00 Enrolled HCR 10 01 Supporting the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Industry Advisory Committee, the 02 Alaska Workforce Investment Board, the Alaska Vocational Technical Education Center in 03 Seward, and further efforts to carry out the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan. 04 _______________ 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 WHEREAS the maritime industry in the state includes seafood harvesting, seafood 07 processing, vessel construction and repair, research, resource enhancement and management, 08 marine transportation and freight, and other activities or services; and 09 WHEREAS those services and activities have only recently become widely 10 recognized as making up a discrete maritime industry; and 11 WHEREAS the maritime industry in the state consists of more than 500 businesses 12 and a workforce of 68,000 persons, making the industry the largest private sector employer in 13 the state; and 14 WHEREAS significant economic benefits resulting directly from activity in the 15 maritime industry include, for example, the addition of $6,750,000,000 to the state's economy 01 in 2011; and 02 WHEREAS significant economic benefits resulting indirectly from activity in the 03 maritime industry include, for example, the addition of $1,000,000,000 to the state's economy 04 in 2011 from transportation spending related to the maritime industry; and 05 WHEREAS approximately 50 percent of persons employed in the state's maritime 06 industry are residents of the state; and 07 WHEREAS the number of maritime industry jobs in the state that require a high level 08 of technical and professional skill is increasing; and 09 WHEREAS the maritime industry in the state seeks to increase the number of state 10 residents who have the technical skills, professional skills, and motivation to succeed in the 11 maritime industry; and 12 WHEREAS the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Industry Advisory 13 Committee was established to work with employers, state agencies, the University of Alaska, 14 and other regional and local providers of vocational education and technical training to 15 implement the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan; and 16 WHEREAS, in order to succeed, the plan requires that the maritime industry, 17 educators, state government, and regional and local providers of vocational education and 18 technical training collaborate to increase the number of state residents who have the technical 19 skills, professional skills, and motivation to succeed in the maritime industry; and 20 WHEREAS the plan seeks to increase career awareness, workforce recruitment and 21 retention, and training in job readiness and core competencies; and 22 WHEREAS the plan seeks to increase professional development in emerging and 23 high-demand occupational categories, including 23 categories the plan specifically identifies; 24 and 25 WHEREAS the best way to carry out the plan is for the industry to lead a 26 collaboration with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Department of 27 Education and Early Development, the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic 28 Development, the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Transportation and 29 Public Facilities, the University of Alaska, regional and local providers of vocational 30 education and technical training, community development quota organizations, tribal and 31 local governments, and public and private schools; and 01 WHEREAS the Alaska Workforce Investment Board is assigned the task of advising 02 the state regarding plans to train and prepare Alaskans for jobs in the state in order to promote 03 growth in the state's economy; and 04 WHEREAS a goal of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board is to build connections 05 that place Alaskans in good jobs, and that goal keeps the board focused on developing a 06 workforce system that is useful, accessible, and understandable to businesses seeking 07 qualified workers, unemployed Alaskans searching for jobs, and employees seeking to 08 upgrade their work skills to meet demands and opportunities in a changing workplace; and 09 WHEREAS a goal of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board is to increase resident 10 hire to 75 percent of total hires in the maritime industry by 2020; and 11 WHEREAS the Alaska Maritime Training Center is approved by the United States 12 Coast Guard to offer both standard training and training tailored to the specific needs of the 13 maritime industry; and 14 WHEREAS the Alaska Maritime Training Center delivers training in modern 15 classrooms and with the latest training tools and technology, including a world-class ship 16 simulator and a state-of-the-art, computer-based navigational laboratory; and 17 WHEREAS Alaska has more coastline than the other 49 states combined; and 18 WHEREAS the marine environment of the state is one of the world's most 19 challenging for the maritime industry; and 20 WHEREAS qualified marine captains and other qualified marine crewmembers are 21 needed to ensure the safe transport of passengers and freight and the safety of commercial 22 fishing operations in the state's navigable waters; and 23 WHEREAS the Alaska Vocational Technical Education Center, which is housed in 24 the joint Alaska Vocational Technical Education Center and United States Coast Guard 25 training facility in Seward, Alaska, is the foundation of maritime industry workforce delivery 26 in the state; and 27 WHEREAS a goal of the Alaska Maritime Training Center is to promote the safe 28 transport of passengers and freight and safe commercial fishing operations in the state's 29 navigable waters by training marine captains and other marine crewmembers for employment 30 in the maritime industry workforce in the state; and 31 WHEREAS the Alaska State Legislature in Legislative Resolve 36, Twenty-Seventh 01 Alaska State Legislature, identified maritime workforce development as a priority; 02 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the Alaska Maritime 03 Workforce Development Plan, the Alaska Workforce Investment Board, and the Alaska 04 Vocational Technical Education Center and calls for further collaboration between the 05 maritime industry, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Department of 06 Education and Early Development, the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic 07 Development, the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Transportation and 08 Public Facilities, the University of Alaska, regional and local providers of vocational 09 education and technical training, community development quota organizations, tribal and 10 local governments, public and private schools, and other stakeholders to implement the plan; 11 and be it 12 FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the Senate shall appoint a member of 13 the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint a member of the 14 House of Representatives to liaise with the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development 15 Industry Advisory Committee to ensure that members of the legislature are kept informed 16 regarding implementation of the plan; and be it 17 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 18 governor to direct the commissioner of education and early development, the commissioner of 19 commerce, community, and economic development, the commissioner of fish and game, the 20 commissioner of labor and workforce development, the commissioner of transportation and 21 public facilities, and the president of the University of Alaska to collaborate with the Alaska 22 Maritime Workforce Development Industry Advisory Committee regarding implementation 23 of the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan and, by January 30, 2016, deliver a 24 report regarding that collaboration and plans for further collaboration to the Senate Secretary 25 and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives and notify the legislature that the report 26 is available.