Directory: A listof employers and otheri

w 1 ng to cooperate with schools in career education efforts

iscompAleds this list is distributed to teachers and counselors

043 their. Me. o)

Others (specify)

.r4 5. ADMINISTMATIVE/POLICT CONCERNS

InterDiStrictiState Collaborations Schools collaborate=

in-service train:age work-experience placement and supervision,

skills training,, etc.

Coordination of School and Hon-School Programs "Coatracts

soareimEMI.Irlitliwofit youth action agencies-such'm

scouts, 4-He jiiaor achievement, which provides career -type

programs (experimental, character building, decision- making,

and skill training components).

ma Establishment of School-Business PartnerehlED A school is

pared with cave tore local businessesWi-inrlohnient of

students' xpkglenoes. - 4:1t..ounteraltacandSexiole,Stereot-s.. Activities are

paThliWIThra-111,-west-or,audents regardless

of race or sex by increasing awarenessrof stereotyped attitudes.

pirlflgAmLfttgAilL!!!diuggli4422! Activities arc planned

to prow career occupat experiences for students_wltb

special needs.

_IttlitoCrodeons.,'-ehicCortificatioa Stagnance's

WiAsThIrriistecriTtosapproscpelarroving

4th4, licionolOS function.

.1 2 5
' ., 4 ..,,. , V <,. -, 4.1_, . , ' .-1 .

..

,.. z-- , , ,.. ... - ,. :e !Malawi _iwitriationet Steps. ate takei to, address the arm ;.0-aaosi pg ass and oust*. that aoisetteisi or

sgtheceit*tinnuerice.-young pecyles sovesents between education and:rx14 Buck teattioCtoniv can 'include :daises wag* tegula

. ficeks, :child labor Iris;;; compulsory -.school .11i tendave statute. snalneeranee Iiabilitiek., , - ')..

, . 'others, (sPoeifit)

.ni-soositoutkzr,

_ "(-

_ mriridesmarv.11m.. 126

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5

AN ASSESSMENT or COMMUNITY WORK EDUCATION COUNCILS - ?en Case Studies

.1

Matidial Council on Employlent

November 1977'

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27
-AN.ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMUNITY WORK EDUCATION COUNCILS

A Smeary Analysis

EOlUCATION COUNCIL OF Ciit-IFORNIA NATIONAL

:.:MANPOWER 'INSTITUTE PROJECT4

PAGE

115

-lot Cusqle Aller . 121

**-STAit 'OF NEW jEitais; -WORK, EDUCATION,

ANDAIISURE town

by Marcia Freedman 133

WORK EDUCATION COUNCILS LIVONIA; MICHIGAN

and. PHILADELPHIA; 'PENNSYLVANIA

0391048rd 'W.* Hallman 148

NIAGAiciROKtiER pitiosiRY*..EDUCATION

COUNCIL: (NFIEC);- BUFFALO, NEW YORK and

`ASSOCIATION OF BUS1NESS,'LABOR:AND

EDUCATION' (ABLE) NEW YORK, NEW YORK

by Leo iiiLaighlin 178

WORCESTER CAREER EDUCATION,CONSORTIUN

by Marion Pines

MINNEAPOLIS WAK.EDUCATIOWCOUNCIL;

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

by 'Mayne Robson

GOMEL AREA COMMONITY;ORK_EDUCATION

COUNCIL

by Gregory Wuriburg

184

192

195

FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY EDUCATION

NORK.COUNCIL

by Gregory Wurzburg 205

J

41

I : ,

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AN ASSES5MENT OF COMMUNITY WORK EDUCATION

COUNCILS: A SUMMARY ANALYSIS*

Greg Wurzburg

The basic assumption underlying the Department of Labor's

decision to fund on a pilot basis a number of community work

education councils was that young adults were encountering

barriers as they leave the school environment and attempt to

get Into jobs.

There is no single barrier or series of barriers addressable

from a national level, but rather there are barriers that vary

from community to community. The barriers can be overcome only

by joint action undertaken at the local level by a number of

institutions and interests. The hypothesis that are being

tested are two-fold. Can the barriers be overcome at the

local level? Are the community work education councils a

useful vehicle for pulling different institutions and interests

together and focusing the collective energies on the school-towork transition. t

This report was not intended to address the first hypothesis.

Our focus instead is on -the second hypothesis, examining the

councils as a mechanism for mobilizing resources that could be

brought to bear in addressing the school-to-work transition

issues. 'In this context four questions beg to be answered.

(1) What does the "collaboration" process embody?

(2) Do the community work education councils make

a genuine' contribution as collaborat2t-e agents?

ti (3) To the extent that the collaborative engineering

is being accomplished by the work education

councils, could the mechanisms for doing it be

replicated?

(4) Coula the mechanism be adapted somehow to improve

the delivery q youth services?

(1) The "collaborative process! that is supposed to be embodied

in the work of the community work education councils is

simply another term for collective action. At the local

level, it involves a perception of kproblembarriers

the transition from school-to-workby usually one or

'r is summarizes the results of ten.case studies of

work education councils conducted by independent experts under

the auspices of the National Council on Employment Policy. The

case studies are available upon request.

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.., two persons, and then a process of identifying who has

an interest in the problai, in seeing it solved or in

being a part of the solution,.

All of the councils hare successfully involved two of

the key players to somezextent: educators and employers.

Some have had success in bringing in parents, tgror

unions, and youths. But participation for the most part

has been by persons who may have the solutions, not persons, who have experienced the problems. In this respect,

the collaborative process has concentratt,=. on producing

technical solutions without getting sattcfactory input

from persons bearing thesbrunt of transition difficulties,

parents aid children. Although youth transitiln difficulties are at the haart of the councils' existence, the

.:;,collaborative proctssiis not an advocacy process for young

7?adults, ti

LI spite of the diverse natures of the different councils,

the agendas the councils have adopted, or their plans of

action as they have evolved so far, are strikingly similar.

-Thw-oodincils-all act or plan to act as catalysts for

direct action by others, All of the councils"had available trim' others, have collected themselves, or plan to

develop, an analysis ot.19a1 factors at work in the

school-o7work transition, and an inventory of local resources that could be tapped La the course of *developing

solutioni. None of the councils foresee much of a_dixect

prolram role for them selves except as informatiom exchange

or facilitators. Some councils see program money as

tainting the councils' independence. Others see aaprogram

=It as .putting the councils in competition with.same of

the same program agents the councils are trying to involve

in collect4p action. Such a program role would make the

council a competitor and give it a vested institutional

interest, and thereby destroy its effectiveness as an open

forum, By keeping direct action out of the council, it

is assumed the council 4,112 act according to issues and

not according to what its awn programmatic response dictates.

On a formal level, a relatively passive role may limit

the councils' identifiable impacts. To achievecresults,

the collaboration process must identity potential linkage points between institutions and then coax cooperation.

Much of the hope for cquncil success presumes that once

institutional action (and linkages) necessary or solutions

are spelled out, the tie-ins will be made: There ,simply

is no formal mechanism for pushing cooperation.

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On the inhrmal level, the councils may have more success

in pushinVinstitutional action or interinstitutional

cooperation. To the extent that the councils, pmviding

a forum for gathering many disparate interests taether,

can also create a potential netw ork for informAl pressures,

they may be able to accomplish chano that way. But this,

of course, takes careful and sensitive leadership.

(21 Phenomenologically speaking, the collaborative process

may have some intrinsic value, but the Department of Labor

no doubt has some interest in the process as a program

tool. If it is the intention of the Department to test

the feasibility of mass-producing this program tool and

transplanting it around the country, the current experience

with the councils wodld have to be written off as nearly

useless. Regardless of what this and later studies show

the councils to be accomplishing, little of it can be

attributed to the current efforts. In at least seven of

the ten council areas observed, what is being done in the

name of collaboration by a community work education council

is roughly the same thing that was being done before. or

is being done now, by some other organization already in

existence. Sometimes new faces have appeared, but both

the focus' on tap school-to-work transition and the perceived need for collective action are old hat.

There were two exceptions to this rule, however. Both were

projects being established in rural areas. Although the

transition barriers were just as acute in the raral areas--

perhaps even more acute--there was no record of earlier

collaborative efforts. This was not for lack of interest.

Once these two projects germinated, interest in the issue

and support for the council developed. As always, there

were one or two prime movers, but once events were in

Ami moton, it did not take,La great deal of convincing to make

people think that the sd%ool-to-work transition 0 something worth minding. The interest was already there waiting to coalesce. What was lacking was alocal point.

Once that. was established by the local prima movers with

some help from the government, interested people have

shown up.

Before the rural councils were established, a number of

forces seemed to be at work preventing the kind of organizational activity that occurs more easily in developed

areas. Rural isolation is high on the list. Personal

interaction in a ruralsetting is not as casual and

accidental as it is in a city. Contracts have to be

made more deliberately., Once communication is established,the feat of overcoming geographicaldistance.also

poses problems that are not so acute ins,a metropolitan

environment.

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'Once, the copt,Cils as is .,place.. however, the rural setting- seems to offer sate .distindt *advantages over ans.urbakcOlinCiI. First,- -the,:scaile of the problems

.is much stialler. With' tae, Scale in problems cosaes ifteialier scale in solittions. The transition

4Ssue-rtakes on a human.sacali. Often all the players dite4lYwinVolveCin.any solutiont or at least having an Interest in thivtrattsition. issue can sit around a That is in contrast to the tech;nicali. managerial role some,urban counOils _have taken, directing salutions 'rather than' hav4g- a:. 'direct hand in them.

., The absents' of prior callaboratlie :action in the two itral areas' StUdifIS seal, to -imply barriers to organi- titian,. not a' lack "of interest.- If there' is a lesson

.'herii;' it is -that. the Department'Of LabOr *efforts did contribute to, `a net chanv.

*IA\ (3)* If the .,co;emunity -work education sou :Oils prove to be effectiVO vehicles for .dealiag with, the ,sc,thool-to-work

transitidn 'issue g it 1 441, be tempt:Lae* try to repli- cate the conr.cili-vn. a large .sdale. however, before

that is done, a: tamer of points Should be considered.

The enthusiasm* that'. moat Of the councils have generated. and the ready Partiaipation respect they have earned so 0-far is a function of ,their:Percei:ved independence.

It was repeately heardithat the non-Federal nature of

the Colic' the lack of Irederai..gvidelines and -the

local discretion, that was pernitted were inportant

features that. have figures 'mightily in the success of

the councils so' *tar. - Any strOnl. lade:01- attacimien.t for a group as pOtectially powerless as thesetouncils would

be a kiss of di lath.

44: J. to

seig. Countering the need, to avoid the appearance of an imposed Fut solution may be the need to provide an outside pal% to get things going. Sowever that push is given, it -will

have to be done carefully. A variety of factors-at the

local level seem to be instrumental in getting the

councils going. If they are disturbed, no amount of

help from the top will 'lave the day. Indeed it may

prove impossible to "institutionalize" -the conditions

needed for success. The "prime movers(' are not in any givet place, but they are necessary for success. The

institutions play different roles in different environments Action predicated on assumed, institutional

interests could be disastrous. Cooperative networks frequently already exist. If theYt- are ignored, their

involvement--ane any solutions tat build on their

involvenent -may be lost. Yinaltp, per-sonalitie4play

a role that no amount of iisti 'gonal momentum can

counter.

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Essentially, the': community work, education auncils are

(

4

community based. To be successful they must be adapted

to the local establishment. No amount of Federal guidance

is going to be able to prepackage council startup 02ocw.

dares. In terms of general strategy, the safest bet

would appear to be an approach that relies on building

on some structure already in place; without duplicating

existing activity. The best way to do that would probably be to rely on intermediary organizations that can

Pflug into a local network. But the choice of organizations would* crucial. The NationaPAlliance of

Businessmen (NAB), for exempla, is a national organization with extensive community ties. From what was

seen, the NAB council was not about to spin off. Tkl

danger theke is of getting too closely identified with

othilliNAB program activities, thereby losing independence.

The Merican Association of Community and Junior Colleges

(AACJC) may be a better organization because of the more

limited program presence of community and junior colleges.

Here, too, thereis a danger of the councils not getting

full independence, but from limited; observations we made,

it seems the consequences are notqo ser*ous. The

Nalonal Manpower institute, not having the community

ties of AACJC or NAB, does not to be a logical

intermediary. It did succeedr n starting at least one

council with no community Oianization on which to piggy-,

back. But in the intarest of getting the same results 4?

with less efforts, it seems some other group should -be

used if a local net*nrk is. available.

A fiial point to keep in mind if any expansion is anticipated is simply "get the biggest bang for the buck.'

Organizing councils in areas where collaborative efforts

are already underway is good far an organization's winloss record,,,but it might not :54 a wise deployment of

resources. Why not put the rpOources into an area where

they omits:1mA*, a real difference? Based on what we saw,

collaboration--or whatever the buzz word might be--can

occur fairly readily in an urban or metropolitan setiag.

On the other hand, it needs a large push in rural areas.

Community work 4ducation councils' funds could probably

make the greatest contribution in rural areas.

(4) There appears to be little likelihood of the community work

education councils' concept being adaptable to support comprehensive manpower program delivery, the Youth Employment

and Demonstration Projects Act (MPA).in particular. To

the extent that those efforts areDerceived as targeted

programs aiaed at narrate income groups, the councils

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. , -wOU14',Prob,ably"lase int'erest.: eliny employer interestti

.. ,. woUaliot, pursus,thetinks -because-they do .not, see their

: * hirbbst prittiets iii geared to picItUg.up disedv*ntaged"

'workers.: . Dropouts Ire remindat : tethe -educators that

:the .13c:hooks -Arelr.abledt to failurii: In another vein, the politiciiiid :nit* :of the CaMprehertitive Employment and Vriltping- Act (C!TAF, in sianit/casest disdOurages

---' 'councils",firom'thWelOping. 'Close ties. In still another

',..;,' via, there is .a..percePtion that clOse ties to CETA

" Votad- 'pttsh' the, Council*. -closer to .i. -prograli role.

. .. < . J ' 1 ..

V ) , . None at this is to sit. that Cra (and EPA) Arc divorced fromncil actiVity. itliogiother. In isteW-J'ilisiky,.; t*Fe were close -links- b4tweeii the ttEO. In Philadelphia. esk

conaw.. ,ectbi: help Lite sponsor 'prepare, limpA

* .

. _. ..- crak:,49 1. cation.. Xp.ap$i5, there :are4greet,:over6..,4 laps .1x/twelfth, $anLfa4 -=/0"advisort councili, and the

ity_T749;k., eidu ion 'council. 3ut tie point is that . 1.54.-itposeible toggeneralrize about the present li4s or -rely:onthem;114.4),systsmatic ,way. It would ,presutably

be Lavoie-0X*, ,:to impose a set relationship from the natiOnal'ivel... . : . ,

Car

441

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4.-

t)
v THE 'INDUSTRY EDUCATION COUNCik .V4P CAjaIPORNIA

.\TONAI« MANPOWER INSTITUTE PROJEV

: " . Curtis /Oiler

OctoberVe 1977

,- E* Introduction

Thia report is entirely judgmental. It reflects conclus.

siens I have drawn from two site visits, five interviews ou

:site. review .a mat trials collected at time of visit and ten

'phone iviterVieWs with individuals knovapdgable as to the Council

activities. There is no.documentary Oldence provided since the

project is still too new for such evidence to be available.

A list of materials collected is provided in Appendix A.

Nowof this is being foriarded now as I thought it would add

lIA10, but it can be sent if needed.

Moreover inihe intelests of brevity I am using a semi..

outline form that states my observations with a minimum of

rbetoric. Further elaboration and supporting argument/can be

pf6videdsby phone if it should be needed for the overall report

from tatiatiantl Council On EmployMent Policy,

II; Tte4glimaLAVIAssiCat_Ob actives and NationalAmets

Ingtitute ROL.

(1).. The Industry yEducatiOn Council movement in California Ewes

its inception to an original Nationa Academy of Sciences grant

about the time of Sputnik. The original focus was science.

ley busineta liadirs with.suppori from educational leaders

led a Wove that three years ago brought into being a state-wide

body that.replioed an- earlier regional, structure. Companies

operating statemfidi Ahqught it made genie to consolidata their

support. at one level. iporeover, they believed such a structure

centralizing business,zupport.would generate moresupport overall.. would utilize the support more efficiently and would build

in more carefull assessment of the results. Or, as some have

said. the sponsors wanted a more activiat program that moved

beyond the Rotary luncheon circuit formattan the direction of

measurable outcomes that Improved the interface of buminess and

education.

(2) The Council has two established goals; career education of Awareness and economic literacy which is further described.,

satbractinii the work ethic and economic survival skills. Eight 3

ItiOn II of effort at theiUtart to produce a more elaborate state-.

;pont Lelded nothing and the organization turned to projects for

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IS4

4. .6
Ofe

osults. These broad goals in turn are translated into "whatss

fit it for me" objectives for each participating group. Specifi

*ally, for business*

Providing six million California education system students

CK-16) with insights .and skills that stimulate career awareness,

career exploration, work exploration, work experience, coopers-.

tive educationfacilitating improved penetrat.on of youth from

-education to work.

In 'addition, this same youth audience is tomorrow's

customer, union member, employeei manager, entrepreneur,

citizen - voters whom business, industry and labor may

ompatliize early on in youth's education-maturation process.

Improved.youth understanding of the roles of business,

industry and 4labor is the framework of our society.

For Government; An opportunity for cross agency/business/

indusri771=rigim bmilding oesTevelopmental youth processes

(general and career education,: executive and agency policy review and development: stimulation of legislative policy support

late4 to youth maturation and participation in the state's

economic system.

For Education; The formation of new collaborative partner-.

ships,"ttati..,&improve education policy, process and content

(*.1ST, ancrextend resources and learning opportunities with

whicheduoation can better address learner and community needs.

Development through the collaborative exercise of a

q stronger community interest and empathy for educational services, : problems, and resolution options. ft (3) The National Manpower InstitUte sought the participation of

the =C. NMI wrote approvingly as follows;

Since its reconstitution in 1974, the Industry Education

Council Opalifornia has developed arich experience in facili»

tatting, advocating and supporting local and regional educationwork initiatives which hate successfully epgaged4the participation

of business, industry., labor, education and government interests

in expanding career awareness, economic literacy, and occupational

maturation opportunities for young people in California. Among

the ways and means through which this has been accomplished are;

Int they effective advocacy for such state level initiatives as the

RISE Commission Report, which has significantly encouraged the

deOlopment of community-level education work initiatives

azagid the state$

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4

-- the creation of a state 161401 project review system that

awards financial,supportand technical assistance *to local

industry-fiducation councils (and other groups) on the basis

of quality of design and clreshness of approach, rather than

fOrmal association with the 'BCC, which approaches facilitated much improved programming on the part of a number of

local, industry-education councils; and

the provision of techlcal assistance in both policy and

progamareas through' very competent professional staff

who gave had a good deal of experience in working toward

improved collaboration industny and education, in

local settings.

NMI sought throughIECC. to stimulate local level actigAtyt)

in three areas, San Diego, Long Seach and Fairfield-Suisun.

Apparently a projected January 1978 conference entitled "Getting

it TogetherstCareer Education and Economic Awareness is part

of this effort. More than 30 Ain* agencies and organizations

are cosponsoring this event. The State Department of Education

is providing some support ($5,000 to 61900). Over 2500 parti

cipants are expected. - *

The local revel programs are modest efforts.- Two plan to

8 ort some local school personnel participation'in a Career

Guidance Institlite. The .design for this looked to me to be very

good4Od'likely to have some spill "over effects beyond the

immeatate participants. long Beach will have a project entitled

Economic Litera nand Career Aware .,?rcraln addressed to the

Manta ln tne i =gun and SL c1iii4/4t-four junior high

schools.

1

44,

., . The grant was aboit 827,000. Thc Ar-rall budget of IE6C

approaches a half-million and so wit *t, #ais context e NMI

project is a small one. It ismer:1,4d llong with about sixteen

other activities by a small heAdguartor4. staff. I believe it is

*- probably true that much of thin small cant J.: probably absorbed,

by the need to provide-reports ar,to.respon4 14 site visits

. ii, such as Ws one. The staff is .,,t sure the grant represent; 41; any net ddlition to the resources actually spent for program

activity, .Staff believes in..kiii4services now exceed the grant

butt this suppolP is not budgeted as such.

ill

. At the local level the budgets are correspondingly small.

The range I believe islrom $2,500 to 6,000. San Diego had

applied originally for an NNM grunt and I believe it saw in the

gralt an oppciktunity to fund a full time professional. It now

operates with a half-timi secretary furnished. by -tbe Community

College,. Fairfield - Suisun gels the' assistance of7.two part -time

coordinators from the schoolong Beach expects a halftime

school person for its projects 4 -123 -.

137
f4

(4) IECC and thse at the local: level agree that the N.

project fits nicely into their overall agendacIt is alelear that the specific activities associateetiatn tne p-ro3ec vow=

not bays occurred as XEEC resources were otherwise fully

deployed.

IECC expected to get Apra the project access to an information flow from other councils that would bea source of ideas

for potential. replication. Y.n addition they hoped to open up

linlotems'ilit6 the .DOL and other funding sources.

pluagi). Activiti Participation Stren the and Weaknesses,

Etaita

es

mmatua

(1) IECC has a two tier,structure of governance. The Board of

Trusteq4 consists of top `decision-makers in business, labor and

iattrnment., It meets once or.twice,a year to set goals, provide resources, monitor and evaluate. An accompanying Board

of Directors composed of first through third line. representatives

of the same groups also meets once or twice a year to implement

the goals, allocate the resources and evaluate. Most of the

work is done through'task forces on which 1. 'bars sit. Some

of these are on -going such as the prograi t4 force while others

are Ad hoc. The program task force currently has these special

committees*

a. Manpower Management Information System Committee'

b. "Long Range Vocational: EducatiOnal-Planning

C. National Manpower Institute

terT By" design this struc ,re aims

N

at building a better inter,.

fece betweenbusiness and Pucation. About half of the member's

,ship is from education. !Ask forces and committees are co

chaired by education representatives.

Hanky Weiss, the Executive Vice-President comes to this

roll with credentials in both sectors' He was with the

Association of California School Administrators. Prior there-

-top, he had a business career.

At the local level a similar design is folloq0d...1ftet

local groups. anpow Oing through a chartering process that

is expected toVZ5duce a mcre activist stance at the local level.

Local councils meet -monthly in Long Beach and San Diego.

In Fairfield the council is tate may and is now mating every,

two weeks in an effort-to get a program underway. .Agendas in

all three places seem composed mostly of housekeeping items such"as minutes, reports, communications, membership and so

forth.. Substance enters in. as the councils considers a new

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a
activity or assesses an existing one. 1+I4 Long Beach source,

for example, while enthusiastic about the ELCA project cautioned me to remember ,no one would be sure as to the results until

next April when there would be an assessment,

These local council activities are consistent with Weissts

notion that preoccupation with goals overwhelms people. Therefore the focus is on identifying a specific need that is tangible and manageable. Then people, resources and programs can

be developed to meet the need. The process of working together

then stimulates interest, collects new people and produces a

structure such as a local council.

(2) otThe weakest unit in membership is labor. In some quarters

therer appears to be some reluctance to participate because of . suspicion is to industry motives. There are some evident areas

of disagreement, the minimum wage for example, and identification

of a common agerda may not be easy. More importantly, perhaps

is the fact that labor doesn't have the troops, leaders or

staff, to provide - dentifiable individuals with the time.to

participate. ff

At the local level there appeaks to be little interest in

expanding membershiacin the direction of including groups found

on CETA councils surikas target group representatift-J$ youth

and elected officials. The quick reaction was that 'this would

make the councils more political and be a weakening factor. In

Fairfield-Suisun the idea of youth participation was not ruled

out philosophically but instead viewed as premature.

Since members are at decisiorii-making levels in their

organizations they tend to be in demat for other activitie. - But there appears to be little overlap with. the CETA structure.

Those; in education who had some knowledge thought a part of the

reason was that-education4was still smarting from the loss of

its pre -CETA role its .:IOTA. The ,fact is that in theae three

areas neither group has sought the other out. I would argue

there is.a simplier explanation to be found in the feet that

the 'BCC does npt seek to bp, a universal body and is content

to c.J.11. the business-education connection.

(3) Council members do not have any set of favorite reasons

for youth unemployment. but it is this underlying concern that

brings them ,together. Some of the business leaders worry about

the long-term effects on our economic system of hating so many

youth go through a crippling experience in their effort to get

into the system. The focus, nonetheless, tends to be on the

school.

The discussions I had all proceeded, within the established

framework of the career education movement. The specific4ro.

grams seem aimed at making this a reality. Hence the concern

. with getting counselors ind teachers out into 'employment situations so that they could impart more realisti&I servations

in future discussions with students. In this are . the objective,

i.

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.
X ° sought is really institutional change az4 to some this is no

more compliated than roturning to an earlier and now romanticized picture of an idealized version of school in their yoUth.

-There is no interest in building a now institutional layer.

Only under considerable probing was there any recognition

that the structure of labor demand or-employer praotices

might need attention as well. Some agreed that down the road

business might have to begin-providing work slots reserved for

youth. Others said that further business involvement would

require the creation of incentives such as those provIded by

an 'OJT program or by, tax concessions.

Many took the view that anything IEC could do that would

help youthmouldpmduce a better community and that was a

sufficient justification. some believed that for youth under

18 the job ought to be viewed as largely an educational experience

just as school ought to be work related. In this sense these

spokesmen find a reason.for expecting some business absorption

of the costs. But they would, expect a payoff later on iu terms

of lower turnover with a greater career attachment and lower

training coats.

In fact many zeroed in on the entry level training es

the real problem.. Educators adatted they have not been

providing youth with this kind of training. Many and particularly

- the medium sized employers argued they were not equipped to

provide VAis training. *- -00

A (4) TO future role of thcse.local IECC councils seems to me

to be summed up in these propoSitiOnsi

',a. The, council represents a type of private sector

involvement 'that can not be duplicated by CETA.

b. Some have begun to worry that the new youth initiatives

-willfoverwhelm the local efforts. Thus in Fairfield-Suisun

where there is now a stable work experience program with 400

places cher* is fear that many more will'be added in a crash

effort that will not have a good design, that will be poorly

managed and that will soon disappear leaving the local bodies

with the task of picking up the pieces and starting' over.

c. Modest federal support to the 1441 councils-could

be a way of keeping distinctions clear as between the urgent

short-term efforts to reduce youth unemployment and the longer.

term slower process of institutional change being sought by

the IECC.

d. Weiss would like a stronger state role in the federal

effort bebause he thinks this may be the only way to deal with

the disincentives he thinks will accompany an expandedlederal

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effort.

e. They can develop program ideas such as incentives for

work experience, extensions of apprenticeship and new forms of

internship that might become additions to the federal effort.

More generally I see this as a way of stimulating now forms of

private public partnership.

k.v (5) The strength of IECC lien in the support given by the top

decision-makers. They are accessible to thesstaff and prepared

to assign individuals to a project wherever a given company has

an operation. Sometimes only a word from on top is needed.

In other oases the responsibilities of a local manager have

been changed so that time could be given to &final activity..

Henry Weiss, the Executive Vice-President is clearly one

of the strength's of the organisation. Aside from his creditability in both camps already mentioned he is described as an

individual who knows the state thoroughly and can reach tato

any community in ways that can get the right people -involved.

MoreOver, he is described as being a sue ub catalytic agent

with ideas to burn. He is also accessible to local people and

responsive to questions or requests-for holpt Material furnished by Ism is seen as appropriate and helpful.

A few weaknesses were identified. Recognised internally

is the need to strengthen the management of the operation by

adding staff;. Weiss, it is agreed, is operating at about his

limit. Others, not inside IECC. like.some labor leaders ere

uncertain as to the majorg;hrust.of IECC. They worry whether

they should get closer in that they are not marching to the ,

same' drummer. Finally, there is uncertainity among some

potential users of_the technical assistance, capability as to

whether their admitted organisational skills are married with

adequate technical knowledge.

In this connection it is worth noting that IECC and the

Oakland Council staff have met a half dosen times in the past

six months. 4.tt of this may grow a more formal assistance

. 'program in an area where Oakland believes IECC has some know'

ledge but is not yet convinced they have mastered, the area« , Joint Computerized Community Inventory System.

IV. The Technique and the Jargon

.1. Collaboration is one key term used. Only a very small

number of real insiders have any feel for the term. Most of

those out in the field did not distinguish the term from coordination or cooperation. Others agreed that if there were differ.

-"rinces the distinct activities might be occuring simultaneously

or sequentially. rinally, I'M tol,d by. the Oakland people that

Wirtz at last week's meeting 3t Portland, Oregon indicated he

4.
4, 4 wee V 4 J1' wee getting. Wed of the term. By now many agree it is :a catch..

A *41). tens that; means all things to all people.

P ,'-' .. -. ,

4, _ . -'Sat it ifstill usefu to try and identify precisely the

mooningsof.the toil to Henry Weiss since it is. a convenient

lev:if describing his-approach. It appears to have these elements,

;=? 11

A,

A-, s 6. 40 IECC Operates outside of existing institutional

. syites and seeks'to identify-those tasks that regUire crossi4stitutiohaleffort for specified needs to be met.

. .k. ,b. A deliberate *fart is made ticvoid too much structure.

Weiss calleit a "free standing, ad hoc" approach to organisation.

, ci An umbrella group composed of appropriate institutions

identifies subtaske and organists other groups around these.

di IECC serves a catalytic function. Weiss energises

as. Whets ideas to burnt

0.* Thefocusis on process rather than a programorientation.

Z. The objectilie is to break down -institutional myopia

so that there is recognition that diverse community resources

may be-required for a problem resolution.

9. Avoidance of any tendency ,to institutionalize the

collaboration. Thus an effort is madeto keep proprietary

interests from developing. Successful program outcomes are

spun off to an existing institution and the model replicated

_elsewhere. . 7

.v . An example 01 the successful use of-this approach is the

migrant education-project in Gilroy. Among other contributions

of this project was the opening up of communication and securing'

joint action by'two_state educational agencies not previously

aware of the others existence. Appendix C was developed by -

. Irpc as a way of portraying the essential features of the process

and the project.

(2) The application of this approach to the three local isbc

projects is described aifoIlows: . In July 1977, three community level IEcC's were

identified and-nominated.to participate in this process

building initiative, namely: Fairfield-Suisun, Long Beach

and San Diego. AlthOugh objectives for each of the local

xsc's will vary.according. to level of process maturation,

the project objectives identified with the Fairfield-Suisun

IEC are indicative of the initiative objectives:

o Help determine the processes that facilitate schooltosvOrk flow,

o Stimulate the aspiration and performance level ofthe

W4A.' ,

- 128 -

112.
. 1.9030__CoUricil through program identification and

.1*p1epintation, s o' Attract, maintain, and stir plate education-to-work

commitment and retources-frbm education, .:business,

industry, labor, and public sector participants

o .-Identify state- and - regional resources (bOmpariles,

unions4.agenbiesi, education,- Employment-Development

Depattmentl.Department of Vocational"Rehabilitation,

Ovarpor's Commission da.:EmOloyment,'Iegislature,

grederil resources, etc.) which the state IECC can

-be* wring into play to. assist the local council

4itplemsat.00,0tbject , o Coopektiii4ely &men and provide: staff development

experiences OhiahlftcoUrage the local collaborative

process of eduation4ilbusiness, induktry, and labor

eventually thereby yotth 0000=4 assimilated

!-R--Inthe,4iorkplabe

. EaOh of the, local 1EC'e will be-responsible toi

o Identify ind-specify'projeot to be undertaken

o -Assign laii.on-Site.Project Coordinator, who wills

..alaintain,short. written quarterly reports of pros 4s

buildiOgsactivities and onloing communication y th

thirtstate-,project coordinator

-work 'with IECC state project coorclinator.to narratively

chronicle their respective local IEC efforts to implement

the iargOsdproject

o, Set project objectives-(to be reached by April 1973)

o Help identify subject matter for slide-tape purposes

(designed to.bighliabt.Fairfield-Suisun IEC and other

two Councils' efforts at national gathering 'of Work-

, Education Consortium participants)

o Assessprogress toward achievement of set objectives

by year.end of project

o Participate actively in a 2-day in-service workshop

lto_be held in late fall 1977 for all members of local

=EC's for stimulation-shay -thariNg purposes 4

o Make presentation of process building project efforts

within the4ocal IEC at IECC, State Department of Education,

USOE conference "Getting-it Together: First California

Conferenceen Career Education and Economic Awareness"

to be held in San Diego, January 27-29, 1978

.Identified Council Eftects4. It is ,too early to assess likely

MaiiiiTEP7iSiriERVI building initiative with

regard to local IEC efgectivenest.

'Finally, I nuld,describe the approach as a form of social

engineering tbatInkerates outside the established framework.

It is entreprenurialin the sense that it seeks'tb build something now butit is not acquisitiye.

- 129 -

143

1111..1m.
;1,Vr 4.! ' > u :::(pamOiher of Board of Directors provided twq0dditional

thoughteoto eXplain IECCIs approach. Be said thee* were three

10elslof-ehdeavort

1.-.1Pisodid-as for examplweoareer.day

2. "institutional modification:

'3. -broad spolicychange-examples here are the Inclusion

of,butiness people in.the accreditation process for

.410.*OhoOls.for the first.tiMa ana the addition of

IECC to the - Vocational Education five year planning

-Pro9419441.*. _'' The pmxpose-of the new =CC. was to ratsfe from. numbet 3.. to

2 and A: In so. doing IECC sought a participation role. It did

net want.in'advocagy role.,

. Role of NM and D/L

P-1).: Very :few of the council members I interviewed' knew much

abOut NMI or the existence of D/L funding. '-'There was only vague

...0waretaiss 'The,key peeple'knew. of the-abovi.,, Long"-Beach said

they had been honored :to be 'selected,

(2). Weiss and Hubbard:c,sidered NM/ to be the one vehicle that

*could keep-theminfotidd of D/L and _NEW thinking and practice

as to Program and levels.," NMID.in other wordsl.cantratplate

Federal information so that.the material becomes useable by groups

like IECC. _D/L is viewed by them its providing very' little

information and what therls is seems to be deliberately obfusCting.

(3) NMILmakei a mason con ibUtion by liOng, together local

efforti and organizing .an information exchange. .ThePortland

conference underway while I was interviewing was.cited as a good

example.. Reports back to-me from participants, were enthusiastic.

(4) NMI is viewed as a group that has the potential to be a

*top.down, bottom up* organization. This means it can be a

valuable vehicle for communicating back to Washington and policy

'makers some realities as to local experience.

(S) NMMAAkseen as a vehicle that might continue to nurture

the' private sector. NMI n this sense is seen. as contributing

to the discovery of ways whereby' disparate local groups can be

'brought together in a collaborative effort.

(6) 'Mere is a need for a catalytic system that would consist

of people able to turn on .local power figures' and perhaps offer

some *carrots" .to stimulate the local effort. Not a lot of money

is needed. 'In fact too much money would be damaging. This

kind of promotional and technical assistance could come from

IECC, NMI or D/L. Maybe BAT in its betteroanifestations offers

a model. . (7) Most identified a need for professional staff at the local

level. This could be the Federal carrot. This, I concluded is

the Chamber of Comer& model where a small'professionaI staff

carries on An action program at thelocal level but 'relies on

130

.144 .

p

(o.

9s

-

tbeimisii
+1.

stats and nationj/ioOdies for ideas and specialised help.

Replication .Possibilities

IEC4* exist'in Most-sectors of the country. llot tontraiting inforMation but what I think are the reliable sources

indicated .thatthepresent California pattern with its activist

Stance is `unique. Replieatiori-of this pattern, it, was agreed,

wouldnot bs all that difficult. All that is required is:

1. idecision by some top business leaders who have power

who are liglingto put some time and effort into the task.

2.' These kbOwleaaers should have acceptability in general

business ranks. _ 3. Some seed money is required.

4, EdUcational leaders must support. Thisfis assumed to

be available for the asking. Educational leaders can't

initiate the action.

ST. The beginning should be modest. A review of the California

experience should be required as :.he first step.

While Mr. Weiss plays a very special rOlii in California

my informants believed similarly qualiff, individUals can be

found elsewhere. So heris not identifi.0 as a uniquely casuar

factor in the California operation.

VII._ Other Comments

(1) IECC displays no particular tendenoy to focus exclusively

OA the disadvantaged. It is-true that the Long Beach program

will. Also the Gilroy project fits this mold But generally

the program focus could ultimately embrace all students as career s4 educatken is Been a* a universal need. Any youth who has not

develoidd a career awareness is considered by IECC to be disadvantal0d.

(2) The Oakland Council stiff ofiered another version of tilt.

need for a state role. It was suggested that any serious effort

to arrive at a youth developmentlmlicy probably requires the

creation of a state level plgnning and technical assistance group.

This might be something like the NMI in the leadership aspect of

NMI's role.. It could be an evpanded IECC as well. But,since.

IECC and to some.extentiNMI ii viewed as a private sector venture

they might not be acceptable as the state level leadership group.

Without a ,tats role, however, either of these established groups

should be 4.4panded so that the assistancb local groups will need

can besprovided.

.74 - 131 -

0 145 4

sib

fl
Sweepi,g:GeneraWcitiOnio,

-' 1 :DA and NMIoare getting a bargain in the ISCC project.

2., Conditions, needed to replicate the XECC in other states

.would not beall that,difficult to establish. But the

Wit,is.an unlikely actor in this process because D/L his

little creditability with either business, Cr education the

two:parthegs.needed for an ZEC. NMI might serve. this role.

In any-event there is a natio:410SC group and it,shoeld

not be iggOree.

IlAms'been an . accepted strategy and a successful. one for

the D/L tosrovide funds to establfthed groupsunion,

Urn Leagues.i0B--to undertake specialised programs in

the name Of.the funded institution. Therefore support of

.an =Hilts the California one would be'in line with Alb

established practice. The key,question alms involves

the amount of payoff. nacOnvinced a modest increase

4! in support to IECCs-would,haiie a high payoff:

* 4. ',A recurring.,problewnever solved in previous gyrations

involves the 'swamping effect of Federal., program. I'm

clear as to what should be dontEut X have-few ideas as

to how.* I think anything that insulates ongoinglgoal

activitiegmfrom Federal programs that are massive-S6 probably

worth considering. In the youth initiatives X would stress

the 4Wkoney,,.aspects and use as iastitutional routes

groups like the Prime Sponsors under CETA as the channel.

But X would also seek out groups such as a localIEC or

a coalition program-such as the Oakland Career Council and

try to arrive'at a hard appraisal of what such a .group could

manage through local imp:ling if the reds disapper, and then

arrange to provide see money for the start-up costs.

This would onbourage Attention to local institution change

possibilities which take time while the Federal soft money

prqgram takes care of.short term needs.

. S. I'm convinced .again that technical assistancelsomehow eludes

D/L's grasp; ,Aeliance should be:placed on intermediary

bodies sulhfii\NMI and Jot these the federal dollar is .ev. required.. rXf NAtkdisappeared at this mogent tnera is nottopg

else in sight that do fill the voi4,1 D/L would eventually

see the need and may e.would see thOvisdom of going outside

again. Its choice now should be to take an established

base of strength such as NA and support its further development.

