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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 7-26-07 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsSpecial legislative session announcement: Special session on the budget will begin Sept 18 and may run into early October. Budget Council meetings will be held August 27th-29th and Sept. 10th-11th. At this time, only the budget deficit will be on the agenda. Access Online Sunshine at: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Welcome/index.cfm?CFID=78009115&CFTOKEN=93235313. Florida’s June Unemployment Rate Up Slightly at 3.5
Percent~Job growth is led by education and health services
in all sectors. TALLAHASSEE – June 20, 2007. Florida
Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) Director Monesia T. Brown
announced Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment
rate for June 2007 was 3.5 percent, up 0.1 percent from the
previous month. In June, job growth was led by education and
health services which gained 38,600 jobs, most of this growth
was due to gains in health services. Based on the latest nationwide
data, Florida has the lowest unemployment rate of the ten most
populous states and continues to be below the national average.
The comparable national unemployment rate for June was 4.5
percent. “For the second consecutive month, health services
has led the state’s job growth gaining a total of 8,100
jobs in just two months,” said Director Brown. “The
soft housing market is certainly having an effect on our construction
employment, but other industries and sectors such as professional
and business services; leisure and hospitality; and the high-tech
industry continue to bolster Florida’s steady-paced economy.” A
report released recently by the American Electronics Association
highlighted Florida’s national standing as a growing
hub of high-tech employment. The survey, covering 2005 data,
showed that Florida now ranks 4th in the nation in total high-tech
employment and was the second-fastest growing high-tech job
market, trailing only California. In 2005, the latest year
for which data are available, Florida added 10,900 high-tech
jobs. In June 2007, Florida also saw growth in professional
and business services (+25,000 jobs) and leisure and hospitality
(+32,800 jobs). Florida’s Labor Market at a Glance (Seasonally
Adjusted): “Keep the Lights On: Florida’s Energy Workforce Needs” - Workforce and economic development partners participate in building Florida’s energy policy. In 2006, Florida Senate and House leaders appointed a nine member panel charged with recommending to the Florida Legislature the best ways to secure Florida’s energy future: The Florida Energy Commission (FEC). The FEC members’ collective expertise has prepared them to fairly promote a well-rounded energy policy that Floridians can rely on and afford. Commission members have a breadth of knowledge in the areas of energy, natural resource conservation, economics, engineering, finance, law, consumer protection, and other specialty areas crucial to the FEC’s mission. At the Legislature’s request, the FEC’s immediate focus will be on renewable energy sources, conservation and climate change. But a long-term goal is to take a look at all aspects of the many energy options available to Floridians. Visit the FEC’s website to learn more at: http://floridaenergycommission.gov. To access “Keep the Lights On: Florida’s Energy Workforce Needs” presented by Andra Cornelius, Workforce Florida VP of Business Outreach at the July 9th, 2007 Energy Supply & Delivery Advisory Group, click on: http://floridaenergycommission.gov/meetings.cfm and scroll down to the July 9th meeting area. The NationDepartment of Justice Announces Grants for Training on Prevention of Immigration-Related Job Discrimination – One Florida Organization Receives Funding. WASHINGTON, July 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice today announced that $725,000 in grants has been awarded to 11 organizations throughout the country, to conduct public education programs for workers and employers about immigration-related job discrimination. The grants, which range from $40,000 to $90,000, are being awarded by the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) of the Civil Rights Division. Award recipients, which serve local communities, will assist discrimination victims; conduct seminars for workers, employers and immigration service providers; distribute educational materials in various languages; and place advertisements in local communities through both mainstream and ethnic media. "Awarding grants to professional and community-based organizations better enables us to educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities under the anti-discrimination provisions of our immigration laws," said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "Our grant recipients, who are well known and respected in their communities, will work with us to prevent immigration-related discrimination against authorized workers in the workplace." The mission of OSC is to educate both legally authorized workers and their employers about the anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), enforce legal protections against citizenship and national-origin discrimination, and document abuse in hiring and firing. The OSC grant recipients include one Florida organization -- Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – which will reach work-authorized immigrant workers, small business owners and social service organizations through a trilingual (English, Spanish, and Creole) campaign in Palm Beach and four adjacent counties. More information about protections against job discrimination under the immigration laws may be obtained by calling 800-255-7688, 202-616-5594 or via email: osc.crt@usdoj.gov. Web site: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/osc. VA Announces $24 Million in Grants for Homeless Programs – Service
providers in five Florida workforce regions receive funding. WASHINGTON, DC – July 11, 2007. Homeless veterans in
37 states will get more assistance, thanks to the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) selection of 92 community organizations
to receive funds for transitional housing this year. "Only
through a dedicated partnership with community and faith-based
organizations can we hope to reduce homelessness among veterans," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. "These partnerships
provide safe, comfortable housing in caring communities for
veterans who need a helping hand." VA has identified the
public and community non-profit groups eligible to receive
payments for housing and supportive services to homeless veterans
through three VA programs: NASWA Workforce Bulletin – July 20, 2007 Headlines:
