• strong employer network associations that are focused on school-to-work (STW) agendas;
• alliances between industry and education and training providers at the national, state and local levels; and
• awareness of career opportunities in manufacturing that is focused on parents, counselors, and students.

The MICA partnership, funded by the National School-to-Work Office and the U.S. Department of Labor, consists of IEL, the National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) Center for Workforce Success, the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, the AED Foundation (an affiliate of the Associated Equipment Distributors), and representatives of the chemical sector. The partnership is in its third year.

During the first year of operation, MICA created a Framework for Action for associations wanting to assist their members with their workforce development needs. This was devised after consulting with local, state, and national employer associations that are currently working to improve communication between schools and businesses. The Framework addresses the initial transition from schools to the workplace through STC programs. The framework covers three areas:

• identifying your major constituents
• understanding your constituents' needs; and
• helping employers effect change.

The framework recognizes the different roles an association might play at each level (local, state and national); at the same time, it acknowledges the interdependence among the three levels. To order a copy of Making the Connections, Employer Associations' Actions for School-to-Career, email jgolden@nam.org.

MICA updates are available through its Web site at www.nam.org/workforce/MICA/mica.html.

NAM's Center for Workforce Success has the primary responsibility in MICA for outreach and information sharing with industry associations and state and local STW policymakers. The other national industry partners work in designated states and localities to promote the use of skill standards in curricula and the rewarding of portable credentials. Those states include:

• California, Texas New England states and New York (metalworking);
• Colorado and Connecticut (chemicals); and
• Texas and Ohio (equipment servicing).

MICA has provided several local communities with support to test new ways of expanding the number of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms involved in STW efforts:

• Worcester, Mass.: CMEA, The Employers Association;
• Iowa Association of Business and Commerce;
• Rochester, N.Y.: Industrial Management Council;
• Maine Chamber and Business Alliance; and
• Racine, Wis.: Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce.

In this third year, in addition to the work described above, MICA will also:

• complete a guide, which includes practical lessons on how to engage employers in working with schools;
• develop a guide for associations use in the development of program certification.
• strengthen the infusion of standards-based curriculum, instructional materials for a students and educators; and
• develop a Resource guide that will focus on financing, and sustaining intermediaries in support of STW.

IEL serves as contracting organization for MICA, and Joan Wills, director of IEL's Center for Workforce Development, along with Phyllis Eisen, director of NAM's Center for Workforce Success, serve as managing partners for the effort.

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