The New Mexico Business Roundtable for Educational Excellence (NMBREE) requestsproposals from New Mexico’s Community Colleges to implement career pathways strategies for assisting New Mexicans to move up a career ladder while at the same time assisting New Mexico businesses with qualified workers for the economies important to the state.NMBREE will award a gran(s) to create/strengthen regional partnerships to implementmodel career pathways in their respective communities around a specific industry clusterrelative to theregion’s economy and tied to one of the seven New Mexico Career Clustersadopted by the state.
More information about the state endorsed career pathways can be found atwww.workinnewmexico.gov/cluster.html. Bridges to Opportunity has also developed a Career Pathways Toolkit which can be accessed and viewed on their web site at www.communitycollegecentral.org.
The process will involve a pre -proposal outlining the proposed career pathway andimplementation strategy due to NMBREE by March 7, 2008. Following a review by industry leaders, those with the best implementation plans and strategies will be invited to a “Bidder’s Conference” in Early April and invited to submit a full RFP for funding consideration. It is anticipated that 2 -3 proposals will be funded beginning in May 2008 and concluding in December 08.
Funding support will be through the Ford Foundation as part of the New Mexico Community College Bridges to Opportunity grant with possible supplemental funding from industry and/or other sources for the career pathways that are targeted.
Proposal Guidelines
Pre-Proposals:
Interested applicants must submit the following (by March 7, 2008):
Project Summary: 3-5 pages (double spaced, 12 point font) to include:
- Pre-Proposal Title (to match cover page)
- Project Description and goals (including specific career pathway to be addressed)
- Geographic area and populations to be served
- Expected outcomes by the end of the grant
- Expected project partners and potential roles
- Grant awards will be $20,000 and leveraging funds such as Perkins, WIA, industry, etc. are possible
Full Proposals:
NMBREE will invite selected applicants (from the Pre -Proposal process) to write full proposals that ultimately will meet the following guidelines:
- Involves regional partnerships of adult education providers, secondary schools, employers, economic development organizations, workforce investment boards, one-stop providers, human service agencies and others.
- Focuses on job and educational advancement that could benefit low-income adults and that meet employer needs.
- Builds a career pathway program that focuses on a high-demand, high-wage employment sector that incorporates a seamless system of skills training, work experience and upgrade training.
- Develops/enhances a career pathway relevant to the economy of the region and supportive of one of the seven New Mexico career clusters.
- Leverages existing resources to fund program operations.
- Seeks to bring about systemic change within and across the college and the partnership organizations, not just implements demonstration projects that serve small numbers and disappear when dedicated funding ends
For more information, please contact Mr. Larry Langley, President/CEO,
New Mexico Business Roundtable
5600 Eagle Rock Ave., NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113, phone 822 -5500.
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