Education and Workforce Committee

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Chair: Demaune Millard, President & CEO, Family League of Baltimore

Staff: Teresa Milio Birge, 410-727-2820

Description: The Education and Workforce Committee seeks to identify, support and promote programs, policies and new training and educational initiatives, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and vocational programs, designed to ensure an educated, well-trained and highly-skilled workforce that meets the needs of the Baltimore region’s diverse industries.

Membership: Membership in the Education and Workforce Committee is open to all GBC members.

Activities:

2021 Education and Workforce Committee news:

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee held a meeting on February 11, 2021, via Zoom. Committee Chairman Demaune Millard, President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore, welcomed several new committee members. Following introductions, Millard invited committee members to share their thoughts on the January 26 committee-sponsored workshop.

Regional Workforce Initiative coverMillard then made a presentation on the status of the implementation of the “Preparing for the Future” workforce initiative recommendations. Committee members engaged in a lively discussion regarding the best ways to move forward, and GBC staff will follow up with members interested in working on specific recommendations.

The meeting concluded with a presentation from Teresa Milio Birge, GBC Senior Policy Analyst and Special Assistant, on legislation being considered in the Maryland 2021 General Assembly session.

The committee’s next meeting will be held on April 22, 2021 at 9 a.m. via Zoom.

School/Business Partnership WorkshopOn January 26, 2021, the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Education and Workforce Committee hosted School/Business Partnership Workshop: Partnering with City Schools in the Age of COVID-19. The workshop provided GBC members with information on how businesses can partner with schools to support student achievement during the pandemic and beyond. This workshop built on the information and best practices included in the recently published GBC Guide: Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses.

Speakers at the event included:

  • Moderator Demaune Millard, Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee and the President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore
  • Tina Hike-Hubbard — Baltimore City Public Schools Chief of Partnerships, Engagement and Communication
  • Kumasi Vines — Baltimore City Public Schools Director of Career Readiness
  • Kitty Glick — BGE Workforce Business Program Manager
  • Sherrice Davis — M&T Bank Vice President/Regional Community Reinvestment Office
  • Hosanna Asfaw-Means, MPH — Carefirst Director, Community Health & Social Impact – MD
  • Shawn Kerr — Baltimore City Schools Pre-Engineering Instructor
  • Kavon Lynch — BGE Utility Trainee and former BGE High School Intern

Hike-Hubbard and Vines shared specific ways that businesses can engage in partnerships with city schools, including a number of career-related partnerships. The business representatives shared details about how they have partnered with city schools, offering inspiration and advice for GBC members who are considering partnering to help city students. Kerr discussed the positive impact that work-based learning experiences such as the BGE internship program have had on his students. And finally, Lynch shared his first-hand experiences moving from a high school internship with BGE into job training for a career with BGE.

Participants now have the opportunity to take their new knowledge back to their organizations to determine what kind of partnership would be most appropriate for them to pursue with Baltimore City Public Schools. City Schools staff and GBC staff remain committed to supporting GBC members in this journey.

  • Read Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses here.
  • See Checklist for a Successful School/Business Partnership here.

2020 Education and Workforce Committee news:

The Education and Workforce Committee held a meeting on December 7, 2020. Committee Chair Demaune Millard, President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore, welcomed guest Dr. Robert Slavin, Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University and co-founder of the Success for All Foundation. Dr. Slavin was recently named the first-ever JHU School of Education Distinguished Professor, an honorary, three-year, renewable appointment that recognizes an extraordinary record of scholarship and distinction over the course of Slavin’s more than four decades at Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Slavin shared his proposal to the incoming Biden Administration to create a national tutoring corps to help remedy the “COVID slide” currently impacting millions of American students as a result of school building closures and problems accessing distance learning. Dr. Slavin’s research has shown that a number of tutoring programs have been highly effective in helping students make up lost ground. Common factors among these successful programs include paid tutors with at least a bachelor’s degree, one-to-one or small group tutoring, and tutoring during the school day.
The proposed National Tutoring Corps would bring 100,000 tutors to American children by September of 2021. The tutors would be college graduates likely without teaching credentials, hired by individual school districts and trained by coaches from providers of proven programs. The tutors would be supervised by lead tutors and would be placed in Title I schools, helping the lowest achieving students in grades 1 through 9.
Even if the federal government pursues Dr. Slavin’s proposal, private business and foundation funds would likely be necessary to jump-start the program, as federal dollars may not be available prior to the September 2021 target start date.

