CONTENTS
The State & Regions
The Nation
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities
Upcoming
Meetings, Conferences & Events
Odds & Ends
The State & Regions
Save the date! Workforce Summit 2007 will be in Gainesville
on January 29-31, 2007!
Workforce Summit 2007 is coming up fast with exciting new
features that you won’t want to miss. In addition to
more in-depth workshop tracks, there will be:
- A variety of intense half-day, hands-on workshops where
you will practice and hone key workforce skills.
- Timely
detailed training on the EMPLOY FLORIDA MARKETPLACE.
- A new awards session honoring front-line staff. Each
region will submit their front-line employee of the
year and recipients
will receive the award during the closing session.
The new time frame has been selected to avoid hurricane
season, program year end and legislative sessions.
Conference registration
is open and hotel rooms must be booked by January
8th to receive the discounted rate. To learn more,
go to: http://www.dynamicinstitute.com/summit,
email events@dynamicinstitute.com or
call Dynamic Works at 321-205-1590. See you there!
Florida Workforce Leaders Announce Annual Excellence
Awards Winners. TALLAHASSEE — This year’s Workforce
Excellence Awards presented by Workforce Florida, Inc., and
the Agency for Workforce Innovation recognize a state agency
leader, regional workforce board executive director, a Florida
health care company and eight regional workforce boards for
their outstanding contributions to workforce development. “The
annual Workforce Excellence Awards are a highlight of our
year,” says Katherine Wilson, Chairman of Workforce
Florida, Inc. “The recipients exemplify the kind of
innovation and commitment to quality services that enable
Florida’s workforce system to advance its goal of supporting
economic development and helping Floridians enter, remain
and advance in the workforce.” Thirteen awards were
presented at the Nov. 30 Workforce Florida, Inc., Board meeting
in Lake Buena Vista. The 2006 recipients and award categories
are as follows:
•
Employ Florida Awards for Workforce Excellence (There are
three awards in this category.)
—
The Workforce Development Board of the Treasure Coast, Region
20, received the George Kirkpatrick Workforce Innovation
Award, which recognizes innovation that results in improvement
to workforce services. This honor includes a $50,000 award
to be used for workforce initiatives. The Workforce Development
Board of the Treasure Coast was honored for its public/private
partnership with Aegis Communications Group, which led to
the creation of a career center in the business’s Port
St. Lucie office. The center has dramatically reduced the
Board’s expenses, while still providing a convenient
location for business and job seeker customers to receive
assistance.
—
Workforce Plus, Region 5, Gadsden, Leon and Wakulla counties,
received the Economic Development and Employer Initiatives
Award for its efforts to address local demand for skills
training through partnerships with business, education and
workforce stakeholders. In particular, it was recognized
for initiatives that helped meet the need for trained electronics
technicians and cable company employees, a locally developed
banking certification program and worker training that allowed
a local company to expand its business to the international
market. This honor includes a $25,000 award to be used for
workforce initiatives.
—
WorkNet Pinellas, Inc., Region 14, Pinellas County, received
the Services to Targeted Populations Award for its SUPERVets
(Skills Upgrade Program for the Employment & Retention
of Veterans) program, which provides job seeking, placement
and training services to veterans. This honor includes a
$25,000 award to be used for workforce initiatives.
•
Regional Performance Award — Six high-performing Regional
Workforce Boards received this award based on how well they
help youths and adults find employment as well as the business-assistance
services provided to employers, among other things. They
are: CLM Workforce Connection Board, Region 10, Citrus, Levy
and Marion counties; Florida Crown Workforce Board, Inc.,
Region 7, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist and Union counties;
Gulf Coast Workforce Board, Inc., Region 4, Bay, Franklin
and Gulf counties; Heartland Workforce, Region 19, DeSoto,
Hardee and Highlands counties; Suncoast Workforce Board,
Inc., Manatee and Sarasota counties; and WorkNet Pinellas,
Inc.
•
Workforce Champion Award — Mary Lou Reed, executive
director of the Workforce Development Board of Okaloosa and
Walton counties, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
each received this award, which honors businesses, individuals
and organizations that have demonstrated excellence in their
contributions to workforce, economic development, unemployment
insurance services, employment services, labor market information
services or other workforce-related initiatives. Reed has
led the workforce board since 1996. Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Florida was honored for its Generation RN (sm) initiative,
which is a public-private partnership aimed at addressing
the critical nursing shortage in Florida.
•
Workforce Strengthening Families Award — The Early
Learning Coalition of Duval and Florida Department of Children
and Families Secretary Lucy Hadi each received this award,
which recognizes businesses, individuals and organizations
who through their efforts make Florida families stronger
by contributing to the well-being of children, encouragement
of parental involvement, education and training, economic
self-sufficiency and literacy, among other things. The coalition
was honored for its school readiness efforts. Hadi was honored
for her leadership and lengthy record of public service.
She has led the Department of Children and Families since
2004. Previously, she served as an interim director of the
Agency for Workforce Innovation and was the staff coordinator
for the Senate Select Committee on Social Services Reform
that drafted Florida’s landmark welfare reform bill,
the WAGES Program.
