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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 12-20-06 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsLt. Governor Announces New Initiative Aimed at Strengthening Florida’s Career Education Programs. TALLAHASEE — Ensuring that career and technical education programs in Florida prepare students for the high-skills, high-wage jobs of the 21st Century is the goal of a $1 million grant announced today to establish the Employ Florida Banner Center for Career Academies. The grant, from Workforce Florida, Inc., is being awarded to the Okaloosa County School District CHOICE Institutes. Okaloosa Schools will establish a go-to center that will create standards for quality and accountability for Florida’s myriad career education academies and serve as a resource for districts seeking to re-engineer their career and technical education programs to better meet the current and future demands of businesses in their communities. “This initiative will maintain our high educational standards and offer support to a cutting-edge initiative that was begun in the Okaloosa County School District by Sen. Don Gaetz when he was superintendent,” said Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings. “Florida’s young people will have unprecedented opportunities as they enter the workforce prepared for success.” Okaloosa’s CHOICE Institutes have been recognized as state and national models for career education. Started in 2001, CHOICE Institutes offer students high school and college credits as well as professional certifications. The district currently has seven institutes operating or planned in allied health, automotive maintenance, aviation and aerospace, construction technology, engineering, hospitality, and information technology. Students earn industry-recognized certifications and college credit for free. The program is geared for college-bound students as well as those who intend to go directly into the workforce. And it has made strides in graduating students previously considered at risk of dropping out of school. CHOICE Institutes emphasize partnerships among secondary schools, post-secondary institutions, workforce boards and business and industry with course offerings and training linked to regional business demands. “The CHOICE model is unique in that it allows students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma, university credits, and national industry certifications in high-paying career fields, all at no cost to them or their families,” said Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Niceville), Chairman of the Florida Senate Committee on Education Pre-K-12. “What also sets CHOICE apart from traditional vocational education is that private industry determines the curriculum and certifies mastery. “This ‘center of excellence’ designation and financial award will allow us to leverage the successes of Okaloosa’s CHOICE Institutes throughout Florida.” CHOICE stands for Community High: Okaloosa Institutes of Career Education. A recent study by the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida found, among other things, that CHOICE graduates are expected to earn about $375,000 in additional income during their lifetimes compared to the anticipated earnings of average high school graduates. “This really is a win-win-win for education, workforce and business and industry,” said Okaloosa School Board member Cindy Frakes, who was among a delegation of Northwest Florida education officials, students and business and workforce leaders who traveled to Tallahassee for today’s announcement. Using the grant, Okaloosa Schools will provide technical support to districts throughout the state wanting to start new career academies or overhaul existing programs; develop standards and accountability measures for career education programs; and research and highlight best practices in career education that serve to help Florida maintain and improve its globally competitive workforce. Workforce Florida is among those that have recognized Okaloosa for its transformation of career education, which has earned its students hundreds of industry-recognized certifications and more than $1 million worth of college credits as well as high school diplomas. In fact, last year, Workforce Florida began a competitive grant program for school districts wishing to model their career and technical education offerings after Okaloosa’s. To date, 11 school districts have been awarded more than $2 million to replicate the CHOICE Institutes and have launched programs in areas including aerospace, construction, health sciences, information technology and manufacturing. “We have to expand opportunities for all students to achieve and raise their potential,” said Curtis Austin, President of Workforce Florida. “This Employ Florida Banner Center for Career Academies allows us to do so, while also improving the pipeline of work-ready employees who can help sustain Florida businesses and support their expansion.” The new Okaloosa County-based program is part of a $6.2 million strategic initiative of the state workforce system to create centers of excellence, known as Employ Florida Banner Centers, which are charged with developing a well-skilled workforce for key Florida industries. These centers are part of the Employ Florida network of state and local workforce partners and services. For more information on Employ Florida Banner Centers, please go to www.EmployFlorida.com. For more information about CHOICE Institutes, go to http://www.choiceinstitutes.com/. I-10/Escambia Bay Bridge Dedicated ~ Construction
