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The KY FAME program of study was originally based on Toyota’s manufacturing principles, which
included six personal behaviors and five core skills in manufacturing. The personal behaviors are
attendance, initiative, diligence, interpersonal skills, teamwork and communication. The core
manufacturing skills are safety culture, efficient workplace organization, lean manufacturing,
problem-solving and machine reliability.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Career Pathway Network recognized KY FAME
as the “Best Career Program in the U.S.” Eight chapters have been established in Kentucky, two
more Kentucky chapters are of being created, and Toyota is extending the model to its plants in
Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

What Works in Industry Sector Partnerships
The industry sector partnerships movement has been around for about 15 years and has grown in
sophistication. The Next Generation Sector Partnerships Community of Practice was created with
support from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the state of California and the Colorado Workforce
Development Council. This organization provides training and a free toolkit for organizing and
sustaining sector partnerships. Lessons learned over the past 15 years, especially from sector
partnerships in Colorado and Oregon, are captured in the table below.

What Works and What Doesn’t in Industry Sector Partnerships

Works Does Not Work

Clusters of companies Individual firms
Employers as partners Employers as customers
Industry-driven System- or institution-driven
Regionally based Statewide or local
Existing industry strength or emerging specialty Wishful thinking
Industry competitiveness/growth Workforce only

Opportunity-focused Problem-driven
Employer priorities first Target populations first
Champion-driven Representation-oriented
Coalitions of the willing The futile search for consensus
People and relationships Organizations and jurisdictions
A disciplined, replicable process A mysterious, unique occurrence

Source: Next Generation Sector Partnerships Training Manual, 2019.

To be viable and productive, industry sector partnerships need the active involvement of industry
leaders who are business owners, presidents, chief executive officers and other high-profile
decision-makers. To justify their commitment of time, those leaders need to see that partnerships
go beyond workforce development.

SREB Commission on Strategic Partnerships for Work-Ready Students | October 2020 7