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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 9-21-06 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsFlorida Agency for Workforce Innovations lead agency for $1,200,000 ODEP grant award. The Florida Agency for Workforce Innovations will be the lead agency in one of three Sub-National Projects of Systemic Innovation and Technical Assistance in the area of self-employment funded by U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). Other key partners in this project: are the Agency for Persons with Disabilities; Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Florida Department of Education; Workforce Florida, Inc; the University of South Florida's Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Griffin-Hammis and Associates, LLC; the National Disability Institute; and three Florida WorkForce Boards. This project will research, test and evaluate innovative models of self-employment service delivery that can be adopted across the country; and will provide sub-national technical assistance (separate from and unrelated to the Technical Assistance provided by the National Self Employment Technical Assistance and Research Project) supportive of their research efforts within a political or economic jurisdiction. In addition the project will research, test and evaluate innovative systems models that will increase self-employment opportunities for entrepreneurs who represent a range of disabilities, ages and life circumstances. Study ranks university tech transfer capabilities – University
of Florida in top five. The Milken Institute today released
an in-depth examination of the world’s leading universities
for biotechnology research and technology transfer, meaning
the ability of those universities to turn their intellectual
property into commercial applications. This examination of
the commercialization of university research reveals that
the U.S. dominates the top rankings on many key measures,
including published research, patents issued and licensing
income. The study, Mind to Market: A Global Analysis of University
Biotechnology Transfer and Commercialization, includes the
Milken Institute University Technology Transfer and Commercialization
Index, which ranks U.S. and Canadian universities at their
ability to take world-class research and turn it into licensing
income and business startups. The top five are: Agency for Workforce Innovation releases Florida's employment/unemployment report for August 2006 – Florida continues to lead the nation in job growth. Florida’s unemployment rate in August 2006 was 3.3 percent, unchanged from the previous month and down 0.3 percentage points from 3.6 percent a year ago. Job growth in August continued to be strong, as the state added 243,300 jobs over the year, growing at 3.1 percent, more than twice the national rate. The national rate of growth was 1.3 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 among the ten most populous states. Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August 2006 of 3.3 percent was 1.4 percentage points lower than the national rate of 4.7 percent. Job growth by sector was led by Professional and Business Services (+64,800 jobs), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+39,400 jobs), Construction (+38,400 jobs), and Leisure and Hospitality (+35,600 jobs). The construction industry had the fastest rate of growth of all sectors, growing by 6.6 percent over the year. The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami Beach MSA led the state in employment growth (+57,400 jobs, +2.4 percent), followed by the Orlando-Kissimmee and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSAs with over-the-year job growth in July 2006 of +37,600 jobs and +27,600 jobs, respectively. In July 2006, Walton County had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.2 percent. Hendry County was the highest at 9.0 percent. For the full report go to: http://www.labormarketinfo.com/library/press/release.pdf. Partnership takes aim at skilled construction worker
shortage in Florida - RAMS® to offer job training and placement
for entry-level workers through agreement with Workforce
Florida. TALLAHASSEE — Thanks to an agreement between
Workforce Florida, Inc. and RAMS® Family of Companies,
700 people throughout the state will have an opportunity
to kick-start new careers in the construction industry. Under
the recently launched Florida reBuilds program, Workforce
Florida, Inc. has contracted with RAMS to provide training
to hundreds of unemployed or underemployed Floridians seeking
training for entry-level jobs as electricians, plumbers and
pipe fitters in the state’s second-largest industry.
The Tampa-based RAMS will offer instruction using its JumpStart
curriculum through its company The Education Connection (TEC).
On-the-job training and employment will be provided through
RAMS’ Resource Partnering Group (RPG). “RAMS’ participation
in Florida reBuilds will help ensure a continual pipeline
of well-trained construction workers, which is critical to
sustaining the state’s strong economy,” said
Katherine Wilson, Chairman of Workforce Florida, Inc. Construction
is one of the state’s fastest growing industries with
more than 24,000 vacant positions. Created by Governor Jeb
Bush and Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, Florida reBuilds bridges
the gap of skilled workers in the industry by equipping people
interested in construction-related careers with skills and
training. Through reBuilds, training and hiring opportunities
for thousands of Floridians are available for more than 40
construction trades. Construction companies, public and private
educational institutions and trade associations are among
those providing the training. RAMS’ TEC will use mobile
training simulators to conduct classes in several Florida
cities. In addition to construction skills training, TEC
also will provide OSHA 10 Construction Safety and Health
instruction to each participant and issue certifications.
