Workforce Florida Weekly Update 2-14-07

CONTENTS
The State & Regions
The Nation
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities
Upcoming Meetings, Conferences & Events
Odds & Ends

The State & Regions

Agency For Workforce Innovation Urges Businesses To “Get A Plan” ~ Hazardous weather preparation saves businesses and jobs. TALLAHASSEE - In recognition of Hazardous Weather Awareness Week 2007, which began February 12, the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) urges businesses across Florida to protect their employees and themselves by having a current disaster preparedness plan. Members of Florida’s business community can create customized disaster plans by visiting the first-of-its-kind web-based planning tool located at www.FloridaDisaster.org. “Following a major disaster almost 40 percent of small businesses never reopen, leaving many workers and business owners unemployed,” said Monesia T. Brown, Director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation. “Much of this economic misfortune can be avoided if businesses take the time to devise a plan.”
Florida’s recent weather patterns have highlighted the importance of business preparedness to ensure a quick recovery and resumption of normal operations. In 2004, the path of Hurricane Charley impacted 5,123 businesses within a 10-mile radius in Charlotte County alone. Many of these businesses were not prepared for a hazardous weather event and were unable to resume operations as a result. Sponsored by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the goal of Hazardous Weather Awareness Week is to promote a culture of preparedness in Florida. There are several events planned throughout the week to increase awareness, including a statewide tornado drill, poster and essay contests and Just Read, Florida! reading events. The Agency for Workforce Innovation is currently supporting the recovery efforts from the “Groundhog Day” tornadoes that struck central portions of the state on February 2, 2007. The agency’s Mobile One-Stop Career Center has deployed in Deland, temporarily replacing a building damaged by the tornadoes. The Mobile One-Stop Career Center is a self-contained vehicle equipped with state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment. The Mobile Center offers employment, reemployment and employer services as well as resources for filing unemployment compensation claims and searching job banks. The Agency for Workforce Innovation is the lead state workforce agency. The Office of Early Learning, a division within the agency, provides oversight of Florida’s school readiness programs and is the lead entity for implementing the state’s Voluntary Prekindergarten program. AWI directly administers Early Learning, Labor Market Statistics and Unemployment Compensation programs along with various workforce development programs. www.floridajobs.org.

Treasure Coast Partnership Wins National Award. An innovative partnership between the Aegis Communications Group, Inc., Arbor Employment & Training and the Workforce Development Board of the Treasure Coast is being presented with the 2007 Theodore E. Small Workforce Partnership Award in Washington, D. C. on February 26. The award, hallmark of excellence in the national workforce system, recognizes Workforce Boards and their partners for innovative solutions for the workforce issues in their communities. The award is presented annually by the National Association of Workforce Boards. The Treasure Coast partnership was chosen from many nominations submitted from throughout the country. Carrol Frischkorn, Chairwoman for the Workforce Board, and Gerald Lewis, Human Resources Manager for Aegis, will accept the award. Faced with declining federal funding, many workforce boards are engaged in finding creative ways to serve the customers in their communities. The Workforce Development Board of the Treasure Coast closed two Career Centers due to reduced funds. The Port St. Lucie Center, one of the closed sites, was located near Aegis Communication Group, a private employer. Aegis often used the services of the Port St. Lucie Center and viewed the Center’s closing as a major loss to the community. Communication between Aegis, Arbor Employment & Training (the operator of the Career Centers) and the Workforce Board resulted in a One-Stop Career Center within Aegis’ facilities, providing opportunity for local residents to get the assistance they need to find and keep jobs. The return on investment for all partners is significant. The employer pays infrastructure costs and provides receptionist support, while the workforce system provides staffing, materials and supplies. The partnership lowers Aegis’ cost for recruiting new employees and reduces their turnover and unemployment compensation claims. The Workforce Board is able to reduce the cost per customer served and placed, allowing the investment of workforce funds in other ways that improve and expand the local workforce services. Since its inception a year ago, the partnership increased the local workforce placement rate by 15%, cut the cost per customer served by 53% and reduced the per placement cost by 67%. Aegis realized significant savings in their recruiting budget. This public/private partnership is a proven model for expanding workforce services to Treasure Coast residents and employers at a lower cost.