of the new bridge finished ahead of schedule. PENSACOLA – Governor
Bush traveled to Pensacola to celebrate the early completion
of construction of the new eastbound section of the hurricane
damaged I-10/Escambia Bay Bridge. To mark this recovery milestone
a little more than two years following devastating Hurricane
Ivan, Governor Bush was joined by U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Mary Peters, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary
Denver J. Stutler, Jr., Florida Division of Emergency Management
Director Craig Fugate, members of the Florida Legislature
and local officials. “I applaud the Florida Department
of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Transportation
and the thousands of individuals who labored to make this
day a reality,” said Governor Bush. “Florida’s
remarkable recovery efforts following an unprecedented eight
hurricanes in fifteen months have made the state stronger
and better prepared for future disasters. The completion
of new eastbound bridge will also ease the flow of commerce,
aiding the Panhandle’s growing economy.” During
Hurricane Ivan, a Category 3 storm, the bridge was hit with
a wall of water estimated to be 20 feet high. The impact
of the storm surge knocked 58 spans off the eastbound and
westbound bridges and misaligned an additional 66 spans. Crist announces two new agency heads (Bradenton Herald © 12/19/2006
BRENT KALLESTAD, Associated Press). TALLAHASSEE - Craig Fugate,
who helped Gov. Jeb Bush navigate through several devastating
hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, will stay in his role as director
of the state's emergency management system, Gov.-elect Charlie
Crist said Monday. Fugate, 47, becomes the first holdover
from the Bush administration. Apart from the hurricanes,
he was in charge of Florida's emergency response system during
a period that included the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
and anthrax attacks in Boca Raton. "Obviously Craig
has been an excellent leader in this position," said
Crist, who plans to announce more appointments later in the
week. Additionally, Crist named Ruben Almaguer as deputy
director under Fugate. Crist also announced two other key
agency heads. Kevin Hyde, a Jacksonville attorney who specializes
in labor and employment law, will be the new head of the
Department of Management Services, the agency responsible
for oversight on many of the state's contracts. Monesia Brown
was his pick as director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation,
the state's labor agency. Hyde, 43, hopes to slow down the
revolving door at the department, which had six different
secretaries during Gov. Jeb Bush's two terms. He will be
faced with scrutinizing several of the state's contracts
with private vendors that have been under review. "I
do bring a different and fresh perspective since I have not
served in Tallahassee before," said Hyde, who serves
on the Jacksonville City Council and is a University of Florida
law school graduate. Brown, 34, served as a special counsel
to Crist in the attorney general's office and also as general
counsel at the management department. She is a graduate of
Illinois State University and has a law degree from the University
of Wisconsin. Florida’s Minimum Wage to $6.67/Hour; Employers Must Display New Minimum Wage Poster; Happy New Year? (article provided by Harper Gerlach Labor & Employment Law). Effective January 1, 2007, Florida's minimum wage will increase to $6.67 per hour and employers must prominently display a poster stating so. Tipped employees also receive a minimum wage increase to $3.65 an hour beginning January 1st. Florida's minimum wage poster can be downloaded in English and Spanish from the Agency for Workforce Innovation's webpage at: http://www.floridajobs.org/resources/fl_min_wage.html. This poster requirement is in addition to the federal requirement to post a notice of the federal minimum wage. The federal poster can be downloaded from the U.S. Department of Labor website at: http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/posters/flsa.html. Employees may bring civil lawsuits against employers for violating the Florida minimum wage law. So too can the state attorney general. Let’s not give either the chance! The NationFederal Register Notice: ETA: Comments For WIA/Wagner-Peyser
Proposed Rules Amendments. The Department of Labor (DOL) is
issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement several
important policy changes to the Workforce Investment Act and
Wagner-Peyser Act Regulations in volume 20 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR). Through these regulations, the Department
implements these two laws and provides guidance for statewide
and local workforce investment systems that have as their goals
increasing the employment, retention and earnings of participants.
By achieving these goals, the systems strive to improve the
quality of the workforce, meet business needs for a skilled
workforce, help participants achieve their career aspirations,
reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and
competitiveness of the nation. The changes set forth in this
proposed rulemaking address some long-standing issues that
have arisen under the current WIA regulations, such as problems
associated with the large size of State and Local Workforce
Investment Boards; the sequence of core, intensive and training
services; the governor's authority over eligible training providers,
and the availability of Individual Training Accounts to youth.