6,* The feedbqsk role of local bodies linked to an independent

group like NA may be an important unrecogniZed_fUnction.

X agree wksh Weiss that-this may be the best .way to ascertain

any Aisincentive effects of the Federal programs. SuggestionA,

for'corrective action are also likely to emerge. I'm ndt

saying this would be the only source of information but it

might be a More disinterested' source. IA a bill on dollar'

program spending a few. bucks for, this kind of insurance policy

is surely worthwhile. 132 »

146

v9'
0

Report.on the''State of- -New Jersey,

Work, Education-, and-IeisureICOuncil

Marcia' Freedman

- October 19, 1977

LThe New Jersey Council, usually called the "Initiative,"

existed before the Natio9.1 Manpower Institut? program came

along. According to RairMale, Ben Burdetzky of the DOL

ApP became-enthusiastic about the eoneefft and offered to include

it in the Work-Zducation Council funding. Like other

visitors, I found it diffieult.to put together a single

story line about the activities of this group, because of

itsialzailature. As one of ;my inforMants said, "A lot of lit

things we fall into.ii

ILJaatIOILAQUELUM.,

The group appears to fulfill throe functions:

1) II-Das the full endeXseilent_eLAIWLWAIIVIDEd1101.

`91:Lakat_ang Industry. As Bill-Tray, the assistant 0

commissioner described as the "political" or policy person

4 put it, the combination of Ray Male, who. has azsfate-wide

- reputation, and Billidate; the state OSTA administrator

.(whomNTracy describes as a superb burlou0satie tor)

gives a balanced apprcalh to ,program development. 'These two

got the Initiatpe together in three or four months. They

4broilght in constituent groups, and created an' information

-,. N.,

. .. exchangd2With a potential ::r creativity. The state has

leverage through CNA and Title I Higher.Aldubation money.

While the relationships of the Department of Labor "and Industry

. 4)-

0)

i33 1471.
1A1

with Higher education are quite good, there are the usual

4146ctilties.itith the voca4onal edOation esfalishment.

Tracy, Is that with 24 statutory operations (namely,

the prime sponsors), there is a' need for demonstrating at the

focal level how operations Ian be put together. He feels

that the initiative has the potential for filling this nee

A also that the information he gets helps him in resolving

"turf aisputes."'lle is an enthusiastic supporter of the

initiative's notion thati2Migina,iion can result in program

enrichment. Instead of baking_ judeed on numbers, they want to

think about content and development. lnstbd of thinking of

Aprogram in terms pffibhow many miles.of trails will be

cleared by hog many.kids,st a .cost of so many dollarss-one*AL

can expand into another dimension to enrich the experipnce,

c

Tracy's enthusiasm struck me as fairly typical of a convert.

Mb himself is a fast-talking, iystemitype who le: proud of

ipftrer.

the fact that New .Jersey is about to have an on -line

amputerized management system for. CSTA. I think he sees

the activities of the Initiative as adding a humanizing

touch to the usual pushing4ibund of numbelp and dollars.

2) Thami4jatkilly_dDJ anjtl,_&tn,1LA=iuiriso

When I described it in teems ,of two Yiddish metaphors--

nam"

t , the busy-body and the cooking spoon that 'stirs the

pot "from the" bottom, there was delighted agreeimen9 that this . was indeed their function. When Ray Male received a copy of

the list of questions.we were to use in assessing the activity,

148
." he responded with<4ome well-controlled irritation. It is

olearly'hit bt9Liet tlayith or without the, lederal money,

the Initiative would continue, and more than that, that it

was impossible to describe their activities within sudh a

nary if focus. They have a different perception of themaVes

than the questions imply. BecEmse of the wide range of its

°interests, th3 Initiative can have a hand in almost anything

.that'turns up or is likely to turn up. They stress that

the key word is and that the activity is more

Ve effectge because is iwinot opeltional. . \Tr The Council is very active and seems to have a good

deal of visibility. They hold fordas once a'aionth to which

people considered' to hold the keys to program development

6

are invited. These meetings are used mainly as, a way-of

exchanging information and of initiating deals among different

agenclePand their constituents; Anne Court, who prepared a

two-page outline (copy attached) on 'one of these meetings

4 eapbured the spirit as wb11 ac anyone-.

mew One of the things that the Initiative undertook before

it was incorporated into the NM/ scheme-was a review of all

the manpower and re latex, advisory councils in the state,

V) together with &companion volume listing each .of thin.* This

is a useful and straightforward document that is frank about

the weaknesses and the overlaps in these many advisory groups.

-

eA ,

0 *Support for this' came from Region II of MEW.

e

135 -

149

1
t

Nhnyof the people who are corulectsd witkthe

one way or another sits'on these groups; they seem to view the

initiative as a way of creating linkages that would otherwise 6,

be difficult and as a forum for resolving issues and

1 initiatirknew projects--or project ideas. Clearly it is a

New Jersey Department of Labor andIndustry ereeure, although

not in A pejorative sense, A representative from vocational

edu'eation eits'on.the Council. (I did not meet him because . '0

he was out of town:) His responsibility is. "external programs,"

f.

e.g. CET*, but he has'very little influence inside the voe.

ed. establishment. The otherCouneil members speak highly

of him, but are frank about their problems witOthe rest:of

Vvoc.-ed. On the .other hand, the rson who is coordinati4p

the new youth, programs for the Labor and Indust.y feels that

the mandated relationship (i the Youth Employment Act)

"- between the education and labor establishments -might snake a

positivd'eontribut4on torelatioriships in the future, and

that one of the.faicums in whigtthey could mej would be those

created by the.Initiativo.

3) The agenda of the Initiatdme has two aspects, a

theorelical a5roach and a list'of activities. They are,

interested in life-cycle deidlopment, with an o20.enta.t.on'.

beyond youth. The word "leitdre" izstteir context means

"dawn-time" and includes prinon inMages, the retired population

. .

. .1... and e)4-the,unemployed They are asking how all these peOple

can best put :their time to use. This includes not only work

- 1'36 -

150

a
. t

i, . but also t.he use of libraries, the arts, contXnuing,.,.

education, etc.

r$

One of theiX. favorite ideas is the stimulationcof

programs for retire people to serve as grandparent surrogates.

. 4 These are a couple of programs around the state. For example,

. . a CETi program in Union County'is rehabilitating homes for

3 .

. senior citizens using retired construction workers as

0 a O.

. supervisors. They-are heavily into process; deve4;opment,

enrichment; and not very much into delving into basic issues.

. tt, . a.

. On the other hand, they seem highly sensitive to the problems

. of,institutionil linkages and the input they can make on an

athwbasis. While they have no officialsmandatekto spepd

11

state moneyfor dxample, one of them arse to administer

the Governor's discretionary CETA, funds - -I think that they

do make recommendations . For eiample, the .Puerto 'Rican

bong$ss of Newark received some diseretionary funds probably

at the instigation of Ray Male.*

0

Course !4ernbersl

The Council' itselr has eight members. The director

(Ray Dale) is a unique Character widely, known in the state

and an enthusiastr:tor every kind of it and enriching

. e

activity. Among other things, he served for ten, years as

II

'Labor CoMmissioner and more recently as the head of Thomas

4 fvEdison Coilege;Ai-pon campus ineiitution created for the

purpose of evaluating and granting college credits. He is

now on leave from that job+ for two years to head up the

-137- 151

eimoor
4

Initiative. 'Be obviously ha's close ties with Bill Mate, the

aforementioned CETA administrator for the state.

In /*Mon .to talking with these two, I, also met Al

. ,ik

Fontana; a ,vice -president of the State AFL -CIO, fOrmerly'

of the Brewery and Distillery-Union and now.4 epeCial

assistant' (for labor liaison) to the state Commissionir of

Labok and Industry. :I will 'talk about Otntana later on..

I did not meet Kitty O'Neal, fhe _industry representative

(1 aoffman LaRoche)--stomehow I got the ,feeling she was not very

active. John Radvany, the vocational education representative

. . was not available (see above). The last member is Alfonso . Roman of the Puerto Rican Congress of New .Jersey. I did not

meet him either, bin I was told that the Congress is one of

several competinge.groups'in the Puerto RiCein ClImmunity.

The Council haS three staff members and, a secretary

who are paid out 0 the federal money. In addition; to Male,

they are Gordon Server and Marilyn Lockhart with whom I '

2 spent considerable time. Besides this staff, the )Initiative

has .04; OZTA slots .fillod people who are 'doink the same

sort of activities as Beaver and Lockhart. I met two of these,

and heard a good deal about another two, whotaeIlll talk 'about.,

shortly. I Aid not meet, the nor did I get 'much

feeling for ti.tir activity. One is based in South Jersey

and the other in Morris County.

I' should comilient' here abodt the Ast of key contacts

furnished to us. One is in charge Of The Community Involvement

- 138 -

152
Vrojeetlat South Beunswick:High'School. It is,a program for

student placrnerit in a variety ofcommunity'activitkeswithbut

pay, but with high school credit and transportation. They

0 , aro very high on this program and it probably is useful

although .not unique in,ttie United States. I did not want to

take the time to .visit it, but I have a brochure which

discribes it, . . 4 . 41 e They are also heavily involved with Father Francis

Schiller of Jersey City whose program for `addicts, etc. has

been transformed into.a supOorted-ivak site. I didn't have

time to visit Jersey City and explore the InWativels'ties.

P.w I think the ; see the operatiori as a model foxy setting up

rionprofit corporations for CBTA

' They dlso haile some connecticp. iiith the Brookdale

. Community College in'Monmouth CoVoty which may or may not be 7. . associated with an adult educatlon experiment going on there.

They 4so had me meet Stuart Mlndlin who has developed,a

codputercked systems for matching people'with job clusters.

This is .a. version of one of the interest inventories that

. Gordon Beaver hopes to introduce into one of his .project

ideas (see below). I' saw a demonstration of it and while it

is 'innovative," it is 'also expensive. Its, function would ' :seem to be to provide the basis for conversation between a

counsel or and a person of any age who is _interested in

finding an appropriate occupational field.

There were several other names on the list, -including

- 139 -

153
a

. I

someone from the .State Adult and Community Educatcon sector

and the New Jersey Department of Higher Education. Of the

. three labor people on the list in addition to Mate, I met.

. ,two--Tracy (see abOve) and Janice YUngingers who is for the

, .

. time being the.coordihatot of the department's youth activities.

7. adeqtfth to the mentions I have made of peopleI'

cw A di .ro4t meetsthe stafiqs variously involved in a burich of

disparate activities. I will outline briefly the major .ones

; to. give a feeling for the interests and assumptions of the

xnitlative

1. Greg .Johnson is a staff' membeit paid-by CETA. His

_thajor activity has been Wi3 promotion of, d."linear park."

There are approximately 50 milqs, of abandoned railroad line

in Sussex and Warren Counties in the ruralnorthwestern

, corner of 'New Jersey. The right of way is owned by the city

of. Newark which bought it,, in anticipation of building a

water pipelinq when the Tocks Dam Project was being planned.

Since that "time the Tocks Project has .been defeated after a.

long struggle, but the city is 'reluctant to relinquish this

right of way.for any other purpose. Meanwhile, JohnaOn has

-prepared a plan'for clearing'the right .of way for use as a

bike and hiking route., The Initiative is very enthUgiastic

about this because it combines a !limber of their favorite .

. ideas. .What they want to do Is negOtiate'with Newark and

the t$tate to get permission and then to put together, a

funding package. The labor. would come from the conservation

-140-

154
' pC

4.

4 corps title of the Youth Employment Act, but they envision

more thaf jest "hwilthz outdoor ialivity." They want to

make it an educational procesS which focuses on the early

history of of the region and the preservation of small railroad

buildings that still-remain, etc. At this time, Johnson

is focusing on the negotiationS' with the City and State ,and

if necessary, the federil government, and he has a. new

A assistant (also on the CETA payroll) who is continuing the

0

Y work that needs to be done 'on the sITO. Most of this is to

t

persuade residentsin communities Aearby that this is a

v orthtthi le project.

2. A second focus is on Plaireield where a coupleof

things,are going on. They have a restoratioh specfklist'on

their payroll (also paid from CkTA) vho is eager to preserve

some large but dilapidated 19th ,century houses. Efforts of

this,kind are going on in 'a nuMber'of cities around the

12 country, but the Plainfield situation is, more complicated

because the stretures are

than being concentrated An

scattered through the. city rather

one neighborhood. Their ail, is

to preserve the,houses, but transformthe largest ones into

.11

multiple dwellings. Ultimately they sew these as work sites

for .youth participants. Another staff member, OordenBeaimr;

who is on leave from IBM, is ,trying 'to think through a'plan

to get the' thing off the ground. His view is that people . 'need to be brought in mart from the Department of Public

Works and CETA. He envisions a iserlace club or a voluntary

- 141 - 155
$ ,4 V 1% , Agency that has lines of communication taking this on as a

.prOjeot. thinks that only such a group ediald.get the

freeholders off dead center and get the politicians to use'

-theirrfinancial resources for this purpose. The effort is, to

find out whht will o201411_ not work in such a "complex situation.

3. It should be InterpolAed here that Beaver ha's

other intisiests as ull. With respect to: youth and senior

.cittions, he feels that retired professionals cai help kids'?

get needed career; guidance., and he wants to pstablish with

, &tot Windsor Township and' Hightitowh ademogltration project

'which "brings these people together. 'This project may. include

converting the post office' building on.SoUth Street to a . pomhiunity center." His.third, andI believe, major activity

is to dosign a retirement'preparAdness progra for demonstration

)t .thin T.BM. He feels that Workers preparing for retirement

need to have thbir.intrests identified for future activity

whether it be for employment or volunteer' work. He wants, to

use Stuart Mindlin4 computerized interest-matching Scheme in

, working this, out. One of his ideas is tht people in top jobs

might whnt alternative opts; iunities within the company even

' ifthey have to 'Maki payouts - -I take it this is in lieu of

retirement.. Beaver semi tebe enjoying his freedom to

experiment, but Ile has"i. semewhatddiffident

having so much treedomAnd Is. visibly trying

Looser structure .

attitude to

to fit into this

iL

4. Ile.*Aurning to Plainfieldthe othey big activity

- 142 -

156

IAMMIII111!
,,

' there is an arts release program. This is a major activity

of ktariiyn Lockhart who is. based in Newark. Newark has

somethini caned theGarden State Ballet, which encompaises

a foundation, a school, and a company, all nonprofit, ' fact, the company dancers are.now being paid by CETA,) 'In

trying to-interest,minority kids. in the:aris, the Ballet

ran a dance-in-the epreets program 'last summer. Arising

out of this, six centers (voluntary agencies).W.Plainfield

have teachers from the Ballet twice a week for an,after-school

program in which they screen children for participation in an

arts release program during the school year. This is said to.

be ap unprecedented example of'collaboration amongst centers.

The kids come frola poor areas and there is 4 reporting

system for their porticioation in the release-time program.

The Initiative also sees this as a work-preparation program

because dance teachers are in demand.

As an example of technical assistance, Lockhart

described help to a project in Plaintield where the Science

Center As acQuiring a former Red CrOss building. She

advislOthem.to seek CDA money for materials rather thin for

stipends and to use senior citizens astirperviso;bs with CETA

skids doing the Ilork.

5. Ed Burdzy ista staff member paid by CETA. He is.

a psychologist by background, but worked for 10..years%for the,

Delartmeht of Labor and Industry and retains close ties

there. "It was under his initiative that the study of advisory

troups (see above) was performed. He has been a member of a

- 143 -

157

.t.
t

A State Study Commissiol. on Adolescent ucation whose report

Will be released on November 5. This study represents one

sideof his involvement; the other is working with the State

47111V Occupational Information Coordinating ComMittpe'to deyolop a

4

common data base. There is littleexchange among the 600, - local.sctool districts'and 412 High-school districts in the

,state. 'The coordinating committee wants to tie together the

computerized CZTA manageMent sisters (see above), the:

4Mpl4Y6ent Service job-matehing.system for the state, 'the

017

'educational statistics the s4iti,sitical output of thdOccupational"Employment StdtAstios program (a Doing BLS-.

'New Jsills.Y is flog, one of the states that has an

Occupational Information system (another BLS- state' program

. .

state-effort). 4

now operiting in.selected states). this is a computer-based

information- for - guidance' retrieval system. group at

Rutgers applied po develop the State'OISbut was turned

down. It still has something called the, New Jersey InformatiOn

Consortium, but thetpitiatill, people looy. on this' adtivity.

Aglogrof with disfavor because.tharvelievelt parallels state

activities. .(l4y own bias. is that the OIS (and a parallel

system now in operition in several cities under DHAraudilices)

is not a very useful adjunct .to guidance, first because

demand projections are misleading and have limited` probability

Information for groups rather than individuals, and second,

.. and more important, that it does not provide institutional

and structural data on typical occupational routes of entry.)

- 144 -

,158

V

. .
A Burdzy iorinterpted in using r'search to 'build a

knowledge baie. Specifically, to si udy the outcomes of the

4

qlSouth Brunswick Cif= .(Soe above); to follow a survey. of

. . 4 4 0.k:,;. 4000 summer NYC enrollees with a survey of all-high-school

;/'

. . students; and to analyze data that might have'an impadt.on

the rkWriting of lagnerPeysar and, aTA.

6. Al Fontana, the union man, described himself as a,

pragmatist' who findsthe ideas of thi Initiative to be mostly

"theories." Ne*

El

ertheless,,pe is interested in retired and 1 * , "displaced" . workers. How can they use their time and earn

. .

. supplemental income if the:, 'need it... Both employers and .0

41 union-members have to be persuaded to,, hire older.wor?..ers and

the hard-to-employ, like ex-addicts.i He had 'some modest

4 successes to' report: A CZTA program in Union county, is .

. . , . rehabilitating homes for

. senior citizens with retired ; . construction workers acting as supervisors. Restoration

;16 IP ..

. activities in' Hudqon County are being performed by CZTA crews. . In residential construction and rehabilitation, you can talk

the unions intn, collaboration on the basis tharAphey do not

ordinarily get those jobs anywayt. On large. public work

programs, it's herder because oD the provision for prevailingwages. Still, it.might be possible to add some CETA workers

as hillpere, but not at the minimum wage. In general,

,1

Fontana was willing to entertain innovative possibilities.,

but obviouSly felt that increments would come only at the

margins.

6

-145-

159
Attitudes loljailantlealujiLlga; e

In addition' to tfie foregoing, 'I tried to elicit from

several people that they 'thought the Iliggest'youth needs,were.

These are typical:

The' obvious problems are economic disadvantage, ;,

literacy and unemployment. But these kids are looking for

understanding. They want to be treated Ake human beings.

They are turned oft by youth - serving institutioneischoold,

the justice system, etc: We lack data on"whif base

ptoirams-%we don't knew who thekids'in need are.' The diopout

rate is said to be 25-30%, but we don't know what the base is.

H The schools havebeen asked to do too much and have

been diverted fromitheir educational obActives. In N,.-.7.,

"they have an opt4)ion to loOsen.up'ourriculum and exiape in

. patt from the Carnegie unit, but few have done so. Education

is not a building, Guidance is poor.,;,_ They need programs to

enhance choice,xalternatives, opportunities to interact with

adults. We should stay away from NYC-type Activities. 'The

parophialisiot kids could be cut down by including,:the.arti

and by adding senior citizens to youth-program activities,

. --and by creating shadow positions to use for exploratory

purposes.

eggIsharl, Kids kdow how to survive on so little.'

Employers have .miscorceptions .(Lockhart used to work in

persCnnel at a large department.store in Newitrk) and - kids

do not know what.is expected of them. .Two negative forces

- 146 -

160
4.

".

ID

ion* together. Kits need supportive services, and employers

,need retraining. Furtitmore, fizst-line' Supervisors need <5

some type of sensitivity training to deal with kids.

III. Asteral Regulatipns

4. 0

The lniti4ckve (and the Department of Labor and Induitry)

..; has an excellent relationship with Regional MEW, which is

. f . inftrefting in light of their" weak ties to state education

. .

. 1

bodies. In contrast, they find Regional DOL t narrowly

f6oused on regulations and administration end insufficiently

interested in program.

i. Everyone wasunhappy,with tlrouth EOloyment Act and /L 0 1 i

he. proposed regulations. They gave me a list of allocations

for community improvment and training and pointed out that'

1.1(:. I , . Newark, fbr example,,, will have only a few hundred positions. .0 4

.. %, , Meanwhile, fhe' program hs the worst features of Tecentralized

and cateprical types. I. told them they should keep a log

of all their problems as .a contribution to the' creation of

-

. k

,14

the knowledge base.

, They claim that the important` state bodies now have a

6 , "greatly expanded outlook oowhat-affect's people," They are

t.,

.., . apparently oppospd to focused programs. They war 0 to press

... .. . . for, cutting down the number of advisory bodies but ceptraiize

planning. (in the state) for the channelindof federal funds.

.

Amp 161

S

.4
, AN-A.59E9'AM% OF THO WORK-EDUCATION COUNCILS

Al

by Hoard W. Hallman t,

. Center for Governmental 'Studies

Thi4 report deals withwork -education councils.in two localities:

Livonia, Michigan and Philadelph6, Pennsylvania. These,co,:ncils are part

of 4' national. demonstration project aimed at ways of achieving 'more effective

ind'OOoher transition between education and Work. In a' world increasing

specializattp and segmentation; the project promtes greater collaboration

`among schools; employers, labor unions, and other community interests. This

is done through an instrumentality known as a work- education council (though

it.goes*by different names in the various lgagities). 4.VP

e

. 4 . . lerrP.

This ODort offers an astessment of the initial stages of collaboration

0. in LiVonia and Philadelphia. Emphasis is upon emerging relationships among

. t the principal participants in the collaborative process rather than tHe effects

. 'upon youth and adult Workers: This is so because the demonstration hasn't

gone on long enough, to evaluate its impact`` upon persons.

. . ; . LIVONIA, MICHIGAN

N

Livonia, Michigan is a

esuburbbof

Detroit with *Current population of

:; t

, .approxfmately 120,000.' Its greatest growth came from1950(to 1970 when the

I. population rose from 17,000 to over 100,000. The northern two - thirds of

the city is middle- to upper - middle clas.liin composition, separated by an

iidustrialcommercial belt from the southernmost residential section, which. ."

I)

- 148 -

" p162

4.
C

r. tends toWerd blue collar people. The black population is gound one percent.

The Livonia School District aotends further south into othigPue collar

neighborhoods and doesn't encompass all of the northern part Of the city, so

`the,medianincome of schAl district Souseholds is somewhat lower than that

of the City of.Liironia. There are approximately 48,000 jobs in Livonia..

NanAf the factory Jobs are filled by residentalltDetroit and other blue

collar suburbs while a sizable portion of Livonia's white-collar popusation

comMutes to Detroit.

A4

In Livonia, the demonstration project is handled by the Livonia Area.

Iniistry/E cation Council (LAIEC). The Council is in the midst of evolu

etiaary chenge.; therefore, assessing the effectiveness of itsiefforts re- quires looking at an-expanding tittle of collaboration.

Initial School District-Chamber of Commerceigelationslik

The roots of the project go to a concern of.Livonie area, employers that

( many young peopleithey were hiring we'Onit adequately prepared in basic ele-

) mentsf education for the Jobs in their enterprises. In the early 1970s

idhey.began to use the Livonia *Chamber of tommerce as a vehicle tos.explore

whit could be done about the4)roblem. David Amerman, difectortqf career . education of the Livonia Public Schools, Shared their concern, ana his attendance at a 1973 conference obindustry/education cooperation spurred .him to

. establish better contacts with employers and specifically with Raymond Lech,

executtvdirector of the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber had a com!Ittee

. working on the issue and in1973 the_School Board wentIr record encouraging

the superintendent of schools to involve the system in l'ograms of 'the busitV

ness community. Their mutual interest came together in 1974 with the formation of the Industry/Education Council, Jointly sponsored by the Chamber of

- 149

163

;140

Mao
O rce and the Livonia Public Schools. Thigliv group received staff ser- vices from the Chamber of Commerce and seeis to have been perce)yed locally%'m

4*Zr. the Chamber's project.

t

_At this stage, the project didn't make a formal needs assessment, but

rather deviloped frOm-experifntial knowledge of employers about their'recruits and the perceptions of school personnel-that better ties with business

and industry were highly desirable.

A Broader Councill'Established

Initially the Industty/Education Council functioned mainly as a forum

where employers and school people could share their concerns and explore ways

to collaborate. At some point along the way th'y added a representative from

the Michigan Employment S'ecurity Commission (10ESC), a. labor union leader, and

a. parent at large (my chronology is yncertain). Their efforts .Lecame known

to people-at the liational Hanpcwer Institute who were develooing the national

work-education council demonTtration pioject. and they sent Livonia a requistfor-proposal 411FP). Thit caused the Livonia people to take two actions to

broaden collaboration during the fall of,1976: they added more labor leaders

4s

and also people from local colleges, and they proceeded to incorporate as an

independent organization, the Livonia Area Industry /Education Council. As

this was happening in the fall of 1976, one of the school representatives

brought in John Graves, then a high school vice- principal, who eventually

became the executive director. Clary the possiblity'of3munstration fu-is

stimulated broader and more formilild collaboration.

Incorporation came in January 1a77, and the new board chose Norman Horowitz, a local businessperson, as its tiresident. In the early months 0,1977,

staff from the Chamber of Commerce and the Public Schools developed the appli-

- 150

164

I.
catt'on for the demonstration grant. A committee of the board screened appliLV cants to become executive director. Graves was chosen and went to work after

Livonia was awarded demonstration funds; technically he is on leave from his

school job, and funds go to the school district for his salary. Later LAIEC

got two CETA workers, a secretary and `,staff assistaliktOthe City of Livonia

donated space in a former school building it had taken over for municipal

offices, and S'Zmiri businesses loaned office equipment. Until then LAIEC had

*functioned out of Chamber of Commerce headquarters, and shifting to its own

office gave it an independence which caused the Chamber's, executive director

a little discomfort. :*4

With LAIEC's president from the business community aqd its executive

dir*or from the school system, the initiating interests were still the

, dekidnint forces. However, the new board succeeded in broadening participa-

,

. tiop from other interests. All three major labor organizations of the area

are actively ' epresented (UAW, AFL-CIO, and Teamsters). So are local

tutions cif higher learning (Madonna College and Sckoolcraft Community College).

From city government comes one of the mayor's close aides and also the CETA

administrator (Livonia is a prime sponsoi). MESC is involved. Business and

industry ceders tnclude persons working for local enterprises and the big

national corporations (especially Ford Motor Company and General Motors).

The Public Schools ht several members on theboard. There are, though,

no youth'representatives, and the project leadership isn't convinced that

this is necessary. Parents aren't formally represented, though many of the

members have that role individually. After nine months, LAIEC leadership is

finding that some members aren't particularly active. Therefore, they are

considering making some replacements.

On the whole, the Livonia Area Industry/Education Council has established

151

185
te a broadly representative board and the kind of staff it needs to carry out

the collaborative process. Graves' personal skills In facilitating cooperation are a strong asset to the project, and the basic leadership is firmly

committed to collaboration rather than institutional separatism and interestgroup conflict.

Council Activities in Livonia

Collaboration in Livonia gains expression in a series of projects, some

originated by LAIEC, sane started by others but drawn into LAIEC's orbit.

.This has moved the Council from a discussion forum into roles as a facilitator and a sponsor. of specific activities.

Major projects. Three projects are closely linked: Employability

Characteristics; Job Opportunities Communication System; and local application of the Michigan Occupational Information System. The first is an LAIECsponsored survey of local business, labor unions, and industry to determine

what"chaapteristics prospective employees need for entry-level jobs; volunteer businesspersons are helping conduct the survey, and Michigan State

University's Institute of Agriculture Technology is serving as a consultant. The second project seeks to develop, establish, and coordinate a routine communication system linking employers with the MESC, local CETA, the

youth employment office, public schools, and colleges. The third project

ties into a statewide syitem for occupational information (more on it later).

Each project has its own merits, and its own momentum, and LAIEC is seeking

to take them another step by tying together these interrelated approaches

" ;C

which'oydinarily don't get combined.

LAIEC is working with the national Automobile Dealers Association, local

- 152 -

:; 166
dealers, and Schoolcraft and Madonna Colleges on a program to train and certify auto mechanics. It is called the Automobile Dealer Apprenticeship Program.

The community educnion unit of the Livonia Public Schools has a Reading

Academy project aimed at funtionally illiterate persons. LAIEC has a task

force in contact with local employers to identify and recruit potential en- rollees (the chairman is from a bakery which already has such classes on the

premises along with GED preparatory courses). John Graves brought with him

'to LAIEC a service-learning project which places students in community service activities. An existing Career Internship program which assigns high

school students for a semester or summer with a local industry also relates

to LAIEC. And so does the Livonia Youth Employment Service; indeed it shares

offices with LAIEC.

Process versus product. LAEIC itself has enough funds for only an executive director plus his two CETA assistants, and nothing to run programs. This

is the intent of the national demonstration, but LAIEC's sponsorship of these

several projects and the initiation of some of them gives it the appearance of

an operating program. The question arises whether this is contrary to the

hypothesis of the demonstration that work-education councils should avoid

becoming new programs and instead concentrate all their energies upon the

collaborative process. Interestingly, just the opposite viewpoint is expressed by the Chamber of Commerce executive who is disappointed that the

demonstration funds have gone for the salary of a fac4litator rather than

being used for specific services; likewise, the local CETA administrator has

doubts about funding this kind of position, which seems such a vague and unformed assignment. LAIEC's executive director, though, believes that there

must be both process and product, expressed in projects people can see; this

is needed to provide creditability among the practical-minded people he deals

i53

.4"- 167
with. Some other board members express a similar viewpoint. I share this per-

*0

Zpactive, and at this stage LAIEC seems to have achieved a reasonable balance.

After 0119 the actual operation of these projects is handled by cooperating it

institutions, not by LAIEC directly.

Collaborative Relationships: Indeed, it is these activities which moves

collaboration from the abstract to the concrete. As such, virtually all of

the, collaborators are doing new things. For example, the Public Schools are

bringing more business' people into the classroom, and the survey of needed

employability characteristics will help redirect career curriculum (there is

strong support from the top ranks_of the school system but some indication of

resistance closer to the teaching level). Businesspersons, encouraged and

assisted by the Chamber of Commerce, are involved in a variety of ways. Organized labor, MESC, the two colleges (Madonna particularly), and local government are all quite cooperative.

Of the persons I interviewed, the one most uncomfortable with LAIEC is

the local CETA administrator, who perceives it as. not fitting into the Labor

Opartment rulebook, which governs his day-to-day operations. But because

the Livonia CETA hasn't-done mucfi in the way of systems - building, it doesn't

rival LAIEC in thts respect. Several persons are on both boards, and they

apparently see the two as complementary, not rivals. Although the Chamber of

Commerce executive would just as soon have the Council revert-to the ChaMber,

he is fully supportive nevertheless. And most of-the Chamber's" lay leadership

are satisfied with LAIEC as an independent operation.

Westert.tWameCotHu

As an operation centered in Livonia. LAIEC is well established. However,

Livonia isn't an isolated, free-standing clOpunity but is rather a suburban

- 154 -

168
city existing in

fore, inOitably

has started with

other directions.

a metrOblitan setting. The collaborative process, thereliastogobeyondthebOUndSOfthecity0forigin.Thi3

what is known as the M01S project, and it'has extended in

MS. The Michigan Occupational Information System (i40IS) is an operation designed to assist youth to gather information about training, education,

and job opportunities related to career goals. The Michigan Department of

Education is installing it around the state under a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Its local arrangements vary, and LAIEC got inw the fray

to work out a suitable arrangementlor the Livonia area. (It is a complicated story of which I have only fragments; it would make an excellent case

study, worthy of more detailed documentation.)

Also interested in MOIS was the Wayne County Intermediate School District ("intermediate" means between local school districts and the state in

size of area served, not the - "middle school"). As basically a service agency

to local school systems, the Intermediate School District (ISD) has a fairly

elaborate computer set-up and wanted to tie into MOB. But there were two

drawbacks from the perspective of some potential uses in the western part

of Wayne County, where Livonia is located. 'First, the intrmediate School

District wanted to hook up only to schools possessing terminals on its network and not to youth employment offices and other community agencies. Secondly, it wanted to charge $200 a month per terminal, a cost beyond the

means of many prospective users.

To resist ISD control on these terms, representatives from a number of

cities, school districts, and colleges got together under the name of Western

Wayne County Consortium for MOB. The chairperson was Elaine Stottlemeyer,

program coordinator of the Inkster Planning Department (Inkster is a predomi-

- 155

, 169
_/

4

nantly moderate-income community with a black majority). John Graves has

played the role of staff coordinator, thus bringing LAIEC into the endeavor.

The Consortium developed a counterproposal calling for it to purchase its own

computer or to borrow computer time from a large corporation and to have a

more extensive network of terminals than ISO contemplated. CETA funds would

be used.

In the complex negotiations which followed, the Intermediate School District lowered its price to $20 a month per terminal and agreed to more outlets.

The Wayne County Office of Youth Services got into the act as a mediator and

a go-between, and a request went to the Wayne County Office of Manpower to

pay for this service. This is where things stood at the time of my visit,.

Several people I interviewed praised LAIEC for serving as a catalyst

in bringing together some allies from surrounding communities. This produced the Western Wayne County Consortium, which provided a united front in 0

dealing with agencies of broader geographic coverage: thetliltermeOlate School t)

District, Wayne County Office of Manpower, and Michigan Department of Education.

Ma%lanna College Resource Center. With a long-standing interest in

career education, Madonna Collage entered a national competition to get federal

funds for a Career Education Resource Center. As a member of LAIEC,

college representatives were able to work out arrangements for close ties

with local employers and other educational institutions. Sister Francilene,

the college's president, feels that this arrangement was a crucial factor in

Madonna College getting the grant.

Rename LAIEC? This kind of involvement in the wider community of Western

Wayne County has caused some persons associated with LAIEC to advocate changing

the Council's name from "Livonia Area" to "Western Wayne County Industry/

--156-

170
Education Council." However, his is a minority viewpoint, and persons from

the Chamber of,Commerce are particularly resistive and probably city representatives would be also. As it grew rapidly during the fifties and sixties,

Livonia was mostly a collection of housing subdivision somewhat accidently

located within the same municipal jurisdiction. In recent years, though,

Pc. local political and business leaders have been deliberately cultivating a

stronger sense of city identity (among other things they hand out "I Love

40Livoriia" bumper stickers). They seem to be succeeding. Therefore, they

are understandably reluctant to submerge this net" Livonia-centered program

into something bearing the name of Western Wayne County.

But regardless of what it is called,'the Industry Education Council's

collaborative process will increasingly draw it beyond the boundaries of the

City of Livonia and the Livonia School District.

Detroit, Wayne County, a the Metropolitan Area

The cnallenge ahead is how collaboration will deal with the City of

Detroit, Wayne County, and the broader metropolitan area

Detroit. As noted earlier, -a substantial number of persons working

. z-ttA in Livonia live in Detruit. Therefore, it is the Detroit public schools

which are educating youth who will work in these factories (or not educating

them, as one business executive told me). Although the Livonia School District can be content with LAIEC staying at home, the participating employers

have a direct interest in what the Detroit School District does about career

education. The business executive mentioned above happens to be on a career

education committee for the Detroit schools as well as serving on the LAIEC

board of directors. There are probably other connections I didn't hear about.

Clearly this suburban-central city relationship needs to be strengthened if

the full potential of collaboration is to come about.

"7 171
Mune County. The bargaining over MOIS revealed the connection of LAIEC

to Wayne County. One argument LAIEC advanced to the Wayne County Office of

Manpower was that it was channeling Ft.me of the county's CETA funds to a

Chrysler training facility located in Livonia and therefore could fund other

activities even though Livonia was a prime sponsor. It seems likely that

LAIEC will seek other ways to tap funds from this source. Partly as a resulP

of his work with the Western Wayne Consortium, John Graves was placed on an

advisory committee of the Wayne Countyiffice of Youth Services.. So connections are growing.

This all must be cast into the broader relationships between the suburbs

and Detroit as manifested in Wayne County politics. The traditional uneasy

relationship between city and.suburbs is compounded by local governmental

fiscal disparity, social clag differences, and racial relations. Mayor Ed

McMamarl.of Livonia has emerged as a leader of the suburban jurisdictions in

a fight with Mayor Coleman Young of Detroit center and sewer charges. Because Livonia has refused to build low- and moderate-income housing, HUD

has excluded the city from the Community Development Block Grant Program,

and this has added to Livonia's image as an excluding community. Meanwhile,

civil rights advocates are pressing for cross-district busing to promote

school integration. All this is occurring at a time when total suburbaW

population within wane County is passing that of Detroit, leading to an

expectation that the 1980 census will provide the statistics necessary to

force redistricting of the Wayne.County Board of,Supirvisors in a manner

to end Detroit's hUtoric dominance. This is a volatile situation in which

LAIEC's expanding collaborative process will be wwking.

Metropolitan area. The labor market goes beyond Wayne County to at

158

172
ts least the three-county SMSA and in some respects ties into the Mn Arbor SMSA

irnediately adjacent to Wayne County's western border. In this larger scene,

the United Community Services of Metropolitan Detroit is embarking upon a

"youth employment-systems change project," aimed at assessing youth employment

and the vocational educational systems of the tri-county area. What LAIEC

is doing mill obviouslyepe of interest to this study. So collaboration will

have to grad even wider, though as it broadens it will be less intense.

In sum, the Livonia Area Industry/Education Council seems to have made

a good start with the collaborative process, but this is only a beginning.

If collaboration is to be effective for a suburban city, it inevitably has

to relate to the larger scene. This may raise more problems than LAIEC would

like to deal with, but it is necessary that the circle of collaboration con -

tinues to expand:.

eof
PHILADELPHIA, PENASYLVARIA

. toward W. Hallman

"If the work-education consortium hadn't come along when it did, it

would have to be invented now." Almost identical words to this effect were

uttered by A number of persons I interviewed in Philadelphia. Maybe this

was rehearsed or they all heard it in a speech, but more likely it represents

the timeliness bf the demonstration project.

AntecedentE

The prologue was a series of events leading up to the formation of

Philadelphia's Work-Education Consortium Project (WECP) inethe spring of

1977. Because WECP is a semi-autonomous coromitt;e of the Advisory Council

for Career Education (a body reporting to the superintendent of public schools),

the place to start is a brief review of ACCE's history.

41

ACCE. Set up in 1969 to meet a requirement of the Vocational Education

Act of 1968, the group was first known as the Advisory Council for Vocational

Education. During the early seventies, educators in Philadelphia and their

colleagues around the country became convinced that'vocational education

alone was too narrow a concept and thatecareer education" was a broader

and more appropriate term. So it became ACCE. At about the same time, people

in the public school system realized that quite a few divisions besides

the traditionil vocational education program were into career education, so

the School District set up an internal coordinating councillor career education composed of school personnel.