WorkNet Pinellas Director Honored By Junior Achievement. WorkNet Pinellas Executive Director Ed Peachey was recently recognized by Junior Achievement of West Central Florida, Inc. with the Bronze Leadership Award. Ed was presented with the award at the 2007 JA Spirit of Achievement Celebration Dinner held at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Under Peachey’s leadership, WorkNet Pinellas and Junior Achievement have partnered to provide thousands of Pinellas County students with valuable role models who share education and leadership in learning about business and real life. WorkNet and JA also provide internships and scholarships for students to expand their knowledge of how businesses operate and produce value. “Leaders in the Tampa Bay business community like Ed Peachey are essential to JA’s success,” said Richard George, President of Junior Achievement. “Ed represents all of the individuals and community partners who generously give of their time and resources and serve as examples for our young people.” In accepting the award Peachey said: “Ensuring that our younger citizens are aware of the tremendous opportunities available to them in the free enterprise system and in our nation is at the heart of our dedication to youth programs. We want to make sure that all of our youth have the opportunity to learn and become contributing members of our society. The JA Spirit of Achievement Celebration Dinner, sponsored by Outback Steakhouse and Busch Gardens, annually recognizes individuals and partners for their outstanding support of Junior Achievement. The recipients were chosen from more than 2,000 volunteers in the Tampa Bay area and more than 100,000 volunteers nationwide.

Department of Community Affairs Awards $600,000 Economic Development Grant to Bristol. TALLAHASSEE – 2/7/07- The state Department of Community Affairs has awarded $600,000 to the City of Bristol for an economic development project that will bring a new $2.4-million grocery store to the community, DCA Secretary Tom Pelham announced. The funds, provided through the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, will be used for road and water line improvements for a new Piggly Wiggly grocery store on State Road 20 in Bristol. Local officials project that the store will create 65 new jobs, more than half of which will be designated for low- or moderate-income residents. "This store and these jobs will make a meaningful difference in the lives of the citizens of Bristol," said Pelham. "I am proud that the Department of Community Affairs can play a role in helping this fine community." The $600,000 CDBG economic development grant is the largest available to a city with Bristol's population characteristics. The city is partnering with the Ramsey Food Corporation and will use the grant for infrastructure improvements that will make the 27,000-square-foot store possible. In addition to new jobs, the city anticipates that the store will generate significant property and sales taxes for the community. The CDBG program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and is administered by DCA's Division of Housing and Community Development. The program provides dollars to small local governments for projects that include housing, neighborhood revitalization, commercial revitalization and economic development initiatives. http://www.dca.state.fl.us/News/2007/020707.cfm.

Have high tech hiring needs? The 50-plus university representatives attending Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s Career Expo ’07 can help. University representatives from many of the nation’s top universities will visit the Florida High Tech Corridor later this month to explore job opportunities for their highly skilled students and graduates … and your company is invited to meet them. The visits are a special initiative, titled Career Expo ’07, of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) and its economic development and workforce board partners designed to introduce the Corridor’s high tech employers to university career center directors (CCDs). The attending CCDs, who combined, provide career advice to tens of thousands of highly skilled graduates each year, are an audience that is uniquely positioned to assist FHTCC in its efforts to develop the workforce to support high tech industry in the 23-county Corridor. Career Expo ’07 will be held Feb. 26-27 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. CCDs from 58 universities including Princeton, Northwestern, Cornell, Wharton School of Business, Notre Dame, Purdue, Georgia Tech, New York University, the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Florida (UF) are scheduled to attend. A limited number of sponsorships at the $500 level are still available for companies wishing to participate. Attending companies will have the opportunity to discuss their short- and long-term hiring needs with CCDs in both formal and informal settings. To register as a sponsor/attendee, please contact FHTCC CFO Ed Jacobs at (407) 882-1113 or via e-mail at ejacobs@mail.ucf.edu. To date, more than 35 Corridor companies and organizations have signed up. In addition to addressing the current hiring needs of Corridor companies, FHTCC hopes Career Expo ’07 will have long-term benefits by encouraging CCDs to think of the Corridor as a top-tier destination for students researching places to begin their high tech careers. As well, once these graduates have relocated to the Corridor, they become prime candidates for graduate educational opportunities at the three Corridor universities, UCF, USF and UF. For more information about this special initiative, please contact FHTCC Career Expo ’07 Project Manager Owen Wentworth at (407) 788-1530 or owentworth@cfl.rr.com, or FHTCC President Randy Berridge at (407) 562-1910 or randy.berridge@floridahightech.com.