Baltimore City Public Schools creating new vision for career readiness

Baltimore City Public Schools is creating a new vision for career readiness for city students, including participation in Apprenticeship Maryland, a youth apprenticeship program for high school students. The team in charge of these efforts, headed by Kumasi Vines, Director of Career Readiness spoke to GBC members at a recent Education and Workforce Committee meeting outlining how the system is preparing students for careers and how businesses can partner in these efforts.

City Schools’ CTE programs are currently being revamped to ensure that available programs: Prioritize preparing students for living wage, in-demand occupations consistent with student demand and are more accessible to diverse student populations across the city. To learn more about the changes to City Schools’ CTE programs, click here.

One of the new initiatives being spearheaded by the Work-Based Learning team is local implementation of Apprenticeship Maryland (AMP), which is a unique opportunity to train, influence and shape high school students into top-performing employees. Employers with opportunities in in demand industries such as manufacturing, science, technology, engineering and math can apply to become Eligible Employers. The employer will then hire Apprenticeship Maryland participants for an “earn and learn” opportunity, with the following requirements:

There are several other opportunities to partner in career readiness activities with Baltimore City Public Schools. Some of the needs are guest speakers, mentors, hosting workplace tours and providing supplies. For more information on how to assist city students with Work Based Learning Experiences and Apprenticeship Maryland, go here.

For more information about creating a sustainable school/business partnership, see the GBC’s Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses.

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GBC releases ‘Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses’

School/Business PartnershipThe Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) Education and Workforce Committee, chaired by Demaune Millard, President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore, released on October 28, 2020, “Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses” as part of the GBC’s ongoing efforts to support quality educational opportunities for Baltimore City School System students.

GBC President and CEO Donald C. Fry and Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises have been collaborating to find ways the GBC and Baltimore’s business community can support city schools and students. One aspect of this work is to support and nurture partnerships between businesses and city schools.

For more information on “Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses” or the GBC’s Education and Workforce Committee, please email Teresa Milio Birge, Senior Policy Analyst/Special Assistant at teresab@gbc.org.

  • Read Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses here.
  • See Checklist for a Successful School/Business Partnership here.
The Education and Workforce Committee held a meeting on October 28, 2020. Led by Committee Chairman Demaune Millard, President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore, and Adrea Turner, GBC Director of Strategic Initiatives and Senior Policy Advisor, the committee discussed the transition of the report from its findings and recommendation phase to the implementation phase.
The Education and Workforce Committee has been charged with tracking and implementing the recommendations found in the recently released report, “Preparing for the Future: A Regional Workforce Development Initiative.” At the meeting, committee members discussed recommendations that should be priorities for early action, as well as how they can participate on a deeper level by serving on a subgroup guiding the implementation of one or more of the recommendations.
The committee also received a presentation from Baltimore City Schools’ newly created work-based learning team on its plans for increased work-based learning opportunities for city students, including participation in Apprenticeship Maryland. Kumasi Vines, Director, Career Readiness, Stan Wolfe, Educational Specialist II, Career Readiness, and Adenike Akintilo, Manager, Work Based Learning also shared ways that members of the business community can become involved in preparing students at all grade levels for future careers.
The committee’s next meeting will be held on December 7 at 2 p.m. via Zoom.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee held a meeting on September 10, 2020, via Zoom. Committee Chairman Demaune Millard, President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore, welcomed Jim Longenecker, Executive Director of NorthBay to discuss the NorthBay Academy, a partnership project between NorthBay, Johns Hopkins University and Baltimore City Public Schools. The program is targeted to sixth grade students who are at least two grade levels behind and struggling to participate in distance learning. The next committee meeting is scheduled for October 28, 2020, at 9 a.m. via Zoom.