As the outside advisory committ4e, ACCE has achieved broad representation of business and industry, labor, and the major employment-and-training

program delivery agencies. Around 1975 John M. Geisel, urban affairs manager

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174
of the Rohm and Haas Company, took over the chair, and about the same time

Albert :. Glassman became executive director of the School District's Division

of Career Education with staff responsibility for ACCE. Under their lea4dership, ACCE formed six working committees: for vocational education, staff

development, special education, long-range planning,igederal/state funding,

P and Iemployment

programs. ACCE settled into a membership of 30 (it had grown

much larger), and each working committee brought in additional people.

CETA and AMC. During this same period the city government's employmentand-training system developed separately. Some time around 1969 or 1970 around

Philadelphia got its first "mayor's grant" for staff to pull together what

was called CAMPSthe Cooperative Area Manpower Planning System. Then from

1971 to 1973 tOcity got heavily into public service employment under the

Emergency Employment Act of 1971. With the pasdgge of the Comprehensive

Employment anii.Tralping Act of 1973 (CETA), the city's Area Manpower Planning

Committee became the official local advisory body, and under CETA's Title VI,

the city's public service employment component greatly enlarged. Mayor Frank

4P

Rizzo's administration ran CETA Title VI in a highly9litical fashion, in

fact so much so that the U.S. Department of Igor intervened and forced the

city to turn over eligibility determination to the Pennsylvania Bureau of

Employment Security Similar partisanship entered into the allocation of

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in 1975. These and other

events caused many nongovernmental employment-and-training agencies and a

*44 lot of the business.leadershirto be extremely leery about close ties to

city government in any new venture.

Cooperation elsewhere. Yet outside city government, cooperation.was

growing among persons concerned with problems of youth unemployment. ACCE

- 161 - 175
was becoming a particularly important forum for joint diicussion because it ,,,, had a strong Toging relationship wit- ,virtually all nongovernmental entities;'

with a concern for education linked to the world of work. It was

* natural, therefore, for the National Manpower Institute to contact ACCE

A 44

, leadership about the national demonstration and for ACCE to develop the pro4

Sect in Phii'adelphia.

jormation of WECP

it Although ACCE was they best vehicle for initiating4the project, local

leaders concluded that a somewhat separate entity was necessary to %linage

the project for several reasons. (1) The MOject needed to go Mond the

boundglof the School District's primary domain, particularly to bring in

the parochial schools and also a greater diversity of employment-and-training

agencies. '(21 ArCE didn't want to enlarge beyond its 30 members and thereby

,become unwieldy. (3) Furthermore, it was clearly the superAptendent!s advisory committee so that a different mechanism would be needed as a project

policy board. (4) Yet some kind of ties with ACCE would be desirable. (5)

Finally, the alternative of city sponsorship unAithe auspices of the Area

lOnpower Planning Council would be unacceptable to most of the concerned

41) inierests because of the CETA fitle0SI experience.

4%7

For these reasons, the Work-Education Consortium Project was established

as a committee of ACCE but with its own staff and funds. ACCE would be the

fiscal agent but with a bank account for WECP separate from regular school

district finalcial management. Hired as project director was Wayne 1. Owens,

who as community affairs manager of the General Electric Compani's Philadelphia operation, was on ACCE previously; now he is on leave from GE, though

the project pays his salary through the company, which picks up fringe bone-

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176
q1

fits as an in-kind contribution. Similarly the administrative aiNstanV

secretary is a Rohm and a Haas employee, paid in the same manner. Rohm and

Haas also provides offiCe space for the project, reflecting tha commitment

of ."ohn Gelsel, chairperson of ACCE. (It is interesting to note that the

Philadelphia proleZtzoriginated with a school dis'atc,it committee and drew

Its staff director from industry, while the Livonia project came out of the

Chamber of Commerce and acquired its executive fra the school system.)

Wsel appointed the initial memb 'ers of the WECP committee, drawing

some.fr4m ACCE and adding others to represent other' kinds of interests. The

first chairperson was Martin Durkin, CoordinetOr of ta Carpenters Union's

eint_Apprenticeship Council, and when he had to step down because of the

press of union business, his place was taken by M. Michael Freedland, president of the Phi1MVephia Offset Printing School (a private enterprise).

Since May the chairperson and project director have met with a number of persons to enlist them as WECP committee members. As a result, it is becoming

broadly Assentative of many interests. it

4,7

However, so far one organized constituency has been deliberately ex- !4i

cluded from WECP: neighborhoods. The neighborhood movement is growing in

Philadelphia, and there are now two separate coalitions: COACT, the imaller

but more militant of the4'wo, and the Philadelphia Council of Neighborhood

Organizations. The latter organized a campaign against a city proposal to

spend $300 million on a tunnel to connect two center-city railroad stations,

arguing it was the wrong priority for public spending. With string support

from business and labor, the city approved the tunnel, and the Council of

Neighborhood Organizations took the issue to court, where its now pending.

Closely connected with the coalition is the Institute for the Study of Civil

(Values, headed by Edward Schwartz. He wanted to be on the WECP committee,

163 -

177
but Durkin &dolt accept him because he perceived Schartz as opposing 2,000

construction jobs. Others at ACCE didn't want to affront the city administration and get the Consortium off on the wrong foot. As compromise, Schwartz

was added to the parent ACCE a' placed on the long-range plAping committee.

This occurred= ng the spring Snd summer, but this fall WECP is starting

to

m,E1 ;1! ach out to iiiighborhood organizations, as will be reviewed Momentarily.

After it vat rolling in May, the Work-Education Consortium Project embarked on a number :)f activities, many of them still in infancy. They include

preparation of a catalogue of existing vocational training and carver education programs; development of a data bank for community m..,Irces; an inventory of *Wing servats; and development of opportunities for career

education situations with various employers.

While MCP was getting organized and starting these initial activities,

Congress passed the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977'

(YEDPA). Because this Act held promise for new resources to help accomplish

some of WECP's objectives, the Consortium's project director teas drawn into

local YEDPA planning in two:oys. First, he Worked with staff from the :!ty's

CETA operation and Youth Services Coordinating Office to develop an application for a "first-tier, youth incentive entitlement pilot project." Secondly,

he took the initiative to set up an informatiVn workshop to brief service

delivery agencies on YEDPA and to indicate how they might submit proposals

for funding under YEDPA monegflowing to Philadelphia. Held on October Z6,

,,participants included repreoentatives of all the community-Lased organizations

already operating some kind of employment-and-training program and also some

neighborhood organizations which haven't previously run such programs. For

-164 --

,. L. 8
the latter, this is noteworthy improvement to the CDGB planning process (which

has produced lots of controversy in Philadelphia due to animosity between many

neighborhoOd organizations and city government). In this instance for YEDPA,

neighborhood groups are being informed of the possibilities early in the

game and are being encouraged to participate.

Perception of WECD

Because of its role as a facilitator in YEDPA planning, the Work Education Consortium Project has gained the reputation described at the beginning

of the discussion about Philadelphia- It is seen as a catalyst to bring

groups together, "a place where you can check your guns at the door," as

one participant described it. Wayne Owens, the project director, is praised

for his skills in bringing people together and for this hard work. Because

WECP isn't seeking YEDPA funds for itself, it is neutral among the various

service delivery agencies which are. Bing outside city government, it doesn't

arouse suspicion or cause uneasiness among people who fear getting involved'

with a politicized process.

This perception of a neutral catalyst is the central testimony I heard

about WECP from most persons I talked to in Philadelphia, but there are two

somewhat deviant views. One observes that the business representatives aren't

closely tied to the top business hierarchy of the community, to the movers

and shakers who get things done; rather they are middle-level personnel

managers, corporate responsibility officials, and heads of small businesses

without a lot of influence. Anottar view describes WECP as having a managerial style, of trying to arrange things without in-depth involvement of the

neigiLorhoods where benefiting youth reside.

Of the first contention, one can note that the Greater Philadelphia

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179
Partnerihip and the Chamber of Commerce are the two organizations which top

businesi leadership use for major civic endeavors. The Chamber itself is

creating a personnel managers task force in order to help channel contacts

between businesses and proliferating employment-and-training programs. But

since Chamber staff is represented on WECP, it seems likely that a mutual

effort will emerge. As to who among business is represented, frankly it

seems unlikely that a work-education council will engage the energies of

the top officers of the big companies and that those at the working level,

who are now represented, are the most appropriate ones to be involved.

Of the second contention, the YEDPA workshop is a first step to strengthen

relationships with neighborhood groups. However, at the moment .WECP leadership isn't inclined to add their representatives to the Consortium committee

because these groups aren't major deliverers of employment-and-training services. 4or do they envision youth representation. This, then, confirms the

description of WECP as having a managerial style.

At this point I enter a personal observation, in part derived from my

work in citizen participation. For my field visit I picked two days when

could go to Philadelphia and when the project director would be available,

and then he helped me arrange a schedule with persons available in those

two days. Of those I interviewed, only one was black. This in part was a

result of who-is-available selection, but it also is because I saw mostly

planners and facilitators since service delivery people were too busy to reach.

Among the major public agencies, the top leadership and principal planners

are mostly white people, while blacks and Hispanics are more concentrated in

service operations. What this means is that the minority population is underrepresented in the technical planning process though they will be more involved in public comment and operating stages. This,,I believe, is an unintended result of the managerial style of collaboration.

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180

".111%
A contrasting approach might be called a community style of operation

which thinks more about who will be served by the program and how they might

be engaged during all stages, including intimate involvement in the planning

process. If this style were pursued, more minority people would be helping

to write the plans, youth representatives would be pulled in, and neighborhood organizations would be represented on WECP even though they do not now

operate employment-and-training programs. Collaboration in a big city like

Philadelphia would therefore draw in more people from subareas of the city

(contrasting it with Livonia which needs to reach out to broaden geographic

areas).

In sum, the collaborative process can emphasize technical planning and

management, or it can place heavier stress upodcommunity participation, or

can try to blend the two. This seems to be an issue which needs addressing

in Philadelphia.

Pluralism in Coordination

AnOther issue Philadelphia must face in the next couple of years is an

emerging pluralism of coordinating devices with some overlap in subject matter.

For several years, the city government has had a Coordinating Council on Drug

and Alcohol Abuse Programs, functioning as a vehicle to coordinate and monitor

programs administered by both public and private agencies; it stands astride

some of the money sources, but not all of them so that it has to rely upon

persuasion and leadership to produce coordination. This model has recently

b'en used to develop a new Youth Services Coordinating Office, also intended

to be a planning and coordinating agency; with it will be a 16-member policy

board. As another step in reorganization, the Area Manpower Planning Council

is being revamped, and it will have some kind of youth advisory council re-

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181
lated to it, as required by federal legislation. A few people have advocet0

that the Work-Education Consortium Project Committee serve as the youth advisory council, but the majority opinion I heard believes this won't happen._

All together City government is becoming more professional, more polity oriented, and less political with its human resources programs.

With these new organization, Philadelphia will have four different bodies

with 0 planning, coordinating, and monitoring mission on matters related to

youth. Pictorially,_ can,be viewed.as four circles overlapping one another

in varyi6g degrees, but each has some territory uniquely its com.i This

doesn't mean that the city has an excess of collaboration, but it does suggest

. that the future of the work-education project has to be considered in the

context of these other bodies.
4 NMI and VOL

In my interviews I hea'ed-uniform, unqualified praise for the staff

of the-Raiional Manpower Iatitute (NM!). Their technical assistance was

welcomed and viewed as timely. The conferences bringing together people

from thevarious.projects have been valuable, and their information-sharing

palications have been useful. Several people indicated that this kind of

linkage-with other cities and with a national effort was indispensable, and

that the demonstration would lose a lot of its vitality if this connection

4P

were severed.,

The U.S. Department of Labor is a murkier presence in the local projects.

PeOple,Seemlo have no particular problems with the department, but their

contads:-have-been-fewer than with NMI and ha4in't been particularly directed

to Ward-lOcal technical assistance needs. In Livonia there was some confusion

resulting from the pluralistic nature of the Labor Department. The local

CETA administrator couldn't understand how LAIEC could have flexible money

when hi hid-to live' by a strict handbook; and the-LAIEC director wondered , than -if this national demonstration for the abr Department,

then the departMent ought to instrdct the CETA administrator to be more supportive. (I tried-to explain the different modes of operation of the Office

of Planning, Evaluation and Research compared to the line administration of

CETA through the regional office.)

In both cities the state employment service is represented on the policy

board, but it has a lesser collaborative role than the local school systems,

businr-s, and labor. It is sort-of there-, but not really a major partner to

the work-edimatton project.

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183
1. Establishing the Community., Work 'Education Councils

1. What kind of;needs assessment was undertiken before

the application..itag-suhatted?: Was it 4 genuinely

subitanti.Ve_proCebei 02-16. pro. fOrma-one? . - The -redommen4ati-on--to:rinclUde New York in.ty in the Work4Edues:tion:qpnsortium--road.47:In. Xebruary, 1977, _ by the NationtilAanpoWet- Institute answers _these

questions*f4ly42.40*in_the opinion o this observer,

adcurately.*- Any -onefads astessm_ent", in :New,..Xeiik.t:ity. is a OVerwheiming

task. You _calk yoUr spikk of -s!needs,1:_ they are all real: In the crisis of _the..ment it becomes fashionable

to emtasize one or. one set of,needs. There are two

dangers in. .this of. .emp,hasign one, the 3x1errelat ion- ships between needs,,are-71orgotten; two, the assumption

(not .always unsPoken).;thAt hY,meeting those paz:tiptlar needs, all . probremb -be :_ solved-. . These,.-daiwers were _avoided in the MI; recommendation.

. _ Tan t: to -16k fork- _ . . WDU1d e as ,-ktgura*w-to aet, Otoktmt.

*41 from - "t'

Whatever- your 7t,,*eypoint the.. Eco.n0$4.:Aegelo*Tent .Cdunell,

Neili:votk-City7= nlayed_ a (the?

What aci indivOmalA)lms_ammey_p_d?

GA

'4-

,-1D

Open _Poorb.,;rep:vaertta:tiyOs''-o vhe Bba oAUgation

-ah4-af- labor Va4Onx_.

How a elatA_g:.:12e.:Ltht:4.ggitiiit - pec. is* eiiiii:/h1;74teyke-'-lb-renis. _ No

1140-LIIAllcigmALtg:IggiEsikiLALlisLbjwe - 1"-hl ft-62-the4114W61-:--14i-Csitik101.434. in New York

City, . ad. 3ioc_-:41: .14.1rit 2110:=1103746ne.

What were the-Criferia/0 ic,:esfabrishinm-Aied?

War Billig755.r70"Wan WarThOrs; irtraiminiabing

financial resourcebaSethe:high :Unemployment rate;

the wealth of servioes and -exOrtiSe.

Are the needs reflected in the aotions the council has

IVR.77ZIEHrio

Yes. And in 'in-i-gaPtion.s_ alri...ady- taken.

2. Are the needs and the:t*pOet groups experiencing

those needs appropriately repretented in the council

membership? Is the c °mail ',looking for a cause,' or

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184
nye (Am)

does its formation represent a logical growth?

The needs and the target4roups are appropriate .y

represented-in the council membership.'

At an early stager-there may have been a tendency for

particular groups_to'stress their own causes ;-the

formation of the-council has brought-a more general

awareness that there is one major-area Of-Concern.

fhlainI2_190k fors cat

to get it done?

Whether or not-it was. neededr-the-application was

put tOgether_by a collaborative process.

How inch local resources-was there inthe application

rocs s?

at resources were invested before the application

process began.

How much local resources are going_to support council

action now? _ TEFErNirbeencontinued suppor4k Theri[has been so

much emphaiis -.and pnblidity - .about the failures and

so little said abOnt-.the successes that the continued

support is of'f'ered Wit4tont'enthnsiasm. An attempt is

now being made to increase that support and the_chances

of obtaining that support-in-the-future are good to

very good. This'time the support4ill,belgiven not

because of unreal expectations:but-because-the_alterna.

tives to non-support*"are'impoisibleconsider.

ArethecouncilaUtle4olis-TCresesited4xtoALeximaRle

Ifoolothereadoteasrtorlillmthere is act o s that each

Tliesprablysome ckaiotrion -ot -Wort but this

is minimized by the fact that there is excellent communication between groups and individuals. It is'important

to remember that dupli=tion.is frequently necessary:

a program which is successful in one area ;should be

duplicatedin another area.

Wegihertranyone or any mr04-.that was Ovious

the 'a pence in the a 11c on process?

14-01MWWF==1.td*libarver-wasarlirinatcd by the no.

statement that the-UniOns were, "nervously involved".

How has articipationi catch ed Wk has became act e?

ThCiiiWeeitti#Ciiitereict-byirfvato sector.

.Who ham left?

Those private operations `which have left the city.

II.COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

1. Hoy active is the aoinoil and. does it hive much

visibility?' . . The council is suite active and has its share of

visibility._ . Thtalgs to look:fors How fre. agent. do th,a meet? Oisrgowirgeetafoxpalry every month. Informally,

Meny more meetings.

185

IMIrrirsr
la this a:oodcriterioorinthecouncn

c i is es. Yee. Clearly tiiere are problems posted by the geographic

distances but they are leas than those posed by the

size of the operation.

How is attendance?

Good to very Poch

Has overallparticipation changed?

As-it grows, it Changes.

As .goals are more - clearly defined, the participation

changes from planners to those who can carry out the plans.

Are councirproceedin 8 o en to the public?

They are,noraose . anyone showed up, he/she would

be.welcome.

If ao are-tker well attended?

Do ti'e councils have an activetollatinggnonnemITIO

WO-7Tharrever, non-members are 3..IforsiedWilbo

report to Otner groups. An attempt is being made to

involve othek group; and thus, for example, on the second

day of.this observer's visit, a staff member was speaking

to the BrooklynChamber of Commerce,

How and when does.themEILLareagetobec4me selfsupaling?

TffiriOuncil is and has been supported in great measure

,wmc and by money and services from the private sector.

In the suture, it may possibly be supported by membership

-feesi:but that future will be three to five years from

now.

2: How is the council ert by council members

and.by outsides? _ -Council members,givt-the ioik of the council top priority.

!outsiders, ; -whetbfr or not-theytnOw of the work of the

ceuncil,-know'-that the-goals are very important.

3'hABE2±22-10k

Ra6747gaWkiirViragenda been developed?

Twentr7two iter.s.were liated.as-iiiira-Which must be

(lake. priority was given to threeoof these items

which are now being fulfilled in the three task forces.

ghat- role doSa_it im lv for the council?

ra5Utclratilin.nat ire ana a program role.

Where a program is needed and doe; -not exist; create it;

where coordination is needed, th4 council coordinates

(e.g., work with coop education); for an exalple of

advocacy, ofV"Looking Ahead in New York City"; MC, OCT,

1977. (Brochure prepared by Peter Comeau).

la there Overlap between the council role and that of other

institOtions?

WYTUEiTay, yes. There isn't any overlap when it

is not needed. It is sometimes there when needed it

is needed more often. Staten Island has its own well

fundp intinuum. There has not .ben an overlap even

thou s Ilan program; are carmen on in over parts

or t e ty.

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)14
Is the council role seen as filliri a true void or

IA it seen as a coma ensatory one, m t ng up lor

ns ut ona aiiures

It is seen as both.

What kind of resistance has the council encountered?

ere s a nee or more inane support but no one

is attempting to offer resistance. Companies which

have supported the EDC for a long time are inclined

to ask, "How much more do you expect?"

What kind of reinforcement and support has it picked up?

Very significant hes been the support in action and in

public statements from the Board of Education. L. Cook

from Union Carbide (leaving the city).

ihasthenershichatHovledsirigtmeitwassarted?

e at ve y t e.

cildofProLlenwWhatIleCouncila_endarea_Pame? In---derofinkportahlunempoymentamongyouth

particularly minority youth; 2) poor education; 3) poor

attitudes by both employers and students; 4) inapproriate

education; 5) bad labor market connections.

What kind of change does the council a ends, envision?

5TEMEUE7Ft schoo sei -renew. , o coop educat5

of intern programs of Speakersein the Classroom.

Are tttSRIAISDLLTLITADLIEY2111214g Youth to a "p7riren-14..teeltinohlessii) the nature of

the labor derail

hat s the "giien labor market"? Here today - tomorrow?

It is not-a question of making changes in the nature of

the labor demandt,the problem is to have reliable information in order to judge what the changes will be. If

youth is not being prepared to adapt to change, they

are not being prepared for the realities of today and

tomorrow.

Are the char es-attemPtin to chan e institutions or are

e bui in on ano her a er?

t the present me, t e attempt ng e to help

the Board of Education.

The following question was not clear.

pow do the councils relate to the ontrathlogaall

224142REI!!mgnLis2Lagakag_alanSilt2

Arthur Stewart, .axecutive Director, is a member of:the

Newjork City Youth Board. The Mayor's Office is the

prime sponsor and Don Memel, who represents that office,

is a member of the t:ouncil. He is also actively

-engaged in the work of a task force.

How do overianling members perceive the roles of the

. erent groups?.

Seen as supportfng each other, as supplying information,

is help in establishing priorities.

3. Who dominates the council?

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187
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Things to look for: jrfrui÷a,a andwhodothereresent the :ecourcil'mea ypVhoare

2 c The Ittat of members compiete.

ch:me bers manifest an/organizational commitment? At

e vas ma or ty,_

What' kind of financlaI;rAsCuWis do the brie with them?

dirporatiens support BDCOEig Imbuppor a counc 1, em era

and Others supportGpen lofts with money and services.

What:is the nature of the involvement of youths 'of.

educators, of emp-o ers or9BTA prime s onsora

ou e ucators: eXcellent; amp oyez's: excellent; GSA :prigs spot/sone:. good. Its there at least nominal involvement of all the l ere

necessary for gems ne so ut ons

Nominal involveneni will-not help very much. Genuine

solutions, if "genuine" means_ "total" or "complete",

are not going to be found bygotal involvement of this

or any othergrpup. Thereis an overwhelming danger

in implying, directly or indirectly, that "genuine

solutions" can -possibly be found by "nominal involvement"

when total involvement by any one group will not result

In mgenuine olutions°.

Does the executive- director come from the local area?

He is "on loan" MrmaleerEFFTRIFFSEEITEFFE5F7

A;MLJULAILIMNOOglillagLUMLba104.110Aprocess? iloWasatiaozicaes.

Is there other council staff? ee,asareeig the grant.

amEtnnEAKttteddoart they represent any identifiable

Nlis observer judges them to be very strong indeed and

did not see them as representatives of any one interest.

4. What strength does the council have?

Things to look for:

Ire the members active in man tither collective efforts

'reps

Is the council the only same. in town?

NE7TEEEE is one reason optimism.

Are electiv4 officials active onAhe council?

many but

they are rarely elective officials.

What is the link between the council and the local

Through Board of Education andHuman Resources Administration.

What is the administrative and financial structure of the

council with restect to decerreiWliarfraipating groups?

The dependency ra-toial.

Is the council clearl an entit or is it dependent

upon a s onsoring organizat on?

t s epen ontut suspect that the sponsoring organization

would not be overcome with grief if it were independent.

And yet, the council is-;an entity and with great care

might become independent and viable. There is not an

overwhelming advantage in being independent and dead.

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5. what are the essential features of 'the collaboration

grooms and what distinguishes it fr m "coo erative",

e.._20k,lis11..rdintive,iadvisorY"-ftctions that are encouraged

.vari et of other federal grant rams'?

Thi-6543WilRV-seen by some as ecooperatiViwy others

as "coordinative ", by some as "advisor," and by moat as

a combination of two or of all three. It is distinguished

from other fideral grant programs because it represents

support of activities which already exisited.For nearly

all-, this was seen as its strongest feature.

Things to look for:

liow do persons on the council define it?

The council Is seen as offering and seeklAg support for

other activities, as setting priorities-, acting as a

catalyst.

Do the see the roeess as somethiup genuine/7 different?

ere sfno rig rea y new under tne sun. However, there

are emp*ases which are different.

ae it occurred in the peat?

1:fit-AW1h4RATythe-tado way.

Do the council elembetreliAICUMNUTAITMINAUJAESSMRSil

art. acUlal peoll.cYforulatIonand

statfir

Xany workwpgether for achieving council goals; the staff

is not late enough to carry out those-goals.

-there..a.mechaft a or 0 to :et their constituencies

WE' vo ve n wor ng_owars counc 8.

Does this occur?

)requently. Pliny are now working together rather vhan

each one defending his or her own turf

Has the council been instrumental in Wan ixgAmIME

TigaiiralMat_oza 'wou not oNnerw se nave toe her to wortrarcoviil.ols? ' Tea.

Is the Council t in: to :asume a direct le or

act as a ca

ar ale as a-64,U ya H. .It may start programa

'but the council should,not be involved over a long period

'in running programs; once programs have been started,

they should be run by others. The council may well

assume the role of evaluating these. programs.

III. The Community Work Editcatio4 Ciuncil vim a vie the" . Sponsoring Consortiu6 and the Federal Government?

I. Is there a perceived need at the local level for

the 753ENTring_esoort um.

Yes. NAB as funded programs,

hap supplied services and space. MI has filled tigp

need to know what is happening in other councils ant.

to understand the language heed in many official 1p

documents.

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r.
NYC. CABLE)

6

Things to look fort

w extensive' do e councils look for technic

ormat on roux he 4r.,

on

ery ex e ve y w c s.perhaps the beet' indication

that they have. found theNe activities to be of value.

293193242a""Alliela? ies.

.Where=41se do the councileiet'technical assistance?

Now Prime Sponsor.

a I Organisations state or 'federal or animations

Pro ems on aesoc a one orkr va e consu tan s

iron Nord of Education, New YOrk.State 1111ployment Service,

Gs '11POar Association.

isyl the consortium been instrumental inputtin t he

councils in touch w,th oi4ergark=milicationgonne s?

des, both formally by nge an

establishing contacts with other Councils.

iller* a positive value attached to this at the locla

'44211.?

ery definitely, yes. There are obviously differences

in the problems faced by the coMncils and yet there are

common goaleOn understanding how other councils have

attempted t 4reach thcee common goals, a council Is

helped to un..erstand its own problems and to adapt

e ther lolitions which have worked.

2. How is the federal role perceived?

Thin s'to-look fors 'eel e_persons at the loca level are of the federal dollars

their

TeWA-ttiterietititsWare aware of the dangers

inherent in funding %Oath is obviously inadequate for

a gigantic task and at-the same time creates a feeling

of dependance. It is-a °Usage situation: inadequate

Itunding is most powerfUl.when itis withdrawn because

at that point it can destroy what it has not built.

10_ther_Perceive theTuncilsias aseentiallzalg4tEal

Epairmenta conseort uplaitsyej or a. 1Ts411.-iiftiatime?

(wen ways, se all three--The actidbeiause of local initiative. lhese activities were

encouraged and united because of federal initiative.

They were strengthener; by consortium initiative.

the councils hare been created without the initial

0 era suppor

iii7177rienne, informally, the council could be said

to have been existing without the initial federal support.

If council Participants araiware of other federal

r communitie the seeMane:Lees

respect° *strisse

ng 141131ilmiN14iLLJPIq

Namcd). participants are aware o programs;

this program bui14 upon what was being done and thus

the guidelines came fram.within rather than being imposed

from outside.

*Raw
I. NYC (ABLE)

Are the councils looking for future financial support

from other federal,grant programs?

Yes. "We take support from wherever we can get it,"

The task is to get jobs for people, particularly for

young people. .The schools must be involved in preparing

young people.

The Federal Government will not and cannot be expected

to solve the local problems. And yet, without help

from the Federal Government it is quite probable that

there will not be any significant solutions. -The

FedAra Government can offer resouroes to help the

local communitlesfind significant solutions. The

resources offered by the Federal Government should

include but not be limited to advice.

AP

ca*

fy 191
rr_

; Beeerk.LO, M: Y..

NIAGYOWER4117LEP: XNDUSTRY. =MAW= COMM% n.E0

Leo McLaughlin

%,

I. Betablishing the Oomounityilork Education Councils.'

1. What kind of needs assessment was undertaken beforOhe

application wa*submitted? Was it a genuinely substantL'e

preeeds or a pro forma one?

The need was seen in March 1973 when the Brie County Board

of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and the Buffalo,

ChaMber of Commerce organized the Niaera Frontier Industry -

Education Council (NPIE0). The reqqmmendation ):y WMI to

include BuffalO, He* lork_in the WokR4deoetion Consortium

was based upon the work which had been done and the need to

expand that effort. %. Thing!: to look fo

Wh914011 1.111187

ne 17drf-Commerce and-BOCES.

What a encies and individuals were surveyed?

)TiF E ,,repreeentatives 67-UFEIETEirlibor, the Htman Resources

Develeliffitnradszitutechool superintendents, representative%

of industry end commerce, Buffalo -Erie,County Zabor-Management

Council.

Now specific was the, assessment?

71 clearly explainea-Zinia-Feen done and stated the goals

,which HFIEC hoped to achieite;

'etas it a formal review or an ad hoc one?

At was a. formal review,

What were the'criteria for establishing need?

largeri value As ,a model for other councils; what !MEC col .d

gain from other councils; NPIECIa need to broaden its scope;

the fact that Buffalo is.an eeoeomically depr'e'ssed area

Are the needs reflected in the actions the council has

TWETSTEriii-aki? ilteileeciseted in the actions:the council has taken.

. .

, 2. Are the needs aid the target groups experiencing those needs

appropriptely represented in the council membership? Is the

councilelobking fors cause ".or does its formation represent

a logical growth?

to the first question: yes.

To the second question: RIM was for med to meet a specific

need,

14 Things to look fort

Tai the application put Together as a single pa ty action or

Was a eoliaoorTIVF6F5C4illigiZeo to get it golleY

When the appilcationwas prepar9o, NeIBO had advanced to the

stage where cdllaboration was take: for granted.

How much investment in local resourbesuss there in the

application process?

to make the application beeease of loco; resources.

How much local resources are opine to support eoun action now?

VIEITOTEIBUNBFrantiaues to be obtained from the State

Department or Education, BOOB'S, participating Erie County Schoolz,

- 178 -
, membership contributions from Industry + some private

cont'ributi'ons, and from fees obtained from courses.

Are the council constituencies represented in other gnarl?

Yes. drearly.

If'so fis there a,duplicatioi of effort or are there distinct

oa s't a eac _pursues.

ne o /the main thrusts of MEC is to avoid duplication;

in additiono'however, the council sets priorities which can

be fu4iiled only by cooperative action.

Was there a one or an that was obvious by their absence

in the app_ cation process

How has particiOation chsaggiwhp has become active? Who

Nas-left?

Miiiless.has participated more thin labor.

U. Council Activitees;

I. How active is the council and does it have much visibility?

The council has been very active and achieves a great deal

of visibility.

Things to look-fors

HofFiraiTia7767-they meet?

'the Executive Committee meets every fix weeks;

The Advisory Board and Board of Directors meet four tOes a year.

Ad hoc Committees meet as needefi.

Is this a p'ood criter'en for action or is the council so spread

mographically as to'-trea e serious lo

finis is a good criterion for action.

There are no serious logistical difficulties.

How is attendance?

In view of the fact that all members are volunteers, the

attendance is amazing.

Has overall articipation chartg2p

t is still fifty/fifty business education. However, individuals

change every three years.

Are council-proceedings open to the public?

Yes.

If so are they wela_BA&ADA24?

o. Do the councils have an active following of non-members?

Yes. The breakfast meetings, as well as other specarevents,

are well attended.

If so. what groups are represented in thatfollowin ?

Elected ofa icials, representatives of aoor.

How and when does-the council propose to become self-supporting?

How: by increasing support from business; by maintaining'support - from education; by maintaining fees for courses.

When: it is realistic to believe that the present activities

can be maintained with this support. Possibly within thr e

years, additional support may be obtained to expand and improve

these services.

- 179 -

z-- 333
0 2. How is the council role perceived by council members

and 'by outsiders?

As, a forum and form for dialogues which will help the community

answer some of the problems which are destroying J-.

Thinglitq1ook tort

HasPa'substanti 'agenda been developed?

ver e years 3:t has become substantive and definite.

What role does it imply-for the council?

primarily, an operation wEra-EFFiariiiies but, as an example,

its Speakers Booklet is evidence that it is also taking

a programs role.

Is there. an overllWween the council role and that of.

Otherinstitutions

No.

Is_he council role seen_EasfilliguturskiALIAALIIIR

as a compensator one makinuforinstitutionalfailuref..1-

s seen as ng a vo d » este. is' ng commun cat one

between education and business.

What kind of resistance has the council encountered?

What him of raihfSEEMERLABILIM222tIA22_11L21910_122?

TaTer -community organizations haiejOihed;-i;g;TROthrY Club.

How has the membership changed since it was started?

NITETWITITTIle.

What kind of problems doee:the council agenda

lighiailiiioyment, need or better unacrstanding between

employers and educators, poor attitudes of students.

What kind of change does the councilagenft_misive

Better career guidance; more on the j ob training; a

realistic relationship bet*een school and work; Are theclarylansesorientedtowtouthtoaPivm

ITErmWt_.orrnallgcai

emend?

Both. With greater emphasis upon preparing youth for the

job market as it exists now, or as It will exist in the

," future.

Are the changes attempting to change institutions or are thsx

111114111501jMMOULIJAIIIMA12I212102:17----

he-eounciI-ii-ittimptiag-te-hol0-teadhers; the schools are

offering training in banks; stite money has been made available

for training programs. hr

Would students have to 6 throu-h ro r s in schools for exarceo.esiro.oansea y the councils or,

sou an ears r come in a a o cad hearege_juncturelmi it-_--WiottakeaavarnarLI.es? AhoiriadcomeinatYlt-ahuncuie and use the s:vices

offered by NFIZO since the council supplies information about

jobs, e.g., what training is needed, where the training may be

obtained, whether the training is free or its coat.

How do the councils relate the CBTA outh councils and

the prime sponsor_Wannin counci s?

Representatives from the counci are on those boards.

What overlap in memberan_ls there?

Relatively little.

t

- 180 -

194

4t)

9
How do overlapping members perceive the roles of the different

gr

e4 ers of the other councils see themselves as .repitienting

their own conaituencies; members of these councils who are

also related, to MED see themselves as representing NNW.

3.

( Who domi;ates the council?

ThelairaTUFS think that the-council is dominated by business;

the businest-'bpresentatives think the educators dominate.

This observer. ttended a meeting of a subcommittee which was

domi ted by 1.te representative from the State Department of

.11abor

ImpAe to look for:.

Whb'are the council members and whoedo they represent rfrfaaal=fanrEAuoter ways?

lthe.counci members represent officially and in other ways

practically all, segients of the population.

Which members manifest an organizational commitment?

.1-1trf1.0fcouzirtenivays, toaterent degrees.

What kind of financial resources do the brin with them?

1170771nErmum, they al pay membership tees. ome oz Fir

eerAcee. And if time is money, their personal contributions

of time would berdifficult to measure. .Assr. What is the nature ,of the involvement of youths, of eduOUtors,

ox emniorlIqls1..M1121

Youths st*T4YT4fesiiititsfiatb-lh4-effectivenese of programs;

educators are prepared to deal with problems faced by youths

seeking jobs; employers learn what educators are doing and

teach educators about business; the CETA prime sponsors are

involved in all aspects of the problems._

lethereatleastrf_ominalizitof-allthelaers

.orthnecessaziunesoutons

ThereAst4oietlian zismizialiWvolvement of most of the sponsors.

Does the executive director come from the local area?

She has lived here for many years.

Was she involved in:the application process?

Is there other council staff?

3--liteecretary.zrn.

s? How-strong are they and do they represent any identifiable

interests?

They are quite strong and represent the interests of the

council.

4.; What strength 00013 the council-have?-

things to look ;tut

Are the members active in many other collective efforts?

Yes.

Is the council the only game in town?

Ho.

Are elective ItisigtastiatmVals2mnsil7

No. They attend the breakfasts.

MaLie the link betweeji the council and the local government ?:

A formal link without overwhelming reality.

-.181
t

O ---11//hatialn"t4UblilLEIEW111111101StIESIALIIIERSAMEA91thl.

601111Cil witl:reakecttodependency_on participating areurs?

he iiiTICIpating groups pay dues which supply a arse

proportion of the financial structure and which makes the

administrative atrUctare'possible. Is the councilclearlanentitoildentuo

li=lionsonisaton

Idalinen entity; financially, it;is dependent

upon sponsors.

What are the essential features of the collaboration

process and what distinguishes it rom licooperavivell,

coorZindissidvisorys, functions that are encouraged

liner a'varaty o other fe eral grant prograps?

In other federal grant programs those wno wish to obtain

grants prepare,proposil which fits definite specifications.

In this case, the Federal Government supported a program

which was already in existence and which had been established

by local initiative, with local funds. That distinguished

At from, a variet of other federal grant programs.

t.k):404=IIEviiiiLtalilhiLnDineil define it?

ng. I; ie strengths.

Y-- Do they see the rocess as something.genuinely different?a7 it is t sir own.

Has-it occurred in the past?

Not to the knowledge of council members.

11.2_3111,council members actuallx w rk together for achieving

counutl_goals or do the partic ate in lianulal-ion

ann leave the work to counci suf.'s?

The council stali is very small: the council members - all

0 volunteers - actually work together.

Is there a mechanism for members to aet their constituencies

involved in woriqngLAwards counci d a s

his is seen by ,thil-Bxecutive rec'or and council members

as her main task.

Does _phis occur?

Has thl: council been instrumental in to ether or agnizaIrit-wouleigraiterwise have etaslogiitlter. to work

toward-8 coltncii 'Ora,

Yes

Is the council t in to assume a direct program role or AsittlatoactaRat?

Itisgryingtdactaaacaltayst.

III. The Community Work Education Ccuncils vie a via the Sponsoring

Consortium and the Federal Government fl 1. Is therea perceived heed at the local level for the

sponsoring consortium (HMI)?

Yes.

-182-

196
4

AliN,L194221_,..refor:

ow extens ve y o the'councils look for technical assistance

an eneraI information through the conaTiriiiTicalaiTECiion?

en technical assistance and general information .are neede'd

or helpful. This is fairly often.

Does the consortium actively offer them?

Yee,

4WILEJOALALJUHASTa211141W2LIJOHUIdalle

om state organisations.

Aas,the consortium been instrumental in uttin thecouncils

iIntomftwtnothea.gux=ylLJEL2guass.

Tes..Othercouncilsareinterestedinwhat is being done

by NFIEC.

Is theme a positive value attached to this at the local level? lee.

2. How is the federal role perceived?

It is perceived as most unusual in this case.

Things to look fort

Are persons at the local level aware of the federal dollars

Uto ortin their council work?

es. given as they are a` ware that the federal dollars did not

start the program and that federal dollars are not the sole

or major source of support.

Do tho/oorooivo t4119aRRIPLAISERIEVALIXR-E110114

Initiative a consOktium-ihltiitive or a. local initiative?

MFIEO was a oca in t atom; E emote one o Le

work-education councils because: of consortium initfitive.

Would the councils have been created without the initta

WEral support?

No.

If council participants are aware of other federal ro ram

in their communities no ,ney, see any eifferenees between

otheFIELOI!uttlatot to "otrillgo".=EMIA2-

Many council participants are well informed of other federal

programs: some are experts. One major complaint about other

federal programs was that these programs imposed guidelines

and goals upon all communities without regard for the needs

of the individual pommunities. This program attempted to

help a program which had been started by a local community

in answer to a need perceived by the community.