Trainees will receive a suite of Governor Bush recognizes 12 Florida companies at
awards ceremony. TALLAHASSEE – Governor Jeb Bush honored 12
Florida companies at the Governor’s Business Diversification
Awards banquet, held at the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee.
The awards program, developed by Enterprise Florida, Inc.
(EFI), recognizes companies for their efforts to diversify
and enrich the state’s economy by creating high-wage
jobs and investing in their communities. The ceremony kicks
off Florida’s 22nd Annual Industry Appreciation Week
(Sept. 18-22), created to spotlight excellence in Florida’s
business community. “I have committed to the people
of Florida to build policies and programs that stimulate
the growth of a stronger, more diversified economy that offers
a higher quality of life,” said Governor Bush. "As
we celebrate Industry Appreciation Week, I am proud to recognize
the companies and organizations that create high-value jobs
and invest their resources to build better communities throughout
the state."
“ These companies have demonstrated exceptional innovation and dedication to Florida’s economic growth, increasing capital investment and promoting positive corporate citizenship,” said EFI President and CEO John Adams. “We applaud these model businesses and their contributions to entrepreneurship, corporate leadership and volunteerism, all of which make Florida such a wonderful place to work and live.” Today’s event, in which economic developers, elected officials and business leaders recognized the Florida companies with the 2006 Governor’s Business Diversification awards, was sponsored by Bank of America and Florida Trend magazine. New airport will boost economy and enhance environmental
preservation. TALLAHASSEE – Governor Jeb Bush announced
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the relocation
of the Panama City-Bay County International Airport to a
new site in West Bay. The airport relocation will greatly
enhance the region’s capacity to provide air service
to those traveling to and from Northwest Florida. “I
applaud Administrator Marion Blakey and the Federal Aviation
Administration for their thorough review and approval of
the Panama City airport relocation,” said Governor
Bush. “Relocating the airport expands economic development
and tourism in the region and protects thousands of acres
of environmentally sensitive lands in the Florida Panhandle.” Florida
has made a substantial financial commitment to the relocation
project and private partners will donate as much as 4,000
acres of land for the site of the new airport and additional
land for preservation. The airport authority will contribute
the proceeds from the sale of the existing airport to the
design and construction of the new airport. These non-federal
contributions comprise more than two-thirds of the total
project cost. “This partnership between federal, state
and local officials will provide safer and more efficient
commercial passenger airport in the Panama City area,” said
Department of Transportation Secretary Denver Stutler. “The
new airport will enhance mobility of people and goods in
this growing region of the state.” The FAA’s
decision will allow the local airport authority to overcome
the limitations presented by the current airport site. The
existing airport is surrounded by urban development and environmentally
sensitive bay waters that connect to the Gulf of Mexico.