The Education and Workforce Committee held a meeting on July 9, 2020. Committee Chairman Demaune Millard, President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore, welcomed Dr. Rachel Pfeifer, Executive Director of Career and College Readiness at the Baltimore City Public Schools, to share updated information on changes in Baltimore City’s career and technology education (CTE) programs. The school system is currently evaluating program offerings for their relation to employment growth sectors, as well as program location. Donald C. Fry, GBC President & CEO, then shared a summary of Baltimore City Council Bill 20-0488: Construction Projects – Project Labor Agreements. The meeting concluded with an update on the GBC Regional Workforce Initiative from Adrea Turner, GBC Director of Strategic Initiatives and Senior Policy Advisor. The next committee meeting is scheduled for September 10, 2020, at 9 a.m.

The Education and Workforce Committee held a meeting on June 11, 2020. Committee Chairman Demaune Millard, President & CEO of the Family League of Baltimore, welcomed Jason Perkins-Cohen, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, to share details on two MOED programs. Perkins-Cohen said that the YouthWorks summer jobs program is being adapted to meet the needs of youth aged 14-to-21 during the coronavirus pandemic. Highlights include use of an online platform and job coaches to work with students on a variety of workplace skills. Perkins-Cohen also told committee members about the new Contact Tracing program being spearheaded by the department. About 300 Baltimore residents will be hired as contact tracers, and will also receive job coaching, legal assistance, behavioral health assistance, and other wrap-around services so that when the contact tracing program ends, the participants will be well positioned for other jobs.
Tina Hike-Hubbard, Baltimore City Public Schools Chief of Communications, Engagement, and Enrollment, updated the committee on the system’s efforts to support students with food, computer devices, internet access and distance learning. The committee is scheduled to meet again on July 9, 2020, at 9 a.m.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee met on May 26, 2020, for an informal Zoom Committee Chat. Chair Demaune Millard, President & CEO, Family League of Baltimore, welcomed participants and asked each to share updates on the challenges facing their organization during the pandemic, as well as positive activities underway. The group also spent time discussing the challenges facing the city’s youth, and this summer’s YouthWorks program, redesigned for distance employment. YouthWorks will operate a virtual summer jobs program for 4,000 youth from July 13 through August 14 using a web-based tool that includes job readiness, career exploration, financial literacy, academic enrichment and skills training. The committee requested that representatives of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development join the committee at its next scheduled meeting so that they can learn more about the altered program and how businesses can help. For more information or to join the Education and Workforce Committee, please contact Teresa Milio Birge at teresab@gbc.org or Tara Harris at tarah@gbc.org.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee met on April 30, 2020, for an informal Zoom Committee Chat.  Chair Demaune Millard, President & CEO, Family League of Baltimore, welcomed participants and asked each to share information about how their organization is coping with the pandemic, and what activities they are currently undertaking. Representatives of not-for-profits, higher education institutions, foundations and corporate interests shared the status of their organizations, as well as efforts being made to reach out to assist others during the crisis. The open dialogue was beneficial to participants, and additional chats will be scheduled in the future.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee met on April 9, 2020, for its first virtual committee meeting. Chair Demaune Millard, President & CEO, Family League of Baltimore, welcomed Tina Hike-Hubbard, Baltimore City Public Schools Chief of Communication, Engagement and Partnerships. Hike-Hubbard shared city schools’ efforts to continue to serve students and their families during the extended school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared information about meals, technology resources and efforts to provide distance learning for all students. With Roger Schulman of the Fund for Educational Excellence, she discussed efforts to purchase adequate numbers of Chromebooks for students, as well as a program where local businesses and individuals can donate computers that are no longer needed. The computers will be reformatted and provided to the students. The committee also discussed legislation that passed during the abbreviated 2020 Maryland General Assembly session, including bills related to school construction, education reform and apprenticeship programs. Finally, the committee spent time reviewing content for the GBC School/Business Partnership Guide.