Axe the councils looking for future financial tampallt22

Other federal grant nregrams?

Yes. NFIke would like-to obtain funds through CETA for its

center for career info- motion.

- 183 -

197
n. WORCESTER:CAREER EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

SITE VISIT 10/17-T18/77

Marion Pines

After two days of discussion with 15 people either intimately or peripherally

involved with schoolrto-work transition activities in Worcester, it is clear to

me that this community has many clear-thinking, inner motivated leaders from

several was of life who-are developing productive agenda for institutional

. change. Their style is very process-oriented, slow and deliberate--too slow and

deliberate for some- -but for most interviewed, this style of working is

appropriate for Worcester and one that is viewed as producing the most long

range effects.

Many activities Lave been in the works in Worcester for the past 10-12

Years, end some of the key actors have been on center stage throughout.this

. period. They feel they'have cmmeto the stage where they are today---with a plan

of action ready to start iskplesientation.0

k Most notable among the key actors is William Densmore, Vice President and

General Manager of Norton Company, the area's largest employer. William

Densmore Is a force to be reckoned with and his leadership cannot be underestimated.

A former member of the State Board of Education, a isember of the Mayor's Committee,

for Collaboration between Education and Industry (dating back to 1965!), a leading

force.in the Chamber of Commerce, a leading force behind the Boston University

Study, Mr. Densmore's 481e came up during every interview.

4

:84-'

'98

0

I

O
Cl

sj

s.

APParantlysaverallocal and national historical strains have come together

fortuitously over the past 2-3 years, and the.NM/ grant award has served as

the final icing. The following.ia an attempt to identify some of these strains:

1. 1965 -- Mayor's Committee on Drop-Outs: Identified need to involve

industry in curriculum design to make school program more "relevant"

to students.

2. 1965-66 - -Formation of local Education/Industry Collaboration Committee

at.request of Mayor (growing out of Drop -Outs'Study)

3. 1966-67state Board of Education promulgated policy statements promoting

career education (William Densmore-leading force)

4. 1973 -74 --Policy decision by Worcester School Council (Elected policy

making body) to adopt and promote career education concepts and

-activities in K-12 curriculum.

5. Formation of Steering Committee of Chamber of Commerce leaders and

educatoo(Densmore -catalyst) to help implement School Council policy

directives.

6. 1974 -75- -Economic Recession making local educators "more realityoriented"

7. 1975 -77- -aton University Study, reports and policy option papt.rs based

on intensive study cf local labor market supply and demand factors,

interviews with 1969 graduates concerning their labor market experiences

and interviews with about two dozen employers concerning their attitudes

toward youth.

8. 1976 -- NMI Grant award making the Woreter Career Education Consortium part of the National network.

- 185 -

199

0
Considerable activities were generated around the various benchmarks noted

above, but most did not get past the Problem identification and good intention

stage with 0a few notable exceptioasos

A. Emanating from the Policy directives of the School Council and the formation

of theDensmore,activated Steering Committee have been some carefully designed

staff development and training activites developed by the Career Education

Department of the Public Schools. Designed to make teacherefrom K.12 awsre

of the significance of the knowledge and skills they were imparting to youth,

the teacher training curricule.xncludes syllabus development and 16 hours of

# *W.ksite training with nine local industries. At least 80 teachers are now

is a position to act as trainers for surrounding school communities in addition

to enriching their own curriculum and attitudes. Emanating-from this effort (and

a significant part of it) was an area-wide conference held in March 76 at

Norton Company entitled "Employability - -Whose Responsibility?" attended by

100 employers and described as the largest employers/school interface ever

held in Worcester. The Conference wae'sponsored by the Career Education

Consortium and Worcester Public Schools. From this Conference, commitments were

received to provide field experiences (unpaid) for school enrollees for up to

6 hours per week as part of the school day as well as cammitments for plant

visits and further involvement in teacher training. Staff has been provided

by ?SE to assist the Career Education Unit with follow up on these commitments

O. and placement of students in'alse internships. Although backed officially,

by school authorities, there is some resistance at the teacher level, who

view any removal of the student from the classroom as a dilutiof the

academic experience. Continual effort is being made at the teacher level

as well as the employer level to promote the concept of "everyone is a teacher"

sn4 the "city is the classroom!" However this teacher training and student

field placement effort is the only tangible implementation activity noted to

l date. However,, impression is given that Worcester is about to "break loose".

re 2 ofb

4 1
B. The Boston University Study has evidently haeu.of-great a- ssistance to the

Consortium. Althdugh criticized by'some as containing0het everyone "knew in his._

gut", it has provided a focus and methodogiCal base on which to: form an agenda.

As such, it is an extremely valuable tool for the Consortium. Particularly_

noteworthy was the sharp focus placed on the short-run labor supply shortages,

to b^ anticipated in Worcester by the replacement of an aging blue-collar

work force. Though various groups may differ with some of the demographic

projections, almost almost all feel the Boston Universrsy-Study is of immense value,

and a sound and relpable core of information on which to base future aciti ites.,

C. Although includedin the NMI Network in 1976 , the Consortium has recent

undergone a complete internal reorganizatebn. Just incorporated as a nonprofit

corporation in order to accept local corporate gifts, it has a new set of by-laws,

policy objectives and executive, Director (on board since October 1). The

new Director, Robert Sakakeeny is not unknown to the members, since he has

served in a consultant capacity. HoweVer, his present contract is a 90-day

option during which both he and the Board of Directors are assessing each other.

The following is an analysis of some of the major issues connected with

this ynalp attessment A06,16

Federal Action/Community AdTion and the Role of NMI

I feel stronglybas a result of my interviews, that the Worcester operation

is basically a local operation, conceptualized and implemented to date by a

a. 'few strong-minded, energetic community leaders. Most agree that neither the federal

dollars nor the NMI role are critical to them in the future (after another

year or two), but do agree that the current funding is valuable for staff support.

The value of NMI and their technical support were perceived most acutely by the

staff director and Board chairman who have had the most contact with NFIi

sponsored conferences, etc. The explanption given by several interviewees for

theNstop and stare nature of the activities over thi,past 10-12 years was that'
> no.oneAiaw implementation as their responsibility. Funding over the recent

few years for staff support has come from several sources: State Department

of Education, Chamber of Commerce andthe Department of Labor via NMI.

The current $114000 deficitie expected to be offset by local fund raisind;

The Chief value that VN1 has been to the Worcester Community is providing

the contact with "the network"; a kind of an eye on the world. This.has given

the Iocla people a sense of prestige, and an endorsement that their own

perceptions are in fact national perceptions and that they are "on course".

Comments were heard like "Willard Wirtz is our God-Father". "When we read The

Boundless 'Resource it confirmed what we had been thinking for 10 years". And

The Boundless Resource is our Bible". When asked how many copies of the

Bible they had, they admitted to being asked to buy 40 (!!)-. They admitted that

they feelthey are ahead of many other communities in the Network and

4

could provide some T/A themselves. They see themselves ready to break loose

in another year or two. But it should be remembered that Worcester is on 4.

um but steady course of action. 4

ti Si

Collaboration

Ascertaining the true level of collaboration is difficult. Certainly there,

is involvement. The business community members interviewed were quite candid

in admitting "enlighted self interest" in the promoting of the Consortium.

Whin Malcoin,MacLeod of the Taxpayers Association waPasked who had most to

ar

lose if the Consortium disappeared, he unhesitatingly said, "the business

community". The business community in Worcester is a local community with

deep and multi-generational roots. Commitment to the general betterment of

the community is 13 natural instinct. They has been involved with crime prevention

activities, "troubled employee " (alcohol -abuse) programs, pre-natal facilities

studies and the like ove?the years, so that interest in the educational process

is not unnatural. But this interest clearly goes beyond social concern. It is

0

e

1

- 188 -

202
0

seen at its simplis foim as a desire to convince educators and students of the

value of the frei enterprise system, and at its most conceptual level, as

a need to prepare the whole student fog' life. Sheflesibetween focus on

occupational Choices and better counseling service.

However, most, if not all of the implemention activities to date have been generated

by the educational establishment- -never forgetting the key and crucial continual

spark-plug role of Bill Densmore.

Larry Fox of the Higher Education Consortium claims that "cooperation

is an unnatural act" but all parties interviewed felt that the existence of

the Consortium gave all players a chance to meet, exchange ideas age plan

joint activities. That probably best describes the current statva.

All agree that intensive missionary work must go forward to get greater

involvement of the business community and the educational staff (below managerial

levels) in understanding the concepts behind school-to-work life transition.

Interface withPrime S onsor and CETA Resources

Perham the most disquieting aspect of$my interviews was the almost total

isolation of the Consortium and its agenda from CETA and its activities. Most

interviewers perCeive CETA as a continuation of categorical programs. The

youth model is still dialed NYC; is still operated as an income maintenance

program by the local CAP Agency. But most unexpected, was the lack of

perception on the part of the educators and business leaders that CETA resources

could be channeled to enhance their school-to-work transition goalsThey did

not perceive the local policy development possibilities in CETA. The prime

sponsor has a new director (July 1)i: The City Manager appointed a youth

advisory committee last March. Unfortunately, they ousortium has such a low

profile (although the City Manager is a Member) that it was not approached by

the City Manager to play this key role in planning youth activities under the

New Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act.

Consortiumthembers expressed concerns that the Federal Government appeared

to be only interested in econolically disadvantaged youth, and that their

concerns were broader. However, in all, meetings held by this interviewer, ways of

- 189 - pap

C.
interfacing the plans, the valuable contracts and the ground work laid by

the Consortium with CETA were articulated. It became clear to many that CETA

could and should build on.the established school/employer linkages of the Consortium,

the inventory of current resources of the Consortium, the Boston University

Studios well as some of the current program models such as the Special E0/Girls

Club Alternative Schools and the student internships. I left Worcester

feelin that the City Manager and the CETA director will be hearing from the

Consortium and that some joint membership on planning councils as well as joint

funding of program activities may result. Minor turf problems exist, at least

they apoear minortom the safe distance of an out-of-town visitor.

Summary:

On balance, Worcester seems to be the right size, with the right pc ?le

thinking the right thoughts. NMI has helped massage them through puberty,

but they're still pot quite ready to cut the cord. The message for other communities seems to be school-to-work lifmconcepts-andprogram activities must

start from within the community. It Is difficult to impose this process from

the Federal government. Ideas can start with school people, with community

leaders from business, from social service or from City Hall. Activities come

together haltingly and gradually and federal dollars help with staff support,.

T/A and exposure to the experience of other communities.

The less prescriptive and categorical the federal dollars, the more bradbased the community support is likely to be. If the federal dollars coming into

communities for purposes of labor market planning and manpower program %pitmentation remain "relatively" decaegorized, the CETA planniag council and youth

planning council could, if properly conceptualiznd,-subsume many of the activities

of these network organizations. The councils may be more important to smaller

communities with less sophisticated interface mechanisms in place. Properly

- 190" -

204'
train 1c gioMl (*pertinent of Laboritaff could (but probably would not) play

the advaacy role that NMI plays. If NMI is' to be continued, in this role,

woUld'teCOmiend that their spots carefully enj thoughtfully chosentorthem:

4

191.

kle

el
Minneapolii,Work-Education i&ncil

Minneapolis, Minnesota

October 17-18, 1977

By Thayne Robson

Based upon interviews with seven members of the Minneapolis WorkEdication Council NEC), the Council director, and reading the meeting

minutes and other communiques prepared to describe the work of the Council,

0

the followin§tgeneral conclusions seem warranted:

One, the Council has developed slowly,but successfully over the

past ten months. The membership is largely complete except for additional

representation from PTA (parent groups) and students. The Council has yet

to develop a clear set of short term or Tong term goals, but all members

agree that tI.e monthly meetings have provided an extremely important

dialogue amp the per structure of Minneapolis.

'Two, the Work-Education Council does haire-representation from the

the "power structure" of the Minneapolis community: business, education,

government officials--elected and administrative--labor unions,etc.

Representatives from each of the groups expressed support for the Council.

Three, the role of the business community in Minneapolis affairs

is greatly enhanced by the fact that the national headquarters of several

large corporations are located in the city, Each of the major companies

seems to give strong support to corporate citizenship issues. Among the

firms taking an active role are: Honeywell, General Mills, Cargill, The

sbta Company, Minneapolis Star & Tribune, Target Stores, TV; First

National Bee. of Minneapolis, North West Bell Telephone, and Mit4sota

Gas Company.

Four, the WEC has held monthly meetings since May 1977. The membership has grown steadily over this period. (A list of current members and

affiliations is attached.) A permanent chairman was elected at the August

meeting. Both the chairman and the staff person are enthusiastic aboit the

Council's work and committed to achieving success.

Five, the most sign4ficant accomplishment to date, in addition to

solving the organizationa's and membership problem, has been the initial

development work on an inventory or directory of all agencies and programs

serving youth in the Minneapolis area. (A summary document is attached.)

Although a great deal more work is required to determine precisely the level

- ,192

206
of staffing, funding, and services for each of the programs or agencies,

it is clear that over 60 agencies, public and private, now claim to be

working on youth employment problems in the Minneapolis area. Two task

force groups are at work, one on the inventory and the other on preparing

a brochure explaining the organization and goals of the Council.

Six, there is general agreement among those interviewed that the

Council does provide an important forum where the activities, programs

and commitment's of all youth progams can be reviewed and analyzed and

where %formation can be shared. There was also agreement that no other

advisory committee, council, or planning body was currently meeting this

need. There was also agreement that the Council could play an important

role it haystematizine or "coordinating" the numerous programs.

Seven, there are rathet widespread differences among the Council

members interviewed on the extent to which the Council can or should become

involved in either formal evaluation of existing programt or initiating

new programs--either as. a Virect sponsor or in cooperation with one or

more of the programs within the city. Those who favor the Council taking

the initiative in starting new programs were of the view that the Council

should not become a regular operator of programs. It was their view that

programs started by the Council should be spun off to other organizations

once the programs were:on their feet.

Eight, Minneapolis does not have a severe youth unemployment problem

compared with other metropolitan areas of similar size. The city has a

good school system,both in vocational education and college prepartory work,

and has worked out alternative programs for students who have difficulty

in completing regular programs. Furthermore, the minority population of

the city is less than 7 percent.

Nine, there are no local funds going into the support of the Council

other than the provision of office space and secretarial support by NAB.

There was general agreement on the need for more staff and more financial

support for the work of the Council. The most immediate need is for money and

staff to complete the inventory project. The school district is considering

the assignment of one or two work study students to work for the Council,

and the CETA director 'is exploring the assignment of one or two PSE slotS

for further support. The organization and policies of NAB may complicate

the assignment of PSE or work-study students of the Council staff.

Ten, the basic support for and direction to the Council seems to come

primarily from the Council members themselves. There appears to be some

concern from the members and the staff about how much direction.is to be

expected from NAB Washington or from the Department of Labor. Part of this

problem is traceable to the conflict that arose at the outset when a group

in Minneapolis known "The Early School Leavers".applied directly to NMI

for a grant to set up and operate the Council. After this application was

filed, Minneapolis was selected by NAB Washington as one of the five NAB

cities. The initiative thereafter was taken by the NAB national

office to initiate the program in Minneapolis. The Early School Leavers

group is now represented on the Council and these early concerns seem to

have been largely overcome.

193

207
1,

(. P

. The. organizational structure of the Council is interesting. This

organizational effort faced the common problem of how to obtain the power and

interest of chief executive officers in business and public agencies

:while at the. same time having the work done through regular meetings by

persons with more time and interest in the day-to-day issues facing the

Council.. The compromise worked out appears to be well suited for the

interests and needs of all, concerned.

The Board of Directors consists of the chief executive officers who

have pledged support to the Council and a willingness to assist as needed.

The Directors meet only when requested. Tht working Council--earlier

called alternates--is charged with developing the program and bringing

problems and issues which_require action and support to the attention.

of the Directors. The two bodies known as (1) the Board of Directors and

(2) the Work-Education Council, maintain liaison in two ways. First,

most of the chief executives are represented on the Council by subordinates

and second,,the Directors have charged the Council to bring to it a program

which will aid the transition of youth from school to work in Minneapolis

(A current membership list for both groups is attached.)

- 194
e qt/

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE BETHEL AREA COMMUNITY

WORK EDUCATION, OUNCIL

::, by

'Gregory Wurzburg -

Bethel is a small, rural community in west central Maine, closer

in spirit and distance to the White Mountains in nearby New Hampshire than

. to the'more "developed" regions of the state. Set apart from other growth

tcenters in'the state, the town is more isolated than most other towns its

Size in Maine. Being too far from state and county - 'service network centers,

but not large enough to support its own service network, Bethel has been,

left out, in some respects,. from"the service delivery mechanisms that meet

the human resoLrce needs of other municipalities:

The sense of isolation in Bethel is reinforced by the surrounding

geography and the internal structure of.the town. -The town is surrounded

on all sides by mountains and hills; the landscape is broken by lakes and

rivers. Travel is by private car on twisted roads that increase distances

dramatically. Within the town there are alio dramatic distances among

residents. There is a surprisingly clean cleavage between two principal

grouPs_that right be-loosely categorized as 'haves and "have nots," It

is an almost feudal society with a relatively small middle- class.

In economic terms,,Bethel is not appreciably better or worse off

than other communities in Maine, but the economic life of the town is below

any national economic norm. Employment opportunities in the area have

remained relatively fixed for years with no influx of major employers and

a slow decline as marginal businesses have closed. There Is a strong

underlying assumption that the employment situation is a given. Although

- 195, 209
there is a small tourist trade, and some agriculture, the mainstay of economic

activity is the wood industry: harvesting, pulping (to a limited extent),

and wood finishing. They are industries that are not conducive to building

a stable and skilled labor force. Most of the work requires minimal skills

and the wood harvesting operations are extraordinarily hazardous. Moves

to bring in large outside employers or attempt any major economic development

receive hardly any hearing and do not pick up popular support from the people

who count. The only industry that seems to have a chance for further growth

Is the tourist trade, and that is largely because of the element of local

control and the interest in capitalizing on the presence of a transient

population. . Persons concerned over the issue of the youth school to work

transition seethe need -for -a broader-based economy with a larger skill mix,

more skill differentials, and greater personal growth opportunities. Most

. - ". of this ruis.counter to the economic interests of the "haves." In the past,

the latter have actively discouraged outside employers from coming in for

c-.- fear they would drive up wages either through direct competition for workers

to skill jobs or by creating new higher skilled jobs that would

attract workers currently in_low skilled jobs. In somecases the

"discouragement" has taken the form of no welcome. mat for outsiders. There

is evidence that in other cases special steps were taken to zone out

-. industrial intrusions. Regardless of the measures taken, the net effect

has been that no major employers have entered the area in years. This

,-1

forms part of. the backdrop to the Bethel Area Community Work Education

Council.

4

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210
The Community Work Education Council Development

The Bethel Area Community Work Education Council (BAWEC) was

formally voted into existence the night I left Bethel. At first glance

it appears to be something of an anomaly, but on closer inspection it is

clear that the Council has put down strong roots and may indeed thrive.

Before the Council was formally established in October of this

Year, an ad:hoc committee of persons representing some of the local interests

was established to lay a foundation. Two persons were instrumental in

establishing.the ad hoc committee and making the application to the National

Manpower Institute for funding a grant, the Superintendent of Public Schools

and the Director for Adult Education. Ken Smith, the Superintendet of

Public Schools for the local School Administration District (SAD #44) is

f_

new to Bethel, having worked in his job for about a year. Marie Wilson, .

the Adult Education director, has workePwith the school system for a few

years operating adult education programs and succeeding in winning a number

of federal grants for the area, through CETA as well as a number of other

non-Department of Labor programs. These two persons perceived in their

minds aspects of the school to work transition issue which posed problems

and which a scbool to work council could address. They also identified

a funding resource. The School Superintendent's brother, working for NMI,

almost certainly played a role in introducing Bethel and NMI, but Marie Wilson's

understanding of federal grant-in-aid programs was also helpful in making

the match.

Beyond the germination, the sequence of events in the growth of

the Council idea gets cloudy. Many factors came into play. It appears,

though, that two factors acted as catalysts in galvanizing support for the

- 197 -

211
Council. The immediate issue was the void left by the collapse of the local

vocational education system. The second issue, a more nebulous one

encompassing the first, is the isolation Bethel experiences in the

government service network operating in that section of Maine.

The history of vocational education services for Bethel students

is representative in many ways of a larger pattern of service delivery that

is not responding to local need. Before the 1976-1977 school year, the local

--- vocational education system was fairly successful. It relied heavily on

the Gould Academy in Bethel which accepted local students untibthe late

1960s and successfully placed many of them. When Gould stopped accepting

local students, vocational education suffered a decline until a new middle

school and high school (Telstar) was completed. Then vocational education

programs linked to a co-op program to give students work experience in local

businesses. That strategy proved successful. until the 1916-1977 school year

when a state-mandated vocational education regionalization plan putting

Bethel's vocational edu ation system under regional control fell apart

in Northern Oxford County, leaving Bethel without vocational education

services. The pattern was similar to other regionalized service delivery

mechanisms that are based in other communities and are not responding to

Bethel's needs. The experience with the Northern Oxford County Vocational

Area (NOVA) was not an exceptional incident.

The pattern of isolation is also found in the state employment

service activities that supposedly serve Bethel through an office in

Rumford (30 miles away) and in the Community Services Administration network

that supposedly serve Bethel from an office in South Paris (30 miles away). ,

Neither organization has effectively surveyed needs in Bethel and neither

- 198 -
has adopted service delivery patterns to serve Bethel. The cumulative

marshalled more effectively and then outside resources (most federal grantprogram agent. This does not presume that resources are already available

to take a program role. The thinking, howver, is thatsinitially the Council

has to spell out what the issue of transitton entails and what the relevant

problens are. Once that is done, it is assvmed that local resources can be

in-aid assistance, it appears) can be tapped, if necessary.

213

effect has been to create a service void in which some of Bethel's problems

, 4 are ignored.

The lack of human services in Bethel helped create the climate in

which members of the ad hoc committee turned to a new mechanism for some

solutions. But that initiative was premised on some concerns a bit more

6; specific than the notion of the school to work transition. One member of

the ad hoc committee was concerned about Cie inadequacy of career &1ucation

effu'ts: providing too few services to too narrow a spectrum of students.

Another member, and one of the major local employers, was concerned about

the deteriorating linkages between employers and vocational education interests.

As father he was concerned about the limited consciousness of young adults

in Bethel, growing up with a narrow perspective on life in Bethel and no firsthand knowledge of life in the resi of the world. Two themes that came

. up repeatedly were the attitudes of students towards work and. their limited

horizons.

How these concerns are translated into an agenda for action remains

Gs to be seen. The elected Council will have to decide that. But the thinkinp

of the committee members, Don Bean -- newly appointed executive director

for t'e committee/council, and persons outside the committee is instructive.

They all see the Council acting as a catalyst initially, not as a direct
}11

After some extensive ground work and discusiion with committee

members, Don Bean sees the main emphasis right now on conducting a locally-

. oriented needs assessment ind on identifying specific issues and problems

so that the generalized notion of "school to work transition" can be defined

and documented. at is hoped that the "needs assessment" will be able to

present a useable analysis of the local- labor supply and demand conditions

and some insights into where stiale74s gl and what they do during the transition

stage.

The Council it barely underway so iiis hard to assess participation

so far. However, in the formative Cages, certain segments of the community

0

have not _had inputs, formal or otherwise. Student input has been limited.

lo

Although there are plans- to incorporateOudents into the Council, it is

too early to say whether that will occur. Another segment of the community

t Itas been lacking is the low-skilled and low-paid workers. This a

0° group that other community,organizers in the area have not been able to tap

effectively, Unions, ireffective as they are, have not been approached

because "the time is not right." This is the kind of area where who you

are is more important that uktt you say. Oft Bean, new to Bethel, does not

feel that he

0

has the community standing yet, necessary to successfully

approach the unions.

The ad hoc committee/council has been carried thus far largely

through the energies of a few Individuals. Whether it captures the cjImmunity

fancy will depend on (1) whether it has struck a responsive chord, and

(2) whether the Council is a workable forum for coalescing the varied

interests. The first condition is problemmatic, but there are some reasons

to believe that with respect toithe second condition the collaborative

200 -

P

214

1

f.

0
ot

A

proiess in Bethel may 140 something distinctive that will have some impacts

'different from what-Might otherwise occur.

From what was observed, the Council is neither creating a role

for itself from nothings nor is it horning in on the roles of other institutions.

The process seems to have focused attention on the school to work transition f'

issue in such a way as to call for a new institutional response. That

response would be filling a genuine void.

Although it is not clear that the Bethel Area CWEC can deal with

school to wont transition, there are ro other institutions that could

adequately address it alone. Career guidance in the public schools is largely

ineffective because the one counselor serving seven grades is tremendously

i

overworked. The voeattTonal education advising group is naturally focihi:t

on just one component of education. But, just as importantly, it is perceived

to be overrepreserstative of employer interests. The school board of education,

while a fairly enlightened group sensitive to poll% issues that Oanscend

the management of the school budget, simply is not equipped to tackle the 0

issue alone. There are no effective youth organizations in the area. The

local government is not appropriate because of its burden and the fa ='t that

'it is not a forum where the school to workeransition could get a good hearing

in the conceptual stage. Outside the community there is no cleateinstitutional

mandate for action along these lines. If there were, it is doubtful whether

resources would be devoted to it. The regional community services agency

could, in theory, be a vehicle for spurring collaboration. But, in practice,

4

it is,00verworked and overcommitted already and if past experience is any

indicator,couldnotmountmuchofacollaborativeeffortiOlethel. CETA

does not appear to be a good mechanism either. Bethel falls in the Maine

201

'.215
4114,04.,

4

balance of state operation.

Councilcir,, the Count* (CETA)

The channel to the State Manpower Services

Advisory 'council. If it were to attempt.

collaborative efforts, the effect of this grourould probably be minimal

fora number of reasons. It has a county orientation which works against

Bethel, but is also dominated by its. chairman who, froniall indications,

is not inclined to give the school to work transition a hearing, nor give it

any resources, because it is a "soft" program. Bethel's tie into Title I

services would1be through the regional community services agency, which

as already reported, cannot effectively reach out to Bethel.

The Council could succeed whereother institutions alone have not

done enough, because it is structured to cut across the lines of institutions

organized oea largely regional basis, and force a focus on Bethel area

issues, More fundamentally, it also creates a forum for local concern where

there was none.before.

Although there appears to be.a convincing need for the council and

the pivotal role it is playing, there is not much evidence to indicate it would

have come aboUt without the school to work transition program effort at the

federal level. Resources are scarce in the area, and any kindl'of organizational

developMent in the Bethel "cultural" climate hC7 to be sloW and deliberate.

Seed money has to be sufficient to sustain an evolving project like this for

an extended period of time. Without adequate outside seed money, the

. diseconomieNaf the small rural

, scale of availablelocal resources are

11 0

sure to kill\,e project. 4

It seems that one element of the collaboration concept is to line

up available resources so they can be directed towards solving a problem.

Although the executive director of BACWEC and the ad hoc committee have

0

202

216
succeeded in getting a commitment for a time and ideas from the committee

members, hard resources are scarce. The BACWEC has gotten office space

from the SAD #44, but nothing is clear for the future. In the opinion of

the persons involved so far, that is not important for the moment;

development is in too early a stage. But it is obvious that the Council

will have to take_a role in identifying a permanent source of funding that

will probably be outsidelethel. Unless it comes with few strings, the

independent nature'and effectiveness of thbcollaboration process, which

has been carefully nurtured so far, may be impinged upon.

The Council and NMI

The Bethel Area CWEC has received an extensive amount olchnical

assistance from the National Manpower Instige. Most of it has been in

the form of information about national employment and training programs in

general, and updatese community work education council efforts. NMI has

also served as.a facilitator in getting the Executive Director of BACWEC

in to with ether work education councils. Don Bean emphasized the

value of the assistance, sayiefit was a good source of ideas front the

outside. He also stated clearly that NMI was not forcing itself on him or

tie council. But from the outside the NMI role appears at times to be

overbearing. Represehtatives have visited the site a number _of times. While

they have not interferred too much with bhe local organizing, virtually all

of the person4PI spoke with had met the NMI representative and were aware of

45 the NMI presence. NMI had planned another visit in late September or early

October, but postponed it at 'he request of the local council executive

director. He felt their presence was not particularly helpful as the first

formal organizational meeting approached.

203

tki
The line that is perceived between NMI and the Department of Labor

41

is a blurry one *fth few real distinctions perceived. Anything from Washington

is lumped together and viewed with suspicion. To the extent that a DOL role

is perceived, it is strictly:as a funding source. The cot ern about DOL's

commitment boils down to a question of whether BACWEC will receive a second

year of funding. Here there were great doubts. NMI has stressed that COL's

Commitment to the Councils was not firm and that the second year of funding

from DOL was uncertain. The great concern over declining DOL ir`.erest that

HMI reported that the local councils were feeling seems to be more a projection

of NMI's worries than a true rendering of local concerns. Only the executive

director and two ad hoc committee members fully appreciate the DOL role and

all recogntrize a virtue in keepirig the Council distinct from DOL.

C

a 204
AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FRANKLIN COUNTY

COMMUNITY EDUC ON WORK COUNCIL

by

Gregory,Wurzburg

IN _BackgrOund

The Franklin County Community Education Work Project is actually

the first step in what is intended to be a northwest Vermont *work that

will cover Lamoilje County and Grand Isle County, as well as Franklin Coukfy.

The entire northwest area is economically depressed. Unemployment,

and the incidence of poverty, rur well above the state averages which are

well above national averages. Unemployment in some large pockets exceeds

35 percent. Economic growth in the area is mixed. Burlington to the south,

after an exodus' of textile industries, is expert ing the influx of a few

large employers, but the net changes in the Council's three - county target

area is negative, at the margin. Agriculture is declining and wirat industry

thereis in the ar&is not strongly attracted to stay. Energy costs are."

high, and transportation is chanCey AX times. Dut of special importance ,

0 is the inadequate labor supply. In spite of the large numberof jobless

Vermonters in the area, most local businesses looking for skilled, reliable,

and consisnt workers go outside the area in their recruiting. The feeling

among many employers is that the chronic economic depression in the area

has lowered the expectations -- and performance of many native workers

to the point that they will not work in a full-time job on more than a

seasonal basis. The area labor supply is seen as being largely unskilled, 11

kr.prly educated, and hot given to making along-term commitment to any

employment opportunity. For the many residents of the area, these conditions

a

z. 205 -

219
support a self-selection process in which the natives consistently find

-themselves in minimum wage, low - skill, and unstable Jobs.

A'

Young adults coming out of school follow a pattern that is familiar

in isolated rural areas. Slightly more than I in 7 go foil' sine kind of

..post-secondary education. Fewer than I in 7 go on to four year colleges.

The remainder, lacking anything beyond a high school education and frequently

unprepared for any kind of work, stay* the area. There is concern over

the relvely low number of youths who go on for post-secondary education

and there is.a concern over the quality of education and guidance students

receive,in the local schools. ' A number of assumptions seem to have been made about the transition

from school to work. A major one is that there are too few jobs for thi youths

to enter, and that the northwest sector is a labor surplus area very much

in need of economic

M7elopment

measures. That recognition is high on almost

40eryone's list, Mtn ugh there 4i are different opinions about the shape such

. 4, development should take. The two other assumptions that came through were

that evenif/when jobs dre available, the youth in the area are not equipped

to move into them. 104 lack skills, but more importantly, they do not know

enough about the world A..work and planning for their suture.

In identifying the transition problems of youths, no'one pinned

the blame on any one group. A:though at ore time or another the public

schools, employers,, parents, and organizations responsible for CETA and

employment services were fingered as contributing to the problems, no one

OUggested that any one of them could act alone to come up with an effective

solution. The consensus was that.the transition problem called for an

lb

institutional response that somehow brought all the potential players into

the game. The community work education council is seen as the vehicle

- 206 -
for doing that.

The Genesis: The Council and Its Relation to the Community College of Vermont

The Frariklin COunty Community Education Work Council was funded in

response to a grant application prepared by Peter Smith, the President of the

CoMmunity College of Vermont. He heard about the work education council idea

through the AACJC newsletter and submitted an application virtually singlehandedly because of the close parallel he saw between what the council

concept was designed to achieve and what CCV was trying to aNtre. He

thought the work educational council concept supplemented and complemented

t, the theory behirjd CCV. He saw it as another approach to improving the

"career relevance" of education and saw it as a valid way to extend the CCV

concept down to the secondary education level while maintaining the identity

%le of secondary and post-secondary institutions. He also saw the Council as being

able to be piggybacked on the CCV network.*

*l appreciate the meaning of the initial ties between the Franklin County

Cannunity Education %Irk Council and the Caenunity Co 1146 of Vermont, it is

necessary to know a little bit about the latter.

CCV, while not a specifically experimental effort, is a novel variation of

the (immunity college concept. Established in 1970 under the authorization of

the ercht State College Act, and accredited in 1975 by the New England

Assaliation of Schools and Colleges, (XV. attempts to extend participation in

post-secondary education to ncre persons who could use it, and to improve ,the

impact of post-secondary education by making it more adaptable to the unique

needs of individual students. The strategy that CCV has adopted for meeting this'

goal is one that builds heavily on a decentralized, canunity-based network that

tries to identify and pool looal rescturces. CCV has no permanent teaching staff, . no permanent classroom facilities, and ro permar.ent detailed curriculum. Instead,

it relies on an intensive counseling service structured to tip local practitioners ,

who are guaLified to teach formal courses, and to locate carnality facilities

private hates, local schools, or actual mirk environments where classes can be

held. But the core of the CCV approach is *Embodied in its extensive "counseling"

capability that is geared to helping students articulate their life goals and then

to pub sane structure into their education and practical experience so that the

two will mduce consistent career development progress. An important tactic

in Car s approach has been to make OM as accessible as possible to persons who

work and live scattered across a large geographical area.

- 207 -

221
,r also embodied in the community work education council concept. The "collaborative"

process that marks the CCV delivery system is also similar to what is envisioned

. r- Johnson. The Council was staffed initially with a full-time director and cy, secretarial support and program personnel support that were shared with rcV.

Four persons were involved with molding the policies and direction of the

Some of the,eentral notions of "career education" found in CCY are

CWEC collaborative process.. It is no acnident that Peter Smith.was

familiar with the literature on the community work education councils before

he ever heard of the AACJC project.

Intlgration vs. Independence

True to the terms of its application and the implied logic of using

AACJC as a consortium and CCV as the local sponsor, the Council. was established

very much as a. part of CCV. This connection, although looser now, persisted

even when part-way through the application process AACJC emphasized that the

Council's attention was to be concentrated on youth, not the CCV population

which averages above 30 years of age. That distinction notwithstanding,

however, the view from the college president's office was that the Council's

tctivities were a natural extension of tne college. The Council shared CCV

administrative space and shared staff in Johnson and St. Albans. The Council's

operations during the first few months reflected the close ties. Council

operations were run put of CCV offices in St. Albans, Enosburg Falls, and

Council from the time the Council started operation until well into the

summer. The project director was nominally in charge, but Peggy Johnson, a

CCV site director, was also very active, as were Peter Smith and Ken Hood,

, his assistant. The first Council director dropped back toca less than fulltime capacity in mid-summer for personal. reasons, aggravating a void in

' r

- 208 -

`. 222
independent Council leadership until September 1 when Michele Ferland, the

prey ent projeat director, was appointed full-time. At about the same time

Mic6ele Ferland was appointed, AACJC started making noises about the

appearance that the Council was becoming very much a part of CCV.

Since the time when the new project director was appointed, the

-Council has begun moving towards more independence and it is assuming a

clearer identity of its own. She is working full-time for the Council. The

CCV site director atJohnson has been taken off the Council payroll entirely,

and although some other professional and clerical staff are still shared,

the leadership and character of the council are becoming more !ependent.

The informal line of aCtiountability that existed between the first director

and the CCV president's office has virtually been eliminated. The presidentLL

Npow

assistant is now very much out of the operation except where there are clear

links between Council work and CCV activities.

Although it is not purely a functioh'of the interdependence of CU

and the Council, the financial future of the Council could be linked with

CCV. When Peter Smith originally proposed establishing the Council, he

foresaw it. as an activity that could eventually be subsumed in an expanded

CCV role. He has even made tentative plans in the college's proposed budget

to support Council work 100 percent beginning in October 1978. However, in

light of recent pressures from AACJC to keep the Council separate from the

College, and in light of the new project director's concern over the

independence of the Council, it appears unlikely that the Council will rely

on the College for extensive financial supv rt. The presumption is that

support may be available from other state and federal sources, and by securing

that kind of support the Council could establish itself as a free agent.

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223

O
ReOrdless Of what - develops financially, however, it is the intention of the

CCV President to plug into Council activities where it is feasible.

Michele Ferland, while committed to maintaining a strong council identity,

also appears willing to take advantage of CCV resources. That, from all

appearances, would be a symbiotic relationship.

The Collaboration Process

Whatever we are to call the central process that lies at the heart

of whet the Council does, it seems to entail two activities. One is a formal

meeting activity that serves to create a large forum for ventilating ideas

and formulating Council "policies." The other is an informal communication/

work activity that serves to sharpen some of the ideas exchanged in the large

%meetings and to establish specific work agendas. The two activities appear

to be complementary. It is clear that neither one alone could achieve

substantial results.

Both the original4roject director and the present Council project

director have recognized a formal and informal character to the Council's role.

cBoth stated intentions to hold full Council meetings infrequently, once the

4,

Council is established, and. to do the bulk of the Council's work through

ft

"committeer meetings and through less formal contacts between the project

director and Council membeis.

On the formal level the Council meetings have served the following

purposes:

(I) They have brought together a wide cross-section of community

(I

resources and interests that have not been pulled together

before (Even youths have been active in the Council work so

- 210 -

224
op

far. Although none are members yet, there are plans to

bring some aboard).

(2) They have provided a forum for presenting the community work

education council concept in general terms and then adding

specific details to define it in the local context.

(3) They have served to focus discussion on the school to work

transition phenomenon and then to define that phenomenon in

terms of how it is seen from the perspectives of employers,

educators, and youths.

(4) They have served as a forum for discussing strategy for

developing solutions to someof the problems associated with

the school to work transition.

While the Council meetings have proved productive, they have not

always been 100 percent positive. Unfocused leadership in some of the initial

meetingt probably reduced enthusiasm for the Council and its'agenda. This

had the effect of stunting Council progPess during the summer. Leadership

notwithstanding, the open meetings have also had the effect of pushing

members into institutionally defined roles. Public discussion has been marked

by narrow perspectives, confined institutional interests, and some defensive

attitudes.

4% The meetings have not been useful for nailing down problems in

overly specific terms or in suggesting solutions that might point accusing

fingers.

But, the Council sseetings have also had the effeSt of providing

a base upon which informal communications have been established. Those

informal networks which the project director is cultivating with special

attention have achieved a amber of results. The overall effect has been to

211- AP 225
0

break down institutional identities of the different players and to ergtrage

interaction on a more personal basis. This in turn has triggered three

smaller effects:

(1) By putting distance between individuals and the institutions

they represent, informal persuasion has been used to make

persons agents for change on the inside.