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and NoticesFor current information, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.Featured Opportunity:‘Employ Florida Banner Centers’ RFP. Repeat A critical component of Florida’s economic development efforts – that is the startup, expansion, retention, and recruitment of high-value businesses – is the capacity of the education and workforce systems to work as partners in order to efficiently and effectively deliver skilled workers to valued industries as needed and to provide upgrades to training as markets or technology change. The skill sets that the workforce system promotes through the training it funds must therefore be industry-driven, readily available and adaptable to ever-changing market needs. Enterprise Florida, Inc., the state’s primary economic development policy organization, and the Governor’s Office of Tourism Trade & Economic Development have identified key industries that merit special focus and attention to further grow and diversify the state’s economy. The idea of “Employ Florida Banner Centers” is to further solidify and strengthen partnerships between the business community, public and private education providers and the public workforce system to coordinate and focus on: a) curriculum development and curriculum standards; b) educational research; c) incubating spin-off business development opportunities; and, d) generating a pipeline of skilled workers – from entry level to advanced – including continuous skills upgrade training as needed by the industry. The Employ Florida Banner Centers will utilize continuing industry involvement and input to achieve the primary goal of developing skill sets for entry level and advanced jobs and also for skills upgrades for existing workers. The Employ Florida Banner Centers will function as a resource for all educational institutions in the state and will be expected to provide leadership in the on-going process of keeping Florida’s workforce competitive in the identified industries. This initiative is limited to the following industry sectors: a) information technology and b) alternative energy. WFI will accept proposals from Florida public or licensed private educational or vocational training providers ONLY. The following organizations are therefore eligible to submit proposals –
A consortium of other organizations but headed by one of the above organizations may submit a proposal. However, no other organizations may be the lead organization submitting a proposal; WFI will contract with the lead organization. . Individual awards will be limited to not more than $500,000 per project. The maximum amount that can be requested in any proposal, therefore, is $500,000. Deadline for receipt of proposals - July 27, 2007 5:00 PM, Eastern. Access the RFP at: http://www.workforceflorida.com/wages/wfi/rfp/BANNER_Center_2007-08_Final.doc. 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. August 22, 2007 August 22, 2007 August 23, 2007 Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
August 22-24, 2007 September 18-21, 2007 September 24-26, 2007 Odds and EndsThe National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just released the report "Status of Education in Rural America." This report presents a series of indicators on the status of education in rural America, using the new NCES locale classification system. The new system classifies the locale of school districts and schools based on their actual geographic coordinates into one of 12 locale categories and distinguishes between rural areas that are on the fringe of an urban area, rural areas that are at some distance, and rural areas that are remote. The findings of this report indicate that in 2003-04 over half of all operating school districts and one-third of all public schools in the United States were in rural areas; yet only one-fifth of all public school students were enrolled in rural areas. A larger percentage of public school students in rural areas than those in any other locale attended very small schools. A larger percentage of rural public school students in the 4th- and 8th-grades scored at or above the Proficient level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading, mathematics, and science assessments in 2005 than did public school students in cities at these grade levels. However, smaller percentages of rural public school students than suburban public school students scored at or above the Proficient level in reading and mathematics. In 2004, the high school status dropout rate (i.e., the percentage of persons not enrolled in school and not having completed high school) among 16- to 24-year-olds in rural areas was higher than in suburban areas, but lower than in cities. Current public school expenditures per student were higher in rural areas in 2003-04 than in any other locale after adjusting for geographic cost differences. Racial/ethnic minorities account for a smaller percentage of public school teachers in rural schools than in schools in all other locales in 2003-04. In general, smaller percentages of public school teachers in rural areas than across the nation as a whole reported problems as “serious” and behavioral problems as frequent in their schools in 2003-04. Likewise, a larger percentage of public school teachers in rural areas than in other locales reported being satisfied with the teaching conditions in their school in 2003-04, though a smaller percentage of rural public school teachers than suburban public school teachers reported being satisfied with their salary. Public school teachers in rural areas earned less, on average, in 2003-04 than their peers in other locales, even after adjusting for geographic cost differences. To browse this report and to view, download and print the report as a pdf file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/ruraled/. The 18th Annual 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book released. On July 25, 2007, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 18th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. Access this resource at: http://www.kidscount.org/sld/databook.jsp. DisabilityInfo.gov Introduces New State and Local Resources Map to Assist Visitors in Locating Disability-Related Information Close to Home. WASHINGTON, July 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The federal government's one-stop Web site for disability-related information and resources -- DisabilityInfo.gov -- today unveiled a new feature, a state and local resources map, designed to assist visitors in finding disability-related information in their own states and localities. While DisabilityInfo.gov is now well-known as a comprehensive source for government information at the federal level, this new feature enables users to search for disability service organizations at the state and local government levels, as well as federal offices close to home, in every state and U.S. territory. "DisabilityInfo.gov provides Americans with disabilities a direct connection to information and resources they need to fully participate in the workforce and in their communities," said Karen M. Czarnecki, acting assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. "The U.S. Department of Labor and its partners in federal, state and local government are deeply committed to continue improving this award-winning tool in order to make disability-related information easily accessible to all Americans, especially in the communities where they live and work." To use the new state and local resources map, simply select one of the nine subject tabs -- benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, health, housing, technology or transportation -- at the top of any DisabilityInfo.gov page. Then click the map on the right sidebar to find links in that subject area related to your state. You will be directed to easy-to-navigate information and numerous organizations and contacts. http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=500. Google Offers Free Mapping and Applications to Nonprofits. Google recently announced it will make Google Apps, a collection of communication and collaboration tools that include email and calendar programs and word- processing and spreadsheet applications. Businesses pay $50 a year for Google Apps. Google already provides free mapping technology that can be used for a variety of reasons. Learn more at: https://www.google.com/a/. Quote for the Week:“Politics is not an end, but a means. It is not a product, but a process. It is the art of government. Like other values it has its counterfeits. So much emphasis has been placed upon the false that the significance of the true has been obscured and politics has come to convey the meaning of crafty and cunning selfishness, instead of candid and sincere service.” Calvin Coolidge |