The Education and Workforce Committee met on February 6, 2020. Committee Chair Demaune Millard, President & CEO, Family League of Baltimore, welcomed Tisha Edwards, the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success. Edwards shared details about this summer’s planned Rites of Passage Leadership Institute, which will target 250 of Baltimore’s most at-risk young men aged 14-to-19. The program will offer these young men a five-week residential experience on a local college campus, with programming to address college- and career-planning, financial literacy, personal resiliency, conflict resolution, and healthy relationships. Participants will also participate in the paid summer job program, YouthWorks. Finally, the program will provide these young men with sustained mentor relationships and post-program support. The committee also discussed legislation pending before the Maryland General Assembly and discussed progress on the GBC School/Partnership Guide.

2019 Education and Workforce Committee news:

In 2019, The Education and Workforce Committee held five meetings. Topics included Career Technology Education (CTE) programs in secondary schools, mentoring programs and recommendations of the Maryland Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (Kirwan Commission) and business/school partnerships. The committee has begun work on a guide to help both schools and businesses engage in successful partnerships.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee convened on November 21, 2019. At the request of Committee Chair Deamune Millard, President & CEO, Family League of Baltimore, Adrea Turner, GBC’s Director of Strategic Initiatives and Senior Policy Advisor, updated the committee on the status of the GBC Regional Workforce Development Initiative. The committee then received an update on the status of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education’s activity and recommendations from Teresa Milio Birge, GBC Senior Policy Analyst and Special Assistant. Finally, the committee discussed ideas for inclusion in its committee project, a guide to assist schools and businesses in creating effective, sustainable partnerships.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee convened on September 19, 2019. Committee Chair Deamune Millard, President and CEO, Family League of Baltimore, welcomed committee members and had them briefly introduce themselves. Tenne’ Thrower, Family and Community Engagement Specialist for Baltimore City Public Schools, shared information about the new Office of Communications and Community Engagement, and its efforts to move partnerships from transactional to transformational. Dr. Rachel Pfeifer, Executive Director of College and Career Readiness for Baltimore City Public Schools, shared information about career technology education and how businesses can engage in meaningful partnerships with city schools for the benefit of both students and businesses. Following the presentations, the committee discussed how to best move forward with the creation of a guide to assist schools and businesses in creating effective, sustainable partnerships.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee heard from Roger Schulman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fund for Educational Excellence, at its April 11, 2019 meeting. Schulman discussed the recently released report “Broken Pathways – The Cracks in Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Baltimore City Schools.”

The Fund for Educational Excellence interviewed 114 recent students who had been enrolled in CTE programs, as well as 25 current teachers. The report, which examined the impressions of former students and current teachers regarding the CTE program, made several recommendations for how CTE in City Schools could be improved. Recommendations include providing year-round, paid internships to all CTE students, giving younger students more information on the CTE programs available to them in high school and allowing more time in student schedules for CTE classes. The Fund for Educational Excellence also recommended that City Schools engage in a complete overhaul of its CTE programs.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee heard from Charisse Williams, Managing Director of New Site Development for iMentor, at its February 21, 2019 meeting. Williams told the committee that iMentor, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping young people meet their fullest potential, has selected Baltimore as its next expansion city and she is currently talking to Baltimore City Public Schools about how to determine where to start the program.

iMentor, which can reach up to 400 students in its first year, targets eleventh graders at a school and mentors will continue to work with those students through at least the first year post-high school. The program and curriculum are very structured, so mentors need only to have a minimum of an associate degree and a strong desire to positively impact the life of a young person. Williams also explained how someone interested in the program can get involved.

Teresa Milio Birge, GBC Senior Policy Analyst/Special Assistant, then briefed the committee on education related legislation under consideration by the Maryland General Assembly.

2018 Education and Workforce Committee news:

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee met on November 8, 2018 for a discussion regarding family supporting jobs. Leading the discussion was Mike Kelly, Executive Director of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), who focused his remarks on the recently-released 2018 Family-Supporting Jobs Report.

