The Defense Industry Partnership

Collaboration with State and Local Agencies


The Partnership will work with State and Local Workforce Agencies to the greatest extent possible.  After completing the defense industry skills gap study and workforce development policy analysis, the Advisory Committee must put into place strategies to work with and utilize state tools to enhance employment opportunities for Rhode Islanders. 

Specifically, the Mayforth Group must formalize a funding plan by identifying federal, state, local and private grant funding opportunities for workforce development grants in the defense industry sector.  This will require in-depth research of available funding options and a mapped out approach for prioritizing grants by feasibility and relevance.  This would also include assisting with the application and administering of the grant if successful.  This would be a multi-year, on-going task. 

Goal: Identify 2-3 funding sources for workforce development grants in the first year of funding.

  The Advisory Committee would work to identify existing members of the Partnership who are willing to provide a meaningful work experience for youth in a summer employment program and/or in a long term part-time position, as well as unpaid internships in cooperation with the RI Department of Labor and Training programs.  This would involve coordinated outreach programs from the Project Manager and Advisory Committee members to businesses that would be interested in participating, as well as garnering relationships to encourage more businesses to get involved.  This ultimately could result in the development of a database to match up interested students with appropriate companies in particular locations, areas of expertise, duration, etc. in subsequent years. 

Goal:  Increase the number of businesses that participate in meaningful work experiences for youth and teacher externships by 5 companies.  Establish a database tool to compile businesses and youth interested in work experiences in the second year of funding.

After the workforce development policy analysis is completed by the Education Committee, recommendations for the types of on-the-job and apprenticeship training opportunities for adults and youth will be made and the development of those opportunities should begin, but implementation will most likely be in subsequent years of this project.  However, potential existing programs can be evaluated and used as models for the industry.  Existing programs should be promoted through community outreach and various materials and tools, including pamphlets in schools and advertisement on web site.

Goal:  Develop outreach materials for existing programs and distribute to the appropriate audience.

Information should be provided by the Advisory Board of opportunities and availability for worker training grants and companies should be encouraged to apply.  Assistance should also be provided by the Project Manager to apply for these grants when appropriate to ensure that the skill gaps identified by the industry report are being addressed and that the training proposed will meet industry recognized standards.  This service should eventually be made a permanent part of SENEDIA as the official Defense Industry Partnership lead agency.

Goal:  Inform defense companies of the merits of worker training grants and assist with application as they become interested.


The Project Manager should assist the Partnership with formalizing a relationship with netWORKri, its staff, and RIDLT’s Labor Market Information by organizing meetings to share information, including links to State and Local Workforce Agencies on the web site, and encouraging the development of relationships with netWORKri One-Stop Career Center staff and local employer Service Representatives.  Companies will be encouraged by the Partnership to post their job openings and their recruitment events on that web site, along with providing direct access to Rhode Island workers to submit their resumes for positions that become available within the respective companies.  The Project Manager and Technical Committee should also facilitate employer focus groups within the industry partnership to provide feedback to the GWBRI and RIDLT in order to align netWORKri and Labor Market information products and services to industry partnership needs.  Additionally, the Partnership will provide information about current trends in their industries, specifically regarding expansions, layoffs, etc.  The Project Manager will utilize its survey tools, outreach materials and web site to increase employer participation in Labor Market Information (LMI’s) data surveys which include:

  • Current Employment Statistics Survey
  • Occupational Employment Statistics Survey
  • Annual Refiling Survey
  • Multi Worksite Report
  • Occupational Injury & Health Survey
  • Employee Benefit Survey
  • Job Vacancy Survey

Goal – Increase defense industry companies utilization of these state employment tools.  Increase LMI participation of member companies by 10% in first year.

 The Defense Industry Partnership will work with other State and Local entities to implement the goals and objectives of this project, including GWBRI, RIEDC, DLT, and the RI Defense Economic Planning Commission.   Additionally, SENEDIA and participating partners are willing to collect participant data.  SENEDIA is also willing to participate in a third-party evaluation by providing data and access for interviews, and by participating in networking with other Partnerships

See Other Elements of the Partnership