Coding the Coal Region

In a six-month span in 2019, there were 217 jobs posted requiring advanced computer programming skills.  During that same time, our region produced 7 qualified students to fill those positions.  The problem?  Our local students maintained about 10% of the capacity necessary to fill those jobs, according to research conducted with Ben Franklin Technology Partners and our local developers (job providers).  Our local education system is failing our students and not preparing them for the jobs of the future.  Our solution? Coding the Coal Region - a pilot program, in partnership with Microsoft, that provides K-12 students with access to monthly online coding exercises, and customized certification programs for our college students.  The program not only addresses immediate workforce needs, but develops pipeline for the future workforce of our region.  Coding the Coal Region will transform a traditionally unskilled region to a hub of an advanced computer programming skilled workforce.

Advanced computer programming curriculum is severely lacking in Luzerne County.  With 46,483 students in our K-12 system, and a county containing six colleges and universities, we are not producing the talent we need to meet the current and future workforce needs of our region.  Our local educational system is failing the business community.  During a six-month span in 2019, there were 217 job postings requiring advanced computer programming skills - and during that same timeframe, we produced 7 qualified candidates from our local institutions.  With a projected 600+ jobs anticipated to be added in the next five years, coupled with the recent opening of only the second accelerator in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania right here in Luzerne County, we have a tremendous demand with little to no supply.  Coding the Coal Region will address our concerns by creating a customized certification program to meet the immediate demands of our job providers, but more importantly, launch a monthly, online coding course for students in our K-12 system to establish a pipeline and develop the future workforce of our region.  Featuring a partnership with Microsoft, Coding the Coal Region will help transform our region by providing students with access to skills.

Coding the Coal Region is led by Wilkes-Barre Connect - the Entrepreneurial and Economic Development arm of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber.  Connect is rooted in data and analysis, with a community-centric focus relying on design thinking principles to solve economic and community problems.  Coding the Coal Region was created, based upon the viewpoints of both the job providers and job seekers (students), and the utilization of data from the Institute (Wilkes University).  Data provided by the Institute identified the industry demand for computer programmers and our lack of ability to produce local qualified candidates.  Understanding the supply-demand model, Connect worked with Ben Franklin Technology Partners and local developers (and job providers) to understand the skills gaps.  This research component identified that local students are not being provided with access to computer programming curriculum in our K-12 system, and our college students are not receiving the necessary training to meet the demands of the current and future workforce.  In summary, we have an industry that continues to grow, yet our local educational system is not producing the talent we need.  And in a traditionally undeserved and high-poverty rate community, a change was needed.  Coding the Coal Region will transform our region.

As we established the industry demand, and identified the specific problems in our local education system, Connect set out to find the appropriate partner to address these issues - leading to a partnership with Microsoft.  Microsoft would be the curriculum provider on both the short and long-term solutions introduced by Connect.  

The short-term solution, referred to as NEPA READY, takes the skills gaps identified by our local developers and job providers (via Ben Franklin Technology Partners), to develop a hybrid online course featuring a certification program customized by Microsoft.  Available to college students, NEPA READY will provide students with an opportunity to gain certifications that align with the needs of our local job providers - with an eye on hitting a 70% job placement rate post program.  NEPA READY will be FREE to college students, with 50 students selected to participate each semester (Spring and Fall).  

The long-term solution is presented in two components - but with the same mindset - to provide K-12 students with access to computer programming activities.  The first component, NEPA FOUNDATION, is a monthly, online coding club for students grades 6-12, where they will have access to coding exercises developed by Microsoft.  NEPA FOUNDATION, which will take place outside of the classroom, allows students to gain the basics of programming for FREE and sets the stage for the second long-term component - NEPA PIPELINE.  

NEPA PIPELINE, leveraging the demand/appetite for computer programming demonstrated by our students, will integrate the Microsoft TEALS Program (High School Computer Programming Curriculum) into all public and private high schools in Luzerne County.  The TEALS Program is a co-teaching approaching where local developers can help educate the students AND teachers on computer programming.  Once again, NEPA PIPELINE will deliver the Microsoft TEALS Program to our schools for FREE.