In addition, the changes set forth in this proposed rulemaking
address the method of delivery of Wagner-Peyser Act-funded
services. DATES: To be assured of consideration, comments must
be in writing and must be received on or before February 20,
2007. For the complete Federal Register Notice go to: National Emergency Housing Locator. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is seeking to identify web-based rental housing locators interested in making their electronic listings available to the government during national emergencies. A lesson learned from hurricane Katrina was the Federal Government lacked a national inventory of available housing to accommodate evacuated disaster-affected personnel. This initiative is designed to help HUD understand the availability of housing and to better serve the citizen public during hurricanes, earthquakes and other similar disasters requiring mass evacuations. Please Note: This is not a procurement. HUD is not seeking contractors and no payment or reimbursement will be made to participants. Web based rental housing locators receive additional visibility of their rental listings during emergencies assisting the government in serving citizens requiring evacuation. If you have any questions regarding this initiative or are interested in participating, please email Charles_D._Moore@hud.gov. You may also telephone Mr. Moore at 202-708-0614. You can see this notice at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpo/contract/hsglocator.cfm. VA Reaches Out to Veterans and Spouses - "Aid and Attendance" an Under-Used Benefit. WASHINGTON (Dec. 19, 2006) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reaching out to inform wartime veterans and surviving spouses of deceased wartime veterans about an under-used, special monthly pension benefit called Aid and Attendance. "Veterans have earned this benefit by their service to our nation," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. "We want to ensure that every veteran or surviving spouse who qualifies has the chance to apply." Although this is not a new program, not everyone is aware of his or her potential eligibility. The Aid and Attendance pension benefit may be available to wartime veterans and surviving spouses who have in-home care or who live in nursing-homes or assisted-living facilities. Many elderly veterans and surviving spouses whose incomes are above the congressionally mandated legal limit for a VA pension may still be eligible for the special monthly Aid and Attendance benefit if they have large medical expenses, including nursing home expenses, for which they do not receive reimbursement. To qualify, claimants must be incapable of self support and in need of regular personal assistance. The basic criteria for the Aid and Attendance benefit include the inability to feed oneself, to dress and undress without assistance, or to take care of one's own bodily needs. People who are bedridden or need help to adjust special prosthetic or orthopedic devices may also be eligible, as well as those who have a physical or mental injury or illness that requires regular assistance to protect them from hazards or dangers in their daily environment. For a wartime veteran or surviving spouse to qualify for this special monthly pension, the veteran must have served at least 90 days of active military service, one day of which was during a period of war, and be discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Wartime veterans who entered active duty on or after September 8, 1980, (October 16, 1981, for officers) must have completed at least 24 continuous months of military service or the period for which they were ordered to active duty. If all requirements are met, VA determines eligibility for the Aid and Attendance benefit by adjusting for un-reimbursed medical expenses from the veteran's or surviving spouse's total household income. If the remaining income amount falls below the annual income threshold for the Aid and Attendance benefit, VA pays the difference between the claimant's household income and the Aid and Attendance threshold. The Aid and Attendance income threshold for a veteran without dependents is now $18,234 annually. The threshold increases to $21,615 if a veteran has one dependent, and by $1,866 for each additional dependent. The annual Aid and Attendance threshold for a surviving spouse alone is $11,715. This threshold increases to $13,976 if there is one dependent child, and by $1,866 for each additional child. Additional information and assistance in applying for the Aid and Attendance benefit may be obtained by calling 1-800-827-1000. Applications may be submitted on-line at www.vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp. Information is also available on the Internet at www.va.gov or from any local veterans’ service organization. NASWA’s Workforce Bulletin Headlines for 12/15/06:
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and NoticesFor additional information go to, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.Featured Opportunity:(none) State Grants(none) Federal GrantsAdvanced Education Nursing Traineeship Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault,
Stalking, and Child Abuse Enforcement Gang Member Reentry Assistance Project Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program Training and Technical Assistance Support Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Grant Opportunity Activities that Advance Methane Recovery and Use as a Clean Energy Source SBDC Portable Assistance Project Recovery Community Services Program – RCSP OVC FY07 Public Awareness in Underserved Communities Foundation Grants2007 Rural People, Rural Policy Cohort Gannet Foundation Grants Scholarships/Awards(none) 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. January 17, 2006 January 29-31, 2007
February 22, 2007 Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