(2) Individuals may be able to do end runs on barriers created

by institutional rivalry and plain bad blood. Where one

individual is ineffective, others in the netW can be

brought into the persuasion process so that linkages and

cooperative measures can be established.

(3) Finer details of institutional failures have been spelled

(3ut. Where most members have been reluctant to speak publicly

in much detail about where their respective institutions have

fallen down, they have been much-more open in the informal

network. They have also been mide'willing to point fingers

at what they perceive to be the failures of other institutions.

Essentially by permitting both a formal and informal commdnication

channel, the Council mechanism is providing the project director with a

fairly weltdevelcoed picture of what individuals think the problems are, what

the institutional posture is, where discrepancies between individuals

and their institutions can be leveraged into change, and who the agents for

change might be. . The Council Agenda

The Council has not yet progressed to the point where an agenda

has been developed, but certain directions can be inferred from how the

212

226
-problems are assessed.

The initial plans for the Council are to keep it in a role as a

catalyst for change rather than a direct agent for change. This calls for

a comprehensive needs assessment and a survey of loca resources. Although

the Franklin County project application included a fairly detailed survey

of local employment opportunities and demographic patterns, it failed to take

the analysis far enough in pinning down some specific needs. Data was not

ti

available to support that and time was not available to permit collecting

more information. Consequently, the Council is preparing a fairly detail

assessment that will address current employment opportunities, economic

4

development opportunities, current services and potential for linkages among

thorOservices, and possibly post-secondary vork and education experience

of students leaving local schools. The point is to identify problems in

specific communities within Franklin County and to provide a source of data

for helping to formulate solutions.

The specifics of ':he agenda beyond that point are not clear, since

they are obviously predicated on the problems that the survey flushes out.

4p .= But the assumptioA thus far is that tha gross prVems -- lack of guidance

in the schools, poor communication betilien schools and employers, and lack

of employer awareness of student difficulties -- will have to be solved first

with improved communications. The intention is to keep the Council as a forum

for doing that.

To the extent that additional resources are needed to solve problems,

the intention seems to be to make the Council a catalyst, prodding educational

agencies, for example, into seeking additional support. The feeling now is

that a great deal of vocational education resources and iireer education

- 213 -
resources available from the state and federil government are being foregone

because of local inertia and resistance to. certain innovations.

Although the view so. far is that the Council should generally be

,411i ", organizations, but the thinking islOhat danger is minimized by the fact that,

,facilitating action among other institutions, there is a distinct disinclination

on the part of the project director dnd,Council members to ru4Pout Nible

program role for the Council. ik program role would give the Council more

visibility; tangible results make points for winning members and making more

change.: There is attays the chance that a direct role may jeopardize the

Council's "independence," and bring it into conflict with the goals of other

if

direct action would probably take place only where clear voids exist. It

appears that service voids, attributable to more than bad communications,

do exist, especially with respect to.state-empityment service responsibilities

and the delivery of CETAservices. Data from the state employment service

and the CETA agency is of only limited value. The economic development area

also might offer the opportunity for direq action by the Council. 'Although

there aC1 both state and 1°61 econemt; de4lopment agencies, voids exist.

The state agency is lethargic and unimaginative, confining its fition to

building industrial parks -- which stand almost totally vacant. The localV

,based Target Area Development Corporation may do a more effective job of

;( attracting outsideOusiness and easing resettlement problems; but its,_

orientation is towards developing outside resources. With the interest that

at least one member of that group expressed in developing local economic

development resources -- a different kind of game -- the Council could

conceivably help enc'urage local entrepreneurship. Even activities like

this, however, would probably be undertaken withlegeast some assistance

from groups like the Commmnity College of Vermont.

- Z14

228
ft

. Potential activities notwithstanding, thelgenda is being developed

very slowly at this point. The progress is deliberate, going a step at a

time. What will be crucial to watch is whether an action agenda comes in time

to keep interest. The initial conceptualizing stage has been drawn out by the

hiatds in Council leadership. But the September appointment of Michele Ferland

n. "

y

as the new project director and the more recent appoiltmentf a Council

chairperson ought to speed progress a bit.

A question that should be asked to keep our view of the collaboration

process in perspective is what kind of interaction would take place in the

absence of the Council? The answer can be based on an analysis of what has

.-happened in the past aOsome conjecture about what would be likely to occur

given the presenternditions without a council.

',010r; So far the school to work transition landscape has been marked by

many players in the northwest Vermont area running in separate spheres. The

school system is isolated from employers and, to an extent, from the

community. Whatever contact there has been between schools and employers

has been entirely informa*with an occasionalleacher acting as an intermediary.A

Official administration itolvement is nil. The local board of education

has confined its worries almost entirely administrative mattettsanI putting

out fires. Planning and larger policy issues related"to shortcomings in the

total education process are simply nceaddressed. "Career Education" is a

red flag for many of the local teachers and administrators who mistakenly

see it as a canned teaching package. Consequently, potential outside aid

for career education activitiesthas been ignored. Although there is a state

vocational education agency that has money available for adult education

programs and the kinds of vocational education activity that could be used

r

, - 215 -

2 2 9
SP

to enlarge the educafors'orole in the community, administrators here, t4

have stubbornly refused4to take.the initiative.

LOcal. employers, until the first few Council meetings, were not

aware' of the fact that most of their hires werVfrom outside the northwest

Vermont area. They are now at least ppturing some concern about why that,

may be and what could be done tJ change conditio0.- 1R

0;,eccnomic development activity there has been has taken place

almost. entirely oblivious to youth employment conditions and some larger ',

lahor_market conditions. There is an attempt to increase local employment,

but it is apparent that the local labor supply and market functions have not

been studied very closely. The void appears.to be an act of omission rather

than a result of deliberate policy choice.'

As far as CETA goes, the linkages here too have4n nonexistent.

In spite of the potential for impact on youth, CETA programs have been

limited because of restSfance in the schools to establishing links. Further-

, more, communications between CETA and other local players with a potential

impact -- such _a

4

employers -- have not developed. However, the project

director was just appointed as a member oftit County CETA Advisory 6Nncil,

.) so that may change. She;ses a value in establishing the linkages but

also has a good understanding of what the barriers to those linkages may be.

Ti.Council appears to have had the effect so far of doing two

things. Fist, it has created a focus on the transition issue, and, second,

it has pulled.together persons who have a potential role to play in the

transition process. Although %players involved now are not strangers,_

they have not been together before in the context of a

t

group focusing on this

single issue. That is not likely to happen without the Council and if it

- 216 -

2go

ft.
did, probably 144 would come of it because no one would have the time to

devote to it. The people involved are already overextended. "But the Council

has provided the focus and resources for getting a general agenda from the

members and turning that into a specific plan of action that itappears

can belimplemented through the project director. This will be done using

to the Council formally and using the network it creates informally.

The Consortium Role

The relation between the Franklin County

. Community Education WorkS)

a

Council and tqlikerican Association of Colleges and .Junior Colleges has been

uneven. To the extent that AACJC has provided technical assistance, it has

been useful and appreciated at the Council level. But there are gaps in the

assistance. Of more concern, however, is the Aven guidance that AACJCitas

provided, moving from minimal guidance to more detailed guidance that has ID

conflicted with earlier program lection and conflicts with the idea of ion!

council independence.

In its consortium capacity AACJC attempts to fill an information

exchange and council interaction function. Its first function, really a .:*

technical assistance role, has been limited. AACJC has sent project directors

canned information About the concopc of work education :ouncils and collaboration.

But it has not volunteered practibl technical assistance packages oriented

to program mana0ent issues: group dynamics, rural organization, the pros

and cons of incorporation, federal funding sources, etc. AACJC has been more

successful in establishing links among itseconsortium members and that has

.,* been particularly useful. The second meeting of the Council, June 20, was

built around the AACJC project administrators' conference and included

217

231

Ne.
participation of project directors from the other AACJC-sponsored

That meeting had the effect of establishing communication between Franklin

.County and the other councils. The first project director and the present

project director ha been able to take advantage of tois link, discussing

their experiences with others in somewhat similar situations. For a novel

experiment like this, with so many unknowns, the project directors found

the outside perspedtive useful.

The effectiveness of much of the cross-ventilation provided by the

interaction among AkCJC councils is a function, in part, of its informality.

It might be impossible to "institutionalize" those ltnkq.* However, AACJC !...%

could probably create more opportunities for that kind4,commUnication by

keeping tabs on what different councils are doing and paii,inpplmilar ones.

Aside fr' its dual consortium role, AACJC also has a contract

1.

role with each council. In the case of the Franklin County Council, there

have been difficulties here and the potential for more. The principal question

. is how independent the Council should be.

Using AACJC as a contractor for the school to work initiative

immediately implies a reliance on the AACJC network and some degree of

integration with ommunity college activity. In its original application,

the Community College of Vermint took its cue from this implied relationship

and specifically stated the Council would be integrated as a college activity

with an emphasis on easing the school to work transition of its students.

However, since the CCV students are not "youths" for the most part, AACJC

had CCV redirect the intended focus of the Council on youth. This, in effect,

shifted the focus to s ondary institutions and established more separation

between the Council and CCV. However, the tAea of the Cowl 1 being a CCV

program went unchallenged for a long time.

218

232
41% It was not until September thatAACJC moved, abruptly in the minds

of Franklin County observers, to pressure the Council into an independent

role. At that time the new project director was informed that the Council was

not to be a CCV program and that the shared staffrangement between the

Council and CCV was not going to be tolerated. When the project director

presented AACJC with a new plan for the division'of labor that made some realignments#ACJC concurred. Even now the project director is exploring

other ways of &Inc the Counciliko an independent role. However, that

plan for indepindence is a long-ahge one. It appears that-ipr at least the

next year the_Council will unavoidably. be acting as an administrative A

-extension of CCV. Tbg;concern in Franklin County is that AACJC will suddenly

require more complete independence before the Council can.manage it alone.

The confusion over AACJC's intelntiori raises a number of questions.

Is AACJC taking a stronger role in calling the shots, or is it just trying

to correct some major problems that were overlooked? How much real discretion.

will be allowed at the local level? What are the undertto aisut*ions in

going with a grimp like AACJC as a contractor this whole program?

The first two questions are definktelyrelat,d and the answers'

hinge on the interpretation of how the Council was developing durinp.its first

five months or so. It appears that although the application submitted by

CCV clearly indicated theCouncil was intended to be closely connected with

the College, AACJC did not take the intention seriously or oveMoked it.

Nothing was said until September, It is possible'that the staffing pattern

. that developed, which showed evidence of big overlaps between the Council and

theCollege, was not obvious to AACJC since there was a diffuse decision

structure that made it difficult to get A clear perspective on wawas

41; happening. For a while no fewer than four persons were involved in making

- 219 -

233
.-dicisions. The.second pf.oj1let director, however, appointed September 1;

s4A effectively filled a leadershfpyoid and began conulidating the diffuse

tvi

structure. At about the same tie, AACJC stated quite explicitly that the

Council had to be independent of the College. the AACJC action has confused

the local actorstnd leaves them unsure about what AACJC really wants and

how responsive the local Council must be to the AACJC requestf.,

The third question underlines the concern that the Council director

and some CCV personnel have about the independence of the Council. It is

presumed that since CCV was awarded the grant for establishing a work education

council, some link between the two is presumed, at the outset at least. The

recent AACJC pressure is perceiVed as an about face that contradicts Olt

presumptions AACJt. may have been reactih however (overreacting?), to

what was seen from Washington as an unhealthy dominance over the Council

exerted by the CCV President. Whatever the case actually is, it is evident

that communications between Washington and Franklin Countvneed improvement

The highest priority ought to be given the independersce of the Council and

..'l freedom for it ;ChAits own course -- regardless of how close to.or far

from CCV that col rse may be. ir(

Perceptions Ahout the Federal Role

4

Perceptions about the federal involvement in the Community Educational

Work Council are limited mostly to tit financial end, where there is a great0

.deallnrconcern over whether feeiial funding will be available for a second.

year of operation for the Council., Both the project director and LIF President

of CCV expressed concern that the Department of Labor was expecting the Council

to be in full, operation and self-supporting within a singIeyear of funding.

Neither thought it feasible.

S 220

234

,

0
r .

;

COMMUNITY COUNCILS AN THE TRANSITION

--HEZW,EEN EDUCATION AND WORK

f

4

Paul E. Barton

National.MAnpower Institute

Oc:tobet. 1976

S21.

ti 23;
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

YOUTH: From Education to Work

PAGE

223

1. The Transition to Work Problem 227

2. Alternatives to Approaching the Problem 233

3. The Ccuncil Approach: Concept and

Definition 237

State of the Art: Past and Current

Developments

a. Calera' State of Collaborative

Arrangements.-

241

241

b. The NMI/Federal Government Pilot

`Effort 244

c. Operational Criteria for Identifying

. Council Approaches for the Pilot

Effort 247

5. .Hypotheses and Information Required toTest Hypotheses 251

ADULTS: From Work to Education 258

1. The Transition to Education. Problem 258

2. Possible Agenda for a Collaborative

Process - 263

236

222

.10

a 264

267

Pft

0

um,rill
tt

"oi

v,

INTRODUCTION

The basic purpose of this per is to elaborate the idea

of Councils tomposed of business, eduqation, labor and other

key individuals and community institutions to a degree that

will lay a basis for furttier work to test th is approach to

education/work transitions systematically. It is not, in

itself, an attest to develop an experimental or evaluation

methodology. Instead, its purpose is to provide a resource

that can be used for others to suggest and develop alternative

approaches -to enlarging knowledge about the effectiveness of

collaborative approachei at the communiti.leyel. It enc6,

passes the youth transition from education, and, more briefly,

the adult transition at. various point; from work to educatitn.

The Youth and ldult sections of the paper start with.e

sucmarization of knowledge about barriers in transitions. This

sucmary of. what is known about these barriers is of is larger. body

of analysis by this author and his associates at the National'

Manpower Inititute7,1) and also extracts from Brideitz the Gap,

written by the College Entrance Examination Board and funded

- 223 -

Rs?:

LQ
t -0

o

by the National 'Institute of Education. While it is from such

analyses of, the existing.transition process that the approach 0

of Councils derives, there are alternative or complementary

progtammatic responses that ,could be drawn from the same anal-J-

° sis. These will be commented on. Since this paper is about

the CounCil approach. At will move quickly to an exposition of

that alternative, including the explanation oetf the concept and

the definition of CoUncils or community collaboiative processes.

The state of the at will be summarized, recognizing chatno

systematic- seudy has been mada of4rAe usually fragmentary

. .

._ ventures now underway and"that operational practice is under

evolution at the present time in the form of a pilot effort

launched by the federal governnien't. This pilot effort will be

in som.detail be"Cause it may be an opportunity for

the undertaking of more long range evaluation and development

Re . efforts. A survey lof existing Council efforts through site

visits and systematic data collection was notprovided for in

the commisAiohing of this paper. Includ4d in the desctiptidn,

,of this evolving effort' is -the operational criteria used to

identify collaborative processes for inclusion in the pilot

effort, although these should in no .way be regarOf ded,at official

in the conduct of that Pilot program. *

. Finally, a set of hypotheses will be presented as to the

. . outcomes expected from Council-.type collaborative processes at

* The auithor does not have operational responsibility =or the

portion of the pilot program being carried out by the Nationa:

Manpower lnsititute. -

' 4

,-224 -

238
ti

the communitv level, and the information requirements specified

71, that would enable the testing of these hypotheses. sere will

be divergence of opinion about Out is here specified, but:

hopefully,they will 'provoke the kind of discussion which will

further systematic analysis.

.,1.-lhile tisomewhat parallel organization is used for the

'adul,t section:'ibere is the recognition that practige here is

r.

.. runt:. .. even er behind than what is discussed and underway on the , youtt side. thilfore, this section will be correspondingly

shoeter.

:>

6
Y0M

The period of life discussed here is roughly age 14 to 20.'

Whilsoill youth of this 446 may fall within the scope `of Counn

oil activities, thete is particular (although not exclusive)

concern for those not effecting their transition through the A

four-year college `route. and even more particularly those not

traveling the route of professional degrees. While the young

people to which this paper applies differ considetibiy in

terms of the ease with which they move from adolescence to

economic adulthood... achieve "occupational establishment" in

Marcia Freedman's phrase '...the institutions and interinstivitiwal processes with 4hich this paperAgals,affect

(or are involved with) allqouth in this broad category.

Youth transition is addressed from the standpoint of

improving access to roles which aid in occupational maturation.

,It is not intended as a =ailment approach geared only to a

subset of youth labeled "dieadrantaged" or "minority." It _is

assumed, qg here posited, that the most viable. approach is to

increase opportunities for occupationalmaturation, and that

those most in need will benefit disproportionately, that'$reatment efforts designed solely for a deprived sapient will have

.4411f-defeating features, and thit political realittei dictate

es

- 226 -

246

. A
ti

2

the orgenisatiod of a larger constituency of bineficiaries in

order to adhiev the actions that 4111 help those most in need.

The Trallgiii0so Work` problem,

71,.. The observations which lied to ora.conclusiotythatsome

new effort is needed were such as to strongly suggest that

A.

present arrangements for the youth transitionfor a late

stsment.of'youthwere. not affording the opportunities that

ware capable of. Such observation ofthe-existing situation

leads to a conclusion that changes

(vare

desirable.' Thus, a

Cidetailing of these observations is critical link to a conclusion that changi is needed,,and twa'form of change embodied

in Councils aid collaborative processes)"

ale there is no complete independent analysisof youth

.transitiouCimporierices-within.the confines of this paper, the

central conclusions and facts can be set forth. Then, they

will be related to alternative courses of action and .the.choice

of a process approach embodied in Councils and invollng

'Collaboration among institutionicind sectors at the community

level.

There is an age. gap between high school certitfcation at 1.7_ or 18 and 13,1T

MIT jobs at *se 20 or 21.

Youth do Work both duringwhool bind immediately

After leafing school invhat Can *be ldosely termed

"youth jobs." slhese jobs likely' have value, but

the fact that a market has developed for youth

241

'I
Cf- isbor ex,m- 'qt-from regular entry level 'employ- 0

-sent doe i not -assove the fact of a delay in the

transition process that is known to be avoidable

by Virtue oflthe experience of the kirms that do

hire them, and the cooperative educatiOn programs

(among others1.,that provide ,for earlier, and'

go, gradual transition, 4/

401 The esu to of serve s ofe lo sr hirin

re Ca S n Ain a 41 a eau orted

vs s o t e natur o

The existence a a separate market for youth

labor, based on agi :alone, shows .up in the-,comparisons of occupations held 1>y teenagers with

those bald by adulti with the same educational

A

achievement. Also, the relevance of .age before

210 as compared withcert4ication, shows up in

risearch that .finds. little-difference (holding

I age cansteit).: in the labor market. achievements

of high .school' dropouts and high school graduates .1/

It

e v v t e your t esp.'

OodA411 -OW lit: loiltvantO O is taken of the

0 art or sp. o men a nte at n

o uc at os-en Amor ance.. _ The fact that youth want work experience while

in school, but that it Is almost 'entirely a

matter they arrange through:"friends and relatives" "demo nstrates.both a detlie to work on

the east of the youth and that the oppoitunity

,- 228
et AJ .

.* therm- to integrate work more closely With

education.

it' IS very t

t

us ful'occu ational

event t

re:

e

The 0 atiocco Handbook bo remains,

inmost sittings, the primary .resource and

in Clare Cu 13111

is largely limited to nationwide- information,.

4# The'start made on rollCting "job vacancy"

statis_ts-csAU:.been abandoned. There is seldom

a coinplete,: 'inventory ofkocal -training' facilities and opportunities available. YOuth have

limited 'information, about occupations, though

some research shows. that -those who knot, more

f are better. (hikers is, inadequate riarch on . the,role,.better infotmation would play in- the

transition from school 0- work. The new compuetertIed job information and .counseling_systems

are handicaiped-6y5i lack ofavalliblegood

4' infurmation.1/

While there is owihs vale= orexaers comport it vatsreate to case-- d ten roweduc tion th re are re ativel few of

While some fin41e models exist around the country

the planned interehinge of experience and education is neither large nor -rapidly growing et

the level of secondary education, Cooperative

At

ec

.01

. 229 .

.1 '243

41

it;
0

Education programs are still small in number

and federally financed work experience programs

are largely for income maintenance with the

jobs primarily within t4schoolsystem itself.

School, employer and union participation is

lacking in expanding experience opportunities.

'Sae form of local public service or "Community

Internshipim will be required in most comma-

. ties to supplement ipportunities in the private.

lkector.2/

Placement s ervice-roirrse. studentSWw-up to ace ow 4 lidtkt. is practically non-existent.'

.ro The services of thsjublic Employment Service

;es to in-school and graduating youth has been on

the decline since 1964., (Only one perceni'of

the "Class of 1072" were found by the Office

sk), of Education's survey to babe gotten theirjobs through the EmpToymen7,vt Service._) Schools°

do little placement, although there are several:

woWng scho4 models. .The,;stimulus intended

'to placement under the Higher Education Amendments of i472 never really stook place. There

are exce;tions, particularly in good vocational

education schobls where counselors and

vidual teachers work to find jobs for graduates.8/

244

r*

eft
itt

,Countel serrices. oarvigularlv_for those

ao not enc. u oin to colle e are in

sort -sun to ess oa s en a ed

Drov set*Vaes are -ff.&

not wea 'informed about the work wor

0

-There is an inadequacy in the numbers of

.counselors, in .the Certification arrangements.which screen out non-teachers, in the

naturtf counselor preparation, in. the noncounseling' uses to which existing caunfilors

are put, and in the.harmessing of reseurnes

at large in the community: There are,. again,.

numerous model,. f doing itbettier, and a

consciausness on the part of the American

Persottnal,ana Guidance Atiso4ation S- getting

things on_ a .better. track; through seeking a

broader counseling base in federal legislation.-9/

'Lava relatin to ouch e lo titi are 'overDin ux" itrstooyyout

parents crest n a ,!7.er,ao

an you amp oyment.

14 There are both state arid federal "child labor"

laws that ,affect youth under 19. Field work

has established that there is considerable

confnion among employers about what these

,laws pet-mit and prohibit, and that the possibilities of an employer making, a mistake in

hiring has resulted in excluding youth because of 4isadyantages that might result

'under_Woikmen!s Compensatiott and 'oiler laws .10/

. - 231 -

245 0

4>
There are a vari latiotIs and .ractica p

th4 brs::bienliiof education beyond

EFiaissroom.

These rangAkfrom the way "school attendance" is

'reported for financial aid to the schools which

might not include a day in the "experience"

phase of education, inflexibilities in class

scheduling that inhibit a variety of possible

work experierceklinkag to regular employing

institutions, and "wprk permit" arrangements

.w11/ usually taministered by the schools4

While there are important exe Lions the

uestion of how much actual job S ii training , A Oula be conducted En the ublic classroom has '..tere ica sJ_Pa.-.1...stoxL:

cal orecechnlit rather Ian jtsucejVLINeisijui r

° 11)rt13 to en....altl111E2-

trainin aract ces and to /iirivate schools that

rovide skill train in , Employer hiring and training prolctices vary

from community to community and industry too,

and also chan.ge over time. Yet decisions made

a abort public school skill training tend to

remain in effect for very long periods of time,

and not be geared to actual employer behavior.

Little effort is made-to integrati private school

.training and public classroom ttlining in ways

that would minimize the need for public classroom

training through'cooperativeirrangements.

- 232 -

246
C 4

4

. These are some of the major disjunctures in the mov-6TAt

.0 of yodth into economic.edulthood. In some cases, direct evidence l.'s cited; such as employer hivinPpractices toward

persons under 21: and the "youth Job" labor maiket that exists"

.below ehat age. In other instances, the absence of linking

mechanisms, such as any placement assistance. to graduating.

"high school students, is:cited with the implicit assumption

thaethe transition, would be smoother, and the youthjoh'match

a Otter ole,,if such mechKnisms were. present.

21 Alternatives to Approacang the Problem

46,

The elements of a successful transition are many;, gad the

' locus of responsibility varied. There are questiOns about

t; which .particular problem area accounts for the largest share

of present difficulties, and there are different approaches "4--

%

to anycne of them. AD. further confuse the development" of

policy, different youth experience these barriers, differentially, and single approaches are likely selectiO as to the

te

. . youth who are affected.

There are a-number of componentsto an improvement effort

, that might be looked upon as experimental models, and within

the component:.. there are alternative approaches which would

warrant comparison. these terms of substantive actions,

there acre a number of. current efforts that are promising and 4.

nelsXose attention, such as:

- 233 -

el

247
- Experience Based 'Career Education which is being

extended by NIE and OE, and other education/experience programs; -

. . New statewide'computer and occupational information systems being piloted by the Department of

Labor; , - Experimental school placement services being

evaluated infox-one example...Pennsylvania . in three sites; 4 - Several instances of community resource invento

ries to be used in Occupational counseling; and,

- *Curriculum .reforms institutedunder Career

Education.

e

Id addition to recommendiig broad collabworative processes

through Councils, there area number of programmatic approaches

. which need trial such as

t

Community employment counselin servic s which

draw on all resources ava a e utecommunity;

er Model .employment Placement services, on a

pooled basis with a contorpam.o: high schools,

through the public employment service, jointly

betileen the schools and the employment service,

.'and through volunteer service organizations.;

cPAIRIgni47_1t4IKAIhkgMEtWAga to enlarge ,Wlextceoppurients beyond.

what is available in the regular job market;

1 ftiik404111ZMUWEE fora].

prpgrams wit= a cammunity.to

ciencies and duplication;

work experience , tmercome,ineffierasion throw h

commun ; DemonstrationavelmuyomTA.

federal enDI ere located

Ex erimentatiod to see haw erience education

combinatiotaa est emp oyer. attitudes

toward hirtma 'math;

An education mum to 'provide accurate informatiopoabout culd labor laws;

s

-234-

248
ri

.4F;;epestratiOn TV to provide information about.

'occut4,..tions,ana access'to them;

1 local occupational inventory of jobs, service,

and training opportunities;

t.

Publication of a aide for local communities

showing them innowit ve mode s now ..nerciiiince\o"

to integrate edutation dnd work; and

A con2.21.122LL2fjob performance of .-18 vetir olds

and7lelfilii-to see how accurate employer stereotypes are.

4) While such .sulAtadtive actions are ultimately iniolved,

an alternative is tostartwith'a process rather than a pro-'

gram. There would be established in a.comqunity a collaborative

piocess among the ine,titutions'and individuals that have a

. apition of the control over, or involvement in, thvt transition

'from school to Oork. '01.1t Of that collaboration would-come an

assessmentof the needs, and a'substantive agenda for meeting

them which could well be arawnfrom the possibilities just

The term Councils has been used for such a process,

, cy Education-Work Councils by the. National Manpot4er

deicribed:

and 6mumuni

Institute.

r

This approach was.arrived at based upon the analysis of.

. the problem which disclo'ses , how separatethe major.institt

tions are, one from the other,and how hard it would be to

eacceed on any programmatic. front with any single institution

acting alone.

This view is based on the observation that much of the

transition process is outside the reach of the schools; that

- 235-

*49
'sr employers have conceptions of persons' under 21'not necessarily

changed curriculum modifications at age .2; that the4integration of experience opportunities with education will require

joint ae *ion and planning on the part of schools and employers;

4 that a great deal of the resouicos available in the codimunity

le/foia6ising youdg people on how co get from where they are'

to the careers they want

retiredcitizenry; that

duties they abdicated if

lie with the already emplOedI-ant

parents, may well reassume some of the

they are invo lved ,,enough to have

access to the information they would need to do so.; that there

*is a 'voluntary sector* that wants to be involved in youth

access to useful rolls; and that unions have both an interest

in'imOroving the.prospects for youth and a stake in how this

is done, especially when it involves expanding experience'

opportunities a earlier agei..

Beyond these observations, 'there 'is the'fact that grovern-.

. , menehas resources that can be tipped, and responsibilities in

this area to be carried out--the public Employdent Servictie

t. and

the Prime Sponsors under the Comprehensive Employment and

Training Act, for.exampli--but'it cannot be liccessful acting

alone;.that the assembly of up-to-date information about

training and job opportunities means that the cooperation of

training and employing institutions has tobe achieved .and

that it would be desirable'to take maximum'advantage of such

* The relatively new Natiohal Collaboration for Youth, a

Collection of the older organizations such Ls YMCA and YWCA,

the Boys Clubs, the Boy Scouts, and others, is an indication

of suoh interest.

-236-

250.

t

r.
.existing initiativer, for example, as the National Alliance

of Businessmeh, the Human Risources.Devolopme...t Institute, the 4

Council for EcOlomic'Education, and the Chamber of COmmerce

nay pilot efforts in leading employer involveient with Career

Education.

The alternative of Councils and a collaborative process

derives from these linkages whith would be necessary to beneficially affrCt youth's negotiation of the transition process.

It vas set forth bfitsi:iadvocatei as a scatter 'worth trying on

a pilciebasis, so' that judgments could be*made about any

broader applicability.

4 Having distinguished among basic alternatiyea of program

and protest, it is now necessary to btmoreAlefinitive about

'the,, terms which are being used.

The Coma]. Appro ch; Concert and Definition

The Words "Council" and "collaborative procesrhave been

used interchangeably. A Council, or Community Education-Work

Council, is no more than one partidular name for a collabora-

, tive process, so itii the latter words which become important,

and that is,whatWill.be defined.

,A proceis of Collaboration means the -participation of the

representatives of the important institutions and sectors, of

the community that have the responsibility, resources, and

influenCetto,deal with the whole of the transition to regular

- 237 -

25.1
Some. examplesof iptiviation for cooperation would be the

`employees' stake in the quality with which t,,a labor supply is

shaped, equal access to entry workers, and the attitudes youth

develop'about work and the economic system. Mhools *want their

paduates to be successful in the employment world and need

employer help, in arranging for experience opportunity during

education, and increased community support; unions will wiht.

the improyed ihfbrmation alyeit growth in Occupations. 'Parents

wOuld.want,the ihformation.wi.th which to 'be of greater. help

in assistingtiteir children with career choices; they too

often-feei useless and helpless at the time of critical career

decisions. As the'edupation-work initiative unfolds, there

be generally a greater awareness of the responsibility,

each sector of the community has for the transition prociss,

and this will tend to make these sectors want to be favorably

judged as to whether they are meeting those responsibilities.

Some examples of sources of.conflict might stem from mare

:). .pressure fromemploycesand/ov employees for job specific

k.- 3.,. "training than the 'sdhools think desirable to give in the class- . roam, employer perceived ldck bf appreciation on the #part of

the schools that they cannot provide-job and paid experience

opPoriuhities-beyond whIt their sales volumes and pibduction

. 4

. requirements will Allow, and of unions that greater.

competition to adult job holders may result from. more intense

efforts to smooth the youth transition to work.

- 238 -
adult employment. It means an attempt to accomplish jointly

what could flat be achieved singly, and a wh9li that is larger

than, the sum of its parts.

A "collaborative pxocess,".as used here, is identified by:

being an or an z d' activity with an sgreed-upon

policy for is conduct.

the participation of representatives of. education,

business, libor, parents, the ,oluntary,and service

organization_sector, the.public, students.'..or at

least a sufficient number of the above to provide

the expectation of significant achievement.

, an involvement in the improvement of the transition , arrangedents rather than' the rest of the group being

"advisory" to any one of the represented, institutions

or sectors

the.development"of, or working on the development of,

an a enda of substantive actions, a riopitizin of

.the tems on. the agenda, and ElatudnR toward actually , carrying ouethe agenda.

While these rapretentitives ,p.nd individuals will be

swotking together jointly," and thuscolliborating, the manner

of doing so will include both cooperation and conflict Each,

out .of the Particular .self interest in the quality of the - 0 youth transition and a concept of the broader community interest

. with which they will identity, will have-a motivation to cooperate. But each, out of.differences.in self interest and .1 concept of the broader communit Y.interest will also

tbe in

conflict from time to time with one or 'more of the other par-'

ties. Therefore, there must be strong commitment to the'

processes of cooperation on the part of principal constituencies

or agreements will collapse when sensitive issues arise.

- 239 -

253

moo

-etc.

f
There ire, of course;.forcei at work which retard the

collaboration here described. This is obvic_slit the case since

therslippeses iii the transition process have beenfilvily

attributed to the tendencies of the various parties that are

in a position to influencoit to go their separate ways. The

situation moves toward collaboratiod when one or more

parties perceives enlarged, possibilities arising from.

0-

exercise the leadership necessary to bring it about:

of these

it, .and

The motivations for cooperation seen likely to be

, strong enough It accommodate kdegree of conflict, and under

such cirCumstancesconflict,can be a'positive force in bal-

. 1 ancihg the interests in the various sectors. It is, of course

easily recognized that what is described is a form-of demo-,

cratic pluralism...which =always has the potentAllor wise and

unwise decisions.

The concept of a Collaborative process is derived from

the analysis of how youth now fare in. the t&ansition'fronr

school to madeihe role key, institutions now pliy in this

and the critical relationships which exist and do not exist

among .than. An understanding of the deAvat00ion.of the con-,

elusion diet. a.process approach should be tried on a pilot- . basis is necessary for formulating more systematic investigation and evaluation of results. It will likely occur to any

:reader that one or another aspect of thii process approach has

been under theoretical development in the social sciences.

- 240-

254
0 . . That there is very much social, science research and theory

A which treats of aspects of what is here descL..:724 ta inevitably

4. ...

the caehen such a large and significant sector 'of(

11 society't functioning is undet examputio. The theory of , adolescent development and-growth is involved. The large body

A of;studyinow embraced by the term organization and develOpment

is involved. The body of community development and community

origenizatiton tpory and practice is relevant. political.

scieTice...as much (even more) than any other discipline is

involved (David Truman's, /, Governmental. Process, as ones

excellent example). There are behaviors xnvolved watch are

the province. of Sociology; Social Psychology, and Psychology.

Economics viould considet itself to be a vehicle for analysis

of theise problems. The History of the matter is,vot to be

-ignored. The placing of this in a theoretidal framework whidh

is drawnfrom the current stage of deVelOpment of the social.

, - sciences would require the kind of..integration (Larose intAtk

disciplinary lines which is steldolifiever.:zachieved.

4 State'of the Art: Past and Current Developments

a. General: State of ollabotative Arrangement:

There. has been n6 survey research approach to.the

frequency and degree of collaborktive processes in community

education-work initiatives, and such would be a massive undertaking. While operational work by the National Manpower

Institute in community initiatives will permit a compilation

-241-

255
of ruttier:Ale body .of; inforzation, all the information is

- o 4

:not in, -tor processed, and is-not erailable 11-. synthesized

',form. -It would, in any event, not be based on statistical t- iimples, nor would it likely be the total universe of such

sorts.

'While no systematic survey has been made, we do know,

there are a

A fair number of exsiples of Jllaborative processthat approagfies'the definition here given, although most all

would have Akconsiderable way to go in implementing a iiroad

range of joint ventures that would elOse all the gips identified

in thii paper &the section on the transition to'wo. . problem.

There is much a greater number of communities that Ave

launched a particular project or program through joint effort

where the foundatiot has bZ.in laid for a more ambitious under- . 12/, taking. -- There are a Irm.large number of activities that

havv.membetships similar of somewhat similar to what is specie

find in this piper that do not fit the definition of

collaboration used here. They are the many "advisory councils"

at the local level td the various parts

tem. In their advisory capacity to the

of the education sysschools, they may

perform vary well'Or very poorly.in terns of their intended

purpose:. In eijher case., they do not,constituti a "coll-orative,pronisv by ;virtue of the fact. that they are created by

. the schools with individuals selected by the schools, for pur-

, poses of giving advice on the conduct of school,affairs. They

*4

- 242 -

256

ti

_
may be irery useful to the schools, and a necessary part of 0

'dect.sion,making,earticulaily in the advica....-..xl can give to

vocational education as to the skIllsindustrY needs, the

proper content of courses, and the performance levelsIdesirea.

The 'presentation here of thi possibility of collaborative°

ventures playing a role in the-Whole of the transition. to work

r is not connected with any judgmett as to the effectiveness or

ineffectiveness of advisory councils; they can very well serve

their intended purpose and 'at the same -leame.Oinattend

a

4

some critical portions of the' transition process.

A

Having made a distinction between a C011atiorative process,

here, called a Comdunity EduCation-WOrk Council, and an advisory

council, it is apparent that any distinction it in what whey

actually dd rather than in what theyare called; what started

with the*intention of joint intiative could end uprin a passive

role, and vice versa. The pOisibility could not be ruled out.

'thee there are advisory councils functioning very mucti like

Comtunitylducation-Work Councils.

4) s A number of recent initiatives and perrpedtives are

Changing the current state of affairs with regard to local

collaboration. This inClude4 the effects of the implementation

-of NIEss. Experience Based Career t*atibn Models, Kenneth

Hoyes.increasingtinsisteice that collaboration is vital to , the success of Career EducatfOion, the increasing activity of

do national organizations such as the American Association

- 243

257 4
0

, si -4t

of Community and Junior Colleges; the Haan Resources Development Institute, the national nlianCe of M,-Assmen, the

Chamber of Codkerce, dhe'Department of Labor Wits new occupational information programs. three federal Cabinet Agencies

acting in concert (NEW, Labor and,Cormerce), 'and the National

Manpwer Institute, In short, the state of the art is in a

state of development. . IP ,

4,4 .

. .. e..

, , For thinking about systematic research and evaluation

ittampts, it will be useful to inject an ongoing project that

could be a basis for more scientific additions or lallowons.

'b. The NMI Federal Government Pilot Effort

a So,lar the discussion has been of focal collaboration ""

dik as a response toa.set of findings about the youth transition,

but in general rather than in terms df current, developments.

An efforp;.just starting, will be described to aid in considBring' research and~ evaluation activities.

?. Th Departments of. Labor, Health, EdUcation and Welfare,

and Commerce are launching.a pilot effort to increase collabo-

"0

ration at *the community level, in the &Ai of a CommUnity WorkEducation Consortium.

a. A.coopeiative departments,

It has the following elements:

arrangement among the three Cabinet

b. A Work-Education tonsOrtium of 15 communities and

the involvement of about 15 other communities

with collabarati4e efforts

CD

244 -

258
4 c. The use of private,intermediary (the National

Manpower Institute) .n establishing .he Work- .! Educatior Consortium.

The cooperationy1th a variety of rational

organizations tblydentify,the other communities,

e. 'The pro4ision of technical assistance and

information about simitar-efforss acm4s tbe'

nation , and consulting serviceerto the partici--

wing campunities, and

f. A community desk arrangement managed by the

Steering Group to carry out a "special vela-.

tionship" with the participating communities'.

The comirg together of the three

41

Cabinet agencies

pursue a single oNective is the starting.poipt of the pilot

effort. The bioadening,of that collaboration to include

national organizatiott* proVides a proper fourdition in

Washington :from *'),rich to erect collaborative arrangements at

pie

f.

the community, level.