Additionally, the airport is currently located in a storm
surge zone and coastal flood zone, making it vulnerable to
destructive hurricanes and tropical activity. The relocation
of the Panama City-Bay County International Airport will
bring innumerable benefits to Bay County and the entire Florida
Panhandle, most importantly, an airport that meets all federal
safety and design standards. The new construction will also
trigger the creation of the West Bay Preservation Area. The
Area includes thousands of acres of conservation land and
the preservation of the West Bay watershed. “The Department
has worked closely with the airport authority to protect
the natural resources in the area,” said Department
of Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen M. Castille. “By
creating the West Bay Preservation Area, we can ensure the
preservation of wildlife habitat, the watershed as well as
the community’s quality of life.” The NationLabor Secretary Chao launches Job Corps STARS initiative; Three- pronged approach to help students learn math and language skills. 9/21/2006 2:14:00 PM - WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced the launch of a Job Corps initiative designed to improve students' preparedness for high- demand occupations of the 21st century. The new program called STARS (Speakers, Tutors, Achievement, Retention and Success) will increase Job Corps students' academic achievement, career skills attainment and retention in the program by providing tutors and mentors to assist them with academics and personal skills. "The STARS Initiative is designed to help Job Corps meet its historic objective - helping young Americans overcome barriers to employment," said Secretary Chao. "This is a three-pronged approach to help students acquire the language and math skills needed to succeed in the 21st century worldwide economy." The Job Corps STARS Initiative addresses a top Labor Department priority: ensuring that workers attain the education and skills to compete in the new, changing, knowledge-based economy," Secretary Chao continued. "The level of education has a direct impact on a worker's lifetime earnings. By increasing motivation and stressing the need to stay in school, our Job Corps students will take the first step toward a life of employment choices." Students will have the opportunity to hear and interact with real-life achievers who will convey what it takes to succeed and the challenges they will face. Tutors will assist students with academic assistance, based on their individual needs. Mentors will provide guidance in career technical areas and offer strategies to enhance personal development and life skills. "STARS will increase student retention in Job Corps, ensure completion of their program of study, and ultimately prepare them for the 21st century workplace," added Job Corps National Director Esther R. Johnson. Commencement of the STARS initiative was announced at the Woodland Job Corps Center in Laurel, Md. Thirteen Job Corps centers across the country have been selected for the STARS pilot phase including the Homestead Job Corps Center in Homestead, Fla. For more information, please visit http://www.usnewswire.com/. Corporate-sponsored JobCentral National Labor Exchange will provide employers a cost-effective transition after phase out of America's Job Bank. Indianapolis, IN – Tuesday September 19, 2006 - A non-profit association of over 200 leading U. S. corporations announced the launch of JobCentral National Labor Exchange to provide job seekers, employers and states a corporate-sponsored, cost-effective transition from federally-funded America's Job Bank (AJB) when it is phased out in June 2007 as announced earlier this year by the U. S. Department of Labor. Today's announcement was made by DirectEmployers Association board member David H. Williams, Manager of Professional Recruiting Services at Xerox Corporation. JobCentral National Labor Exchange (www.jobcentral.com), a service of DirectEmployers Association, allows job seekers to search jobs with one search across thousands of corporate web sites, Google, networking site Jobster, and leading Internet employment search engines such as Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com. Over five million (5,000,000) jobs are available to job seekers from corporate web sites, newspapers, trade associations, and other Internet sources in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, 230 major metropolitan areas, and all U.S. cities and postal zip code areas. The service is available free-of-charge to job seekers. Employer services including job posting, resume searching and job distribution to leading Internet search engines such as Google, Indeed.com, and SimplyHired.com plus Jobster.com and over 1000 other Internet sites including diversity, military, alumni, and state sites are available to all employers regardless of size in all industries for a nominal fee. Working in strict compliance with U. S. Department of Labor guidelines and regulations, the new JobCentral site will play a major role in helping companies build their workforce and comply with state and federal regulations such as Affirmative Action Program objectives, Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP) obligations and Veterans hiring goals when America's Job Bank is discontinued. According to Williams, "JobCentral will continue to fully support America's Job Bank by posting all of its member-company job listings to the site as long as it is available to employers and to the public. When AJB is phased out, the JobCentral National Labor Exchange site will play a leading role in helping companies meet their staffing requirements and individual affirmative action goals while, as a group, better manage our nation's workforce." JobCentral will also help companies meet their general staffing needs at the time of an impending national labor shortage which has heightened the need for employers to attract minorities, veterans, seniors, physically