The Nation

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Competition for WIRED Initiative's 3rd Generation.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced a competition for a third generation of awards through the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative.
" The WIRED Initiative recognizes that local economies often do not neatly conform to geographic boundaries," said Secretary Chao. "WIRED brings together universities, businesses, community colleges, foundations and economic development organizations to help equip regional workforces with the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century worldwide economy." In February 2006, the Labor Department launched WIRED through a competitive grant process in which 13 regions were selected to transform their economies. As with the previous WIRED call for proposals, this competition is open to all governors, each of whom received an announcement letter from Secretary Chao. Governors may submit up to two proposals for awards up to $5 million each. Competing regions must identify sources of state, regional, and private funding to complement the Labor Department's investment. The competition will remain open through April 13, 2007, with awards to follow. "The Third Generation of WIRED is designed to position local Workforce Investment Boards as leaders of a strategic regional partnership," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "Through talent development strategies and integration with regional economic development, this partnership can drive economic transformation in regions across the country and improve employment and advancement opportunities for workers." The Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development Initiative supports innovative approaches to workforce and economic development that go beyond traditional strategies preparing workers to compete and succeed. Through WIRED, the department has invested $260 million in 26 regions throughout the country and has facilitated engagement among 10 federal agencies to catalyze the creation of high skill and high wage opportunities for American workers within the context of regional economies. For the full Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) go to: http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga/DOL-SGA-DFA-PY-06-09.pdf. For more information on WIRED, visit www.doleta.gov/wired.

General Accounting Office Study Released: MILITARY PERSONNEL Additional Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Reserve Employment Issues.

• Why GAO Did This Study: Since September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense (DOD) has mobilized more than 500,000 reservists. As reservists demobilize, concerns exist about difficulties with their civilian employment. Public Law 109-163 required GAO to report on reservists' civilian employer data and employment matters. GAO assessed (1) the status of DOD's efforts to capture reservists' employer data; (2) DOD, Labor, Justice, and Office of Special Counsel processes to track and address reservists' USERRA complaints; and (3) the four federal agencies' efforts to track reservists' USERRA complaints related to disabilities incurred while on active duty. GAO reviewed policies and procedures for reporting and tracking complaints; DOD's civilian employer database for reservists and reservists' USERRA complaints; and data reliability and quality checks.
• What GAO Found: DOD has made progress in capturing employment information on reservists, but challenges remain. The percent of reservists reporting employer information increased from about 60 percent in August 2005 to about 77 percent as of August 2006. However, only one of seven reserve components has met DOD's employment reporting goal of 95 percent for the Selected Reserve–the largest category of reservists. DOD does not have specific time frames for reserve components to achieve the reporting goals. In addition, some employment information reported may not be current because the services have not established a formal mechanism to remind reservists to update their reported employment information. Finally, DOD's verification process is not adequate to verify civilian employer data for 24 percent of reservists that reported employer information. The four federal agencies responsible for assisting reservists with USERRA complaints—DOD, the departments of Labor and Justice, and the Office of Special Counsel—track and address these complaints. Between fiscal years 2004 and 2006, the four agencies addressed approximately 16,000 informal and formal complaints. However, no one agency has total visibility over all the complaints, and only a small percentage of complaints are reported to Congress. For example, DOD has visibility over all complaints in its system, but its visibility over complaints in Labor's system is limited to those originally filed with DOD and then later refiled with Labor. The Department of Labor does not make aggregate complaint data available to DOD. Furthermore, Labor's annual report to Congress on reservists' complaints for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 did not include almost 10,000 informal complaints filed with DOD, or 80 percent of the total informal and formal complaints addressed by the four agencies during this period. Labor is required to report formal complaints addressed by the three agencies, but not DOD. Consequently, Congress does not have the comprehensive information necessary to allow for complete oversight of reservists' employment and reemployment problems. Finally, the information GAO obtained on the approximately 16,000 reservists' complaints filed between fiscal years 2004 and 2006 showed that the nature of those complaints has not been uniformly categorized to completely reveal trends in the kinds of problems some returning reservists experience because the agencies use different complaint categories to characterize the complaints. Agencies responsible for assisting reservists with USERRA issues can not systematically record and track disability-related employment complaints because they do not use consistent and compatible complaint categories or have a mechanism in place for distinguishing disability-related complaints from others. Without the ability to track disabled reservists' USERRA complaints, DOD may be unaware of the effect disabilities incurred while on active duty have on reservists' employment and what additional assistance may be needed to help transition this population back into the workforce.
• What GAO Recommends: To improve oversight of reservists' complaints, Congress should consider changing the law to require Labor's annual report to include DOD complaint data; DOD should improve its reporting of employer information; Labor should make aggregate complaint data available to DOD; and agencies should adopt uniform data elements, and track disability-related USERRA complaints. In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD, Labor, and Office of Special Counsel generally agreed with GAO's recommendations. Justice had no agency comments.
  View the full GAO Report at: http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2007/d07259.pdf
  View the GAO Highlights at: http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2007/d07259high.pdf

Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and Notices

For additional information go to, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.

Featured Opportunity:

(none)

State Grants

2007 Florida Small Cities CDBG Program

Federal Grants

Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative - Third Generation

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Grants

Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE)

Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification Program Grant

Nuclear Education Grant Program

Parent Information and Training Program

Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC)

Foundation Grants

Local Initiative Funding Partners 2008: Vulnerable Populations

Small Innovative Grants

2007 Proposals for Healthy Florida

Linking Adolescents at Risk for Suicide to Mental Health Services

Scholarships/Awards

New Freedom Initiative Award

Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly Awards

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.

February 21, 2007
Workforce Florida Partners Meeting (Executive Directors Meeting)
Doubletree Hotel at the entrance to Universal Studios
Orlando, FL
1:00pm - 4:00pm

February 22, 2007
Board of Directors and Council Meetings
Doubletree Hotel at the entrance to Universal Studios
Orlando, FL
Board Meeting: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Council Meetings: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Contact: Peggy Dransfield, WFI pdransfield@workforceflorida.com

Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:

Feb. 26-27, 2007
National Low Income Housing Coalition Conference
Washington DC
To register or access the conference brochure visit: https://www2398.ssldomain.com/nlihc/conference/index.cfm?
CFID=5592985&CFTOKEN=94903221

February 28 - March 2, 2007
Office of Urban Opportunity, Fla. Dept. of Community Affairs, 2007 Redevelopment Conference
Florida Mall Hotel in Orlando, Florida
http://www.floridacommunitydevelopment.org/fpf/conference/index.cfm

March 5-7, 2007
2007 Road to Reentry
Defendant/Offender Workforce Development Conference
Charlotte, North Carolina
http://www.ncwp.uscourts.gov/owdconf/

March 13, 2007
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day
Florida Capitol, Second Floor Rotunda
Tallahassee, Florida
For more information go to: http://www.fddc.org/announcements/DD%20Day%202007%20Save%20the%20Date.pdf

April 2nd-5th, 2007
3rd ANNUAL National Offender Workforce Development Conference
Becoming A Second Chance Society Again
Charlotte, North Carolina
For conference registration call 314-209-9400 or go to www.proworkdev.com

May 21-22, 2007
Rural Economic Development and Tourism Summit
Jackson County Agriculture Center
Marianna, Florida
NEW! For more information please contact Susan Estes at 877-467-7352 or susane@opportunityflorida.com

May 29-30, 2007
4th Annual Florida Tech Transfer Conference
The Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Florida
www.floridaresearch.org/index.php?src=gendocs&link=Tech%20
Transfer_Home&category=TechTransfer

May 30, 31 & June 1, 2007
National Unemployment Insurance Issues Conference
Dallas, Texas
Contact Cheryl Robinson at 202-637-3464 for additional information; registration and specifics forthcoming.

June 23-26, 2007
Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC) Annual Conference
“ Competing in a World of Change”
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Stay tuned! www.fedc.net

July 17-19, 2007
Workforce Innovations 2007
“ Beyond Boundaries”
Kansas City (MO)
NEW! www.WorkforceInnovations.org