Faced at the outset'was the question of how local collaboration could be encouraged from ,a national level, particularly

when it originated with the federal government. Would it bea contradiction for ,a federal presence in a local community

to. urge local, and heivily private, initiative? The answer

WAS that it would not be a contradiction if.the federalWole

was limited to ihcouragement, if were clearly not a fede-

, rally funded "prOgram" that would make communities think it

wabjust another avenue for obtaining federal financial support,

and if non-federal, and non-government instrumentalities were

* A few ezamp).ed would be theNAmerican.ecs*nnel and

Guidance Association, the Ameriban Association of Junior and

Community College.2 the National Alliance of Businessmen, the

DX= Resource Development Institute. - 245 -

259
involved in direct reIationthilis with the communities, and with

counterpart organizations within the commun...:tes.

It has been decided that one piong would be the organization of ,a network of 15 community collaborative efforts (called

a Work - Education Consortium) with'the assistance of a

,Washington-based nonprofit organization;"'the. Netional Manpower

Institute.* The other would be the &4 election of an additional

.15 communities through the national organizations previously

referred to

The communities included in the network will hive to

demonstrate the potential for collaboration. There will be

given special consideration to communities where efforts are

.; already underway and there is potential for broadening it interms of the nature arid level ,of the .participation, and

1,

extending the substantive woik.tatdertaken in the "gap",ereas

of the transition from school to work. There is a desire to

recognize and work with the particular forms that have

evolved .n particular communities&nd to contribute to their

a. evolution into fuller blown initiatives and models.

'The greater development of a collaborative process, and

expansion of, the substantive agenda, is expected to occur from:

the consulting assistance provided by the

National Marpower Institutc and the federal

.1111110

* Willard Wirtz and the National Manpower Institute published

The Boundless Resource: A Prospectus for an Education-Work

o Lc !. at oo eve ops 6 e recommenoation or pl animuRIZTEducat!on-Work Councils in the first four chapters.

- 246 -

260
Steak.% Group, on both the collaborative

process and substantive matters,

the assurance of adequate secretariat services

to a local Council, to get the work done,

providing very limited financial or other

assistance where that is necessary in light

of a particular local situation,

the "special relationship" which will be

developed between the three participating

Cabinet agencjItes and the 11,communities,

which may further tae intdOrlatinn of ongoing

federally funded efforts with the work of a

Community Council.

the interchange of information and ideas

which results from a network arrangement, such

interchange to be facilitated by the National

Manpower Institute.

c. erational Crii ria for Identa in: Council A roaches

or t e r of wort

In the first part of this paper,Ahere was provided a

definition of a "collaborative process" as used here, and

applyius generally to the:;_concept of Community Education-Work

Councils. In connection with this first pilot project, there

will be a screening and selection procedure to identify the

communities which will be recommended to the Steering Group

'for selection. In all cases, the communities must show the

existence of some collaborative process Once that is established, the criteria used tor recommending inclusion will, for

the 41: part, relate to the need to achieve diversity, so as

to observe the possibilities in different settings, and for

having the most to exchange among the communities. The first

step will be to identify from 35 to 40 communities from which

- 247 -

261
the selection of the fintl 15 will be made, using the following

guides:

A AL

A. A variety in the sources of leadership in the

achievement of a collaborative rocess.

fig

The'possitlilicies include some segment of the

educational community, the employing community,

organized labor, local government, parents,

the voluntary secfor, students, and just concerned citizens. Within such groups, there are

varying possibilities. In education, for example,

there is school management, the teachers, the

counselors, and career educative initiatives.

In the employing community, there are ad hoc

groups of employers, the Chamber of Commerce,

and the National Alliance of Businessmen.

B. A variety in the stages of devetopment of the

collaborative process. . The interest would be to have communities

ranging from a collaborative process just

started and stimulated by The Boundless Resource

or the creation of4the Work - Education Consortium,

to a situation where a Council-type operation

has been underway for several years. Some efforts

will consist of a sat of representatives of particular institutions. Others will have a broad

individual membership, with dues, annual meetings,

election of officers, etc.

- 248 -

262
C. 21E9:14.1the substantive a erg)xiltin

from t the co.:. a orative rocess.

While there will be no attem7. to prescribe the

'substantive approaches that must be undertaken

by the Councils, the review of the transition

process by NMI and others would suggest that

substantive actions would be likely in the following

areas:

- integration of experience with education,

- counseling assistance drawing broadly on

community resources,

- placement assistance and follow-up,

- information for career choice,

- systematic exposure of counselors and

teachers to the nature of work,

- generally, reduction of barriers that may

exist to transition to work for example,

faculty information about the restrictiveness

of child labor laws,

- attitude formation of students to work, and

industry to students and high school graduates,

- understanding of the workworld and how the

local economy operates.

It is unlikely that any existing collaborative process is

operating in all of these areas. A variety of agendas will

facilitate the interchange of information that will, hopefully,

broaden all of them, and also provide the expertise within

the Consortium on all substantive areas of the transition to

work.

- 249-

263
tk, D. Variations in size and location.

While there will be no attempt to secure,

statistical representation of all communitifts

in pickLng the 15, it will be desirable to . have a variety in terms of size and geographical

location. Also something less than the entire

city or metropolitan area could be included.

After initial identification of the 35 to 40 communities

based on the considerations, above, a considerable amount of

on-site interviewing' and observation by the National Manpower

/nstitute will take place. The criteria for selection of the

15 will include:

the strength of commitment from employers,

labor, the education system and other

community segments*

e the possibilities of the effort succeedirj

in what it is attempting to do,

the actions that would be taken to improve

the collaborative process if the community

were selected.

Tht description so far is of the Work-Education Consortium

to be facilitated by the National Manpower Institute. As

stated earlier, another small group of communities will be

selected by the Steering Group of the three Cabinet agencies

working with national organizations, and without an intermediary or a network arrangement. In addition, the National

Manpower Institute will provide an Information Exchange Program

- 250 -

264
which extends beyond the formally participatiing communities,

but includes them. This will have the result providInc.

some stimulus on a much broader front, and also be a vehicle

to report developments within the communities formally

.participating.

It is-entirely possible that other initiatives will be

taken by the Steering Group that relate to, or impact on, the

pilot communities that cannot be foreseen at the present time,

since the three Departments are operating within a broad mandate from the President to bring the worlds of education and

work closer together.

kt.

5. Hvootheses and Information Requl.,red to Test Huotheses.

While the just described NMI/federal pilot effort is

helpful to give some content to what would otherwise be a very

general discussion, the scope of this paper is the Council

concept, here meaning a broad process of collaboration at the

community level. Many such collaborative ventures will exist

independently of this particular private effort, and additional ones could be formulated within a research design.

The hypotheses as to changes effected should apply broadly,

although it is again helpful to relate them to a specific

undertaking. What follows, therefore, is somewhat specific

with regard to the approach being tried on a pilot basis, but

265

- 251 -

A
t4 0

with an eye toward the larger array of efforts that meet the

definitions used in this paper.*

The pilot effort is not a controlled experiment, and its

use here for illustration and focus should not suggest that

scientifically precise data of the kind described will come

out of the pilot effort itself.

The central hypothesis is that the achievement of collaboration among the specified institutions will lead to the taking

of a set of actions that will provide enlarged opp)rtunities

for youth to mature sooner and more surely in termi of integration into adult work4ursuits. The sub-hypotheses may best

be related to the stages or levels of the development of the

collaborative process and how each evolves frwa the Prior

stage. The author's view of the-current-pilot project will

be the basis for relating the information needs to the testing

oof each hypothesis.

1. The formatiom of a Steering Group which consists

Frre'reselftativesofIreeDe.artmentsshould

the

res t of collaboration among them.

The isolation of the three key Cabinet agencies from

each other in efforts related to, or impinging on, the transition to work is as great as at any other level of government.

The process by which the community effort will be carried out

* As far as they might relate to outcomes of the described

pilot effort, it should be said that they are the author's,

and are not an official descriptibn of the National Manpower

Institute. The author does not have operational responsibility

for the pilot program.

- 252 -
at the federO level shows promise of more extensive integration imong the agency which has education, the .:.;ency which

has youth manpower programs and a labor clientele, and the

agency whose clientele is the business community.

Information Needed:

Does.the collaboration continue past the "kick-off"

stagtof the project?

Does it-tend to draw _in participants at the political

executive level-, or 'does rheagency representation

drop down and down the hiJrardhy as often happens

in interagency_arrangements?

o Do the Departments reach agreement among their awn

agencies, or does it become a collection of program

managers from within the three Departments? -And if

so, does thaq:,represent a drawback or an advantage?

Dies it tend toward a traditional approach of

attempting to define and install "programs" or deft

carry through the objective of stimulation and'

encouragement of local initiative?

2. The use of a private intermedilry should

7M:flute the encoura emsnt c; local initiative

nstlitglg collaborative proceesed.*

The necessary formality of a relationship between the

federal government -ind local institutions and agencies, the

intended combined private and public character of the process

to take shape in the locality, the..need to have a single point

of community contact when three federal agencies are involved,

the objective of reshaping the use of existing public and private resources at the local level rather than any more than

"petty cash" expenditures from the federal Treasury all

* A private intermediary is used in the described pilot

effort. Obviously, many collaborative efforts spring from

the communities themselves.

- 253

267
suggest thelenefits of a privately based organization to do

the.developmenta1 work within thi'communities, and follow

through with then once the. Consortium is in existence.

Information Needed:

vs

Does the private intermediary achieve the appropriate

balance between representing and fulfilling community

needs and serving the interest of the federal government to whom it is under contract?

Does it succeed in establishing a relationship with a

large enough number of communities to enable the

creation of a 15 community Consortium?

Does its relitionship to the Consortium seem to contribute to the improvement of the collaborative

process over what existed in those communities before

it was formed?

What more do we know about.the use of such private

orgazations in furthering the objectives of the

Steering Group when the project is finished?

3. The joining togtt.het of 15 communities in a

Cot t ortiuulct increase the de ree of

mlaviration cws. ommun ties and

t o ra-b-IWITI. ve e torts

fir nit out of t. 6

There is, of course, the choice of working with Och

pik community separately. The routs chosen here offers the possibility that by an interchange of information and experience

among them more will happen than if

4

they developed alone.

Beyond the learning opportunity each may have is th possibility

of some competition for being viewed as among the best.

Information Needed:

Does an interchange of information really take place?

Do communities care much about what others are doing,

or do they tend to maintain an isolation? -254-

268
Art they overly influenced by a majority opinion

among other communities about what it! appropriate

and whit is not?

Or does it work the other way...a desire to thieve

'a uniqueness in approach that distinguishes one

'4 community from all the rest?

4. OP i i t of ti.es i the Work; _Education consortium th dcree arl"xn sectors o t e commun ty [among that can malts important contributions to stiatittlitgjoi.ittisfutitort. wo and

shed flight on what ingredients in the total eftort have that result so as to faci-itate

win a a in:)7:Ther coin= ttes.

The'intermediate objective is the furthe development

of a collaborative process among the key institutions and

se...tors, The'federal interest and special relationship with : e

these communities, the making available the services of the

National Manpower Institute, the provision of consultants, and

the formation of a network among the communitiem are all for

the purpose of increasing the depth and scope of collaboration.

Information Needed:

Does the depth and scope of collaboration in the

participating communities actually increase?

Does collaboration proceed to some point where the

tough (and more decisive) issues are joined and

- then stall?

Does collaboration result in relevant changes in

the internal operation of the separate institutions

that are favorable tothe transition process?

Does the wider involvement attract the attention

of the community political process?

* If, in fact, the final conclusion is that this would be

desirable.

- 255 -
0

5. The process of collaboration should lead to

tne creation or an a enaa zor suostanttve

act n sue areas as tnateatea )v. pa e 27

t e esta isorlgrrio ettatia.

Once a collaborative process is underway,oxhe question

OV4

will became whether it results in anything b Aides talk and

the exchange of information. In each community in the Consortium, a plan will to developed for moving educationwork

cooperativetanitiatives forward. That, of course, is no guarantee that the plan will bs earriedeOut, or that it willObe

rried out effectively. Sc. uc plans do, however, establish a

local basis for assessing the quality of further activities.

Information Needed:

4.

Do the Subs»antive actions address a broad r of . gtransition matters, or tend toward a single rojeet"?

Does collaboration follow through into joint implementation, or do the actions taken end up being

those of individual institutions?

Are existing,eommunity resources utilized more than

they were bd2ore? 44

Have opportunities actually broadened in terms of

- placement assistance

counseling for career and career preparation

choices

I).

- experience opportunities tategrated with

classroon education

- private employment

ts - community service

- occupational information

- education on other timetables than the present

straight through expectations

- changes in employer attitudes toward hiring

youth under age 21

' 256 -
7

those additional (or other) goals tha community

may sr,

the quality of the opportunities in those areas

benefited by the coltaborativa-process by which

they were created, as cpripared to other efforts

that spring from single institutions?

0

The development of a comprehensive research design would

not stop with the matter of whether or not the specified

opportfinities war* created. The central hypothesis referred

4r

to "enlarged opportunities for youth to mature sooner and

more surely in terms of integration into adult work purshlts."

Aether the specified opportunities lead to such integration

s amatter not to be takendfor granted in a research study

although the length of time which would be involved to test

'!nether these opportunities lead there would likely be in the

range of four to six yaars...and perhaps longer.

Cot

4:1

- 257

271

e
VA,

1) ADULTS

Theconcept of a collaborative process is applicable to

creating opportunities for adults to move more easily from

work to education,Ohe largest difference is that there is

a societal expectation that yoitth will go to work. There is

much less so that adults will go to school. But the same

institutions are involved, if for different.reasons, and the

same possibilities for co1aboration among the key private

and public institutions.

,T; There is enough similarity in the process of collaitration

that as described in the youth paper to make it redundant to

repeat it in. connection with adult transitions. It is chiefly

the nature of adult' problems and potential opportunities, and

the- character

4

of the agenda that might come out of the cOlaborative procisi, that is different. Therefore,

1)

the discussion

which follows will be about the natre of adult transitions,

WO

and the hypotheses as to the outcomes og such a collaborative

1

pcess. At the present time, there is no pilot effort with

adults comparable to the one now commencing under aegis of the

three federal CabLiet agencies.

1. The Transition to Education Prc.blem

Entry into adult lifo means, for mos- people, the end of

education, often with only the limited training by employers

N

ri - 258

2 72

8
4/1

on the job. Yet. workers have needs tOUst on them by constant

changes in the economic machinery that requir that they adapt

or become dropouts frp industrial society. become

.Gr-wdislocated from their jobs due to technological change,

national economic policies, changes in cBniAmer buying habits, 4.6<"71

geographical relocation of industry, adverse international

competition, and just plain mismanagement of their firms. A

shift in jobs or occupations often requires formal education

and training.

0).

moving up the skill leder during the career years frequently

depend on education or traininol g (and the certification which

. 4D results); if not available *it.mean: the wo4kar is stuck on.

one of the lower rungs. Non-realization of career goals may

result simply from having made the wrong choice when younger

...in a system that doesn't give many second chances for substantial redirection of careers through education and training

opportun0fties.

Betond outright dislocation, the. opportunities for

Often, the adult worker did not, could not, take advantage

of the 12 years of free education available to all...if it is

taken at one sitting and before the age of 20 or 21. Fifty-one,

adWorladultAmericanslave less that 12 years education.

Proportionately, more adult blacks and other minorities are

in thisysUuation. 'Ale increasing onortunity for two years

of education beyond high school at a modest tuition in a ccOmunity institution is a comparatively recent development,

- 259 - 0

2 73
one which was not available whelk. the great majority of today's

adults were leav ng high school and still .4:.thout fami

responsibilities. The lack of concentration on adult needs

affects particularly the chances of women...who may be entering

the labor maiket after meetint;the responsibilities of mo:herhood, or who already may be in a "reserved for women only

position"...to take advantage of whatever reduction of sex

role sr.ereotyping may be occurring.

While there are elvelopmentOin some places, and on

particular fronts, that can be built upon, existing circum4 4

stances are reinforced by institutional and governmental

practices, inadequate information networks and low

expectations.

Adult education offerings through the public ;Ichoo1

system are limited by state and federal funding

levels, the range of curriculum choices, and the

assumption that...for adults!..educatien is something to be offered only on a part-time basis.

Employers want to hire people already trained, and

Imp will limit investments in human capital,

fearing that other employers will pirate away

employees whose training they did not have to paS.

for.

Unemployment insurance provides cash assistance

when people are unelployed, but under circumstances

- 260 -
that greatly restrict using the available time

for education and training.

Ihere.are only a few models of brokering

services to match adults' desires for education

or training with existing opportunities. While

there laDdels point the direction, such services

are largely unavailable.

The training opportunities which do exist

often do not match standard work schedules, and

employers have been slow to adopt "flexitime"

arrangements.

Employers and unions have, in some instances,

negotiated tuition refund and education sabbatical plans, but where they exist thsey are often

taken advantage of by only a small percentage

of workers.

Training and education available under such

public programs as the Comprehensive Employment

and Training Act and thr Social Services program

of the Public Assistance Act are often shaped

without the participation of representatives of

postsecondary ed-lcation.

Postsecondary education institutions do not

generally have the close relationships with

employers and mions that would help workers

-263-

275
take advantage of opportunities under bilateral

or unilateral education programs, no: do the

relationships produce added financial resources

to expand offerings by those institutions to

adults.

Educational certification opportunities are

frequently blocked by a lack of integration

with formal education institutions, so that

academic credit is often not available for

comparable work.

While work is underway in the CAEL Consortium

on translating work experience intc academic

credit, it is not yet common practice, and will

require close linkages between postsecondary

institutions and industry, in order to facilitate

movement from work to education.

Communications between community postsecondary

educational institutions and employers/unions

are underdeveloped--so as to take less than full

advantage of matching skill/credential requirements with the coateatof course offerings.

This is the situation with regard to adults that would

warrant collaboration among the several institutions and

sectors.

-262-

276
2. Possible, Agenda for a Collaborative Process

What a Community Council will want to do and what priorities it establishes is, of course, up to the participants,

after acquainting itself with the kinds of concerns expressed

above and taking stock of the partictlar conditions in the community. We can speculate as to what kinds of undertakings

might result...a series of possible activities which could

constitute the agenda.

An inventorying and recordkeepipg system of all

education/training opportunities and relevant

facts about them.

An inventorying of current industry practices

with respect to availability of, ..u.tion refund,

paid educational leave and 'flexitime arrangements.

A cooperative -venture with employers and unions

to increase awareness of opportunities among

employed workers.

Achieving an understanding of what kinds of

opportunities employed workers want, and communicating that to local education/training

institutions.

Operating a cooperative counseling and training/

education brokerage service for the adults of

the community.

- 263 -

27?
Arranging with the unemployment insurance

office for informing claimants as-to community

opportunities for education and training.*

Creating cooperative attempts to improve job

quality and productivity.

Reviewing the effectiveness of such local

operations as the public employment service

and vocational rehabilitation in meeting the

needs of adult-workers.

Creatng greater awareness of sex role

stereotyping in hiring, promotion and access

to training/education opportunities.

Preparing proposals for pilot programs (to

be carried out with state, federal and

_foundation assistance) to provide the remaining

entitlement for those adults who have not yet

received 12 years of free public education.

Establishing linkages to the CAEL Consortium

to convsrt experience into educational credit.

3. Hypotheses

The outcomes are likely to vary considerably among a set

of communities undertaking such collaborative efforts, because

* Particularly where arrangements could be made at the state

and porsibly federal level to cooperate and help finance such

pilot efforts.

- 264 -

278
of what might be quite different priorities on where to start.

_However, for a set of communities taken as a vmole, the. hypo-

-, :thesized outcomes are as follows:

More effective use of the public and private

financial resources available to adults for

further education and training.

Improvement of information provided to adults

about education and traifing opportunities.

Removal of some of the administrative and

'organizational obstacles (in education and work

institutions) which act to limit the fullest

and most effective use of these financial and

human resources by adulti.,

--=

ilproVement in the communication processes

hetween education. institutions, work institutions,

workers and.othir adults essential for developing

edutation programs and-curricula responsive to

the .needs of adults.

Increased-access of educational institutions to

public and, particularly, private education/

.training rAsources.

e Improvement of community resources as instruments

in the development of policies, plans ana programs

- 265 -
< 1'9 y

..-""

_ -which--affec; the availiabiliO'cif and relevance of

education and _training oppOrtuiratiei for adults.

rt has aft- been _the .puip.os-e-0.1-_,this: -paper-to- develop a

research design,- or ._a specific,_ evaluation approach , with regard

to lc- ktal Collai)orative prsoces for dealing with_ education

and work .transitions;. Rather-, it ,haebeen to attempt to lay

-. the groundwork for bat e-./cfort, and provide a starting

plita-for 6irt-her- -diicus.-sion and deviiouutent_ aiong. social

ikciOntisi .

- 266 -

280
FOOTNOTES

1/ See The BoundlesarResource, by Willard Wirtz and the

National Manpower Institute, 1975; 4 Critical Look at Work

Measurements, by Willard Wirtz and Harold Goldstein:77757

ITY.m Unemployment and Career Entry," by Paul E. Barton in

Labor Varlet Information for Youths, 1975; "Human Resources,

The CnangIng Labor Market and Undergraduate Education for

Youths," by Paul E. Barton, in Liberal Education, May 1975;

"Youth Transition to Work," by Paul E. Barton, in From School

to Work, 1976; and "Learnihg Through Work and Education," by

710717 Barton, in Experiential Learning, 1976.

2/ See The Process of Work Establishment, by Marcia Freedman,

T969.

3/ A more comprehensive treatment of Councils is contained

in The Boundless Resource, by Wi!lard Wirtz and the NacionalManpower Institute, 1975. There are a number of other comprehensive documents that both influence thi,s one and provide

dimensions not fully covered there. Most particularly,

Coleman, et al. Youth: .Transition to Adulthood, 1973;

Brid in -Thi-Gaa, The College Entrance Examination Board,

, Seymour Wolfbein, editor, Labor Market Information for - Youths, 1975; the several volumes by Jerald -Bachman, etiT77

out in Transition, continuing; interpretative pieces by

Herbert Parnes of the longitudinal study he directs; ?redrich

Harbison, editor, The Transition from School to Work, 105; -1,-

Marcia Freedman, The Process of WoWANEstaaishment;-196 a

volume of papers TIFfTeza) on the youth transition commissioned by the National Commission for Manpower Policy; the

recent articles and speeches by Kenneth Hoyt and Sidney

Marland; the report od the National Panel on High Schools

and Adolescent Education chaired by Jobn Henry Xartin, 1974;

and Fred End Grace Hechiperes Growing Up_in America, 1975

(for a broad historical Arspective); Mtn Weinstock, The

Greenirs of the High School, 1973.

4/ See particularly the studies of Freedman, Diamond an

Sedrasian, Gevatt (3ureau of Labor Statistics), and the ibir

National Manpower Institute.

5/ See particularly the work of Folk, Kalache.:, Barton.

rreedman, and Elr.hman using the longitudinal data of the

University of Viehigan survey and Project Talent.

- 267-

281
0.

.11

I/ See Wirtz and Goldstein, A Critical Look at the Mgesurial

of Work; Stern for 4.recent reve=771computacemeat systems; Flanders for a review of what is now available

from Washington, and Lois-Ellin Data as to the state of know141dge in the area of evaluating the efficacy of occupational

information.

l71` There is little here in the way of comprehensive surveys.

There is a paper by Gallagher in press with the National

Commission fot Manpower Policy. There are several evaluations

of effecteof the government work experience 'programs by

Stromsdorfer and the Systems Development Corporation, a proposal.for ''Educational Work Experience" by Silberman, Who has

done a study on "Job Satisfaction of Work Education Students."

The possibilities.for community service and "action learning"

are explored by Ravighurst, Graham, and Eberly.

11 There has been very little attention to placement services,

OD studeits, in the research literatnre, except for the many

surveys of host people find their jobs (such as the longitudinal

study cited .in the text), in which teenage youth always show

up as notogetting them through the school or public employment

service*Wany significant proportions. Early surveys (1053)

show that man more college Students at their jobs with

'school help than high school graduates.

.91 At most comprehensive recent survey of counseling is by

Nantberg.

10/ See the six-tit study of the impact of child labor laws

conducted by thie)Ma oral Manpower institute for'the National

Committee on the-EmOloYment of Youth.

.,1/ Th;ii,is not a mattir on which there has been any careful 1

,attention, except -as Such ob=stacles have been encountered and

overCOms.in specific work experience projects.

12b';-Nr a fairly- recent summary of such efofrts see Gallagher's

Viper commissioned by the National Commission for Manpower

Policy.

- 263 -

282

--;
CRUCIAL ISSUES PERTAINING TO THE ESTABLISHHENT'OF

' P I

by

John Walsh

November 1976

- 269 -
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The preparation of thit.paper involved the review of a considerable amount of literature and personal and telephone interviews

with 25 government, tradel6sociation, labor, and industry/laboxY,

education council officials. Without the help of Ms. Jan L. Totten,

who performed much of the initial.research, the paper could not

40

fl have been completed within the time allotted for its preparation.

Ms. Totten performed her work diligently and with exceptional

thoroughness.

t would also like to express my appreciation to all the officials

withwhcatft. Totten and t talked during the research phase of the

project. All gave freely of their time and were open in their

discussion of the issues involved with regard to the proposed establisftment of community-work education councili.

1;1

- 270-

284
Pate_

Acknowledgement

tl

270

Introduction ,, 273

Sectiooi: Ideas and Assumptions 285

Ps

4V Section II: What's Going On 301

fty. Section III: Crucial Issues 337

Notes

341
LIST OF TABLES Page

Table 1: Instructional Services Provided for Schools

(by EARyyers) 304

Table 2: Help in Upgrading Teachers (by Employers) 305

Table 3: Company Willingness to Initiate Action on Education

and Training revs

cri

1! - ss..:,

r

11

a.

306

ro4
INTRODUCTION

Background

Since Worldlier II,,thenation has experienced mass migrbtions

- - of both industries and people, the almost total mechanization of

agriculture, dramatic technological changes in business and industry,

the expansion of metropolitan areas (in which most of the people now

live), ever-ifiCreasing centralization of major industries, and

expansion in both the educational establishment and in educational

opportunities. Iths perhaps inevitable that in the!iEsee of such

got,- 14. rapid change, the conditions i.pon which Plat relationships between

schools and ofiOr institutions, were based have disappeared, and that

new means -- based on current conditions -- to improve the nexus

between education and the larger community (especially between

schools and the ;ark sector) have been sought. The search has bee&

conducted, with varying degrees of intensity, during the entire

period of change, and has resulted in considerable activity from the

local to national levels.

For example, it is estimated that more than 100,000 representatives of business anDindustry are presently members of formally

organized vocational educ,,:ion advisory committees, addit4onal

thousands serve on Jo_nt Apprenticeship Committees and as advisors

to individual instructors of vocational education programs, and

approximately 4.5 million employers and 40,000 national, regional

and local business and industrial associations and labor groups are

presently iiroviding materials and voluntary services t*'the educational

O

- 273-

287
system.1'1 A recent study indicates that of the 90,00) members of

schoot boards, .erving 15,780 educational ju:iodictions throughout

the nation, 59,400 (or about two out of three) are representatives

of management.2/ Since 1943, the number of vocational edutaoion

advisory councils and cormilttees has increased tel;fola and since

the 1960s, variously named planning. and advisory councils relating

both to federally spousored manpower programs and federally mandated

LO. educational programs have mushroomed by the thousands.

Despite this proliferation of mechanisms designed to improve

communications between schools and the larger community (especially

the work sector), the charge is still made -- indeed, is being made

more forcefully than ever before -- that one of the major reasons

youth have difficulities in making the transition from school to work

and adults are inhibited from moving from work back :Into school is

the "isolation" of education from other institutions at the community

level. Willard Wirtz best sums up the charge in the first paragraph

of The Boundless'Resource:

"A good deal of American achievement traces it way

or another to the'developwent of Education and Work as

coordinate forces. They have, however, been distinctly

separate developments controlled by independent

sovereignities -- with the consequence that in lost

people's lives llearqhgandearningpluassallkt

isolated chapters (emphasis added)."Y

The Jane theme is reiterated almost daily oy rep:esentattres of

the higher echelons of goverment, education, labor, industry and

other institutions. It would appear that there is an overwhelming

consensus among the iYsolated Institutions" that they shout° in some

=.

1.
U.

0

way get together and end their isolation. Closer examination, reveals,

however; that the consensus exists only in the generality that more

substantial linkages are desirable; when the talk gets down to

specifics, consensus generally breaks down. School Boards and

educators wa4. help and advice, which they can either accept or

ignore, but they are cool to the suggestion that educational policy

and program decisions be shared with non-educators. Labor unions,

I

although generally supportive of the public schools, often take a

dim view o5 work education programs iioreas of high unemployment,

and balk at suggestions that the Fair Labor Standards Act and other

similar state legislation be modified to permit increased employment

of youth. Business and industry, often appear to be promoting their

own specialized interests -- the promotion of free enterpri(e and

the preparation of students for jobs in the business and industrial

complex -- to the exclusion of all other educational activities.

These are what Wirtz calls the areas of "tension," but as he

notes: "...productive tension is probably an essential element in

constructive change."1/ Nevertheless, the historical and current

factors which contribute to tension should be understood if the

alleged isolation of institutions is to be eased. Although it is

beyond the scope of this paper to p4Pvide a detailed history of the

relationships betweenftucation, industry, labor and other institutions,

a brief summation of some of the major tensions which hive existed

throughout U.S. history, and still, exist today, would lend clarity

to the discussion which follows.

Industry-Education

Although industry's attempts to influence education were minor

- 275 --
during the middle to latter parts of the 19th century, the amount of

education most students received was ligited by the labor demands

of businessand industry -- which is another way of saying that

industry actually did exert control. As Wirtz points out, "the

education that was the subject of principle consideration in the mid19th century was Largely elementary learning, covering only those

essentials that had to come in the beginning:" The amount of

education necessary was about 10 years, "which happened to coincide

with the physiology of the strengthening of a. boy's arm and back

muscles and a girl's coming of child bearing age."§/

Industry as a prime mover in the passags of the Smith-Hughes

Act of 1917 in fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was one of its

major champions -- but regardless of how necessary a national program

of vocational education may have been (and still is), industry's

motives in promoting the legislation were not altogether altruistic.

The Act Ants directed primarily toward the children of immigrants-and

tenant farmers and sharecroppers in rural areas. Its purpose was to

prepare boy's.for work in the nation's factories, mines, mills and

'-fairds, and girls -- through home economics courses -- for woekas

housekeepers, nurse-maids and cooks in other people's homes. It was

only recently, for example, that. blacks have been enrolled in vocational

education programs other than agriculture and Ire economics.

Industry dominated Boards of Zducation in "company towns" were

.primarily interested in turning out disciplined young workers for

the towns' mines, mills and factories.

Indeed, the liberal reformers of the late 19th and early 20th

centuries worked actively to reduce industry's influence on education,

and to a great extent they succeeded, thus possibly contributing to

-276-

290

1'
J

today's "isolation."

The uneasy relationship between industry and educe, on continues

today. Some educational commentators believe that industry controls

the schools -- through overwhelming representation on boards of

education, through domination of curricula as represented by production of textbooks and educational hardware, and through pressure on

schools to prepare youth for jobs and careers in industry. According

to Percy Krich;

"...industry is a potential threat to education's

leadership in preparing future citizens. 'Industry

and Education' implies a relationship between tLeM as

equals. The real question is whether there is an

equality relationship between them....As an educator,

I must determine true relationships by facing reality.

One can 'develop attitudes' toward industry, but one_

must face the fact that industry (big business) has

more control and impact on society than the schools.

Through this impact, big business, in essence, controls

the schools as well. "! /

Although most educators would not line up behind Krich, his

statement does illustrate the wariness that characterizes education's

attitudes toward industry participation in school"affairs. The

suspicion, however, is mutual. Industry, for its part, suspects

that in many instances, educators are hostile to the free enterprise

system, and that they pass this hostility on to their students.

Labor Unions

Organized labor has a long history of support of public education

as well SID involvement in vocational education. Some 500 members of

- 277 -

291
A the AFL-CIO serve on boar's of education, and AFL-CIO publications

. occasionally carry articles encouraging members to participate in

local and state public education matters and to support increased

federal.aid to all facets of public education. However, union support

of education often is no more altruistic than that of other special

interest groups, including employers. For example, a major activity

of the AFL-CIO Education Vepartment is to promote utilization of its

text and other literature dealing with the union movement in social

studies, civics and history classes, and as more and more public

school teachers become union members, it can be predicted that labor

education materials in the schools will find greater acceptance.

Furthermore, unions have taken a dz.m view of the expansion of work

education programs, especially in areas of high unemployment, and

where programs are initiated without being first cleared through

union representatives. YiLally, the elimination of child labor.

and the establishment of the eight-hour day and forty-hour week were

among pe goals of the American labor movement for a century before

they were established as norms by the wage and hour legislation of

the 1930s. It is, therefore, closely akin to sacrilege -- especially

in a period of hie:, unemployment -- to ask labor leaders to agree

to a relaxation of these laws in order to increase employment opportunities for youth.

The Conceit of "Youth"

The concept of what constitutes "youth" has changed in the

United States over thl years, andthis change has brought about a

new role for education. Joseph F. Dinneen, in his biography of James

Michael Curley, the late perennial mayor of Boston, noted the following:

-278-

292
I

:r

"The age limit children must reach, bef6re being freed

of legal obligation to attend school, was not raised

because ward or city bosses thought education was good

for them, It was raised to solve a different problem,

As the population increased, a labor shortage disappeared

and a labor surplus was created, A time came when the

wArd bosses found it difficult to keep heads of families

employed, let alone their children, When the pressure

of hundreds of voting fathers for jobs for their children

became disturbing, and in some ways frightening, political

bosses seized upon compulsory education as an expedient,

Keeping children in school until they reached the age of

16 would defer the problem of finding work for them until

the bosses found a way to cope with the prshlem; and they

hoped education might solve it by giving children enough

/ training to find jobs for themselves, 8

Thus, when the demand for younger workers decreased, education

was assigned the task of keeping children out of the labor market,

as well as preparing them for entry into it, Stephen P, Heyneman and

William P. Daniels, summarizing an HEW workshop on youth research,

which inclA participation by representatives of some of the most

eminent juvenile research' institutions in the United States, write:

"The size of the class of individuals called 'youth' is directly

and inversely proportional to their demand in the labor market: the

more the demand, the less the number of youth; the more the demand,

the less they can be spared, and the more pressure there is for them

to enter economic roles identical with adults."2/ Since World War

II, the years of "youth" have been extended at a rapid rate. In

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Aft

I
N James Michael Curley's day. "youth" often ended at the end of the

eighth gride: today it can extend up to 25 years of age and beyond.

"With this first youth generation (the postWorld War II generation)

now well Integrated into the highest reaches of our technocracy,"

Helmsman andllauiels report, "the age range of 'youth' keeps getting

extended upward. Perhaps it will ultimately be defined as interminable.... If there is another general depression, then those

who are considered youth will be coterminal with those who are

considered adolescents....We don't simply observe youth as a category

in the life cycle. We create it, just as we create many other social

categories that we place ourselves in. "12/ And, the proper place

for youth, of course, is "in school."

Regardless how far upward the age range of_youth has been

extended, however, some students are still dropping out of school

before they complete high school, high school graduates are entering

the labor market at the age of 18, and ettulents who continue on to

postsecondary schools after graduating from high school nevertheless

seek full-time and part-time jobs. The youth.employment rate is the

highest of any group in the labor force, and it is particularly high

for blacks and other minorities. There also appears to be a gap for

students who complete their schoo4)ling at age 18 or under and the

age (generally 21) when they are accepted for employment in regular

entry-level positions (jobs o th4c than those that appear to be

reserved specifically for youth). These factors, plus alleged

restrictions which inhibit adults from seeking retraining or additional

education, have led to a reexamination of the relationship between

schools and other institutions in the nation's communities.

The opinion of.many is that a polarization exists between

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294
institutions, and Proposals have been put forward to alleviate this

condition. In discussing these proposals, however, it-is necessary

to keep in mind the history of education in the United States and

the special interests whether they be of business and industry,

labor, the family, the Church,and other segments of society, which

have sought in the past (and have often succeeded)' in influencing

the education of American children. As for the educational estabtishment, it has often been charged that in recent years it has been

transformed into a huge bore-mcracy which is primar4y,interested in

sell-perpetuation. While there may be some truth in the charge, it

is equally true that at one time in our history it was considered

desirable for education to disassociate itself from the "special

interests," and that a disproportionate share of the responsibility

for solving some of our more pressing social problems (including the

care of youth until the economy is able to absorb them into the labor

force) has been assumed, or imposed on, the nation's system of public

education. In her book, Counterpoint, MiriaM Johnson criticizes the

DE.41.oyment Service, not for failing to accomplish the impossible, but

for claiming,. thee-fit 11/ could accomplish the impossible. The ame

criticism could be made of the nation's educational system.

Perhaps, then, the pendulum has swung all the way back, and the

time is ripe for our institutions to recognize their interdependence,

and join together in solving the social problems which afflict the

nation; however, if such joint efforts are t4be successful, the

agenda must move quickly from the general to the specific, and the

action areas selected must he aimed at substahtive, rather than

peripheral, problems.

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295 fI
Comaemity Work-Education Councils

One of -the propostd solutions for breaking down the isolation

t between education and other institutions at the community level is

the formation of -calamity watit4ducation councils, composed of

',educators, emplpyers, local union representatives, and representatives

of community organizations, or of the general public itself. The

idea,, as described in The Boundless Resource, is based on the following

assumptions:

1. The difficulties that youth experience in making the

transition from school to work, and that adults experience

r.

in moving from work and other adult roles back-into

education, are caused primarily by the isolation that

exists between schools and other community institutions

(especially business and industry).

2. The solution is "collaboration" between'institutibns at

the community level.

The proposed councils would differ from existing advisory

councils or committees in that the "process" would be collaborative

rather than cooperative. Paul Barton defines the term "collaborative"

as follows:

"....the participation of the representatives of the

important institutions and sectors of the community that

have the responsibility, resources, and influence to

deal with the whole of the transition to regulatirdult

employment. It means an attempt to accomplish jointly

what coula not be achieved singly, and a'whole that is

larger than the sum of its parts."12/

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296 G
C1 v A. Thte, colliboratioR means the actual participatioh of council

members in the "process" of narrowing the gap between school and work

(and work and schdol), rather than the mere imparting of advice by

non-educators to educators. Kenneth Hoyt goes farther than Barton

in defining collaboration:

"Collaboration ii a term that implies the parties,

involved share responsibility-and authority for basic

policy decision making.... Cooperation, on the other

hand, is, a term that assumes two or more parties, each

with separate and autonomous programs, agree to work

4, together in malting all suih programs more successful.

To "cooperate" with another agency or organization

carries no implication that one either can, or should,

affect its policies or operational practices."12!

Hoyt's definition implies aiat for true "collaboration" to take

place, educators would have to share at least some of their policy

making and operational responsibilities with other sectors of the

community, an that other community institutions and organizations gareP' 0

Would have to assume new responsibilities.

