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SECTION V

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Type of Contract

KentuckianaWorks is seeking an innovative and committed partner to administer and

staff a new Manufacturing Skills & Assessment Center at the Airport Industrial Center,

160 Rochester Drive, Building W, Louisville, KY 40214.

The Manufacturing Skills & Assessment contractor will work collaboratively with

KentuckianaWorks, its education partners and local manufacturers to establish the Center

and achieve a set of outcomes for the Center’s first year.

The term of the contract is one year; however, the project duration and budget is 9

months with the possibility of up to four additional years pending the availability of

funding, the satisfactory meeting of performance objectives and approval by the

KentuckianaWorks Board.

Eligibility

For-profit organizations, not-for-profit organizations, public agencies, community and

faith based organizations are invited to submit proposals for funding pursuant to this

RFP. An organization can be a member of any collaborative submitting bids, but cannot

be the lead organization in two or more separate proposals. Collaborative organizations

must identify a lead entity that will be responsible for management, coordination of

services, operations, financial accountability, performance measures, legal obligations,

and all reporting requirements. This entity must demonstrate its capability to set

direction, provide staff oversight, customer services, and deliver performance.

Note: The term “organization” used in this section refers to a sole organization

responding to the proposal, the partnership between two agencies, or the collaboration of

three or more agencies

Manufacturing Skills & Assessment Center Background & Overview

The Airport Industrial Center (AIC) of Greater Louisville is an urban industrial park in

South Louisville, Kentucky located at the former Naval Ordnance facility, which was

privatized in 1996 after a Department of Defense base closure.

AIC, through a long-term ground lease with the Louisville/Jefferson County

Redevelopment Authority, Inc. (LRA), is owned and operated by Titan Research &

Development. Through an agreement with LRA, there is space and funding available for

projects that would benefit AIC tenants and the surrounding community.

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The LRA Board approved on June 4, 2012 funding for a pilot project at the AIC entitled

the Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center that will provide education and

assessment for a series of “stackable credentials” to promote a career pathway into

advanced manufacturing. The Center will provide services for jobseekers, manufacturers,

current manufacturing employees, high school students, out-of-school youth, and South

Louisville residents who wish to improve their education and skills in order to gain

employment in the manufacturing sector.

KentuckianaWorks, the Workforce Investment Board for a 7-county region surrounding

Louisville, is acting as fiscal agent for a consortium of educational and workforce

partners that will provide services within the center. The education partners are Jefferson

Community & Technical College (JCTC), Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) –

Adult Education and Jefferson County Public Schools – Career & Technical Education.

All partners are also providing match funding for the project.

The funding period is July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2012, with the possibility of continued

funding in future years depending on successful outcomes in Year One.

The Center’s mission will be to

Support the region’s economic goal to develop the advanced manufacturing sector

by supplying a ready workforce for growing companies.

Provide the skills needed for jobseekers to move into and advance within a

growing sector

Provide a resource for manufacturing companies to find trained employees or to

train existing employees

Provide a resource for South Louisville residents, including immigrants, to gain

employment and training in the manufacturing sector

Encourage a career pathway from manufacturing to engineering, ultimately

resulting in trained workers for AIC tenants

Program Description

The Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center will serve as a “one stop” location

for manufacturers to post open positions

for jobseekers to find jobs in manufacturing

to access free or low cost training that prepares entry level production workers

where employees can continue on a manufacturing career ladder to higher

paying jobs through employer-endorsed training and certifications

The Center will offer a series of courses and certificates that build from foundational

production work skills to more advanced engineering and technical skills. Some

credentials awarded through the Center would lead to college credit, and an articulated

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career pathway would guide students and ease the transition from entry level to more

advanced job opportunities.

The services are envisioned as being implemented in two phases. In Year One, the

National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), Manufacturing Skills Standards Council

(MSSC)-Certified Production Technician (CPT) trainings and work-focused English as

Second Language (ESL) classes will be offered. In Year Two, JCTC will add a Multi-

Skilled Technician Certificate.

Both years, the Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center will partner with nearby

Iroquois High School to support the high school’s technical focus. The Center will

administer the NCRC to Iroquois seniors and support the students’ preparation by

providing an online product called “Keytrain Plus” on site at the school. Rising seniors

and recent graduates will also have the opportunity to complete the Certified Production

Technician course over the summer. Participating employers will be identified who will

guarantee interviews for those who complete the course and earn the certificate.

Both years, the Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center will also provide many of

the services offered at KentuckianaWorks’ One Stop Career Centers, although with a

focus on manufacturing. Manufacturing employers will be able to post jobs at the Center

and hold job fairs or interview sessions. Jobseekers will be able to access career

counseling, resume preparation, assessments and scholarships for training.

Both years, a marketing campaign will be led by KentuckianaWorks to build awareness

of manufacturing jobs and to recruit both students and employers to participate in the

Center’s offerings.

Following is a more detailed description of the services that would be provided through

the Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center in the first year:

1) National Career Readiness Certificate.

The ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) is a portable, evidenced-based

credential that is considered a reliable predictor of workplace success. The NCRC Silver

Certificate verifies that a jobseeker has achieved the WorkKeys© levels linked to

successful job performance for entry level production employees on three assessments:

a. Applied Mathematics

b. Reading for Information

c. Locating Information

In Kentucky, each NCRC awarded is signed by the Governor and the CEO of the

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, indicating the state’s support for the credential.

Testing is conducted by ACT-certified assessors. The NCRC is also endorsed by the

National Association of Manufacturers as a foundational certification for entry level

production employees.

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For those who do not achieve the Silver level on the NCRC, remediation will be available

through JCPS Adult Education or through online modules purchased by

KentuckianaWorks. The courses will be available to be taken on computers in the

Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center, or at other KentuckianaWorks, JCTC and

JCPS Adult Education sites.

2) Certified Production Technician and Certificate

A 140-hour course of study will be offered to provide the Certified Production

Technician certificate developed by the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council

(MSSC). This course will be offered in a blended format that includes face-to-face

instruction with online modules developed by Jeffersonville, Indiana-based Amatrol and

approved by the MSSC. This course will be offered to individuals and to companies who

want to provide additional training to incumbent workers. A fast-track version for more

experienced workers can be completed in 15 – 18 hours.

The Certified Production Technician training will be offered by an MSSC-trained

instructor. Prior July 2012, there were no certified instructors in the Metro Louisville

region. JCTC has covered the cost to train and certify an instructor as part of its “match”

for the project. As of August 2012, JCTC has certified one instructor for the program

through MSSC.

The MSSC - Certified Production Technician certificate includes four separate courses

and tests:

Safety

Quality Practices & Measurement.

Manufacturing Processes and Production

Maintenance Awareness

Jobseekers who earn the certificate are qualified for more demanding assembly jobs and

entry-level technician positions in manufacturing facilities. Incumbent workers can also

be trained through arrangements with individual companies who want to upgrade

employee skill levels. Portions of the cost for the training for incumbent workers can be

offset through Kentucky WINS.

At this time, JCTC does not offer college credit for the CPT certificate due to it not being

offered locally. JCTC faculty will review the certificate program to determine if credit

can be offered after the first class is completed.

3) Work-focused English as a Second Language instruction

Immigrants and refugees represent a growing segment of the Louisville workforce

according to 2010 Census data. Through refugee settlement patterns, many foreign-born

workers are concentrated in the South Louisville area. Quality standards for many

manufacturers require English language literacy for even entry-level production jobs.

Therefore, JCPS Adult Education will contextualize curriculum to provide educational

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services for limited English language participants as preparation for earning the work

skills certificates mentioned above. The instruction will be customized to include

manufacturing terms and vocabulary. These classes would be added to the center in

January 2013. Class schedules will be determined based on student and company needs.

Participants requiring basic skills upgrade or English Language Learners (ELLs) served

at the Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center will initially be assessed on the Test

of Adult Basic Education or CASAS Life and Work to determine their functional

academic/language level. Their performance on the assessment will determine the level at

which they will enter the education component of their career pathway. The following

options will be available for participants:

A 70-hour basic skills upgrade class using manufacturing skill trades artifacts

would be provided at the Center. Beginner level ELLs will be referred to Adult

English as a Second Language classes provided through JCPS Adult Education at

the nearby Americana Community Center. This will be provided as an in-kind

contribution. Daytime and evening classes are offered in 5-week modules. These

classes allow ELLs to develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills

as they study and practice language for life and work situations.

Intermediate level ELLs will enter a 70-hour Workplace English course at the

Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center. Learners will gain knowledge and

practice language skills in the areas relevant to obtaining and maintaining

employment in manufacturing. Coursework will also include the competencies

necessary to earn the National Career Readiness Certificate, such as Problem

Solving, Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating

Information.

Advanced ELLs will enter the 70-hour Certified Production Technician (CPT)

course and attend a concurrent companion course, which will support their

success in the CPT course. The companion course provided through JCPS Adult

Education will address the language gaps of the ELLs within the context of

manufacturing as well as offer additional instructional time with the CPT course

content.

A total of nine classes would be programmed based on participant need in Year One.

Iroquois High School Partnership

In the fall of 2012, the Keytrain Plus online product will be installed at Iroquois so that

students can take “pretests” and prepare to take the exam in the winter of 2013. Students

will be recruited in the spring of 2013 to take a summer Certified Production Technician

Course. Employers will be recruited to offer plant tours and to interview all graduates of

the course for open positions. The same services will be offered in Year Two. Both years,

a faculty member of Iroquois will be paid “extended time” in the summer to provide

academic support to the Iroquois students taking the CPT and to coordinate the plant

tours.

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Manufacturing Career Pathway

The courses and assessments offered at the Manufacturing Skills and Assessment Center

are designed to take workers from a basic skill level to a more advanced skill level,

leading to higher wages. The goal is to give jobseekers and employers an understanding

of a sequence of credentials that would lead to a more qualified workforce.