challenged, students and women to the workforce. It will allow companies to work directly with government officials at all levels in responding to national emergency recruiting needs such as those experienced as a result of the Katrina disaster. JobCentral National Labor Exchange will offer extensive benefits free-of-charge to state workforce centers. Career OneStop Centers, counselors and other individuals who have Workforce Development responsibilities in each state will have access to jobs in their respective city, state, or region. Jobs will be available through state or federal government-approved job distribution sites, a link to the JobCentral site, or by providing the job search technology on the state's employment center web site. Jobs will also be available at no cost to each state via an Application Programming Interface (API), links from state web sites or via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). JobCentral automatically places O*Net Classification Codes on all member-company jobs as is currently required by state workforce classification systems. JobCentral has also partnered with The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and Symplicity Corporation to develop NACElink Network (http://www2.nacelink.com/) for college recruiting. Through the JobCentral site, jobs can be posted to the NACElink Network for students and alumni at a growing list of 575 colleges and universities nationwide including large research institutions, small and medium private schools as well as a range of community colleges. Brian E. Jensen, Vice President Talent Acquisition for The McGraw-Hill Companies states, "The discontinuance of America's Job Bank along with the projected labor shortage caused by baby-boomer retirements and a dwindling workforce provides a formidable challenge for all employers. JobCentral's National Labor Exchange provides an opportunity for companies to meet their compliance and staffing requirements in an environment which is owned, managed and controlled by employers." JobCentral National Labor Exchange has been developed and is managed by the most experienced staff in the online recruiting industry. The Association's Executive Director is Bill Warren, a former corporate human resource executive with Rockwell International and former president of Monster.com, who is widely recognized as the founder of online recruiting. Warren is a recipient of Employment Management Association's (EMA) prestigious Pericles Pro Meritus Award, an honor presented by EMA in recognition of being the founder of online recruiting on the Internet. DirectEmployers Association's purpose is to share best practices, create new industry standards, provide research, and develop and manage systems and software for employers to increase efficiency and reduce recruiting costs. JobCentral National Labor Exchange is a service of the Association. Its member companies include an impressive group of industry leaders such as Abbott Laboratories, Analysts International, Allstate, ALLTEL Corporation, Anheuser-Busch, Ashland, Avaya, Bausch & Lomb, Baxter, Bell South, Capgemini, Cargill, Cingular Wireless, Cisco, Coca-Cola, General Electric, General Dynamics, H&R Block, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kindred Healthcare, Lockheed Martin, Mellon Financial Corporation, Merck, Harris Corporation, Home Depot, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, National City Corporation, Northrop Grumman, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, Raytheon, Southern Company, Sprint, Textron, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Union Pacific, Volt Information Sciences, and Xerox Corporation. Johanns announces more than $9.8 million in grants to repair or rehabilitate rural low-income housing – Florida receives three grant awards. WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2006-Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced the award of $9.8 million to organizations across the country for the repair or rehabilitation of housing in rural areas. The organizations will use the funds to preserve 2,458 housing units, including individual housing, rental properties, or housing cooperatives owned or occupied by very low- and low-income rural residents. "Rural Development's housing programs are an integral part of the Bush Administration's commitment to improve the quality of life in rural communities," said Johanns. "This preservation program helps people with limited resources keep their homes, and it provides the means for rural residents to stay in their communities." The grants were awarded under the USDA Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant Program. Through this program, USDA Rural Development makes grants to nonprofit organizations, local governments and Native American tribes to renovate existing low-income multi-family rental units. Funds may also be used by recipients to help individuals make repairs to private homes. Funds can be used to upgrade a number of individual housing units, which in some cases affects the housing options in an entire community. Recipients of Housing Preservation Grants are often able to leverage the funds with additional resources from private sources or local governments. Among the grant recipients announced today was the Rural Alaska Community Action Program, which will receive $50,000 to repair or rehabilitate seven housing units in rural Alaska. The St. Landry Parish Community Action Agency will receive $156,966 to preserve 28 units of housing in rural Louisiana. The three Florida recipients are: Suwannee River Economic Council, Inc., Centro Campesino Farmworker Center, Inc. and the City of Alachua. A complete list of the grant recipients and award amounts is available at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/news.htm. U.S. Department of Labor to Provide 26 States Nearly
$8.8 Million in Unemployment Insurance Information Technology
Security
Grants – Florida to receive $140,000. WASHINGTON, Sept.