The suggested activities of the proposed Community-Work Education

Councils, as broadly outlined by Barton, are as follows:

I. Programs or action to bring about the integration of

experience*With education;

2. Counseling assistance drawing broadly on community

resources;

3. Placement as stance and follow -up;

11) 1

10

4. Information -Air career choice; 0

S. Systematic exposure of counselors and teachers to the

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297

0

,
1'

1.4

>

I it

nature of 'work;

s\kjik

- ,

1

till 6. Reduetjot of barriers that may exist that impede the

transition-from school to work and from work to school;

7. Attihde formation of student tow**, acid industry to

ft: students and-high school gta tots; and

. -Piomoting understafiding oft e work worid and how the

loial economy operates.W

A pilot project has been launc fed by the U.S. Department of

1 abor, in .cooperation with tVelbep tments of Health, Education and

Welfare, and Commerce to- .increase ...ollaboration at the community

level.. A contract has been enterh into between the Department of

Labor and the National Manpower I/ stitute, a private, non-profit

corporation, to establish a_workreducation consortium of 15 communities

and the inyolvement of IS other /communities viler. collaborative efforts

already exist. The National Institute oi4Education, in order to

anticipate the role the Department of Health, Education and Welfare

may play with regard to thOpilot project, has commissioned a series

of papers relating to various aspects of the proposed Community-Work

Education Councils, of which this paper is one.

Purpose of the Paper

The "pu-lose of the-piper is to 'identify crucial issues pertain-

$.ng to the establishment of Community-Work Education Councils which

are deserving of r-Nlicy consideration, and on which priorities for future

research and/or evaluation could be based. A review was tads of

literature pertaining to past and cu lent mechanisms similar to the

proposed community-work education couicils, and personal and telephone

interviews were conducted with chairmen of existingindustry/labor/

education councils, and with represen atives of government business,

S

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fi

industrial and labor groups. Following the research phase of the

project, the attempt was made to; (1) categorize past and current

t

efforts by type (goals, mettods of operation, membership, etc.);

(2) identify the outcomes of such efforts (if any); and (3) identify

problems associated with dash type of council or committee.

The material

i

t fit follows is organized into three sections;

(1) A discussion o some of the major ideas and assumptions underlying

the proposed esta ishment of community-work education councils;

(2) a review of existing mechanisms similar to the proposed councils;

and (3) a summary of the crucial issues relating to he pilot project

now in progress.
I.

IDEAS AND ASSUMPTIONS

Cameron Buchanan, in a discussion of current proposals to

improve education-work linkages -- including the establishment of

community-work education councils, notes: "....it is not immediately

clear to many educators and industrial personnel exactly what is

meant by the rather high level discussion and very generalized

approach presented in these typical documents. It is thought that

a More particularized view point is needed in order to better find

4but what is meant end its applicability level. Although these

_pr"sed and recommended new models and means might be considered

not pry, it is not definitely shown that this is the case to the

:4 agreement: of all concerned. It is possible to indicate t1.3t the

perceived inconsistencies

more than need" (emphasis

Buchanan ' s statement

in these documents tind to show desire

added).1!

goes right to t&e:heart of the problem.

Some students students Ire experiencing difficulties in making the transition

from school tOwork, there are impediments which prevent adults from

reenrolling in educational prograus, and it is d.iirable that something be done about these problems. However, we had better be

certain as to what the causes of these problems are before potential

solutions are identified, and before the solutions are tried, the7

should be worked out in detail. With respect to the proposed

community-work education councils, there is considerable confusion

with regard to the stated causes of youth unemployment and impediments

1*

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rs q -) sdk

to adult educational renewal, and with the proposed means for overcoming these problems. Some of the more important of these issues

4) . are discussed below.

Causes of Youth Unemployment

Sar A. Levitan and Robert Taggart cite three major reasont for

she nation's high youth unemployment rate: (1) Too many job seekers;

(2) too few jobs; and (3) institutional imptdiments (mainly legal

restrictions).3/ The economics of youth unemployment are wel1.1:nown;

it is sufficient to note that there is considerable statistical

reasons. support for the first two reasons. With respect to institutional

impediments, the afithors cite the Fair Labor Standards Act and

similar statelegiilition which, inhibit the employment/4k some youth

between the ages of 14 and 18. However, even if these impediments_

were removed, the unemployment rate for youth would not be affected

unless there was a concurrent improve t in economic conditions.

mother words, the'major 'se of high youth unemployment is economic

-- too few jobs for too many job seekers.

Levitan and Taggart 17t. also observe: "Employers are reluctant to

hire teenagers when older workers are available. In many cases their

reasons are valid, but too frequently failure to hire youth is the

result of arbitrary discritglation."2/

Regardless whether or not the failure to hire youih is arbitrary

discrimination, the fact is that there are not enough jobs for all

jobseekers. If discrimination against youth werettto end tomorrow,

we would have anew problem on our hands -- higher unemployment rates

for non-yoUth.

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Thai, one of the basic assumptions upon which the proposed

establishmintof community-work education councils is based -- i.e.,

youth unemployment4*.caused by the isolation of education frokpm

work sector --As at beat dubious and at worst false. Care should

be taken that &ea. sake of doing something -- anything -- we don't

tin our guaon the wrong target. Education is everybOdyss "fall

guy," but eduOation does not have the power to increase the number of

jobs in the U.S. economy; neither do the proposed community-work

education councils. The fact is that youth unemployment is rooted

in. economic causes and cannot be solved through manipulation of the

educational system. The probability that the schools could do a

better job in'preparifig students1or the world of work does not4validatethis basic truth. 0. Work to School Problems

In justifying the hypothesis that adults are impeded from moving

from work and other adult roles bat into education and training

because of the isolation factor, Paul Barton lists 11 suppoing

statements. These range from descriptions of unemployment 'insurance

restrictions (which prohibit unemployed workers from enrolling in

retraining or other educational programs) to a lack of communications

between postsecondary school administrators and 9mployers. The

important question, however, is whether the demand for reenrollment

in educational programs .g_s real or imaginary. Obviously, the

_proponents of community-work education programs believe that there

ehoild be demiTd for educational renewal, and that there would be

such a demand in ,he best of all possible worlds. Barton notes,

however, that some employers and unions have negotiated tuition

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302
4.

Q

,refunds anaiducational sabbatical plans, "but where they exist

they are taken advantage of by only a small percentage of workers."if

Along the same vein, a recent study of apprenticeship progrfms in

Rhode Island and California reported that where unions had instituted

expensive retraining programs (financed out of contributions from

Iry managegint), the facilities were underutilized. Business agents of

the ironworkers union in Rhode Island and the compositors in California reported that few employed journeymen took advantage of the

programs, and tnat most men on the bench -- even those who were

lacking in some basic skills -- could not be enticed to enroll)"

Previous to the passage of the Manpower Development erid Training Act,

the California legislature eased "availability for work" restrictions

for unemployment insurance recipients in order that long-term unemployed workers could enroll in education and training programs and

still receive unemployment insurance. Very few workers took advantage

of the opportunity.

It would appear, therefore, that the major reason that adults

do not reenroll in school is because they don't want to. Why this is

true, nobody knows for sure, but what it all adds up to is a lack

of demand. If there were a mass demand for adult education and

retraining programs.-- over and above those that already exist

{which are considerable) -- the chances are that whatever impediments

exist would soon disappear. It May be true that community-work

education councils could stimulate a demand for educational renewal

and remove whatever local impediments may exist, but it is something

else again to justify the establishment of such councils on an

alleged isolation of institutions at the community level.

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-V

Collaboration

The main distinction between the proposed community-work

education councils and school-community mechanisms that already exist

is in the "process," i.e., the proposed councils would involve

"collaboration" between institutions and agencies, whereas most

existing mechanisms involve merely "cooperation." Until specific

areas of-collaboration are identified, however, this distinction-will

remain in the realm of semantics. The fact is, as will be shown in

Section II, many of the suggested activities of community -work

education councils are already being performed by existLop advisory

and other types of councils. Whether the process by which these

activities are conducted is "collaborative" or "cooperative" d.jends

prettY much on the eye of the beholder. Is the provision of 'job

stations by employers for cooperative education students "collaborative

or "cooperative?" Is the provision of local labor market information

by state employment security agencies to local CETA prime sponsors

"collaborative" or "cooperative?" Were the inventories of community

manpower programs and educational opportunities developed in the

pait by Cooperative Area Manpower and Planning Committees "collaborative" or "cooperative?" All these are suggested activities for the

proposed community-work education councils.

The crucial question concerning collaboration is whether schools

will be willing to share policy making and operational responsiblities

with other community organizations and agencies, and whether noneducational organizations and institutions will be willing to assume

new responsibilities for educational programs. The answer to this

question can be determined only if specific activities are identified

which are uniquely suited to "collaboration." For example, would

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4

0
the schools be willing to abide by council decisions relating to

vocational education occupational offerings? Thus, if the council

decided that course "A" should be discontinued and course "8" should

be established, would the schools be willing tog (1) put in storage

all the equipment now being used in course "A", (2) dismiss the

teacher of course "A", (3) purchase new equipment for course "B ", and

(4) hire a new instructor for course "3"? Or, if the council

decided that a new course should be initiated, would employers allow

the course to be taught in employer facilities; using employer

equipment? And waild the schools agree to such a procedure?

These are the hard questions and there are many more. Would

the schools, for example, agree to initiate work education programs

only after they had been approved by labor representatives -- and

would employers agree to such a procedure? Would labor go along

with attempts to modify federal, state and local child labor and

minimum wage legislation in order to increase employment opportunities

for youth?

The point is that the distinction between collaboration and

cooperation means nothing until specific council activities are

identified. Some of the suggested council activities do not require

any high degrea of collaboration; some do. The crucial question is

whether councils will chose to act in areas where collaboration is

necessary.

The Meaning of Community

The term "community" can mean almost anything anyone wants it

to mean. A community 'can be a family, a neighborhood, a town or `

city, a county, a state, a nation, or even a group of `tuitions. Thi

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term 'local ,community' can mean anything from a Standard Metropolitan

Statistical Area (SMSA) to a city neighborhood. Because some of the

major suggested activities of community-work education councils would

involve "jurisdictions," it is important that the concept of community

be_understood. For example, two of the suggested activities are the

generation of local labor market information, and placement activities

for school graduates and work education students. In the case of a

council located within an SMSA, would the jurisdictions for these

activities be the entire SMSA, a county within the SMSA, a city within a county within an SMSA, or a neighborhood within a city within

a county within antMSA? Or would a community be a local education

agency, community college district, or a local employment office

jurisdiction?

The concept of community would also determine the membership.

of councils. In large SMSAs, it is.likely that there would 'e more than

one, council, leading to the question of how employers, labor representatives, and other state and community agency representatives could

be shared. In areas where there Is more than one council, or where

there art other_ agencies (such as CETA prime sponsors) engaged in

genergiAng local labor market information, and placelent activities,

7z1

. -would- there be a need to coordinate the coordinators?

Perhaps the term "community," as it is used in The Boundless

Resource -and the Barton paper is merely an undefined descriptive for

locations in which councils already exist, but when it comes to

-selecting activities for the various "communities," the question of

jurisdiCtion and overlap with other'mechanisms (such as CETA prime

sponsors, Boards of Education, local Employment Service Office areas,

and advisory committees) would have to be taken into consideration.

.1....

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Local Financing

Paul Barton, in discusiing the pilot project now being conducted

by the National Manpower Institute, poses the question: "Would it

be a contradiction for a Federal presence in a local community to . urge local, and heivily private initiative? The answer was that it

would not be a contradiction if the Federal role was limited to

encouragement, if it were not clearly a federally funded 'program'

that would'imake communities think it was just another avenue for

obtaining Federal support, and if non-Federal and non-government

instrumentalities were involved in direct relationships with the

communities, and with counterpart organiiations within the communities. H6-

/

The fact is, hirer, that federal funds will be used to help

finance the councils included in the project sample and the proposed

consortium. Thus, regardless how desirable it would be to ignore or

Aar downplay the federal presence, a federal presence will nevertheless

be felt. In selecting existing councils or mechanisms to be included

in the consortium, what types of local financing will be required?

Should there be a mix of private and public funds?. Should councils

be avoided that are financed solely from one source (e.g., employers,

labor unions, education)? Would not "collaboration" involve joint

funding of councili, in order that no one segment of the community

would exert undue influence on council policy and activities? The

answers to these questions are not forthcoming from the architects

of the-community-work education council idea. Yet, if the federal

presence, is to be minimized, the question as to what constitutes . local financing -- whether it be broad-based orsolely from one or

two institutions -- would be crucial."

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4
Council Authority

The question of local financing leads directly to an even more

important issue. The proposed councils would be operating alongside

Boards of Education (usually elected by the voters in local communities and financed out of local tax funds), variously constituted

advisory committees and councils-(made up of representatives of

it

local employers, labor union representatives, educators and others --

mad financed out of local funds), and other duly constituted entities,

*tiled out of local, federal and state funds. Where woultocommunitywork education councils fit into this maze? And from what base would

they receive their powerto influence, their "legitimacy?" Who or

what institutions would establish the councils? Perhapsat this time

the latter questiOn is moot, since existing entities will be selected

for participation in the pilot project, but in the long rum, these

questions are very much to the point..

In discussing these issues with directors of industry education

councils who are booing to receive funds from the pilot project, it

became clear that by being selected for participation in the pilot

project, the directors believe that a federal "imprimatur." would

ga. be given to their councils, and that this federal approval wild d not

only increase the stature of the councils, but would help in obtaining

additional funds from other federal sources. Thus, the potential

beneficiaries of the pilot project see federal recognition as a prima

_so4...ce of both power and legitimacy. At the same time, most of the

Chairman interviewed expressed skepticism of the concept as it is

outlined in The Boundless Resource. "It just won't work," one - respondent said. "Corporations are being taxed to pay for

what they consider to be bloated educational agencies. Why should

4'

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C.'
additional corporate funds and resources bn aured into education?

As for school districts, they aren't about to give up one iota of

their authority. It's a nice concept, but from a political point of

viewlit's impractical." This comment pretty much sums up the opinions

of most of the direCtors interviewed. It is interesting to note,

however, that regardless oi their skepticism; most are anxious to

take part in the pilot project.

The problem here is how the federal government can reachgin to

local communities without overreaching itself? The proposers of

community-work education councils want a grass roots effort -- a neoSaul Alinsky type movement -- yet 'the very fact that the federal

government is leading the cheering section andYholding out the

promise of funds contradicts this objective. But, without the

federal imprimatur from what source would the councils draw their

authority? FrOM edUpation? From the work sector? From both? It

:is certain that without' the participation of education, the pzosed

councils would falter, and that the work sector by itself would be

e

considered a biased and therefore ineffective intermediary. Thus,

if the proposed councils, are to be effective, the impetus would

have to come from both sectors, which leads to the question of incen-

)1 tiv,ts.

Incentives for: Participation

Participation in community-work education councils would mean

the asmAmption of new responsibilities for all concerned. According

to Writz, "the proposal rests...on the conviction that enough people

want very much today to reestablish Cleft' role in handling their

own affairs, that this can be done most meaningfully at the local

level, and that the closer tying in of youths' education and-what

195

309
0/ ,comes after it is a good assi nt to start on. -- As a generality,

this statement rings true, but when applied to specific issues, it

loses a good deal of its force. Most Boards of E4cation throughout

the nation hold open meetings, but the only time the public shows up

,*

in force is when the sensational -- bussing, sex education, the

elimination of athletic programs, potential teacher strikes -- are

on the agenda. There is very little evidence that the transition from

school:to work is a berning,issue at the local level. Perhaps, it

should be, and perhaPs it mad be, but the fact is that it is net.

What then would .be the incentayes for participation in communitywork education councils? It would appear that educators would haveJthe

strongest incentive, slime if the comes were'successful, they would

receive help from other segments of the community in providing services

'forAptdents. But, educators are already sponsoring and participating

in acusands of similar mechanisms throughout the country. It would

have to be shcwn clearly that community-work education councils had»the

potential for providini, something over and above what is presently

being provided by existing mechanisms before the enthusiastic participation of educators could be expected. In addition, it can be

anticipated that educators would be wary"of any proposal which would

threaten their control over educational programs.

As for employers, if there were evidence to show that employers

were having major difficulties in hiring well-prepared entry-level

workers, or that retrsiniag is a major problem in most business and

industrial establishments, employers might be willing-to allocate

funds and resources -- over and above what they are already contri:

busing to education -- in an effort to solve the problem. In'todaysa

loose labar merket.however, there is little evidence that this is a

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major problem. Can we expect tfitk "corporate social conscience"

:would provide the incentive? Even Wirtz doubts this: "The primary

business of business is still business, and the currency of 'corporate

social conscience' is inflated, except as it is based on the more

classical, corporate self interest."1"

Thehistory of labor union participation in educational

advisory committees and councils is not one that would inspire conok fidenceAftn- collaboration. In the early days of the Manpower Development and Training Program, trade unions effectively blocked the

establishient of prograis in occupational areas that were considered

apprenticeable, and delayed the full implementation of the Act's onthe-job trainingarovisions for well over two years. A 1966 Pteitident's

Committee on Manpower report, for example, pointed out that the MDTA

program in San Francisco was primarily female, because labor union

representatives on San Francisco's MDTA Advisory Cammictee vetoed

programs in traditionally male occupational areas.!" A recent report

an cooperative education programs in urban areas pointed out that

where unions were asked to eittir participate or help primote work

edrication programs, union demands in return for participation or

cooperatio# constituted a threat to ige entire program.121 riaa3.l)4

,unions are Adamantly opposed to relaxation of child labor and minimum

-t.v- wage legislatidn. Indeed, the Incentives for union participation

At. could be to block some of the most important suggested activities of the

councils.

The answer to these objections, of course, is that the various

parties could find sole areas where collaboration would 'be possible.

This may be true, but would the resulting activity be substantive,

or would it bi any more significant than activities which are alrNsiv.

0

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At . taking place =der the sponsorship_6f existing advisory committees

and councils? Thisvwould depend on the areas for action selected,

end on the degree to which indivUlue counclk members were motivated

to act.

Council Mambershi

One of the problems that have pla ed the architects of past

and present advisory committees arid counlils has been the question of

membership Who should sit on advisory"Committeei or councils? The

categories of mAmbership are easy'-'to identify: businesit and industry,

education, labor, community orianizatOns, and the genera47.l public.

When it comes down to individUal selections, however, the process

becomes a good deal more complicated. How many businessmen and

industrialists would be necessary in order that allemployers in a

'community would be well repraOlktedl How many public members Would

be needed to represent all segments of the general public? Can the

Central Labor Council or Building Trades Council speak for all unions

in the community. Which of the myriad community organizations should

be selected for membership?

The problem is relatively simple at the class or "project"

(

%.. level. For example, it would not be difficult for coordinators or

printing trades cooperative education programs to select advisory

committees. They would recruit the leading employers of printing

t ades workeiNza the community, and rQ!yesentatives of printing trades

Ilk

0,.,.,,..60 unions. The\ ctions of the committees would be equallt-elear: they

would advise on curriculum, and provide on-the-job training for

students enrolled in the programs.

The problem of selection for more generalized councils, such as

the proposed community -work education councils, however, is quite

0,- 298 -

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F. another matter. Can a llrge industrial employer (who is apt to be

well known and therefore desirable for publication relations reasons)

speak for all other employers in the commune, or even most of the

community's employers. What specifically would the representatives

of the various segments of the community be asked to do? The problem

is most acute with the proposed community-work education councils,

because no single institution is charged %iitt the responsibility for

their formation. If, for example, education was the moving force in

the establishment of the councils, the selection of members vould be

based on whatever specific contribution educators Z44,4ght a broad-

'.441464,44cbmmunity council could provide. The same wouldjbte)true if

employers, labor union's, \ or even the general public we I the moving

1 forces behind the tt establishment off he c cils. But,s4th no "cora':

with no particular agency or institution advocating (for its own

reasons) the formation of councils; Row ould the councils be formed,

and if they were for4d, who would be se ected to sit on them, and

what would they do?

Z.

) With respect to the pi lot program, existing councils (variously

jr

named) would> be selected for participation. In add Lion to whatever

these councils are doing now, their agenla would consist of one or

moreof the f011owing five broad areas o activities: (1) counseling

and advice for students; (2) the provisio of occupational information;

(3) placement activities; (4) development f the career education

concept and education- experience programs; and (!)the establishment

of educational inierchanges.111 Presumably, t: councils would

apply pressure on existing Oncies to provide 4ervices, institute

action programs on, their own, or both. But, the sired membership

of councils -would depend on which role the councils opted If,

daft'

-scow - 299 --

313
for example, the councils adopt primarily the advocate role, the

most appropriate membership would be highly prestigious representatives

of each sector of the community, regardless oftheir expertise. If,

on thee other hand, the councils opt for action "programs," it wOuid

14. b4 necessary for council members to have expertise in the program

areas. Past experience indicates that the latter type council is the

most difficult to establish.

IgHttEt

Willard Wirtz, in The Boundless Resource, outlines a prospectus

for an Education/Work Policy. He prtsents a problem and suggests in

general terms a solution to the problem. The book is a provocative

Q

and eloquent plea for community level action to improves linkages between school and-work for both youth and adults. The idea of

"collaboration" between institutions at the local level thAugh the

establishment of community-work education councils is eminently

worthy of consideration. It is an idea, however, that has not as yet

been fully developed. The*Wirtz prospectus is, as it should be, a

call to action, but before action is taken, the propoia program

should be given the developmental attention it deserves. Wirtz cites

Antigone's counsel: "Until we have tried and failed, we haven't

failed." True, but first we out to`know exactly what it is that

we are trying.

- 300-

it 314
9

MAT'S GOING ON

The typical school district in a town or city of the United

States has the following:

1. Board of Education

2. Citizens Advisou Committee (appointed by the Brd or 0 W

v - loglal eduCation agency, self-appointed, or both)

I' ....Agaire

3. Advisory Committees on Vocational Education (usua ly one

for each vocational education occOpational area)

*

4. Advisory Committees to Individual Insifiructors of

Vocational Education and Other Classes

5. 'Parent Teachers' Associations

6. One or More Apprenticeship Committees

In addition, many school-districts now have "career education ,

. ,, committees," "industry-education coudcili," and "community resource

workshops." If the district is located within:an Elementary and

Secondary Education Act Title I area, it will also have an advisory

CP

committee for, programs funded under Title I. Finally, most school

districts are within the jurisdictions 0:Comprehensive Employment

and Training Act (CETA prime sponsors, which are requireglto have

advisory, committees ma a up of employers, and representatives of labor.

the general, public, and community agencies (including education). /of

-., Trade associations, individual employers and laboi unions

(\-

contiibuta materials, pert'cipate in work education programs, cooperate

'.

1r

in student vocational education and other student clubs and associations,

- 301

315
arrange field trips for both students tnd teachers, and contribute

eqUipment to the schools.

With all this activity going on in most of the nation's school

districts, can it be possible that education is totally isolated

from other institutions -- that the schools are completely separate

entities, divorced from the work end service sectors of communities?

The answer to this question, of course, .depends on the extent to

which educators make use of existinAommittees and councils and

non-educator contributions, the quality of non-educator participation

and contributions, and -- most importantly -- the value of the

resulting policies and programs to individual students.

In this section, a. review is made of the didgent types of

activities which are presently conducped, their accomplishments (if

any), their shortcomings, and the reasons for their success or lack

91 success. The section concludes with a compirison between what is

actually takinil place at the present time and with what is contemplated (oi hoped for) throuCh the establishnO of:still another

group of local level councils -- the community worknOducation councils.

The materialls organized into two sub-sections; (1):Eksting

Aotivity; and (2) The "New Means," The first sub-section is subdivided as follows; (1)* Institutional Activities; and (2) Committees

and Councils.

Existing Activity

Institutional Activities

. 4) It was estimated in 1963 that the dollar volume of instructional

materials, visual aids, career literature, posters, and so on,

provided to public schools br industry -- trade associations as. well

-302-

C.114,

316
o as indiVidual employers -- was over $160 million.1/ This estimate

1 does not include the dollar value of scholarship and fellowship funds

no of contributed time of executives and other industry personnel.

There is no doubt that the volume of industry- sponsored and disatiminated material for use in schools is now well beyond the 1963 . estimate. No estimates are available for labor or other institutional

contributions, but -- althougt, a good deal less than industry con-.

tributions -- they are considerable. In this sub-,section, an appraisal

is made of the activities of institutions, acting on their own (out-

_ side of committees and councils), in behalf of the public schools.

Business and Industry

The most comprehensive survey of individual company support of

public education was made by Robert L. Ayers in 1963 -- before the

formation of the National Alliance of Businessmen and the great

upsurge'in industry participation caused by the riots of the midsixties and the resulting manpower programs (most of which were

educational) that followed the passage of anti-potierty legislation.

Ayers surveyed 248 companies. He found that the most often mentioned

contilbution was the provision of instructional materials. Close

to seven out of ten of the companies prepared and distributed booklets; six out of ten provided filmstrips, slides, transparencies,

records and tapes; four out of ten supplied textbooks and company

histories; and well over,three out of ten furnished samples of raw

materials and/or finished products, and a variety of displays and

exhibits.2/

Table 1 shows the frequency of company sponsored instructional

services for students, and Table 2 shows the frequency of company

sponsored help in upgrading the "real world" knowledge of teachers.

- 303 -

317

0
121 Table 1 indicates that even bitore the passage of the Vocational

EdUdation_Act Amendments of 1968, a significant number of companies

were participating in work education programs, especially at the

college level. Teblel. also indicates ,:hat a considerable amber of

companies. at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, were

helping in vocational training, counseling and guidance programs.

The amount of company activity at the elementary level, for both

students ,and teachers, was considerable, as were the nunber of

Workshops, conferences and seminars for teachers, in which company

representatives participated.

Table 1

Instructional Service Provided for Schools

El tars Secondary College

Student field trips to offices, mills

and factories 242 662 552

Classroom and assembly speaker* 182 422 592

Student ciub progress 4 602 82

Student work experience Programs 72 262 392

Help in vocational training,

icconseling, and guidance programs 42 422 38Z

Student award and iscognition programs 3Z 292 182

-.. Curricausadwisors 42 222 192

Facilities and equipment for meetings 42 172 142

Sascheri and professors on loan 42 52 16%

SOsCiruta-teachers and adult or night

school. teachers 12 142 22Z

Student travel prpgreas (less then)12 32 5%

Other progress (seminars, tours, research

projects, work-study prograes.for drop

:cute, etc.)__ 22 62 62.

Akurern.AiarsW41:Albawlusinessend Industry are Helping Schools'

PS. 57, Saturday Review, October 174 1964).

- 304 -

318
OZ,

I

Table 2

Kelp in upgrading Teachers

Elementary Secondaty

College or

Adult School

Plant visits; Business-/aduStry-Educt.

ties Day progries 24% 141

Workshops, conferences, and seminars

for teachers' 7X 54X 34X

Sauna acrd workemperienca opportunities for teachers 1X 10X 24X

....... e , '04

Special classes 1X 3X 3X

Travel programs 12 2X 1X

Other programs (consultant service,

assistance in economic"Iducation

programs, special trips; and

.4ummer employment) 2X 5X 3X

Source: Albert L. Ayers "Row Business and Industry are helping Schools",

pg. 57 Saturday Review, October 17;, 1964.

A more recent survey by the National Industrial Conference

Board of 50 firms involved in providing services to schools (1972)

indicated that the degree of involvement ranged from a low of 34

percent who at the time were offering political support to schools

in fiscalltatters to a high of 83"percent who were,providing financial

support for specific programs. Half the respondents indicated that

theg were providing opportunities for students and teachers to

observe business and plant operations on a regula; basis,, and equipment for specific classes. 3/ The businessmen surveyed,however,

believed that they could have done more. Some said there was a lack

of requests by schools for business help and, in sore cases, refusals

on the part of schools to use business'..:onated materials. One,Southeri

bank president seed that educators refuse to teach "free enterprise

economics. "4/

-305-

319

4.-00.111011IM
ln 1968, the Conference Board conducted a eurOey of 1,033

companies to determine their willingness to initiate action on

education and training programs. The results, shown in Table 3,

indicate that the highest percentage of positive replies pertained

to the "retraining of workers rendered unemployed by automation;"

the lowest percentage to "improvement of local school curriciatmt."

Table 3

Company Willingness to Initiate Action pa Education and Training Problems

Percent of Companies'

Total

Respondents Small Medium Large

menufacturinRNonmano.

ficturing

Number of Companies *033) (146)09A) 1393)_1612) (350)

Improvement and expansion of local

'school facilities 55.62 59.6% 54.9% 55.0% 56.4% 54.0%

Improvement of local school

'4- curricula* 48.5% 50.7% 49.4% 46.6% 48.8% 48.02

Problems associated with school

dropouts. 53.9% 58.9% 52.2% 54.2% 32.7% 56.3%

4

Improvement of work/career opportunities for minority groups 62.92 69.22 65.22 74.3% 67.9% 71.7%

Retraining of workers rendered

unemployed by automation 72.6% 73.2% 70.62 74.1% 74.1% 69.7%

Source: The National Industrial Conference Board,

Public Affairs, Studies is Public Affairs

Wir3571F7

Inc., The Role of Businessita

No. 2 New York: The Boafr,

Trade Associations: Business and industry trade associations

generate &large volume of materials and services for the educational

system. These range from career education and curriculum materials

to the sponsorship of "community resource workshops" (by the American

1ron,and Steel Institute) and the promotion of industry education

councils by the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S.

Chamber of Commerce. The latter two organizations have been in the

business of providing materials and segices to the schools for a

-306-

320 U
number of years. Both have adopted policies in favor of "career

education," and both have sponsored " business- industry days" and'

other events throughout the country. An interview with the Educational

Director of the...NAM revealed that more than 100 members of the

association are participating in industry-education-councils. He

indicated, however, that industry participation is pretty much restricted

to "Fortune's 500." The former Educational. Director of the U.S.

Chamber said that business participation in education increases as

labor markets get "tighter," or as unemployment rates go down and

employers experience difficulties in recruiting and holding workers.

He also said that the Chamber's emphasis has shifted from businessindustry career days to cooperation in instituting career education

curricula.

National Alliance of Businessmen (NAB }: Formed in the late 1960s

as a partnership between business and the federal government, NAB

concentrates' mainly on the placement of disadvantaged individuals in

jobs. In its earliest stages, executives were loaned to newly

established NAB offices throughout the country to get the program off

the ground. Working with local employment service personnel, NAB

offices developed jobs and filled them with disadvantaged individuals

recruited by local employment service offices. Today, the job development and placement program is administered primarily by employment

service personnel.

A study, performed in '..468 attempted to identify cooperative

efforts that had taken place between schools and industry to meet the

goals of NAB. The results indicated that_the communication link

between schools and industry was at best poor and at worst nonexistent.

ti

- 307 -

21
Businessman did not know who to contact'in the school system, and

when they dii' manage to propose ideas to school administrators, many

Claimed that they were given "the run arc,,;." Others claimed that

teachers were interested in business-sponsored edudation programs,

but had difficulty in gaining approval for such programs from their

supervisors.11

At the present time, NAB has 130 metropolitan offices throughout

the patted States which, in addition to their placement activities,

sponsor the following youth programs:

1. IIITANbtivation Task Force: A program which brings disadvantaged youth in contact with young men and women from

business who have similar backgrounds. Its major pu2pose

is to lyivate students to remain in school.

2. College Cluster Program: A program to establish clusters

of. business representatives and college administrators

around minority colleges so that the employing community

can assist graduates to better compete for jobs in

business and industry.

3. Vocational-Guidance'Institutes: A program, sponsored by

local businessmen, for school counselors, administrators

andlunicula specialists. The goal of these institutes,

which are co-sponsored with universities, is to provide

educators with a better awareness of minority. problems

and to become better equipped to couniel-Students 60 the

--4 types of jobs open to them upon graduation.

4. Guided Opportunities for Life Decisiont.:. A program to

provide economically disadvantaged youth with year-round

work experiinces that will create a greater understanding

- 308 -

322
e-,

of private sector career opportunities and help students

chose realistic direst goals.

Ht. James F. Grogan, of the ..1, Corporation, in discusiing the

goals of NAB, stated: "if our nation's businessmen and educators

can't find ways to stem the tide (i.e., school dropouts) and to make

our ed%ucational curriculum valid and relevant in terms of meaningful

jobs for everyone, we can only envision the 'Roman Circus' and the

predominant welfare state as being grimmer than anything predicted by

6/ Gibbon and Orwell. -- tt

Constraints: The extent of voluntary industry participation in

education, and the extent to which industry's contributions are

accepttO by educators, depends on whether constraints, bred primarily

on mutual confusion and suspicion, can be overcome. Although there is

evidence to indicate that polarized positions between industry and

education are breaking down, there can be no doubt that communication

between the two institutions could be improved. According to Burt,

some of the constraining factors stemming from the educational world

i are

1. Confusion on'the part of school adminIstrators as to

what they want from industry.

2. Lack of knowledge on the part of school administrators

of how industry is organized or how to approach industry.

3. Suiiiiion on the part of school administrators of

motivations of industry in working with schools.

4. Fear of school administrators that industry groups will

become special interest pressure groups.

5. Lack of willingness by school administratorsgio provide

staff to work with industry in developing cooperative

- 309 -

323

't.
relationships:

Overemphasis by school administrators at local, state,

and national .levels on advisory committees as tho sole

technique for achieving industry-education cooperation.

7. Lack of understanding by school administratorsOof the

role of the instructor in achieving industry-education

cooperation.

ti NMI"'

8. Lack of coordinatio# of industry participation in the

iodividual schcole of the school system by administrators

an_ the central, office4vet.

9. Jealousy of perogatives on the part of supervising staff

at both the central office and individual school levels

so that industry ,participation in 'school programs betties

diffpsed and.re4tively impotent.

10. Lack of guidance. from state officials, national educational

organizations, and the U.S. Office of Education in

providing realistic guidelinkand adequate staff to enlist 1-

- and encourage industM0participation in school.matters.21

As for industry, Burt lists the following:

1. Confusion concerning the mission of public education,

school organization and how to work effectively with

school Sople« 0. 2. Unwillingness to make long-range connittments to volunteer

services to schools, thus creating among educators a,pense

of impermanency and resulting self-seeking motivations on

the part of industry.

3. Too quick to disillusionment on thedaant of industry when

school officials take a cauttous approach to industry-

- 310 u.

324
initiated cooperative programs.

lack 'of planned organization, assignment of staff, and

budgeted funds on the part of industry to effectively

channel and impletent its desire to be involved in work

with schools.

Lack of knowledge and leadership on the part of industry

as to what it mey.rightfully demand, as a matter of

public policy, from the public schools.gi

Summarv:,

Although it ii true the the cOstraints listed above inhibit

interacts O betweleibca4 and industry, it is equally true that

cooperativAt (and perhaps even'"collaboratiie") programs have been

and are being developed and that many of them are in the areas of

suggested activities for the proTeJsed community-work education

councili. Education and Industry are, indeed, "independent sovereignities," but there is considerable "commerce" between them. It is

highly doubtful that either sector will -- or should, give up its

independence, but total isolation is not a condition now and it is

42

not likely to be in the future. Perhaps more exitisive collaborative

relationships can be developed between the two sectors, but there is

always the problem of striking a balance. One recalls the angry

criticisms of college students during the sixties to the effect that

our nation's colleges and universities were nothing more than "farm

.clUbs" for industry. 0 - Labor Unions

Labor unions enter into collaborative relationships with schools

in the conduct of apprenticeship programs, cooperate in some work

.wig - 311 -

325
.

education programs, and provide texts and materials for use in the

nation's classrooms. In recent years, however, unions have had

difficulties in supporting some educational programs involving

cooperations between schools and the work sector, and have been in

outright opposition to suggestions that labor standards legislation

be relaxed to' permit increaied employment of youth. A recent study

of coopers education programs in urban a gas, for example,

pointe, out that schools refrained from requesting union help isibie

.40

inaugisration of cooperative programs, because they feared union demands

would be impossible to meet.2/ The Los Angeles Federation of Labor,

AFL-CIO, issued a "Statemeiit of Position on Community Involvement

in Vocational Education," which may be typical of the attitudes of most

union officials and members towa4$rd work educatiOn progabs. Such

....--, progtams, the statement reads, should have advisory committees which

include labor representaIV tion. Unions should be consulted on the

initiation of new programs and be assured that regular workers will

not be displaced. In addition to receiving school credit and the

minimum wage, students who participate in work education programi

(Vlk114-t, should be extended the benefits of tociaNecurity and unemplo litt't insurance. Finally, "there should be periodic reviews and repo rs 1

by school personnel of places of employment and conditions of labor.

Such reports s'.-nld be given to each member of program advisory

.ter

committees.:,0Although the Los Angeles statement appears eminently

reasonable, it could be viewed as a threat bykboth school officials

and employers.12/

40

The AFL-CIO has been cool to gopcosomicareer education program,

and does not promote local union participation in industry-education

councils. Unions knot view "youth unemployment" apart from total

0

sr - 312 -

301 1
unemployment, and are therefore wary of programs to cure unemployment for any segment of the population which do not attack the basic

economic causes of unemployment.

Nevertheless

basic functions,

ipation in broad

w le unions remain i0 0

otved in their traditional

they e today expanding these functions to partic4>

social movements. The AFL-CIO's program for the

1970s incltdes efforts to resolve ghetto and innercity problems, and

aid to the rural poor and others bypassed by society. This emphasis

on social aims in in response to the broader inert7ts and social

conscxousness of new members coming into the unions -- government

workers (especially teachers) and blacks. One important factor which

may have an effect on education-union relations is that there are

presently 4,00C school districts throughout' ie United States which

have collective bargaining arrangements with teachers' unions. IP

Despite the cool reception given career education by the national

office of the AFL-CIO, the Unit(lAutomobile Workers (UAW) and the

United Rubber, Plastic and Linoleum Workers of America have issued

Stat.:gents supporting career education, and there haebeen. a good

deal of local union participation in career education programs in

New York State, Springfield, Massachusetts and Peoria, Illinois. One

of the most interesting of the many union-education cooperative

programs is the UAW's assignmeneof 27 retired skilled craftsmen as 0

/ advisors in the vocational education departments of 19 inner-city

Detroit schools. The advisors attempt to acquaint motivate

students cirncerning the opportunities and advantages of becoming

skilled craftsmen, and assist youth in preparing to take apprentfceship examinations.

Sunman,: Unions have 12eeh'participating in educational programs

- 313 -

327

Kf
throughout the history of the American labor movement, and i; can be

expected that their participation will increase in the future.

However, care must be taken that the goals of proposed programs are

not inimical to union interests. If, for example, proposed communitywork education programs are billed as panaceas for youth unemployment,

or if they include among their objectives programs which unions

consider contrary to the interests of American workers (such as the

modification of labor standards legislation), little cooperation

(or collaboration) can be expeCted from the labor movement.

National Citizens Groups

Since the 1960s, a number of national orginizationd'have been

formed to enlist the various facets of our national life, on a vflun1

tary basis, to hob in developing human resources. AmOrig them ire

The Urban Coalition, The National Committee for the Support ofirPublic

1.? Schools, and the Joint Committee on EconomitEducation (which was

founded in 1949). Although the overall objectives of these organiz&-

. tions are broad, programs in support of public education are one of

thtiir major goals.