Odds and Ends

Corporate Voices for Working Families Releases Employer Guide Providing Companies with the Tools to Help Employees Access Tax Credits and Other Federal Benefits. WASHINGTON (January 31, 2007) -- Corporate Voices for Working Families, a Washington-DC based non-profit corporate membership organization, today released its 2007 Employer Guide: Educate Your Employees About the Benefits They’ve Earned. This is the fourth year that Corporate Voices has updated and released the Employer Guide to companies interested in helping their low-wage employees access the federal benefits they have earned through tax credits and programs providing assistance with health care, food, and home heating costs. “Employees earn these benefits every day they work, but so many do not know how to navigate the maze of programs and paperwork in order to access their rewards,” said Donna Klein, President and CEO of Corporate Voices for Working Families (CVWF). “Each year we revise the Employer Guide and release it at the beginning of the year to make it easier for companies to help their employees find the programs, fill out the forms, and get their benefits. It helps everyone start the year off right with a complete list of benefits and employees ready for the upcoming tax season.”
“ As America’s social contract continues to change, these programs give companies the ability to help employees’ access programs with no impact to their bottom line,” continued Klein. “By helping employees claim tax credits and federal benefits, companies build trust by making employees aware of valuable resources.” Available in English and Spanish, the Employer Guide includes the following tools:
• Information on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Advance EITC, the Child Tax
Credit, Medicaid/State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Food
Stamps, Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Volunteer Income
Tax Assistance (VITA) centers;
• Tips on how Companies can talk to employees about tax credits and federal benefits;
• Step-by-step instructions on how to enroll employees in Advanced EITC;
• Guidelines to help employees avoid predatory tax-preparation practices;
• Corporate Best Practices on how to best use the Employer Guide to help employees access these programs;
• Calendar of important dates to remember when filing for these benefits;
• Facts on the “Stored Value Card, often referred to as the pre-paid debit card;
• Paycheck stuffers; and
• Flyers about SCHIP.
“ Financial literacy is actually a significant part of overall literacy,” says Stephen M. Wing Director Government Programs for CVS/pharmacy. “We, at CVS Government Programs find that the Employer Guide is invaluable in supporting this notion. We encourage staff and partner agencies to take full advantage of this excellent resource.” In addition, this year the Internal Revenue Service has implemented a one-time tax refund to long-distance telephone customers who paid federal excise taxes on their long-distance service after February 28, 2003 and before August 1, 2006. More than 159 millions business and individuals are eligible to request this refund on their 2006 federal incomes tax returns. For more information, visit the CVWF website at: www.cvworkingfamilies.org. The Employer Guide is distributed to and utilized by Corporate Voices’ 53 member companies employing more than four million working families across all 50 states. Corporate Voices also distributes the Employer Guide through their strategic outreach partners, reaching millions more working families – in the private and public sectors, and thousands of elected officials around the country. This is the fourth year Corporate Voices has released tools to help employees access tax credits. The production of the Employer Guide is funded by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, and Hitachi Foundations. “The Employer Guide gives companies the tools and detailed instructions about how to talk with workers year-round and increase awareness among employees that they are eligible and should apply for these programs to supplement their income,” said Klein. “Health insurance for their children or assistance with buying food or paying the heating bill is a big step forward for a family working to make ends meet. When workers get the information through their company, it helps build trust and loyalty to an employer who cares about them and their families.” The Employer Guide can be downloaded at: www.cvworkingfamilies.org. In order to simplify the process of gathering information about programs administered by state agencies, visitors can also link to state and local programs from the Corporate Voices web page. Corporate Voices for Working Families is the leading national business membership organization representing the private sector voice in the dialogue on public policy issues related to working families. As an independent 501(c) 3, Corporate Voices facilitates research and provides solutions to legislators and business on Early Childhood Education and After School Care, Family Economic Stability, Worker Flexibility, the future of the Mature Workforce, and Youth Transitions. Collectively our 53 partner companies employ more than 4 million individuals throughout all fifty states, with annual net revenues of $1 trillion. http://www.cvworkingfamilies.org/.

