TITLE 16

Education

CHAPTER 16-80

Rhode Island School-to-Career Transition Act of 1996

SECTION 16-80-4



   § 16-80-4  Interagency partnerships. –

A mechanism will be developed as part of the statewide school-to-career system

that brings the departments of elementary and secondary education, labor and

training, human services and the Rhode Island economic development corporation

together to collaboratively support, implement, and maintain the statewide

school-to-career system and to provide resources, technical assistance and

support to regional and local partnerships. Regional and local partnerships

must include employers, local school district representatives, teachers and

their unions, post-secondary institutions, labor unions, and students. The

roles and responsibilities of the partners will include the following:



   (1) The economic development corporation and the department

of labor and training will:



   (i) Work in collaboration to define regions and major

industry clusters in each region; and



   (ii) Identify skills needed for growing and emerging

businesses and industries.



   (2) The department of labor and training, the human resource

investment council, and department of elementary and secondary education will:



   (i) Work in collaboration to develop employer incentives and

guidelines for school-to-career local partnerships;



   (ii) Develop a statewide information and delivery system to

encourage and facilitate business, labor and education partnerships;



   (iii) Develop testing and assessments to measure student

knowledge and skills; and



   (iv) Provide a state plan for professional development for

various constituencies in the regional and local partnerships, and conduct an

aggressive and ongoing outreach and marketing campaign.



   (3) The human resource investment council's school-to-career

subcommittee shall serve as the governing board for the school-to-career system

and management team. This subcommittee shall consist of twenty (20) members

comprised of: a chairperson who shall be appointed by the governor and be a

member of the human resource investment council; the commissioner of elementary

and secondary education or his or her designee; the director of the department

of labor and training or his or her designee; the chairperson of the human

resource investment council or his or her designee; the president of the

Community College of Rhode Island or his or her designee; one superintendent of

schools and one school principal to be appointed by the governor; two (2)

representatives of labor unions appointed by the president of the Rhode Island

AFL-CIO; four (4) members representing Rhode Island employers to be appointed

by the governor; the president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers or

his or her designee; and the president of the National Education Association of

Rhode Island or his or her designee and five (5) additional members appointed

by the governor based on recommendations from the school-to-career subcommittee

to afford the subcommittee the opportunity to recommend potential members from

stakeholder groups that are underrepresented on that subcommittee.



   (4) The private industry councils, regional employment and

training boards, and collaboratives will:



   (i) Serve as the connectors between schools and the business

community;



   (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 disabilities

consistent with the mandate of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.



History of Section.

(P.L. 1996, ch. 161, § 1; P.L. 1996, ch. 251, § 1; P.L. 1998, ch.

319, § 1.)