§ 16-80-4 - Interagency partnerships. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 16-80-4

   § 16-80-4  Interagency partnerships. –A mechanism will be developed as part of the statewide school-to-career systemthat brings the departments of elementary and secondary education, labor andtraining, human services and the Rhode Island economic development corporationtogether to collaboratively support, implement, and maintain the statewideschool-to-career system and to provide resources, technical assistance andsupport to regional and local partnerships. Regional and local partnershipsmust include employers, local school district representatives, teachers andtheir unions, post-secondary institutions, labor unions, and students. Theroles and responsibilities of the partners will include the following:

   (1) The economic development corporation and the departmentof labor and training will:

   (i) Work in collaboration to define regions and majorindustry clusters in each region; and

   (ii) Identify skills needed for growing and emergingbusinesses and industries.

   (2) The department of labor and training, the human resourceinvestment council, and department of elementary and secondary education will:

   (i) Work in collaboration to develop employer incentives andguidelines for school-to-career local partnerships;

   (ii) Develop a statewide information and delivery system toencourage and facilitate business, labor and education partnerships;

   (iii) Develop testing and assessments to measure studentknowledge and skills; and

   (iv) Provide a state plan for professional development forvarious constituencies in the regional and local partnerships, and conduct anaggressive and ongoing outreach and marketing campaign.

   (3) The human resource investment council's school-to-careersubcommittee shall serve as the governing board for the school-to-career systemand management team. This subcommittee shall consist of twenty (20) memberscomprised of: a chairperson who shall be appointed by the governor and be amember of the human resource investment council; the commissioner of elementaryand secondary education or his or her designee; the director of the departmentof labor and training or his or her designee; the chairperson of the humanresource investment council or his or her designee; the president of theCommunity College of Rhode Island or his or her designee; one superintendent ofschools and one school principal to be appointed by the governor; two (2)representatives of labor unions appointed by the president of the Rhode IslandAFL-CIO; four (4) members representing Rhode Island employers to be appointedby the governor; the president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers orhis or her designee; and the president of the National Education Association ofRhode Island or his or her designee and five (5) additional members appointedby the governor based on recommendations from the school-to-career subcommitteeto afford the subcommittee the opportunity to recommend potential members fromstakeholder groups that are underrepresented on that subcommittee.

   (4) The private industry councils, regional employment andtraining boards, and collaboratives will:

   (i) Serve as the connectors between schools and the businesscommunity;

   (ii) Provide technical assistance to employers and educators;

   (iii) Provide training for workplace and school-site mentors;and

   (iv) Collect data on post-program outcomes.

   (5) The interagency transition council, created by §16-24-18, will serve as the liaison on behalf of individuals with disabilitiesconsistent with the mandate of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.