Sector Partnership Grants

Sector Partnerships organize stakeholders connected to an industry—multiple firms, unions, education and training providers, and local workforce and education system administrators—to develop plans for growing (or saving) that industry, with a particular focus on building new workforce pipelines where skilled worker shortages exist, as well as changing how existing workers are utilized, retrained and compensated to maximize long-term productivity. Such Partnerships promote industry growth and competitiveness by developing immediate strategies to fill pressing skilled workforce needs, as well as long-term plans for future industry growth utilizing new technologies and work arrangements that require a more skilled workforce, and improve worker training, retention and advancement by developing cross-firm skill standards, career pathways, job redefinitions, and shared training and support capacities that facilitate the advancement of workers at all skill levels, including the least skilled.

Senators Brown, Snowe Introduce SECTORS Act

Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) recently introduced S. 3368, the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act of 2008. Developed in collaboration with The Workforce Alliance and other experts in the workforce field, the legislation would promote long-term competitiveness for American industries and employment opportunities for America's workers.

SECTORS Act legislative text (August 2008)

SECTORS Act overview (August 2008)

SECTORS Act section-by-section summary  (August 2008)

 TWA Platform and Overview 

Sector Partnership Grants Fact Sheet, TWA Policy Platform, 110th Congress (February 2008)

Sector Partnerships the Basics (February 2008)

A Model Sector Partnership Grant Program (February 2008)

Capitol Hill Briefing: Sectoral Strategies for Low-Income Workers