The basic approach of articulating “stackable credentials” is adapted from the National

Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Manufacturing Skills Certification System.

Note that NAM’s system includes the NCRC and CPT as basic credentials, which will be

offered, along with the Multi-skilled Technician course, at the Manufacturing Skills &

Assessment Center.

Industry Graduate

Degree

Society of Manufacturing

Engineers

Engineer, Business

Manager

Applied Industry

Bachelor’s Degree

Society of Manufacturing

Engineers

Engineer, Manager

JCTC Industrial

Maintenance Degree

JCTC Certificates in

Industrial Specialties

leading to Associates

Degree

Multi-skilled industrial

maintenance engineer

JCTC Multi-Skilled

Technician Course

JCTC Certificate

(16 hours college credit)

Machine Operator

MSSC Certified

Production Technician

Course

Certified Production

Technician Certificate

(college credit TBD, but

goal is to gain approval for

up to 6 hours)

Entry level production

technicians

High School or Adult

Education

National Career Readiness

Certificate

Operator

High School Diploma Entry level

employment

Education Path

Certification Path Employment Path

Program Service Targets

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During the first year of the project, the goals of the Center will be to achieve the

following service targets. Note that the Center won’t be open to the public until

November 2012.

Year One Targets

Item Goal

Employers engaged through job posting, training or advisory committees 10

Jobseeker contacts with the Center 100

NCRC assessments given at the Center 40

NCRC assessments given at Iroquois High School 100

Certified Production Technician enrollees (3 classes x 15 students) 45

ESL students enrolled 40

Job placements 50

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Project Implementation

The following schedule outlines the work to be accomplished during the first year.

YEAR ONE (July 2012 – June 2013) July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June

Set up center, order equipment, staff

orientation

Recruitment/Awareness Campaign

Employer & Jobseeker Services available

NCRC Assessment Services

Training and Certification for MSSC

Assessment Center

Certified Production Technician Classes

Career Fairs

JCPS ESL Classes

Iroquois H.S. NCRC Administration

Iroquois Remediation for NCRC

Iroquois Recruitment for Summer CPT

Iroquois Summer CPT Cohort

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Contractor Responsibilities

The Manufacturing Skills & Assessment Center contractor will:

Operate the Center 40 hours per week. Weeks with holidays will be adjusted to reflect the

holiday. For instance:

o The week of Thanksgiving

o The week between Christmas and New Years’ holidays

o The week of the Martin Luther King holiday

o The week of the Memorial Day holiday

Provide staffing for flexible scheduling (for instance, staying open for evening classes

when needed) not to exceed 40 hours per week

Maintain the classrooms and offices at the Manufacturing Skills & Assessment Center

(approximately 4,500 square feet)

Coordinate with the education providers to schedule classes

Coordinate with KentuckianaWorks’ IT provider to ensure that technology required for

jobseekers and educational providers are operational at all times.

Provide job counseling services for jobseekers

Connect jobseekers to Workforce Investment Act (WIA) scholarships and other services

Recruit jobseekers to the Center

Coordinate partnership activities with Iroquois High School

Track participant data and provide periodic reports

Develop plans for meeting outcomes as described above

Schedule and proctor the NCRC and other assessments

Ensure that the education providers have the materials and equipment required

Provide outreach to manufacturing employers at the AIC and in the community

Note: Computers and furniture will be provided. KentuckianaWorks contracts with an IT

provider that will install and maintain computers.

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Proposal Guidelines

Please respond to the items below. Length of proposals must be 10 pages or less, including

attachments. Use 12-point font, 1-inch margins and either Arial or Times New Roman font.

1. Name, Address, and Contact of the lead organization making the application and the

name, address, and contact that will be the fiscal agent (if different than lead

organization).

2. Statement of Qualification: Describe the background of the proposer(s) and the

qualifications for managing the Manufacturing Skills & Assessment Center.

Qualifications must include capacities to carry out the contractor responsibilities as

described above. For instance, proposers should describe their experience and results in

the following areas:

Employment services

Collaboration with employers and community partners

Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

Management of programs and facilities

Technical education and training

Manufacturing

If multiple organizations are proposed then each must state its qualifications for the specific

component of the management of the Manufacturing Skills & Assessment Center.

3. Work and Staffing Plan: Describe the overall work plan for the period of performance, which is approximately October 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013, including:

Staff to be hired Initial start up activities Schedule of activities to be completed the first year

Please attach resumes of personnel expected to be hired for the program. If no staff are identified

yet, provide a job description and the process to be used for identifying and hiring the staff.

4. Challenges and Strategies to Meet Project Outcomes: The proposers should briefly

identify challenges unique to the Manufacturing Skills & Assessment Center project and

suggest strategies to address them in order to meet the Year One project outcomes.

5. Projected Budget: Provide a detailed budget, not to exceed $150,000, for the 9 months

of the project (October 1, 2012 – June 30, 2012) as well as a budget narrative. Provide a

brief description of budgetary controls and spending procedures that will be

implemented.