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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 3-15-06 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsAWI releases Florida's January 2006 employment/unemployment report. Florida’s unemployment rate once again hit a record low in January 2006 dropping to 3.0 percent from the previous 3.3 percent. Stronger than average job growth took place in January as the state added 302,500 jobs over the year, growing at 3.9 percent, more than twice the national rate. The national rate of growth was 1.6 percent for the same period. Based on the latest available data, Florida continues to lead other states in the nation in the number of new jobs created and has the fastest rate of job growth and the lowest unemployment rate among the ten most populous states. The state’s seasonally adjusted January 2006 unemployment rate was 3.0 percent, down from 3.3 percent in December and down by 1.2 percentage points from 4.2 percent a year ago. Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2006 of 3.0 percent was 1.7 percentage points lower than the national rate of 4.7 percent. Job growth by sector was led by Professional and Business Services (+70,300 jobs), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+60,000 jobs), Construction (+55,900 jobs), Leisure and Hospitality (+38,200 jobs), and Education and Health services (+27,700 jobs). Solid growth also continued in Manufacturing which gained 3,600 jobs over the year. Durable goods manufacturing gained 3,300 jobs, mainly in transportation equipment manufacturing (+2,000 jobs). Manufacturing employment has seen positive growth since May 2004. The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami Beach MSA led the state in employment growth (+77,500 jobs, +3.3 percent), followed by the Orlando-Kissimmee and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSAs with over-the-year job growth in January 2006 of +47,800 jobs and +40,500 jobs, respectively. The county with the lowest unemployment rate in January was Wakulla County at 2.2 percent. Hendry County was the highest at 5.6 percent. http://www.labormarketinfo.com/library/press/release.pdf. New “one-stop” legislative info/update site available online. Governor Jeb Bush has introduced the 2006 Florida Forum, an online one-stop-shop of information and updates for Floridians interested in what's happening in Tallahassee during legislative session. The website provides details on many of Governor Bush's legislative initiatives, including education, economic development, tax cuts and hurricane preparedness. www.govfloridaforum.com. Manufacturing facility to create more than 1,300 new jobs. TALLAHASSEE – Governor Jeb Bush last week applauded Royal Concrete Concepts for their recent expansion to Okeechobee County. The company’s new modular building manufacturing facility is expected to create more than 1,300 new high-wage jobs in rural South Florida. Royal Concrete Concepts is a national leader in the manufacturing of portable classroom buildings and modular buildings for federal use in the Southeast and the Caribbean. The expansion of Royal Concrete Concepts to Okeechobee includes a capital investment of more than $20 million, including real estate investment, the construction of a new manufacturing facility and the purchase of new manufacturing and business equipment. Royal Concrete Concepts was founded and is headquartered in Palm Beach County. Combining concrete, polystyrene and reinforced steel to create walls that can withstand hurricane-force winds, the award winning Royall Wall system provides an important alternative to conventional building materials. The Royall Wall system has since been expanded, integrating floors, walls and roofs into individual units that are manufactured in a factory-style process to ensure affordability. “This is a wonderful milestone for Royal Concrete," said Wally Sanger, President of Royal Concrete. “This facility represents a five-fold expansion of our modular concrete manufacturing operation of residential homes, portable classroom buildings for school districts and modular buildings for the federal government. Local support is such an important factor in our ability to succeed. We’re thrilled with this expansion, and so proud of the positive impact we have on the region." The Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development worked closely with the Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners and Enterprise Florida to recruit this project to the state. "With its convenient location and access to rail lines, Okeechobee County is the ideal location for Royal Concrete’s new manufacturing facility," said Lynn Topel, Executive Director of Florida's Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative. "Royal Concrete is precisely the type of high-wage, high-value company that we're committed to helping, and we're excited to share in the success of their expansion." www.myflorida.com. The Florida Community College System Strategic Plan approved at the February State Board of Education meeting. The plan addresses eight priority goals, including ensuring access and student success, enhancing workforce development programs in community-specific areas, aligning the baccalaureate expansion policy to meeting unmet community needs, advocating for community college funding which meets growth and capacity needs, maintaining a low-tuition policy, developing a comprehensive facilities development plan, enhancing learning and student services through expanded use of emerging technologies, and enhancing leadership and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administration. An online version of the strategic plan that contains links directly to each community college's individual strategic plan, as well as to the K-20 Strategic Plan will be available soon. http://www.fldoe.org/cc/Newsletter/View_Newsletter.aspx?LetterID=58. EDC/Florida Tradeport Briefing and Barbecue slated
for March 31. Naples, FL… March 13, 2006 – The third annual
Florida Tradeport Briefing and Barbecue is slated for Friday,
March 31, 2006 at the Immokalee Regional Airport. This years
event will focus on “Opportunity and Promise in Immokalee” as
it relates to the workforce and labor market in Immokalee
and surrounding areas. Speakers to include Joe Paterno with
South Florida Workforce Development Board, Dr. Howard Berryman,
Director io Career Education, Collier County Schools, and
Commissioner Jim Colletta who will speak on the road plan
and how it supports an additional infrastructure component.