Urban Coalition:kn the field of education, the Urban Coalition,

which is made up of political, social, religious and industrial

leaders, has sponsfi.ad programs in three large cities -- New York,

Philadelphia and Los Angeles. The three local Coalitions are involved

primarily in the development of industry-school cooperative programs

in the inner-city areas,

National Commita for the Support of Public Schcols.OPounded

vA in 1962, the National Committee is composed of leaders in business,

%-

labor, agriculture and the professions, and is fix Iced entirely by

volunteer tax-deductible contributions from individuals, industries,

is

- 314 -

328
:tend founatons. Its primary purpose is to' provide facts and insights

regarding pliblt education so that its members, reflecting all shades

of opinion, can intelligently work out solutions to meet the needs

of, their own schools.

Joint Committee on Economic Education: 46 Joint Coundil on

Economic Education was ,organized in 1949 with the support 'of the

Committee foliconomic Development and from the. Ford Foundadton's

Fund for Adult .Education. The entire program of the Council is to:

'"reduce economic illiteracy by 1roving the quality of economics

.415 taught in our schools and colleges by trained 'Ochers using - effective teaching materials." There are over 50 affiliated councils

446 states which work vith local school systems and colleges to

develop programs founded on local naeds.,44:0

These are only a few of the groups which are engaged

in the support of public education;'countless others exist at the

state and local levels.

-S

- N.

, This brief review of industry/labc1,citizen.group interaction

with the pubLic school system indicetee that tti schools are ckaceiving

considerable support from other private and public institutions.

Unfortunately, no =Apprehensive evaluation of such sUpport has ever

been !lade.' As a resnit,.the question as to its usefulness is generally

4ditsrmined by the biases of observers: Industry criticizes the

. schpls for not making use of busine4 ss-generated materials; the

.;z schools criticise industry for grinding its own axe; and labor criti-,

cises both education and industry for reasons of its Own. Yet, all

three sectors plus citizens' groups -- join in cooperative and

collaborative efforts in most of the nation's school distriCts.

A - 315 -

329

4
Perhaps these efforts ar'''k riot aIl that they shouleas, but by any

stiOtch of the limilinationit-cannot be said thit complete isolation

exists betwein thesit.

iS

' Committees and Councils

. It is iXpOible to estimate the total number of committees

and councils eft * sponsored by public schools or impointed by other

'groups (including self - appointed citizens' committees) to advise or

pressura the schools on various matters in existence today,but the

number must Ivor* than 100,000. It is estimated that'there are

over 20,000 formally organised- vocational edulation advisory committees alone, and this figure does not include advisory comVees

to individual volitional education and/or work education classes .I1/

Indeed, it would be interesting t. now the amount of ,time educators

spend meeting and working with advisory committees and councils. The

number of committees and councils increased dramatically since

the 1960s, becauie moat federal legislation passed during that turbu-1

ft- lent period mindd the establishment o2 advisory ,committees or

councils, and lecause of pressure from local groups for increised

participation un the formation of lolal school district policies and

decisions.

It would be impossible.in this paper to review 'the activities

of all committees and councils which are active in school matters today;

thus, the decision was made to concentrate on three iypeu of adviso,

is: Vocational Education Advisory Committees; (2) IndustryEducation Councils; and (3) Federally mandated manpower adttory

councils. These types Of committees are most closely'associatedwith

the transition of students from school to work and the movement of

adults from work ane other edn:t roles back into school.

- 316 -

330

;11.4,
%Wimp 1 at on =so njlaskjan

Vocational education advisory COMMitt0441 are of three typos:

, (1) General; (2) Departmental; and (3) Specific Occupation. Most

school districts throughout the United States have one or more of these

4 types of committees. Their membership consists of employers, labor

unions, community and governmental organisations, representativesOf

various segments of the general public, and, of course, vocational

*ducators. AlthOUeh'itheir functions are quite similar to those

suggested for the proposed commoity-work education councils, the

process through which advisory committees operate is definitely not

"collaboretive." An imericin Vocational Vducation Association (AVA)

booklet advisory committees ,before describing the functions of

advisory csamittees states what their purpose is not:

°The.functlons of the local advisory committee can best

.,e established by stating first what the group is not

to do. The numerous prIvinces which invite p..rticw

ipatlon outweigh the areas closed to committee operation . and prevent this approach from being negative....The

duties of advisorrconmAttees should extend beyond . giving advice, .......a.....1...xbuttheithettuaLIWALIELLEVgiELEE

or administrative Authority. Formation of these

Committaaa is not intended lo usurp .the peroggtives

of boo rds of aducstlon or of edministrative staffs,

occasionally' such fears us aticolsOd. . Because

the Approval and support 9f the board members_end staff

aria Vital, they Ma; We:soured that. while the danger

, Draaant and some Advisory 9011001kte*8 have tried to

move in that direction,*the barriers will be firmly placei,"12/

- 3).7

331
Ont5dhavini: made this distinction, the AMA goes on to explain

the functioneof_advisory committees as foll9Ws:11

1. Occupational Surveys: "Advisory committees should advise

the tchool administration on the types of offerings

required to satisfy the prepatory as well as the retraining

and upgrading needi'of the individuals of the community."

To do this properly; advisory committees should either

conduct occupational surveys, or see to, it that they are

conducted.

2. Verification of Course Content: Advisory committees should

establish practices "which will keep instruction practical

and functional."

3. Support for Proposed Legislation: Advisory committees should

"support educators in the important area of legislation and

appropriations."'

w. One vocational educator cites the followincfUnctions ig ways

in which advisory.committees can help the educator:

I. Hike community surveys;

2. Determine and verify needbfor training;

3. Provide tangible evidence that industry is Supporting the

program;

4. Review past accomplishments and forecast trends affecting

training and employment;

5. Evaluate the programs

6. Provide financial, legislative and moral support;

7. Interpret the program to ,the community, to unions, to employers;

8. Plan facilities and establish standards for shop end lab

training;

- 318g332.
9. Secure donations of equipment and suppefes;

10. Identify new technical developments which require changesin the curriculum;

11. Encourage teaching recruits;

12. Provide guidance and support in technical matters;

13. Determine qualifications needed for selecting instructors;

14. Counsel and guide students in relation to the world of work;

15. Find placement opportunities for students;

16. Determine criteria for evaluating student performance; and

. '17. _Develop cooperative work experience programs for students.af,

If many of the above 'listed functions appear to be the acme as

thoseprmposed for community-work education councils, it is because

they are the same. The question, of course, is how well hays these

functions been carried out by advisory committees. No evaluation has

been devoted exclusively to the performance of vocational advisory

committees at the local level., However, many assessments of vocational

education programs in general have commented on the contributiota of

advisory committees. The common appears to be that the closet

advisory committees are attached to specific classes, or odiupatiOnal

areas, the more effective they arept to'be.

fteii?"41,0ccupation or Class Adrisory Committees: In all the

discussion about the transition of students from school to work,!

the role of the instructor or coordinator at the "firing line" level

is all too often ignored. Most students, especially vocational

e&cation students,- receive the vast' majority of their counseling from

instructorsi-who in turn,. are required in most states to have had

practical experience in the trades they teach in order to be qualified

. - as vocational education instructors. Instructors also play a iipmr

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333

1.

2
At.'

role in the placement of students, and in foil wing up on students

after placement. Specific occupation or class advisory committees

are invaluable to instructors in carrying out these functions. The it

advantages of.thess types of committees are that their purposes are

iii*rly delineated:

1. To advise on curricuia and equipment for specific

occupational areas or tresses; 4

2.. To provide equipment where it is needed;

3. Toadvise-on job opportunities in the occupational area;

4: To provide work stations for cooperative and other work

education students; And

5. To provide-full-time jobs for graduates.

Asked to name the characteristics of active and involved'

advisory domiittset, the coordinators of 30 cooperative education

piograms in urban areas 'replied that such committees, composed of high

level business or industrial representatives, should meet often and

poem( it least two major functions:, (1) employer relations and

job development; and (2) curriculum development and revision. Members

of such ideal committees would visit classrooms, provide advice on

how training could be impraved, talk with students individually, and

make presentations to classes as 4 whole. 11/

Departmental Advisory CommWees: These committees serve each

occupational area (tm dluster).6f i vocational education program in

a school district or school. Their value depends on the extent to

which demands are made on the committees by school districts or

. schools; The coordinatorspentioned above, rated15 out of 30 of

e,leir departmental edv4sory committees in some way useful; the remainder

were of little use (at least .to school ceordinators).11/ According

os - 320 -

334

a.
to the coordinators int

1.14 eyed, the value of a good departmental

advisory committee is that it either performs functions th(t coordinators otherwise would have to perform, or that it helps coordinators

in performing key functions. For example, in Houston, departmental

advisory committees draft lists of employers, by occupational area,,

that have expressed an interest in participating'in secondary

codperative education programs. These liits are distributed to

coordinators for job development purposes. The New York City Co-

. operative Education Commission meets six times a year to deal with

prOgram'promotion, the development of new work stations; and problemS

that .arise in the area of city-wide employer and labor relations.

A- committee fora Boston fashion merchandising,pftgram, composed of

27 'representatives of department stores in WaslOggtdt, D.C., New

York City and Boston, not only lends status to the program, but also

assures the development of adequate work stations, placement for

graduates,sand provides advise in maintaining up-to-dite curricula.

$5.0- What little evidence exists, however, indicates that the

performance of departmental advisory committees is uneven throughout

4 the country.

General Advisory_Committees: General advisory committees assist

in the development and maintenance of the entire vocational education

progrem,of a school or ichoql district. General committees are the

farthest removed from the "firing line," and their.purposes or

functions are the least clearly delineated. Tettould.be expected that

the .major responsibility for the generation of local labor market

information -- across the broad occupational spectrum' -- would be

vested in general advisory committees. However, there ir-little

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$)

335.

t.
evidence that such committees engage in teis function, or if they do,

the results do not reach local education agency personnel responsible

fOr planning, or school counselorA and instructors. The major

purposes of general advisory ditimittees appear to be of a public

relatiansnature. The prestige or their memberships lend validity to,,

the overall.programe, they assist the schools in legislative and.

tx,

appropriatiOns matters, and sponsor events which focus public attention

on vocational education Programs.

Limitattons of Advisory Committees: One of the major ,Iimitations

_of vocational education advisory committees, especially of "general"

variety is'that the membership isimIt'often chosen according to the

expertise needed to carry out committee functioRs. 'What appears to

be happening in many cases is a "prestige exchange:" Businessmen,

labor represensatives and members of other segments of the COmmunity14.

consider service on advisory comaiNtees something of a status symbol,

and educators, by appointing prestigous members of the community to

advisory committees, gain public acceptance for their vocational

educatich programs. The reiult.is that committees are often made up

of individuals who agree with each other and who do not expect to

,devote much time to committee laatt.as other than the time they spend

at meetings. Even more important, t he more complicated functions of

advisory committees, such as the generation of local Tabor market

information through occupational surveys, are often ignored. Somiirer,

these are limitations which apply to all kinds of voluntary activities,

including those of industry-education councils and the prwed

community-work education councils.

0.04:440%..

Alp -322-

0
-Industry-Education Councils

The term "industry-education councils" is used here to denote a

number of variously named councils, committees, workshops, partnerships. etc., that have come into being over the years, not necessarily

thr40h,the initiative of educators, and that are concerned with the

total educational program, rather than any particular type of

u education, such as "vocational education." Although in their earliest

days, some of these organizations Were formed to improve educaibnal

programs in specific fields (such as science and engineering after

the Sputnik scare), most are-now embracing the "career education"

concept. The prime movers of the indui -education movement have

A

been;%industrialists and their associations, such as the N.A.M. Labor

participation has-not been extensive, and participation by educators

has been characterlzod by c4atiOn and, at times, outright re).uctance.

Although-participation by individuals as parent!:, rather than as

representatives of institutions, has been non-existent in most

industry-education type organizations, because the impetus'for the

establishment of industry-education councils hasoccurred for the

most part outside the school system, they have bian afforded the

111 attributes of movements."

There are two natiotal associations of industry-education

councils, one of which dates back to1964: The National Association.

of Industry Education Council (NAIEC), and the Industry Education

Councils,of America,(IECA)..

The NAIEC was established in 1964/Although its beginnings date

back to the 1940s when.it waeknown as the Business-Industry Section

of theNational Science Techer Association._ Its purposes are as

follaws

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To provide a national organization for representatives

of business, industry, edudation, .government and labor

-to promote increased levels of cooperation;

To identify are of matte,. interest and to formulate

programs and procedures which meet acceptable standards;

and

3. To communicate with any group concerned with education

4404 about cooperative programa and projects.

theNAIEC has approximately 230-300 members composed of educators,

individal firms and nations]. trade associations. Recently, the

organization` merged with the National. Community Workshop Association,

4/ an organization made tip primarily of educators. Previous to the

0;

merger, the NAIEWs membership was primarily from the business and

industry'sectors* t is .now:4emposed of equal rerresentation from the

t

i l. education and bus?. essindustrr sectors.

The IECL ib a relatively new organization of California and

Arizona industry-education councils. Its purposes are as follows:,

1. Establish a clearinghouse to stimulate a better understanding of,interrelationship of schools and industry;

2. Encourage the formation of statewide or regional groups

to develop programs at the local level; III 3. Develop leadership at the state or regional levels for

tne'implementation of.programs and activities at 'the

comMunity level;

4. Interchange inforiation concerning ongoing programs and

to develop methods for their implementation at the Efate

or regional :level;

5. Hold regional meetings, seminars and the like for interchange

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.338
Z of information for the benegtiof all concerned; and

6. Encourage long-range planning to carry opt the above

mentioned objeatives..

There areapproximately 40 industry-education councils presently

in operation (mainly in New YorVand California); the number of

1milar mechanisms (variously named) is unknown. In preparation for

the writing of this paper, representatives of both the NAIEC 411

tECA, the directors of seven industry-education councils, and six

similar mechanisms were interviewed. The purposes of A interviews

were to determine tiVe histr, of individual councils, their member-

,. ships, paid staffs,.financing, activities, problems, views, regarding

"collaboration" versus "cooperation," and the possible effects of

f,ederal intervention in whaehas been primarily a local initiative.

History: Of the 13 councils whose directors were interviewed.

'seven were initiated primarily by itbjetry, five by education, and

one by a public group. The reasons for the estabhphment of the

councils, although varied, wera primarily concerned,with the transi--

tioh of students from schObl to work (al-though one was formed solely

to provide OpplementarT education for employed adult:6. One had its

beginnings in the pOst-Sputnik scare, one in the student unrest of

the sixties, lour in response to the career education concept, and

two in the concept of using community resources in educations, programs.

Others were inspired by testimony at a statewide heiting on public

education, the need felt by soaa'industrialists in one community to

promote al teaching of free enterprise economics in.the public schools,

A \ the resuld of a labor market survey (by the Chamber of Commerce)

which showed a need for better business lingges with the public

schools, "and die need for teacher" training in some communities.

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A
.0 4. )t

NIgk.

. Council Memberships: Two of the councils had no formalized

structure; five limited meimbership to business and industrial representatives; three were composed of busiess and edueation represente- V4

tives; two included labor representati 'S in addition to businessi

and education members and one included community agency members in.

addition to business, labor and education; and one was made'up of

political office holders as well as business and labor representatives.

Paid Steffs: All but thre had paid staffs. The average

number of staff membais was threellit one had seven full-time staff

members, and 011ie had'a staff of 13 full-time and 10 part-time

employees. 1st; .te

Pinanciral Five of the councils were financed by state and

local education agencies, buein Ora' of these instances, industry

provided in-kind contributions. Industrovided all of the funding 4

for:five of the councils, but in one instance, local education

agencies. provided in-kind contributions. One council was funded,

jointly by 'industry and eduCation, and one was the recipigat of a

federal.grant. in two of the councils funded solely by,education

a- 111 agencies, one also received a federal grant lindene was the recipient

of contributions from the general public.

Activities:'

Among. the activitifts of the councils were the following:

;40

1. Sponsorship of Job Fairs and other "events" (e.g., career'

days, tescimonial dinners; teacher and student award

ceremonies, etc.)

Sponsorelip of conferences on legislation

a

3. Sponsorship of NAB-model Caita Guidance' Institute (two

councils) 0

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, it)

346 rd

1
q

V

tf1

4. Develo 't of economic aducation programs Imo councils)

3. Development of community resources for u*.e by 'schools

(two councils)

6. Davolopment of career education programs foribudents

and the promotion of resources for, use in career

education programs (five counsels)

7. Davalopmentt f training programs (three councils)

8. Program to provide supplementary education fore adult

workers (non-high school graduates) on Job-sites

9. Promotion of Cosolunity,tresource workshops

10. The generation of local, labor market information (two councils) . 11. Miscellaneous provision of services to schools on request

riblage: Only four of the respondonts'identifi

was

i;

ed problems of

Ot any substantive nature. 'Ono said that it s impossitle to arrive at

a consensus as to what tIto obje4tives of the council should be (this

council had 60 members from business, labor and education). As a

result, council activities were carried .out on 'an ad hoc basis.

Suspicion by educators was cited as a problem by one respondent.

-4.

"Th.), think we're out to indiietsinatepupils in. the free enterprise

Aystem."'he said, "but we're dealing4ith tiet. They're. beginning to

come around." One eouncil suffered a loss of funding for political

reasons, the nature of which the director'wes unwilling to sclose.

One respondent motioned three problems:. (1) the education men !ors

turn out in force for meetings,' whereas attendance by-industry

memberi is sparse; (2) teachers in some school districts appear to

be hostile to industry contributions; and (3) because-of a battle _at

the stet* love' between vocational and Otykor education divisions, it

is difficult to WA the cooieration of vocational education personnel

0

1

- 327

341

4 $

.1.`
(this counsel was primarily career education oriented).

Most respondents, however, said that they "ere "problem- free,"

which may be an indication that no substantive attempts had been

made to achieve a collaborative relationship with the schools (see

below). &

Collaboration Vs. Cooperation: R'espondents were asked whether

they were familiar with The Boundless Resource and proicaal for the

establishment of community-work education councils that would involve

collaboration batsmen education and other. community institutions.

Seven respondents wsr44quainted with the book anclgthe proposal, and

four Were hopeful of receiving pile,: project grants. One of the

respondents, quoted in Section I of this paper, was outspoken in hisZP

4:41kepticiei tif.01 idea (yet he was one of the respondents hoping to

receive a pilot project grant). The remainder, though less outspoken,

were nevertheless cautious in response to the question of collabora-

;. 457) tion. "Educators are already suspicious of us," one respondent said,''

"we've got to prove our motives are pure." 'Another said that in

order for true, collaboration to take place, there would have to be a

"liiird force," or "demands on the part of thu general public" for

changes in educanfonal responsibility.

e7, Effects of Federal leurvention: Sinee,Averal of the eow.cils

were already receiving federal granti, and ether hoped to be federal,

grant recipients, it is not surprising that all'but one of the council

directors saw no conflict in federal financing of "grass races"

,progrems. One director, however, was adamantly opposed to federal

financing of industry-education councils. "Federal funds,would be a

VA

crutch and crutches are only for cripples " He believed that the

-whole idea of community.offorts to improve local education programs

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342
6 i

41t. . ".. .4

, $

wOuld'be compromised by federal funding. This respondent consititt:ced4 minority' ',tone, and his council was maxia up solely of industry

representatives. Most of the remaining resAdants believed that

iederalirecOgnition (thigugh grants) would lend prestige.to the

programs and would ldadIco additional funding possibilities:

Industryzeducation.councils are a relatively new phenomenon on

the educational scene (although some have been in existence for a

, . li numbeviof years), and represent a desire and willingness on the part

, tdi

.!

. . of non-educitional institutions`' (primarily, industry)' to contribute

expertise and resources to the education of 'American students. There

is n° indication at this time, however, of collaboyative relation- . ships between councils and schools -- in the sense of ohering policy =-1 - .."7"."- . and operational decisions for educa47 tional programs =, and there is,

a ,: , * even Less.indication.yhat there is a grcandswell of "public interest" -.

or the,interest of individuals in their private, non-institutional

capacities as parents and citizensin the work of the pouncils.

4

The councils represent primarily a response to the career education

9

.concept on the part of industry and to a lesser extents: labor unions

and other institutions 'end agencies. 'Their activi4es,§2 e directed

towarciNteAtotal educational program's rather than..toward specific

segments- of it (such asacadeimic or vocational education), but they

activities themselves are not much different than those performed by

vocational education-and Ether educational advisory committees

presentliv.in oieration.

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343

,;3
ea. 1*

Maiipotar Advisory Committees

Ever since the passage of the Manpower Development and Training

Act (MDTA) of 1962, educators, employers, ',union members and represents-

.esof other community institutilps and agendies have participated

iiiAirlinmeradvisoryariaorptarmingdocazittees..Sevaial of these

committees, such as Cooperative Area Manpower Planning System (CAMPS)

. committees and today's Comprehensive'Employment and Training Act

(CETA) state and local committees have attempted to coordinate

community manpower resources for both youth and adults, and bring

about Increased cooperatior., if not-collaboration, between private

. and public sector institutions. It would be an understatement,to

say that these federally mandated structures were not altogether

successful, and tLat one of the major reasons for theit failure was

nstitutional polarization. For example; . -- In the early days of MDTA, labor was often pitted against

the Employment Service and.locai educailon jurisdictions

Ait in the generatiOn of proposals°for institutional aad-onthe-job training programs.

-- Shortcomings of the CAMPS system, which was under the

'overall jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Labor

(through the Employment Service), were due primarily

to the unwilAngness of other agencies" (federal; state

and local) to be bound by a system dominated by the Employm.

went Service (or LEA Department),

--Uoncentrated Employment Programs (CEP), which attempted to

accomplish in ghetto areas what CETA is new attempting to

do in larger jurisdictions, were often hampered because

employers, unions and other agencies were reludtant to

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, r

P. work 'with Community tiction 'Agencies , the prime sponsors,

of local CEPS.

' It is interesting to note, however, that followingthe riots

of the 19600, local MDTA a divsory committees lost a considc:able

amounki, power and in many cases went, ouvi business

altogether. The result was that MDTA institutional and; OJT programs

underwent an expansion, and unions began to institute pre-apprentiCe-

: 1 . ship programs, using MDTA =Orley. lAat hdppened? It seems that

public pressure, or the'demands of individuals acting as citizens,

, interceded in what had been primarily an under-publicized battle

between`, institutions. Something had to give inthe case of the MDTA

prograiiit was labor opposition. The pointsis that unless the consciousnessof the public is raised, or unless the public is concerned

about specific problems which are being aggravate by institutional

polakization, there is very little' pressure on institutions, to

change their positions, or to compromise in order to effect potential

solutions to the problems. ) All this, of course, is past history; the best that.ca$be done

ato understand its lesiOns. ,For'present purposes, however, it

bight "be well to take a look at the current mechanisms designed to

. 'achieve cooperation and coordinitiOn of manpower programS at the

local level -- CETA.

CETA . The Comprehensive Manpower and Training Act mandated that two

types ofadvisory bodies be established: (1) State Manpower Services

Councils; and (2) Prime Sponsor CETA Planning or Advisory Councils.

According to a'1975 evaluation of coordinated linkages among manpower

programs, neither of these advisory bodies have had an impact in

- 331 -
.1 'coordinating manpower programs at either,the state or local 17/

State Manpower Services Councils have beets concerned primarily with

grants to the states mandated by CETA, and local advisory committees

or .councila have apparently been established merely to meet CETA

requirements. The relationship of the local committees.to the progravVaning and decision. making process is often obscure and'poorly

. defined. 0

.The evaluation upon which the above remarks who based, however,

4r

was conducted 'fin 1975. As CETA Was passed in 1973',. many of the

programs reviewed had been in existence for only a short'period of

time. Anew study, which will not be completed dntil January, 1977

(and in which the author of this paper is participating), indicates

that in some areas significant contributions are being.made by State

Manpower Services Councils. Perhaps

1;

the'most flportant is in the

area of local labor market information. For example, inCaiifornia

and.Georgia, contracts have been entered into between state CETX

offices and State Employment Security Departments to provide local

labor market information for .CETA prime sponsors.- In California the

11 . research and statistics division ofthe Employment Development It

Department (Employment Service) sponsored a conference for all local

prime sponsors to determine their needs with regard to local labor

marketiaformation. Regular reports and projections will be supplied

to prime sponsors' on a montitly.basis. 4 This is an encouraging developient. The provision of local` labor

market information has never been considered a high priority by the

U.S. Department of Labor, or its Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 1972

evaluation of the effectiveness of MDTA in meeting employers's needs

in skill shortage occupations noted: "A major finding and con-

- 332 -

346

-se

.4
clusion of this report is that no system exists for defining or

. 4

identifying skills shortage occupations at the local level, despite

411 introduction of computerized data gathering systems, the existence

of a national industrial matrix, the methodologies for forecasting

national occitpationa/ needs, a;plicent information (including unemployient insurance transactions), and other valid sources of infor-

, matibn. No. system exists for synthesizing and storing occupational

A information emanating from many sources. For the most part, the

research and,itaiistics staffs of Employment Security agencies are

"IV operating as field staffs to generate aggregate data that are used in

identifying national or state trends; they are not prO4iiding staff

services to the operating arms ofthe Employment Service. As a

result, planning is left to those least capable of understanding

complicated information gathering systems and methodologies for

identifying demand or skills shortage occupations, or fOr making

18/ occupational forecasts." %lb The "same report also pointed out that the presence of employers

on a4yisory committees and councils does pot assure the generation

oflocal labor market information. Based on interviews with more

tnan 300 employers in 14 cities,- it was concluded that most employers

do not make occupational projectiods and have little, knowledge of

g2miunitz labor market.needs,.as,differentiated from the needs of

their individual firms. "Everyone seems, to agree' the report noted,

*!that employers should participate in the planning process for all

manpower programi, but if individual employers do not use forecasts

and do 'not have much knowledge''of employer monpoWer requirements

other than their awn, the question as to how they should be used is

very pertinent indeed. Certainly, the addition of two or three

-333-

347

aos
employers to an advisory c ttee is not going to be of much help

to planners in,identifying training occupations, other than those

that the employers know about in their own firms".41

The fact is that the-provision of labor market information to

i local communities could be accomplished in a:very short period of

time if trained state, regional and local Employment Service research

and statistics sUffwete given the assignment. tg isdoubtful

, that this will occur as long as such personnel are coniidered.field

A21 staff for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is encouraging,

however, that the use of state CETA funds (not local'priie sponsor

funds) are being uied,.in some states at, least; to finance the generaiion by.prOfessionils of much needed local labor market

. =formation.

)

r, The "New 'Moans"

?he "New Means" suggested ih The, Boundless Resource would be

a tri-partite council,-consisting of representatives of education,

the. work sector, and the "community" (presumably parents, students

and civic leaders) The councils,would be called community-work . education councils,,, and one of their firstiasks would be to provide

for "an independent, toughminded process for critical evaluation,. . J.:to be initiated when.the project is started and carried on .through

to cover every element of failure as,;well as succesi. 1.22)

Relying essentially on community initiative, council functions

would include "both the lenderika services directly to youth and

the 'brokering' of funcwtions of established institutions p'irticularly schools, employing enterprises, labor unions, employment agencies,

41/ and families. Cobncil agenda woad include:

1. Counseling Advice to Students

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P

.11 2. The Development-of Local Occupational Information.

. 3.- The Development of a School PlaCement Service and Follow-Up

System,,

4: Advancement of ;Attest Education and Education- Experience

. Programs

3.. Promotion of Educational Interchaiges (or new althoda of

Alernating education and experience)

The one, distinctive characterie4c'of the proposed community-

. work -education councils is that they would be initiated by "communities'

as a whole," rather than by institutional segments of the community.

*Their first task'would be to provide for evaluations Of what ,

' presently exists; presumably, their future agenda would be based op

the results of these evaluations.

A There is no -doubt that there is a need for.an assessment of

. present mechanisms designed to facilitate the transition between

school, and work. In fact, such an assessment should be conducttd

before a new institution is imposed on thobe already, existing in the

nation's communities. The activities suggested for the proposed

f community-work education coinicils are already being petformed by a

.variety of committees andcouncila,,but reliable information on

- how well existing mechanisms ate working is woefully Packing.

Arguments to the effect that high youth unemploymentratei, or the

existence of special jobs for youth, are'an indication of h6w poorly

.4f

youth are being prepared for Fork, beg the question. High unemploysent rates (for youth, older workers, or individuals in their prime

working years) are a reflection of economic conditions, and the

existence of special jobs for youth may be more of an indication of

theexistence of a transitional process rather than the abscence of

- 335 -

349

.,
.

1

A ' one. What is needed is evidence that "poor preparation" (which is

dirictly attribuiaille to school deficiencies) 1.3 a signif4ant factor ,

4 in limitipg the career horizons of yOuth, or barring their entry into

the work force.

1 If' it could be pro.qed that this is the case, it would be such

easier to martial leical support for community-work ottucation councils.

. ,

..,

.4 t

e I.

I.

t

.

"n

tt

1 '

t?

I.

t 0

,-

,

4. 4

4

'4 1, )..

..

t

)

,

aot

- 336 -

350

.".

Q

t

4,

..,

.
w CRUCIAL ISSUES

In Section I of thii paper, seven issues

. relating to .,ideai

and assumptions underlying the proposed establishment of eommunAty44 work education councils -were identified.: They were as follows'

L Are the causes of youth unemployment economic in nature,

and if so, how can manipulation of. the educational system

result in, a lower _youth unemployment rate? 0

2. Is the reason why more adults do not seek educational

-renewal caused.by isolation between education and the

work sector, or is there a lack of demand on the part of

adults for- roe collment in education and retraining . programs?

3. Can "collaboration" as opposed to "cooperation" between

education and other institutions at thecourynity level .p P. take place under existing conditions, or would there

have to be a groundswell, of 6

public demand for thi sharing

of educational -responsibilities?

4. Should not the term "community" be more clearly ,defined

the troposed,councils are to initiate activities in such

areas -as the' generatioa of local labor market information

and placement?

(5. From the federal point of view, wouldn't there have to be

joint funding of councils .1.n order that no one segment of

the community ` would exert ma's influence on council

policy and decisiions?

- 337 -

151

4*
C

6. Is there sufficient concerti on thipart of the general

public, employers, pitents and'students.regargns the

transition frdm schoot to work (and work to school) to

promote genuine triter:et in'the.estikblishment of

comMunity7voth education councils?

7, Who or what agency or grow Zi would be TespOnsible for..

4 1

establishing councils, who would be ,selected for member-

. ship, and what would be thi basis for selection -7 public

relations (or aidvocacy),.expertlise, or both?

The above can be subsumed into four major issues: (1) Community

Intireat; (2) the-Quption of Xsolitioni (3) the Question erasPoor

Preparation; and (4) the Federal Role. Each are discussed belpw.

The proposal for the establishment df community -work edUccticrt

councils .is based on the assumption that the general public is deeply t.. concerned with tht question.of education-Work policies.-- that

indOiduala in their private capacities is'parents and citizens are

demanding E new approach to the :transition between school and work

and/or between work, other adult roles and school. While it is

true that there is a great deal of concern about the quality of the

educational system in general, there is little evidence to indtcatb

, - that this specific Issue is of priority concern to parents, students,

,*4 civic leaders and others wtto reprecent the public interest. Few

41.

blame the educational system for high unemployment rates, and Zew

unemployed youthi blame their inability to obtain entry-level positions

on deficiencies in the educational system. In other words, either

rightly or wrongly, people are not conscious of the problem. If

this is indeed the case, the 'outlook for establisaing tripartite

338

352

4 0"
councils: primarily on the initiative of communities acting as whole( t

are not bright. The_Adence seems to indicat.:o that the major . It

impetus for the formation of industry-edgetiOn.councils has come

from the, businesi sector -- not from the general public.,..

ThlApestion of Isolation

* vr

The charge that education and the.work sector are totally "

isolated from one another is an exaggerition. Two,out of three members

Of local scho& boards are representatives of management, and a signi-'

. fidant number are members of labor unions. Well over 1004b0 busiY

nissmen al /labor representitives serVi/on advisory committees to

. schools and school districti, and the contributions of industry to

education amount toxell over $200 'million a year. The number of,

advisory tommittees to vocational edtication alOne is in excess of

20,000,` and industry (and to a Lesser extent labor) officials,ire

Tpthusiastically "supporting -the development of career education

4W

programs. be that communication between education and thd

work sector could be improved, but it is not accurate to state that

Zhey'operateln total,isolation. The crucial question is whether

it is ad4isable to superimpose another council over the maze of

L

committees and councils that already exist, cp to seek improvement

in the operation of presently existing mechanisms.

The Question of Poor Preparation

. The charge that students are not well prepared to make the

transition from-schoolito work is not often supported with facts.

Most of the'argumen in support of this allegation -- high youth

unemployment rates, the existence of special jobgtfor youth, restrictive

labor staniards legislation -- are unrelated to the educational process.

- 339-

353
or to the interaction between education and the work 'Sector. What

is needed is tvidence'that student inability to obtain jobs is

directly related to deficiencies t1 !school or school -work programs.

Perhaps, before a new institution is formed, an assessment should be

made of presently existing'school4work linkages, at the community

level.. The results of such an assessment would provide objectiv

information regardtpg,the strengths and deficiencies of existing

0

systems, and the basis for possible future act ions

The_Federalaole . The objective of the pilot project is to encourage the

'formation of community wrOgilcation councils without at A6 same

0 time creating the impression, that the project is, in Paul Barton's'

words, "just another avenue for obtaining federal support." Further-

. more, since the councils will, not necessarily have objectives, in the

traditional sense of that term, but will "discover purpose in the

.224 ' .course of experiencing agtivity; federal evaluation effd'rts will

. . be difficult.,,Finally, since it is,hoped that the councils will be

, "community initiatied (with only a small nudge from the federal.

government), .there doesn'tappear go be a federal role over and

above the initial funding of the project and consortium. About all

interested federalofficials can do is sit back and wait for a year

or twb before going in to see whether any of the possible "results,"

hypothesized by Barton,'have actually happened.

- 340-

354

fCt
Notes

Alb 1. Samuel M. Burt and Leon Lessinger, Volunteer Industry Involve

sent in Public Education ('glas: Heath Lexington looks Co., 1370)

P.

4 2. Harmon Ziegler, Kent H.'Jennings and Wayne G. Peak, Governiga

American Schools (Haas: Duzioury Piess, 1974) o, 28.

3. American.Vocationa*Association, The Advitihru

Vocational Education (WaShington,D.c: AVA

4. Willard Wircz, The Boundless Resources: A Pro

Zdwation-Work Policy (Washington, D.C: e. New opt:

1: P

5. Ibid., p. 76.

6. Ibid., p. 8.

C

Committee and

ication)

ection for an.='?" is Book'

0

7. jadraic Colum, et. al., The Irish Rebellion of 1916 and its

-% Martyrs (New York: The Devin Adair Co. 1910, pp. 274-275.

a

184 Percy Krich, "Edudation-Servant of Industry," School and Faculvi,

Summer, 196*. New York City, pp. 280-28111

9. Joseph F.ADinneem,The Purple Shamrock, (New York: W.W. Norton

Co., 1949) p., 47.

10. Stephen P. Hayremen and William Daniels, Adolescence Research

inion and National Youth Policy:=What we Know and What we

on t or ra t summary of a.miaiRp held by DHEW, Office

of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, p. 7.

11. Ibid., p. 8.

12. Miriam Johnson, Counterpoint (Salt Lake City: Olympus Publishing

CO.,1973) p. 176.

d'

9.3. Paul E. Barton, "Community Councils -.for the Transitions between

Education and Work," (A paper written for the National Ins Mute

of Education) p. 11. .01

14. Dr. Kenneth B. Hoyt, Community Resources for Career Education (a

.report on two mini-conferences hel'd in 1973-76 by the Office of

Career Educationet USOE, under contract with the Center for

Vocational and Technical Education) p. 1.

4'

- 341

355
15. 'Paul E. Barton,Opt.dit., p. 22.

Section I

Cameron Buchanan, Education and Work Linkagea: Discussion

Paper an initial papolrcrofnstordiatitute of

Education) p.* 6.

2. Sir A. Laviten and Robert Taggart, "The Economics of Youth

Unemployment in the United States," Economic Topic Series

(The Joint Council on Economic Education, 1975) pp.-6 -7.

3. Ibid, P. 7.

4. Paul E. Barton, "Community Council for the Transitions Between

Education and.Mork.:!. (A: paper written for the National Institute.

of Education) p. 33 ,!1

5. A Pilot Stud for A renttcishi S stem (San Francisco: Olympus

searc orporat on y, s 13.

6. Paul E. Barton, Op. Cit pp. 18-19. -

7. Willard Wirtz; The Boundless Resources: &Injection for an

Education-Work FUITE--Washington, Dr': Thi-Ni4 Republic133k

CZ,f; P.

8. ,Ibid,, p. 64.

- 9. "Report Highliges-San ?remit= Coordinating Team," President's

. Committee on Nanliower,110, lq66, pp. 2-3.

10. John J. Walsh and Vincent J. Breglio, An Assessment of School

Supervised Work Education ProAramP Part II: Urban Cooperative

Work gduJation Programs and loilow-Up Stu (Sin Francisco:

Olympus RescarCh Centers, 1976) pp. 16b= 17 . 11. Willard Wirtz, Op. Cit. pp. 66-71k

9 Section TI

Mk

1. Albert L. AyaiI, "How Business and Industry are- keqiing the

Schools," Saturday Review, October 17, 1964, p. 58.

- 342-
2. Ibid.. pp. 57-58.

3. G. J. Finley, "Business and Education: A Fragile Partnership,"

V* The Conference Board (Report No. 586) 1973. pp. 5-6.

4. Ibid.

5. Trudy W. Banta, "Why Aren't Non Schools Involved in NAB Programs?"

American Vocational Journal, October 1969, pp. 21-22.

6. Samuel M. Burt, et. al., Op. Cit., p. 50.

7. Samuel M. Burt and Leg M. Lessinge3Volunteer Indust Involvement in Public EducatiOn (Mass: Heatp ex ngton oo s o., 19i0),

p. 8.

S. p. 9.

9. John Walsh and Vincent J. Breglio, An Assessment of School S ercEducimspartvisedWorl: r an ooperat...ve or EtaaffiOFFI'rogramsaribtu.Y1371=n-YPus

Research Centers) Contract No: OEC-0-74-8718, March, 1976, p. 167.

10. Ibid., pp. 166 -167. °

11. American Vocational Association, The Advisor Committee and

Vocational Education (Washington, u.t.: pu cat on p. 6.

12. Ibid., p. 17.

13. Ibid., p. 17-22.

14. Ibid., pt. 22.

If 15. John Walsh, et. al., 2E,Jas., p. 128.

16. John Walsh, et. al., Op. Cit.

17. CoordinateddLiinnka es Amon Man ower Programs: The Role of HEW -

funded Programs n er CE art alt Lake City: Olympus

Research Centers; 1975) p. 48.

18.

evaluation of the Effectiveness of Institutional Manpower Training

in Meetin em to ers' Needs in Skills Shortage Occupations (Salt

take City.; ympus eseatc orporat.on, 2) Pursuant to Contract

Number 83-49-71-03, p. 23.

/9. Ibid., 0 236-237.

- 343-

357
20. Willard Wirtz, An EducationWork Policy (Washington, 15'.C2 -

The New Republic wog UO., &713) p.

21. Ibid., ip. 75.

12.

-344 -