April 2nd-5th, 2007 Odds and EndsThe plastics industry is “on the road” to raising high school students’ understanding of the science of plastics. According to a U.S. Government Accounting Office report issued on May 6, 2006, the percentage of U.S. students obtaining degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics has steadily declined since 1994, even as post secondary education enrollment has increased. PlastiVan™, a traveling scientific education program, aims to halt this trend. The acclaimed PlastiVan™ program teaches students about the chemistry, history, processing methods and environmental issues involved with plastics. The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) provides financial assistance in the form of matching funds to its members who sponsor the PlastiVan™ for area schools. A certified PlastiVan™ teacher provides hands-on lab activities for up to 6 one-hour classes. Labs can be customized to align with state science standards and program of study. Non SPI members may be able to obtain matching funds through local education or workforce resources. “The GAO report’s findings concerning the decline in degrees obtained in science and engineering areas means that competition in the U.S. for the limited new wave of skilled labor will be fierce,” said SPI President and CEO William Carteaux. “To attract the next generation of U.S. workers to careers in science and engineering, SPI is proud to support the PlastiVan™ program. One of the young students that this program touches might turn out to be the next great innovator in our industry.” A product of the National Plastics Center (NPC) in Leominster, MA, the PlastiVan™ program travels throughout the United States teaching nearly 50,000 students a year about the science of plastics. The primary mission of the PlastiVan™ is to create and inspire a new generation of scientists and innovators. Additional information can be found online at http://www.plasticscenter.org/e-van-plastivan.php. For further information, contact the NPC’s Outreach Director, Betty Coleman, at 781.337.7127 or bcoleman@socplas.org. Using Social Networking to Fill the Talent Acquisition
Pipeline (by Fay Hansen Workforce Week Vol. 7 Issue 52; Copyright © 1995-2006
Crain Communications Inc.). Building Business on the Border telecast now available
online. The Economic Development Today telecast Building Business
on the Border, which was broadcast on December 13, 2006,
highlighted leading regional strategies and innovation-led
economic development that capitalize on the assets of being
located on the U.S.-Mexico border. The featured strategies
serve as models for the many communities and regions that
exist along this 2,000-mile border. The primary purpose of
this bi-national enterprise is to promote and support scientific
and technological collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico.
The telecast is NOW available ONLINE at the EDA website: Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families (September 2006, 305 pages). This report presents the final analysis of a study conducted over several years to measure the impacts of Housing Choice Vouchers on the housing mobility of low-income families, the characteristics of their neighborhoods, the composition of their households, their employment, earnings, participation in education and training, their receipt of public assistance, their poverty and material hardship, and the well-being of their children. The analysis, based on a six-site research sample of 8,731 families, uses an experimental design and makes use of outcome measures derived from tract-level Census data, person-level administrative data, and a follow-up survey. The impact estimates in this report encompass a follow-up period that is sixteen quarters in duration for all sites, and longer for some sites. Augmenting the experimental findings are insights from intensive interviews with a sample of 141 families. This research was undertaken to evaluate the Welfare to Work Voucher (WtWV) program, initiated in Fiscal Year 1999 when Congress appropriated $283 million for tenant-based rental assistance to help families to make the transition from welfare to work. This appropriation funded 50,000 new rental assistance vouchers (P.L. 105-276). The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded these vouchers to local and state housing agencies (HAs) that presented reasonable plans for matching up eligible families with the available housing assistance and for coordinating these efforts with existing welfare reform and welfare-to-work efforts. Access this article and the report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) at: http://www.huduser.org/publications/commdevl/hsgvouchers.html. A National Conversation on Helping Low-Skilled Workers. The Center for Law and Social Policy recently launched, Opportunity at Work: Creating Better Jobs for a Stronger Economy. The Opportunity at Work initiative will promote a national conversation on creating economic mobility and employment security for America’s low-wage workers. The conversation will highlight several national issues including: legislative efforts to improve job quality, state and local policies that address skill shortages and declining wages and value-added activities that upgrade low-skill occupations to middle class jobs. Opportunity at Work will also use several modes of communication including webinars to facilitate this national conversation. For more information visit: http://www.clasp.org/publications/opportunity_at_work_announcement_print.pdf Indiana Governor Proposes Higher Ed Initiatives
to Stem 'Brain Drain' - State lottery would be leased to
private
company to finance fund, scholarships. (From SSTI Weekly
Digest for December 18, 2006). Two initiatives recently proposed
by Gov. Mitch Daniels would keep graduating college students
in-state and lure world-class researchers to Indiana's public
universities. However, a lottery lease plan that would, in
part, finance the initiatives may be more the center of attention
with Indiana legislators. The initiatives: (1) a forgivable
loan of up to $20,000 for students who attend four-year colleges
or universities in Indiana and stay in the state for three
years, else repay the loans, and (2) a fund that would create
endowments to cover salary and start-up costs to draw the
aforementioned researchers and scholars from outside of Indiana.