New English-as-a-Second-Language Tool Strives to Improve Safety and Communication in Building Industry. ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new self-paced learning program is now available to help the home building industry's 2.5 million Hispanic workers learn English. Sed de Saber(TM)-Construction Edition, sponsored by Lowe's, was custom-created by the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), to address job site communication challenges presented by the language barrier. Sed de Saber(TM)-Construction Edition uses a seven-book, fully interactive curriculum to teach Spanish-speaking workers a functional level of English language conversation and comprehension. It runs on LeapFrog Quantum Pad(TM) technology, enabling users to record, play back, and compare their pronunciation to that of the words and phrases they are learning. The complete curriculum teaches sentence structure, 500 vocabulary words and 340 phrases, covering basic life skills such as following driving directions, as well as detailed job-site scenarios, tools, equipment and scheduling. To address safety-related issues because of the language barrier, the program's seventh book focuses entirely on safety practices, mirroring the NAHB/OSHA Job Site Safety Handbook protocols. "Sed de Saber(TM)-Construction Edition is an opportunity for builders to take a leadership role as it relates to a critical workforce issue for our industry," said Mike Sivage, immediate past chairman for HBI and a leading force behind the effort. "Empowering workers to learn English can impact safety, communication and quality, as well as boost loyalty, recruitment and morale." The program allows workers to practice on their own time, at their own pace and in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Each learning system comes with a pre-, mid- and post-program skills assessment, so builders can evaluate their employees' progress. Workers who follow the study guidelines of 30 minutes each day will complete the program in four months. "What's so unique about this program is that it helps us give back to builders in a way that can positively affect the way they do business," said Mike Horn, vice president of commercial sales at Lowe's. "Yes, it's about overcoming language barriers -- but for Lowe's, it's also about enhancing our commitment to our customers and becoming the valued partner we know they deserve." In December 2006, HBI and Retention Education initiated a five-week pilot program of book one of Sed de Saber(TM)-Construction Edition in Washington, Seattle, Indianapolis and Las Vegas. Eighty-two participants completed book one with an average English language proficiency score improvement of 40 percent. "Using the program on job sites resulted in an increase in productivity and efficiency," said Oliver Prock of Rehabitat Northwest, a Seattle-based home builder. "Our employees were able to work better as a team due to the decreased language barrier." Developed by a team of superintendents, trade skills experts, builders and remodelers, Sed de Saber(TM)-Construction Edition meets government learning standards set forth by the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. Sed de Saber(TM)-Construction Edition will be available for sale and delivery March 1, 2007. The system includes one Quantum LeapPad(TM) Plus Microphone, seven books with cartridges, headset, power adapter, carrying case and pre-, mid- and post-skills assessments. The system retails for $395 for NAHB members and $495 for non-members. Lowe's customers can order the kit with a $40 discount through the LowesForPros.com Web site. Additional skills assessment packages can be purchased for $75 each.
Related links:
• http://www.nahb.org
• http://www.lowes.com/

From SOUTHERN COMPASS --February 13, 2007:

• Young, Educated And Southern? You Must Be Moving… According to the latest figures on geographic mobility from the U.S. Census Bureau, 11.3 of the South’s population (five years old and above) moved out of state or abroad between 2000 and 2005, compared with 10 percent for the nation as a whole. These movers included 17 percent of the South’s 20 to 24-year-olds, 21 percent of its 25 to 29-year-olds and 17 percent of its 30 to 34-year-olds. Those with higher levels of education were more likely to move out of state than others. Among the South’s population 25 years and older, only 8.5 percent of those without a high school degree moved out of state or abroad during the five year period, compared with 14.4 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree and 15 percent of those with a graduate or professional degree. Detailed figures are available at: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/migrate/cps2005-5yr.html.
• New Pew Report Profiles Generation Next And Their Habits. A new report from the Pew Research Center provides a portrait of Generation Next – young people between the ages of 18 and 25. Among the key findings: 1) they use technology and the Internet in new ways, with greater use of such tools as text messaging and social networking sites; 2) they are somewhat more interested in keeping up with politics and national affairs and are significantly less cynical about government and political leaders than the previous generation of young people; and 3) they are more comfortable with globalization and new ways of doing work and are more likely than others to see the benefits of these trends. View a summary of key findings and download the full report at http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=300.
• Report Offers Clues To National Teacher Shortage And Retention Crisis. A new National Center for Education Statistics report shines light on the nation’s teacher shortage and retention crisis. During the 2003-04 school year, 16 percent of public school teachers either changed schools or left the teaching profession altogether. Private schools experienced similar turnover rates with 20 percent of teachers either changing schools or leaving the teaching profession. Younger teachers represent the majority of those who changed jobs or left the profession. Twenty-five percent of public school teachers and 32 percent of private school teachers under the age of 30 either changed schools or left teaching. The majority of teachers who left the education profession felt that their workload was more manageable and that they could more easily balance their work and personal life. The paper Teacher Attrition and Mobility is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007307.

Quote for the Week:

“Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.
How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.”

Albert Einstein

An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this web site may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711.