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[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 8, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6240-6241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-2814]

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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

National Partnership for Reinventing Government

BEST Communities: Boosting Education, Skills and Training

AGENCY: National Partnership for Reinventing Government.

ACTION: Notice of performance partners with community-based coalitions.

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AUTHORITY CITATION: Non-statutory.

Background:  The number one problem facing American business today is a 
shortage of highly skilled workers. America's competitiveness and the 
prosperity of the American people will depend increasingly upon high-
skill, high-wage jobs. Realizing this potential will require investing 
in education and learning so all of our people can continue to learn 
throughout their lifetime and get the skills they need to succeed in 
the 21st century.
    The BEST Communities initiative was recommended by the 21st Century 
Leadership Group--a forum of leaders from business, organized labor, 
education, and all levels of government--convened by the Vice President 
in January 1999. The Vice President asked the group to develop a set of 
recommendations to their peers that would help ensure a prepared and 
thriving workforce in the next century.
    Their report, Skills for a New Century: A Blueprint for Lifelong 
Learning, presented to the Vice President in November 1999, outlined 
five broad recommendations to provide adults the skills they need and 
employers the skilled employees needed to remain competitive.
    (1) Deliver education and training that is tied to high standards, 
leads to useful credentials and meets labor market needs.
    (2) Improve access to financial resources for lifetime learning for 
all adult Americans, including those in low-wage jobs.
    (3) Promote learning at a time, place, and manner that meets worker 
needs and interests, including through the use of learning technologies 
to enable learning at home, the workplace, or elsewhere.
    (4) Encourage and motivate adults to pursue further education and 
training and inform them of resources available to help them do so.
    (5) Form partnerships among a wide array of organizations and 
stakeholders to support workforce development and lifelong learning for 
adults.
    Based on the Leadership Group's recommendation, the Vice President 
announced a new initiative to assist local communities interested in 
developing and implementing community-wide strategies to help adults 
get the skills they need to succeed. This effort would support 
community-based partnerships involving business, labor, education and 
government that develop plans focused on clear, objective, measurable 
goals for adult learning and skill development across a community. 
Existing web sites will be used to share key information and best 
practices across a broader network of communities.
    Announcement: The National Partnership for Reinventing Government 
is seeking ten performance partners with community-based coalitions 
that want to work with Federal partners to enhance education, skills, 
training and lifelong learning for adults in their community. 
Community-based partnerships that are not selected as one

[[Page 6241]]

of the performance partners will be invited to become charter members 
of the larger BEST Network.
    The BEST Network will connect communities across the country to 
demonstrate model ways to encourage lifelong learning. The overall 
initiative also seeks to minimize administrative barriers to problem 
solving and help communities maximize currently available federal 
resources.
    This is the first step toward creating a national network of 
communities working together and sharing best practices to help more 
adults get 21st century skills and find more opportunities for lifelong 
learning. The network will help communities collaborate with each 
other, across sectors and with the federal partners to:
     Increase the number of Americans with 21st century skills 
and help them find high-skill, high-wage jobs;
     Close the Skills Gap;
     Promote lifelong learning;
     Address barriers at the federal, state, and local level--
in ways allowable under current law--to increase the flexibility and 
effectiveness of resources;
     Obtain technical support and facilitate access to best 
practices employed in various communities; and
     Share lessons with other communities.
    What Are The Benefits To Communities? This is not a grant program 
and includes no new Federal funds. To help community, State and local 
partners, Federal partners will:
     Participate in the formation of a national ``community of 
practice'' that shares best practices and works together to solve 
problems and get results.
     Assign a federal ``champion'' to each performance partner 
to help communities navigate the hallways of inter-governmental 
programs, policies, and federal resources across government;
     Help create solid management systems that focus on 
meaningful outcomes for learners;
     Provide increased access to federal data and geographic 
information related to 21st century skills, jobs and work trends; and
     Facilitate consolidated reporting and increased 
flexibility in administration--within existing legal requirements--for 
communities that use Federal funds from different government 
departments and agree to public measures of outcomes and results.
    The larger BEST Network will:
     Connect communities and relevant agencies with peers 
working on similar issues;
     Share lessons learned;
     Give national recognition to innovative communities for 
their effective strategies and results;
     Link to other, related federal initiatives; and
     Help communities and local agencies measure results and 
obtain expert advice in devising strategies for collecting, analyzing, 
and using data to achieve results.
    Who Can Apply To Be a Local Partner? Expressions of Interest can be 
submitted by the head of a community-based partnership, local 
government, network of local governments, state or local workforce 
development agency, or network of state or local agencies or 
organizations. Where state funds or agencies are involved or where 
federal funds flow through the state, there must be clear evidence of 
state partnership.
    How Does My Community Express Interest in the BEST Network? 
Potential partners should submit a brief Expression of Interest. To 
minimize any burden, submissions should be under ten pages in length. 
Communities are encouraged to use existing plans and documents wherever 
possible.
    Selection Criteria: A cross-agency team will select local partners 
based on:
     Existence of a partnership that crosses sectors such as 
business, labor, education and government.
     A community-wide plan for adult learning and skill 
development that has clear, objective, measurable goals.
     Effective leadership and participation of key stakeholders 
such as community, business, labor, and educational leaders; federal, 
state, and local officials; faith community representatives; and 
others.
     Readiness and commitment of partners to work together, cut 
red tape, coordinate operations, use current funding more effectively, 
and achieve better results.
     Potential impact of proposed performance partnership on 
closing the skills gap in the local community, as demonstrated by a 
focus on one or more of the five broad recommendations in the report 
Skills for a New Century: A Blueprint for Lifelong Learning;
     Balance in terms of geography, demographic 
characteristics, and areas of focus.
    The BEST Network will be supported by the Lifelong Learning Inter-
Agency Strategy Group that includes representatives of the U.S. 
Departments of Labor, Education, and Commerce, facilitated by the Vice 
President's National Partnership for Reinventing Government.
    Expressions of Interest: Expressions of Interest in partnerships 
must be received by close of business on February 25, 2000. They may be 
submitted by mail, fax or electronically to: BEST Communities, National 
Partnership for Reinventing Government, Suite 200, 750 17th Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20007, Fax: (202) 632-0390, or e:mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Dr. Lynn S. Kahn, (202) 694-0038, 
[email protected]; or Meshell Jones, (202) 694-0122; 
[email protected].

    Dated: January 20, 2000.
Lynn S. Kahn,
Team Leader.
[FR Doc. 00-2814 Filed 2-7-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3115-01-P
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