The financing: Lease the Hoosier Lottery for a fixed term
to a contractor that would operate the lottery and continue
an annual payment of $200 million to the state. The state
would then license and regulate the operator, which would
provide an up-front payment to support the education initiatives,
and possibly receive an ongoing percentage of the operator's
revenue that is above a certain amount. If the state achieved
up-front proceeds of $1 billion, for example, 60 percent
or $600 million would be directed to the Hoosier Hope Scholarships.
That amount would enable some 1,700 Indiana high school graduates
to receive financial assistance each year. The other 40 percent,
or $400 million, would be used for the World Class Scholars
Fund. Each year, $50 million would be available and leveraged
to at least double that amount through required university
matching funds and federal grants. Each awarded grant, which
universities would place into an permanent endowment, could
range from $500,000 to $3 million. The annual payment amount
of $200 million is just above the average of the last four
years of lottery returns. It would continue to fund police,
fire and teachers pensions; local motor vehicle excise tax
replacement; and state and local capital projects, as it
does in Indiana's current lottery earnings stream. Students
attending two-year colleges and universities such as Ivy
Tech Community College also would be eligible under Gov.
Daniels' plan, but for a lesser amount -- $5,000 total, with
the opportunity to receive an additional two years of funding
at a four-year institution. "This proposal is vital
as we focus on the workforce needs of Indiana," said
Gerald Lamkin, president of Ivy Tech, which has 23 campuses
throughout the state. "Specifically, this franchise
concept will allow us to address the immediate life science
and bio science workforce needs in Bloomington and central
Indiana, where we need more than 2,000 trained workers in
the next five years." Forty-five percent of all Indiana
public postsecondary graduates leave Indiana after graduating,
according to the governor's press statement. Indiana also
is said to rank 44th among states for its share of population
over the age of 25 with a bachelor's degree, behind such
states as South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and New Mexico.
The goal of the higher education initiatives, as touted by
the governor's office, is to transform higher education in
Indiana and to enhance the state's key knowledge-based industries,
yet Indiana lawmakers are skeptical. A Dec. 14 Associated
Press article cites the concerns of those who feel Gov. Daniels'
proposal "pushes" privatization and allows the
private company running the lottery "to expand gambling
to make a bigger profit." The State Student Assistance
Commission of Indiana would administer the Hoosier Hope Scholarships,
which would be based on merit. Scores on the SAT or ACT exam,
cumulative grade point average (GPA) and class rank would
be key award criteria. Once awarded, students would be required
to maintain a 3.0 GPA and complete studies in the time specified
by their degree program, to continue to receive awards each
year. The number of scholarships awarded annually would be
based on the endowment's annual earnings, but a specified
number would be reserved for those who enroll in a two-year
degree program. Though the faculty grants could be accessed
only by public colleges and universities, Indiana's private
colleges could participate through collaborative proposals.
The World Class Scholars Fund would be amortized over 10
years, and all grants would require matching contributions
from the institutions that receive them. The state's Public
Finance Office soon will issue a request for qualifications
to begin to identify interest in the transaction. Gov. Daniels
also will seek legislation to franchise the lottery operation
and to specify the uses of the two trust funds. The governor's
press release is available at: http://www.in.gov/apps/utils/calendar/presscal? Quote for the Week:“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” Albert Camus (1913 - 1960) |