In addition to the guests noted above, members of the Florida
Legislature, representatives from Enterprise Florida and
other government leaders have been invited to attend the
barbecue. The Economic Development Council of Collier County
is hosting the event, which will be held at Florida Tradeport
in Immokalee. The briefing will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed
by a barbecue luncheon from noon until 2:00 p.m. Tickets
are $40 for EDC members and $50 for non-members; they may
be purchased by calling the EDC at (239) 263-8989 or contacting
the EDC online at www.eNaplesFlorida.com. Event sponsors
include South Florida Workforce Development Board, Florida
Community Bank, Hole Montes and Fowler white Boggs Banker
P.A. The Economic Development Council of Collier County is
dedicated to improving the quality of life of all people
in Collier County by promoting economic development initiatives,
which will diversify the local economy, create high-wage,
value-added jobs, increase the average wage, facilitate capital
formation, preserve and enhance the natural environment,
and enable all county residents to have a meaningful opportunity
for upward mobility. The NationCQ Today Midday Update – Wednesday, March 15,
2006, 2:24p.m.
Access the full stories at: www.cq.com The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released the letter report: Unemployment Insurance: Factors Associated with Benefit Receipt. What GOA Found: Certain characteristics are associated with the likelihood of receiving UI benefits and unemployment duration. UI-eligible workers that GAO studied are more likely to receive UI benefits if they have higher earnings prior to becoming unemployed, are younger, have more years of education, or if they have a history of past UI benefit receipt when compared with otherwise similar workers. GAO found that past experience with the UI program has a particularly strong effect on the future likelihood of receiving UI benefits. However, some characteristics, such as receiving a higher maximum weekly UI benefit amount, are not associated with a greater likelihood of receiving UI benefits. UI-eligible workers who receive UI benefits have longer unemployment duration than workers with similar characteristics. Also, UI-eligible workers are more likely to experience longer unemployment duration if they have lower earnings before becoming unemployed or have fewer years of education. Other characteristics associated with longer unemployment duration include being African-American, female, or not belonging to a union. GAO found no relationship between past UI benefit receipt and subsequent unemployment duration. UI-eligible workers from certain industries are more likely than similar workers in other industries to receive UI benefits and experience shorter unemployment duration. Specifically, GAO’s simulations show that the likelihood of receiving UI benefits during a first period of unemployment is highest among workers from the mining and manufacturing industries. Furthermore, the likelihood of receiving UI benefits when unemployed increases with each previous period of UI receipt across all industries, and the most notable increase occurs in public administration. First-time unemployed workers from construction and manufacturing experience significantly shorter unemployment duration than workers from other industries. For the full report GAO-06-341, March 15: http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-341. For the Highlights: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d06341high.pdf. Also released by GAO today: TESTIMONY - Unemployment Insurance: Factors Associated with Benefit Receipt and Linkages with Reemployment Services for Claimants. For the full testimony GAO-06-484T, March 15: http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-484T. For the Highlights: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d06484thigh.pdf. GAO publishes report on preparedness, response and recovery for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a March 8, 2006, report on Preliminary Observations Regarding Preparedness, Response, and Recovery pertaining to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The report states "significant government and private resources were mobilized to respond to the hurricanes. However, these capabilities were clearly overwhelmed and there was widespread dissatisfaction with the results." The GAO report describes four major issues which emerged from their preliminary work. The critical importance of:
Other factors, such as leadership and resources, may be more
important to FEMA's future success than organizational
placement. Long term rebuilding raises issues concerning
the need for
consensus on what rebuilding should be done, who will pay
for what, and what oversight is needed to ensure federal
funds
are spent for their intended purposes. GAO releases report on Troops-to-Teachers. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study on the "Troop-to-Teachers" program, which provides financial assistance and counseling to help military personnel obtain their teacher licenses, especially in priority areas, such as math and science, and find employment in high-need districts and schools, as well as public charter schools. The U.S. Department of Education oversees the program, which received nearly $15 million in Fiscal Year 2005. This report identifies (1) the number and characteristics of program participants and factors affecting participation; (2) the recruitment and retention of participants in high-need districts and priority subject areas; and (3) the steps the Department of Education has taken to facilitate program management. The GAO recommends the Secretary of Education take steps to improve program management and better coordinate with existing teacher recruitment and retention initiatives. There were 3,875 troops who were documented as having been hired through the program from 2002 to 2005. Participation has decreased and hiring has been geographically concentrated. The majority of the program's teachers hired from school years 2001-2002 through 2004-2005 were employed in seven states. http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2006/d06265.pdf. Headlines from NASWA’s Workforce Bulletin March 8, 2006.