Coding the Coal Region is all about access - we don't care if you are a boy or girl, white or black, or rich or poor - as a student in the Luzerne County educational system, you deserve access to a skillset that can translate to the current and future workforce/industry needs.  Through Coding the Coal Region, Wilkes-Barre Connect will transform our region to a highly-skilled workforce ready to lead the next wave of innovation.

When a workforce need is identified, it goes through the traditional system to develop a solution - it goes through a government department and then to the appropriate educational institutions.  In the case of Coding the Coal Region - we first attempted to go through the traditional system.  The result was our K-12 partners claiming lack of funding and our higher education institutions discussed potential curriculum solutions for 2023.  The system failed us.  A 2023 curriculum change did nothing for the 217 current job openings, nor encourage hope with our job providers.  That experience led to the creation of the Coding the Coal Region pilot - a program established by Wilkes-Barre Connect that would exist alongside of our educational partners, allowing us to act more efficiently and effectively.  Coding the Coal Region will establish short-term solutions in 90 days as apposed to 3 years.  More importantly, Coding the Coal Region engages a private partner in Microsoft to develop and deliver customized solutions to meet our workforce needs and address specific skills gaps.  This approach has allowed us the opportunity to ensure students have access to computer programming skills - removing the traditional barriers created in government and education.  The program puts the opportunity to succeed in the hands of the students.  And with a powerful partner in Microsoft, both the short and long-term curriculum will be customized to our region and industries, and be provided at no cost to students.

Coding the Coal Region, as a pilot program, has built a healthy set of outputs and outcomes in both the short and long-term components of the project, to effectively measure the impact of the program.  As the pilot program continues to evolve, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - specifically the PA Department of Education has supported the program, as they have endorsed and anticipate the program (if successful) being implemented across the state.  Coding the Coal Region will initially be viewed in a 12-month pilot format and will measure the following components:

NEPA READY (short-term):  Providing local college students with access to a customized certification program that aligns with current workforce needs.  Outputs and outcomes in the 12-month pilot include:

Number Applicants (120)

Students enrolled (100 students)

Certifications earned (90)

Interviews Secured (80)

Job Offers (60)

Jobs Accepted (56)

Average Salary ($50,000)

Total Annual Wages ($2.85M)

NEPA FOUNDATION (long-term): Providing students grades 6-12 with access to a monthly online coding exercise program.  Outputs and outcomes in the 12-month pilot include:

K-12 Schools Engaged: 10

Students per school: 250

Total Students Enrolled: 2,500

NEPA PIPELINE (long-term): Integrating Microsoft TEALS Program/Curriculum into our local high schools.  Outputs and outcomes in the 12-month pilot include:

K-12 Schools Engaged: 10

Students per School: 750

Total Students Impacted: 7,500

After the 12-month pilot, an impact report will be provided to the PA Department of Education, with a determination for statewide integration.

The current enrollment in Luzerne County - our target audience for the 12-month Coding the Coal Region pilot program include the following:

K-12 Enrollment: 46,483

College and University Enrollment: 12,897

Year One - the current impact of Coding the Coal Region is broken down by the short-term (college students) and long-term (K-12) solutions proposed within the pilot program.  The impact for Year One is as follows:

K-12 Students Engaged: 10,000

College and University Students Engaged: 100

As identified throughout the application, Coding the Coal Region will begin as a pilot program in Luzerne County (Northeast PA) over a 12-month period.  The pilot program has already been endorsed by the PA Department of Education, and has secured Microsoft as a partner.  This collaboration has propelled the pilot into a program that will carefully measured to determine the ability to implement the program across the state.  To that extent, in February 2020, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Microsoft have determined that we will impact 1 million students in Pennsylvania by 2026 - starting with the launch of Coding the Coal Region in Luzerne County in 2020.  So for a five-year projection, if successful on the local level, Coding the Coal Region will engage/impact 1 million students in Pennsylvania.