Kelly said family supporting jobs are defined as those that require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year college degree. The report identified 39 occupations in middle-skills jobs areas that can provide a family-supporting wage, which is determined to be a minimum of $22.28 per hour based on the MIT Living Wage Calculator. It is important for the Greater Baltimore region’s employers, educators and workforce professionals to focus on middle skill employment for residents for whom a four-year degree is not the best fit.

The September 27, 2018 meeting of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Education and Workforce Committee featured a presentation from Dr. Lynne Gilli, Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Career and College Readiness at the Maryland State Department of Education.

Dr. Gilli focused her discussion on the State of Maryland’s system of Career Technology Education (CTE) initiatives, which aim to promote college and career readiness. She provided a briefing on the Apprenticeship Maryland program, a CTE program of study for students ages 16 and older designed to prepare them for sustainable employment and further education based on career pathways in manufacturing and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields as well as traditional occupations.

Dr. Gilli also briefed the Committee on the P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools) program. P-TECH schools are innovative early college programs that create clear pathways from high school to college and careers for students. In six years or less, students graduate from a P-TECH school with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee met on June 7, 2018 and engaged in two distinct discussions. First, the Committee heard a presentation from Richard Jones, President of Mahan Rykiel. The Baltimore-based landscape architecture firm recently initiated Project Birdland, which created outside learning landscapes for students at Francis Scott Key Elementary School. The project focused on four key factors: teacher and professional development; student experimental learning; youth workforce development; and habitat restoration.

Following that presentation, the Committee engaged in a discussion with Corrie Schoenberg, Senior Program Director for the Fund for Educational Excellence, a Baltimore-based nonprofit that works to secure the resources necessary to support innovation and increase student achievement in Baltimore City schools. Schoenberg discussed the nonprofit’s efforts to complete an analysis of career and technical education in Baltimore City schools.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee’s April 12, 2018 meeting featured a presentation from Phil Rogofsky, Director of the Maryland STEM Festival Blue Collar STEM Conference. Rogofsky recapped the 2017 festival and updated the Committee on planning efforts for the 2018 event, which is slated to be held on October 29, 2018 at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City. The 2018 festival will again include multiple tracks related to enhancing blue collar STEM and will add a job fair. He cited the GBC/Associated Black Charities report, STEM:  Middle-Skill Career Pathways in the Baltimore Region, as in influence for the festival.

The Committee also heard a presentation about the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, better known as the Kirwan Commission after its chair, Dr. William E. “Brit” Kirwan. The Commission is charged with addressing two critical issues: review and update the current funding formulas for the schools in Maryland and develop policies and practices so that Maryland’s schools perform at the level of the world’s best systems. These issues are of critical importance to Maryland, including the creation of a well-educated populace that is able to meet current and future workforce requirements. It is imperative that the efforts of the Kirwan Commission have support from the business community.

Finally, the Committee received a presentation about the 2018 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly, which concluded Sine Die on April 9, 2018. Regarding education and workforce initiatives, the legislature passed bills to institute a computer science curriculum in schools, ensure reliable funding for Baltimore City schools, improve career education and enhance opportunities for apprenticeships.

The GBC Education and Workforce Committee convened on February 8, 2018 to hear two presentations. First, Michael Thomas, Vice President for Workforce Development and Continuing Education for Baltimore City Community College (BCCC), discussed the institution’s efforts to provide for the training and workforce development needs of the region. BCCC plays an important role in meeting Baltimore City’s current and future workforce needs.

The Committee also received a presentation from two members of Governor Larry Hogan’s Legislative Office, Keiffer Mitchell, Special Advisor, and Ali Keane, Deputy Legislative Officer. Mitchell discussed Governor Hogan’s education and workforce priorities and accomplishments, including a Fiscal Year 2019 budget pending in the Maryland General Assembly that provides $6.5 billion for K-12 education. Keane briefed the Committee on the Governor’s legislative agenda for education and workforce. She focused on SB300 and HB350, which are identical bills entitled “Achieving Computer Science Collaborations for Employing Students Statewide (ACCESS) Act of 2018”, which seek to implement a computer science curriculum in Maryland public schools.