For the full articles go to: http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/members/bulletin/ Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and NoticesFor additional information go to, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.Featured Opportunity:(none) State Grants(none) Federal GrantsFood Stamp Program Participation Grants Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) HUD SuperNofa 2006 Youthbuild Rural Housing and Economic Development Program Rural Broadband Community Connect Program Youth Leadership Program: Linking Individuals, Knowledge and Culture (LINC) Field Initiated Demonstration Program Foundation Grants(none) Scholarships/AwardsAwards for Excellence in Affordable Housing 2006 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Upcoming Meetings, Conferences and
Events
Workforce Florida Board and Related Meetings Schedule:For up-to-date WFI board meeting info please check the calendar at the WFI website. April 19, 2006 May 17, 2006 May 18, 2006 Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
March 16, 2006 March 16, 2006
RSVP by March 9, 2006. Contact: Val Kelly at 352-873-7939 ext. 203. Tuesday, March 28th
The telecast will feature the Kellogg Foundation which has
been at the forefront of developing a framework for economic
development practitioners who are trying to implement the
best ideas about entrepreneurship in their rural places.
The foundation
panelist will provide examples of innovative leaders. Two
rural businesses will provide their experience and progress
as sustainable
innovative leaders in their regions. Moderator: Matthew
E. Crow, Director of Communications, Economic Development
Administration,
US, Department of Commerce. April 3, 2006 April 12, 2006 April 19 – 21, 2006. April 23-26, 2006 May 8 – 12, 2006 May 9-10, 2006 May 15-16, 2006
For more information, go to www.ncfrpc.org [Click on “Upcoming Events” and then “Rural Tourism and Economic Development Summit May 2006”] or call Jayne Moraski 352-955-2200 x.106 or via email moraski@ncfrpc.org. May 23 - 25 2006 June 2-4, 2006 USDOL’s Workforce Tools of the Trade Workforce Investment Systemwide Events Page. http://www.workforcetools.org/calendar.asp Odds and EndsCommitment and consistency are the keys to successful campus recruiting (By Leslie Stevens-Huffman – Workforce Recruiting newsletter 3/9/06). College recruiting has traditionally been a way for companies to build pipelines to academic institutions to supply future corporate leaders. However, consistently attracting new graduates and meeting their expectations may require new recruiting strategies and long-term commitments. The job market for new college graduates hit a peak in 2001 and then declined with the recession. Since then, the market has steadily improved and more companies are back actively recruiting on college campuses. All indications are that spring 2006 will be the most competitive environment since prior to the recession. "When we asked our members to rate the projected job market for new college graduates this year, nearly 94 percent of the respondents said that they expected it to be good, very good or excellent, and that’s up from 80 percent last year," said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager with the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based professional organization that connects college career centers and employers. NACE estimates that 54 percent of its member companies will be on campus this spring, an increase from the 42 percent that were on campus a year earlier. Not only will more companies attend, their recruiters and managers are looking for 14 percent more new hires than in 2005. http://www.workforce.com/section/06/article/24/29/14.html. Career coaching is latest trend for recent college grads seeking jobs (by Eilene Zimmerman – Workforce Recruiting newsletter 3/9/06). Career coaches are usually hired by executives and disillusioned midcareer professionals. But in the past two years a different kind of client has been using career coaches--college seniors and recent grads. An increasing number of career coaches now offer programs to guide new grads through the interview process and into a first job. For hiring managers, the prep is sometimes obvious, sometimes not. Does it matter? Are employers being duped? As entry-level career coaches become de rigueur for graduating seniors, it’s more important than ever that employers see the person behind the prep, says Robert W. Wendover, author of Smart Hiring (Sourcebooks, 2005) and director of the Center for Generational Studies in Aurora, Colorado, which looks at generational relations in the workforce. Although this kind of coaching prepares students to be great candidates, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they will be great employees. http://www.workforce.com/section/06/article/24/29/13.html. The March issue of Driven by Demand, Workforce3 One's monthly news and information update is now available. In this edition:
To learn more, access these articles and subscribe to the