Coding the Coal is not just about transforming a region (Luzerne County), its about impacting an entire Commonwealth AND developing a model that can be replicated across the United States.  Referenced earlier, the Coding the Coal Region pilot program has been endorsed and provided seed capital by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  During this process, Connect brought Microsoft and Pennsylvania together - and now, in a letter sent from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, the state is requesting a partnership to engage 1 million students by 2026. The engagement, beginning with the Coding the Coal Region initiative in Luzerne County, would be further developed through the America250PA statewide initiative, with the promise of developing a program that Pennsylvania can help replicate in other states across the United States.  So our goal at Wilkes-Barre Connect is to launch our pilot in 2020, measure its impacts, and provide the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a model to implement the program across the state.  In turn, the Commonwealth will measure the statewide impact and develop a model that can be replicated in other states in the US.  When you dream, its best to dream big.  Connect wants to change the world and impact every state in the United States by 2030, by ensuring students across the country have access to computer programming skills.

For Coding the Coal Region to meet our goals of impacting 1 million students in Pennsylvania by 2026 AND developing a model to be replicated in other states, it all starts with the execution of pilot program in Luzerne County.  To ensure we hit our goals and deliverables, we anticipate three barriers at Connect:  Staffing, Marketing, and Modeling Abilities (IP Development).

In terms of staffing, Wilkes-Barre Connect is a three-person operation.  To ensure the success and accuracy of the pilot program, Connect would like to hire a full-time staff member dedicated to the project.  The current model anticipates all three current staff members assigned to different aspects of the project - however, we must continue to focus on all economic and entrepreneurial development needs of the community.  Connect is seeking financial assistance to add another staff member (projected $45,000).

Marketing of the pilot program will be critical.  A full-fledged campaign needs to be constructed and executed to ensure we engage and capture the students necessary to utilize the program.  With limited resources, Connect will work within the current system, however, the ability to leverage an external partner to create and launch the marketing campaign for the project is needed.  Connect is seeking financial assistance to secure an external marketing partner (projected $20,000).

And finally, Connect has engaged the Institute to help set, collect and measure our impacts, the ability to convert the outcomes into a replicable model is key.  Connect is seeking financial assistance to build the model (projected $40,000).

Wilkes-Barre Connect has worked tirelessly to not only build the Coding the Coal Region pilot, but have worked to secure seed capital from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to launch the pilot.  These funds are primarily focused on building the curriculum with Microsoft and ensuring that each component (NEPA READY, NEPA FOUNDATION, and NEPA PIPELINE) is FREE to students and K-12 partners - as access is the primary driver of the program.

As identified above, the barriers we see are additional staffing, external marketing partners, and resources to build the post-pilot model.  The total cost of our barriers to ensure a successful pilot program our $100,000 - giving us the focus of submitting our solution to MIT Solve.  Our hope is to identify that right partner to secure this last $100,000.

This $100,000 is critical to carry out our pilot - as the Commonwealth has committed to providing resources to enact the program statewide.  So the long-term goals have the financial support of the Commonwealth - it's just the remaining funding ($100,000) needed to execute the pilot program.  In addition to MIT Solve, Connect will continue to explore funding options to help provide the necessary resources for our team to execute.

N/A

As discussed, the market opportunity for our solution/Coding the Coal Region pilot program is significant.  The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has already set in motion the process and commitment to enact our program statewide by 2022.  More importantly, as the Microsoft and Pennsylvania relationship continues to blossom, a goal defined within the partnership is to help replicate the model in other states in the US.  

In the immediate timeframe, Connect is focused on executing the pilot and building the statewide rollout - with an eye on the replicable model in other states.  However, this does not rule out an international/global application for the program - it just hasn't hit our radar yet.  Part of the reasoning behind the MIT Solve Digital Workforce Solution application is presenting the concept to the MIT family to gauge the interest of potentially scaling the program into a global initiative.  