14 /U.S. Newswire/ -— The U.S. Department of Labor announced
grants to 26 states and the Virgin Islands totaling $8,797,186
to enhance unemployment insurance (UI) information technology
security. "Unemployment insurance can be a lifeline to
workers during difficult times," said Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao. "These grants will fund improvements in
state unemployment insurance programs to make them more secure,
helping to ensure that workers can get help when they need
it most." The awards will encourage states to use the
National Institute of Standards and Technology's guidelines
to enhance, augment and further secure state UI systems. They
also will address information technology (IT) security weaknesses
identified in Federal Information Security Management Act security
audits conducted by the Office of Inspector General in several
states. Today's announcement marks the third year unemployment
insurance information technology security grants have been
awarded. Among other activities, these grants specifically
will fund critical IT security projects in risk management,
contingency planning, incident response capability, data center
security, security awareness and training, data integrity,
hardware and systems software security, system security planning,
and IT security documentation. "These projects will raise
the bar among state unemployment compensation systems to safeguard
the resources that workers sometimes draw on," said Assistant
Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover
DeRocco. Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and NoticesFor additional information go to, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.Featured Opportunity:Application available to be a Pilot Site for Supported
Employment Training and Technical Assistance. The Florida Center for
Inclusive Communities, a University Center for Excellence
in Developmental Disabilities through the University of South
Florida is pleased to announce the availability of intensive
training and technical assistance focused on Supported Employment.
This effort is funded by the Florida Developmental Disabilities
Council, Inc. and the Florida Department of Education/Bureau
of Exceptional Education and Student Services. This project,
the Supported, Competitive, Integrated Employment Training
Team project, which is in its second year, has already provided
training and technical assistance and continues to support
pilot sites in Pensacola and West Palm Beach. In the second
year, the project will support four pilot sites throughout
the State of Florida. The efforts will continue to lay the
groundwork for building a sustainable training and technical
assistance system in support employment for community rehabilitation
providers, families and individuals with disabilities, and
other stakeholders in Florida. Pilot sites are geographic
regions with a lead agency or organization that will partner
with other stakeholder in the area. Applications are open
to any supported employment stakeholder (e.g., Community
Rehabilitation Providers, Supported Employment Providers,
School Districts, Business Leadership Networks, Vocational
Rehabilitation Area offices, Agency for Persons with Disabilities
District offices, etc.) One, three-day, and three, two-day
training sessions for each pilot site, as well as follow-up
technical assistance, and networking opportunities will be
delivered by a team of state and nationally recognized experts.
Applications information: To download an application go to:
http://www.flse.net/flprovidernetwork/FPNresources/PilotapplicationYear2.doc.
For Pilot Site Application Questions/Assistance contact:
Dave Guido, phone 813.974.3738 or via email at: State Grants(none) Federal GrantsLead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Program Reopened NCRR Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25) Foundation GrantsCommunity Grants Program Campaign for Human Development Grants Mental Illness Information and Outreach Initiatives Scholarships/Awards2007 National Schools of Character Awards Program 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. October 18, 2006 November 29, 2006 November 30, 2006 Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
September 28, 2006 Florida's Future Corridors Statewide Workshop October 5, 2006 - 3:00 - 4:00 P.M. EDT Oct. 6, 2006 October 12-13, 2006 November 1, 2006
For more information about and to register for this day-long event go to: http://www.workforceatm.org/training/cesertraining.cfm. November 6-9, 2006 Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2006 December 2 – 5, 2006 December 4-7, 2006 Odds and EndsFrom Southern Compass -- September 19, 2006:
DataPlace Demonstration - Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Heard about DataPlace™ (www.dataplace.org) but haven't had a chance to check it out? Or, perhaps you've been to the site but want to learn how to use it better. Join us for our monthly online demonstration of the DataPlace Web site. DataPlace is a KnowledgePlex initiative sponsored by the Fannie Mae Foundation. This free, online resource combines mapping technology and multiple statistical databases, allowing users to access housing and demographic data about communities, regions, and the nation. DataPlace contains a powerful yet simple mapping tool, quick statistical snapshots of specific geographic areas, a chart and table builder, and how-to guides for analyzing and applying the site's data to explore real-world housing and community development issues. Troy Anderson, managing director of knowledge management at the Fannie Mae Foundation, and Patrick Simmons, director of housing demography at the Foundation, will guide us through the DataPlace demo and take your questions and comments about the Web site. For more information about the chat and how to participate visit: http://www.knowledgeplex.org/xchat.html Quote for the Week:“The logic of validation allows us to move between the two limits of dogmatism and skepticism. ” Paul Ricoeur |