newsletter go to: Expectmore.gov assessment of the WIA Adult Employment and Training. Expectmore.gov was announced in an earlier issue of the Weekly Update. We revisited it this week and looked specifically at the WIA Adult Employment and Training program assessment. Assessments of other WIA programs (Youth, Native Americans, Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers, Dislocated Workers) are also available. Background: Content on ExpectMore.gov is developed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and Federal agencies. Together, they assess the performance of every Federal program and hold themselves accountable for improvement.A standard questionnaire called the Program Assessment Rating Tool, or PART, for short is used. The PART asks approximately 25 important, yet common sense, questions about a program's performance and management. For each question, there is a short answer and a detailed explanation with supporting evidence. The answers determine a program's overall rating. Once each assessment is completed, we develop a program improvement plan so we can follow up and improve the program's performance. The program rating indicates how well a program is performing, so the public can see how effectively tax dollars are being spent. Here is the link to the Expectmore.gov assessment of the WIA Adult Employment and Training program. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/detail.10003900.2005.html FL-ATE’s Made in Florida outreach campaign is gearing up. The mission of FL-ATE, a NSF-ATE Regional Center of Manufacturing Education, is to create a manufacturing educational delivery system by offering the technical programs, curriculum development, best practice demonstrations, student involvement and outreach activities necessary to meet the workforce capacity and high performance skill needs of the manufacturing sectors within its region. Visit www.madeinflorida.org to learn more. Watch the new video to see what manufacturing is like in Florida: http://www.madeinflorida.org/video.html. From SOUTHERN COMPASS -- MARCH 14, 2006:
New research explores multi-sided markets (Harvard Business School Working Knowledge Newsletter 2/13/06). Dating clubs, credit cards, and video games are all examples of multi-sided markets, where firms need to get two or more distinct groups of customers on the same platform [editorial note: internet based labor market exchanges?]. Professor Andrei Hagiu discusses this new field of business research—and why it matters to you. Access the article at: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=5237&t=strategy&iss=y. U-M Launches Spanish Language News Service, Web Site (© 2006
Newswise) Mon 13-Mar-2006 Newswise —The University
of Michigan is launching what is believed to be the most
comprehensive university-based Spanish language news service
in the United States. The news service distributes stories
on groundbreaking scientific findings, consumer-oriented
health news, and other subjects including social, cultural
and economic trends. The releases are distributed nationally
and internationally in Spanish with English translation to
more than 200 Hispanic-serving media, from flagship publications
and wire services to the most remote community-based weeklies.
In its five-month pilot phase from October 2005 through February
2006, this service resulted in more than 650 stories in publications
and radio and television programs. "The United States
is home to the world's third-largest Spanish speaking population,
following Spain and all of Latin America," U-M President
Mary Sue Coleman said. "Latinos now are the largest
and fastest-growing minority community, and more than half
of adult Latinos prefer to get their news from Latino-serving
media. Academic researchers develop information of critical
importance to this community. It is imperative that we make
it available and that we bring higher education to Hispanic
homes around the country." Building on the University's
successful Spanish language Web site project, called Portal
En Español, this news service combines with an extensive,
newly developed Spanish language health and medical information
site that gives patients, prospective patients and the general
public access to crucial information about medical and scientific
breakthroughs, personal health, and about receiving care
at the U-M Health System. "With Spanish-language translation
being the most common request to our Interpreter Services
group, and the Latino population growing, this new portal
will help satisfy an ever-increasing need," said Dr.
Robert P. Kelch, executive vice president for Medical Affairs.
Portal En Español, launched in September 2004, focused
initially on academics, undergraduate admissions and student
life. It later broadened to include graduate and professional
school admissions. Visits to the site have grown by 59 percent,
from January 2005 to January 2006. "The news service
makes higher education more familiar and accessible to the
Latino community, so that it can be seen as a part of everyday
life, an attainable goal," said Vivianne Schnitzer,
U-M's Hispanic communications coordinator. Ten percent of
the Spanish-speaking population in the world resides in the
U.S. At 41.3 million, Hispanics account for more than 14
percent of the country's population. Increasing by 3.9 million
since the 2000 national census, Hispanics account for half
the total population growth since 1990. Some of the news
organizations carrying stories from the University's Spanish
language news service include: Quote for the Week:Written in Early Spring . . . “I heard a thousand blended
notes To her fair works did Nature link William Wordsworth |