The Nation
NASWA’s Workforce Bulletin Headlines for 12/01/06:
- FINAL FY 2007 WORKFORCE SYSTEM SPENDING
LEVELS LIKELY TO BE DETERMINED NEXT YEAR BY NEW CONGRESS
- WOTC AND WtWTC EXTENSIONS COULD BE INCLUDED IN TAX BILL
SCHEDULED FOR CONSIDERATION NEXT WEEK
- ETA PUBLISHES ITS
VISION FOR 21ST CENTURY APPRENTICESHIP
- NVTI REQUESTS COMMENTS
ON NEW COURSE FOR LVER/DVOP MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS
- NEW
INFORMATION COLLECTION PROPOSED TO IDENTIFY PROMISING TANF
DIVERSION PRACTICES
- DHS SEEKS COMMENT ON PROPOSED EXTENSION
OF I-9
- ETA CREATES WEBSITE TO KEEP WORKFORCE COMMUNITY
UPDATED ON WRIS AND WISPR
- WYOMING LAUNCHES
NEW JOB-MATCHING SITE
- ARKANSAS GOVERNOR-ELECT ANNOUNCES
APPOINTMENTS
- GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS
ADDED TO MEMBER SERVICES SECTION OF NASWA
WEBSITE
- BENEFITS OF BECOMING A NASWA AFFILIATE
EASILY SHARED WITH Workforce ATM COMMUNICATIONS
FEATURE
Access the complete articles at: http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/members/bulletin/
bulltemp.cfm?results_art_filename=bu120106.htm
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities
and Notices
Featured Opportunity:
(none)
State Grants (none)
Federal Grants
Advanced Technological Education
National Scenic Byways Program Discretionary Grants
Your Town Workshops for Citizens’ Institute on Rural
Design
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program
Assets for Independence Demonstration Program
Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students in Health Professions
Basic/Core Area Health Education Centers
Foundation Grants
John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
The Viola W. Bernard Foundation Grants
Ray Ward Creative Spirit Small Business Grant
Senior and Junior Consultants New Connections Initiative
Scholarships/Awards
2007 John W. Gardner Leadership Award
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.
December 13, 2006
Executive Committee Teleconference
Tallahassee, FL
10:00am - 11:30am
CANCELLED
December 13, 2006
Council Chairmen Teleconference
Tallahassee, FL
9:00am - 10:00am
CANCELLED
January 17, 2006
Executive Committee Teleconference
Tallahassee, FL
10:00am - 11:30am
January 17, 2006
Council Chairmen Teleconference
Tallahassee, FL
9:00am - 10:00am
February 22, 2007
Board of Directors Meeting
TBA
Contact: Peggy Dransfield, WFI pdransfield@workforceflorida.com
Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
December 4-7, 2006
2006 National Youth Development Symposium
ENGAGE, EDUCATE, EMPLOY - YOUTH!
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Suites - Chicago, IL
The Presenter Call for Proposal has been issued. The
goal of the 7th Annual National Youth Development Symposium is
to
provide best practices and program guidance to workforce development
professionals who serve youth. Our intent is to provide support
for those dedicated individuals working to be a strong foundation
for youth and to provide them with the necessary tools to enter
the workforce as productive adults.
Workshop topical areas include:
• Engaging youth with their future, young men with their communities,
hardest-to-serve youth with programs that can help them, and
adult youth workers with the youth they serve.
•
Educating youth in ways that meet the new demands of the 21st
Century workplace - technology, teamwork, literacy & numeracy,
online learning, career academies and alternative education,
internships, online learning.
• Employing youth in good jobs with opportunities to learn and
advance by satisfying the business needs of employers.
The Symposium experience will also offer attendees the opportunity
to browse through an Exhibit Area offering additional resources
and contacts that may be valuable to serving youth.
Pre-symposuim sessions will be held Monday afternoon, December
4th and Tuesday morning, December 5th. Full Symposium starts
at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, December 5th. Workshops will be announced
September 15th. For more information go to: http://www.theeventconn.com/events/conf.php?get=info&eid=18.
Odds and Ends
Putting Youth Work on the Map. Building a strong, stable
and supported youth workforce that is committed to the empowerment
and well-being of youth is the goal of the recently formed
Next Generation Youth Work Coalition, co-chaired by Pam Garza
from the National Collaboration for Youth, Karen Pittman
from the Forum for Youth Investment and Deborah Craig from
YouthNet of Greater Kansas City. The Coalition will provide
a forum for individuals and organizations at the national,
state and local levels who influence or are influenced by
workforce issues to work together to address the needs of
front-line workers in the after-school and youth development
fields. Over the past year, two comprehensive studies of
youth workers were coordinated by the Next Generation Youth
Work Coalition. Together, these two studies, conducted by
the Forum for Youth Investment and the National Afterschool
Association, capture the voices and perspectives of over
5,000 youth workers from across the country. Together they
offer the clearest, most comprehensive picture yet of the
youth work profession: who youth workers are, where they
work, how they are supported on the job and what their aspirations
are, for themselves and the field. This research brief discusses
key findings and implications from these studies, and includes
recommendations generated by key Coalition stake holders
in response to the data. To read the studies go to: http://www.nydic.org/nydic/staffing/workforce/nextgen.htm.
Quote for the Week:
“Regrets, I've
had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the
byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way”
Excerpted from “My Way”
By P. Anka, J. Revaux, G. Thibault, C. Frankois
(As recorded by Frank Sinatra and sung to Mike Switzer,
WFI at his retirement party today!)
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