N/A

Wilkes-Barre Connect consists of three team members: Joseph Boylan, Executive Director; Shanie Mohamed, Economic Development Specialist; and Timothy Ooms, Data Specialist.  The three-person Connect team will focus on executing the Coding the Coal Region pilot program.  In addition, Connect is part of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber, which includes an additional eight team members.  External partners include the Institute (data analysis - 6 person team) and Ben Franklin Technology Partners Northeast Region (local develop conduit - 2 person team).

Wilkes-Barre Connect has been building up to this point.  For the past three years, Connect has evolved into a problem-solving organization relying on data, analytics and design thinking principles - while maintaining a community-centric approach.  In 2019 alone, Connect built pilot programs and initiatives for the US Postal Service, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and Junior Achievement.  Connect's reputation has been built upon the creation of unique solutions, alongside of Academic-Business-Community partners, to solve two problems that continue to plague economic development organizations:  time and communication.  Connect is led by Joseph Boylan, who has two decades of experience in higher education (Wilkes University), government (PA House and Senate), private (launched two companies), and now non-profit/economic development.  At Connect we like to say that we don't have the solutions, but our network does.  Our superpower is our ability to identify the problem, pull together the right partnerships/teams, develop a solution, and execute in the form of low-cost pilot programs.  A perfect example is the PARKS Portal pilot program created by Connect and delivered to the PA Department of Community and Economic Development.  The PARKS Portal is an automated online system that captures needs of Industrial and Business Parks tenants, structures partnerships, and develops solutions in a fraction of the time.  Connect built the portal for $5,000 - and after just 8 months, are poised to expand the portal to an 8 county region in Northeast PA.

Connect is partnering with several organizations on the Coding the Coal Region pilot program, including the following:

America250PA:  Statewide commission, including the PA Department of Education and Department of Community and Economic Development.  Their role is critical to the proposed integration of Coding the Coal Region statewide.

The Institute: Local think-tank created by the 15 colleges and universities in Northeast PA.  The Institute is providing the data and analytics associated with the project, and will assist in the creation of the 12-month impact report.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners:  A non-profit, state-funded outfit that drives technology and innovation for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Ben Franklin is acting as a liaison with the local developers to understand the needs of the industry/job providers.

PA Department of Community and Economic Development:  Provided Connect with seed capital to create the pilot program.

Microsoft: Providing the educational/curriculum component of the project.

The business model of Coding the Coal Region is predicated on providing students with access to computer programming exercises and certifications.  The short-term component (NEPA READY) provides immediate impact, as it focuses on training local students to fill job needs.  Connect intends to measure several metrics, including job placement, wage data, and the direct and indirect impacts of the jobs (IMPLAN).

The long-term components (NEPA FOUNDATION and NEPA PIPELINE) will have baseline data (users, etc.), but the impact will be measured overtime.  Specifically, Connect is interested in measuring the impact on educational attainment levels, wage data, poverty rates, and K-12 testing.  

Connect is utilizing The Institute, which produces annual reporting on the region in terms of 15 focus areas - including education, technology, jobs, and wages.  The baseline of data over the past ten years, will be used as a basis to measure the impact Coding the Coal Region will have on the region.

Wilkes-Barre Connect has relied upon state funding to build and launch the pilot program - with the firm expectation that if the program is proven to be successful (after 12-month period), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will provide additional funding to launch the program statewide in 2022.  We have carefully worked on projections but will not have a clear sense of needs until the program launches due to external factors (hardware, software, internet access, etc.).  As we continue to project barriers, Connect has developed strategies to secure funding from two areas:  grants and donations - with Microsoft representing the largest target.

Access to resources to help promote and bring awareness to the Coding the Coal Region pilot program.  Most importantly, the expertise and mentorship from the MIT Solve family to help shape the program as it rolls-out locally, and potentially evolves into a larger, scaleable program.  The goal from the beginning has been to create positive change and I go back to what we love to say at Wilkes-Barre Connect:  We don't have the solution, but our network does.  For an organization that relies upon partnerships, winning this competition would open so many doors for Connect and bring tremendous opportunities to partner with leaders across the globe.

Unsure - I think this would become more clear as we advance through the process and understand what organizations are ready to help in the MIT Solve community.