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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 8-29-07 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsGovernor Crist Appoints Children’s Cabinet ~ Lt. Governor Kottkamp will serve as chairman. TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist yesterday announced appointments to the Children and Youth Cabinet and designated Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp to serve as chairman. Bill sponsors Senator Nan Rich (D-Sunrise) and Representative Loranne Ausley (D-Tallahassee) joined Governor Crist and Lt. Governor Kottkamp for the announcement. “I am grateful to the outstanding public servants appointed today for taking the time to serve Florida’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Governor Crist. “Under the leadership of Lt. Governor Kottkamp, the Children’s Cabinet will coordinate state agencies and programs that deliver children’s services.” Governor Crist signed House Bill 509 earlier this year, creating the Children and Youth Cabinet as a council within the Executive Office of the Governor. The cabinet is charged with developing a strategic plan to promote collaboration, creativity, increased efficiency, information sharing, and improved service delivery between and within state agencies and organizations. Members will meet six times a year in different regions of the state in an open, public forum. The Governor and the Florida Legislature will receive an annual report detailing the cabinet’s progress. Children are our highest priority and we will work to ensure that important programs are planned and delivered as comprehensively and effectively as possible,” said Lt. Governor Kottkamp. “By streamlining the distribution of critical services we can keep our children’s best interests paramount.” The Children and Youth Cabinet consists of 15 members. Appointments to the Children and Youth Cabinet announced today are as follows:
Study Reveals $3.4 Billion Economic Impact From Tampa Bay Medical Products Industry Cluster. TAMPA BAY, FL (August 23, 2007) – The medical products industry in the Tampa Bay region contributes a total direct economic output of $3.4 billion and employs over 12,000 workers according to a study commissioned by the Florida Medical Manufacturers’ Consortium, with support from Pinellas County Economic Development and Tampa Bay Partnership. “The Medical Products Industry Cluster in Tampa Bay and Florida”, conducted by the University of South Florida Center for Economic Development Research, sought to quantify the economic impacts of the Medical Products Industry Group in Tampa Bay and Florida. The medical products group consisted of three segments – the pharmaceutical segment; the biotech segment, and the medical device segment, with medical devices representing the largest segment with nearly 9,000 employees.Other key findings from the study about the Tampa Bay medical products industry include:
“
The growth of the medical products industry in Tampa Bay has
been incredible, anchored by the medical device manufacturing
sector” said Geary Havran, President of NDH Medical,
Inc. and Chair of the Florida Medical Manufacturers’ Consortium. “This
study allows us to quantify this growth and demonstrate the
impact these businesses are having on the economic development
of our region.” CLM
Workforce Connection Awarded Best III Grant. CLM Workforce
Connection has been awarded $333,333 in Best III Grant funds
from Workforce Florida, Inc. to recruit, train and place 120
healthcare and manufacturing workers. The Career Bridge for
Manufacturing and Healthcare Grant involves over 20 companies
in Citrus, Levy and Marion Counties, as well as educational
partners including Central Florida Community College (CFCC),
Marion County Community, Technical and Adult Education, Withlacoochee
Technical Institute and Webster University. The regional workforce
board’s application was one of six selected out of a
pool of 18 regional workforce board applicants. One Stop Workforce Connection Hosts Marion County Job Fair. The One Stop Workforce Connection will host the Marion County Job Fair on August 28th from 1 p.m – 4 p.m. The event will be held at the Central Florida Community College Ocala Campus in the Webber Center. Interested career seekers will have an opportunity to apply on site with approximately 20 employers hiring for immediate needs. Candidates are asked to pre-register for the event at www.clmworkforce.com in the Calendar of Events section. If you cannot attend but would more information about the One Stop Workforce Connection, you may do so by calling 352-840-5700 in Marion County, or Toll Free 1-800-434-JOBS. Any business interested in recruiting at the job fair should contact Employer Services at 352-873-7950, or register online at www.clmworkforce.com in the Calendar of Events section. The NationSBA and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Reach Agreement To Enhance Disaster Response and Recovery. WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will pool their resources to more effectively respond to major disasters, paving the way for faster recovery in affected communities. The SBA’s alliance with the Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) is part of a continuing effort to broaden the agency’s response capacity in catastrophic disasters. "This collaboration will establish a larger corps of potential responders, made up of business leaders, the SBA and its resource partners, ready on short notice to help disaster victims rebuild their lives," SBA Administrator Steve Preston said. Stephen Jordan, senior vice president and executive director of BCLC, also praised the agreement saying, "This relationship between BCLC and SBA sets a precedent for America’s business community to work with the federal government to prepare for and recover from catastrophic disasters. Both of our organizations are committed to accelerating the recovery process." Per the agreement, SBA will provide information on its disaster recovery program and the agency's resource partners (including Women's Business Centers, SCORE, and Small Business Development Centers) to BCLC and local chambers of commerce. In addition, SBA will share situation analyses with BCLC and local chambers' during pre-disaster and recovery periods, and share needs and capability assessments in the event of a catastrophic disaster. To bolster SBA's initial response and post-disaster recovery capacity, the agency will work with BCLC to obtain volunteers who can support the agency’s disaster assistance process. SBA will also work with BCLC on research studies on post-disaster economic recovery. BCLC will contribute to the alliance by providing timely information and on- site updates to the SBA, and helping bolster SBA’s disaster assistance capabilities through its members and networks. In addition, BCLC will also work with SBA’s resource partners, providing recovery assistance information to the local business community and details on how to prepare for disaster before it strikes. For the latest news and information on SBA’s Disaster Assistance program, visit the Web site at: http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html. For information on BCLC and its disaster assistance and recovery program, visit www.uschamber.com/bclc. NASWAWorkforce Bulletin - August 24, 2007 – Headlines:
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and NoticesFor current information, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.Featured Opportunity:(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. Workforce Florida’s Regional Forums August 30th September 5th Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
August 22-24, 2007 September 18-21, 2007 September 24-26, 2007 October 25 - 26, 2007 May 18-20, 2008 Odds and EndsThe 55% Initiative – A collective effort to keep college graduates in NH. New Hampshire is a great state in which to live, ranking very highly in terms of health, safety, low taxes, personal income, and livability. Yet, we face a looming crisis. The state’s population is the sixth oldest nationally and many baby boomers are close to retirement. Employers are having trouble finding skilled workers, and college graduates are leaving the state at too high a rate to meet employment needs. About 50 percent of the 16,000 individuals who earn four-year degrees here leave NH annually. While some can be expected to leave to travel, move to a major city, or return to their home state, the exodus of 8,000 educated individuals represents a huge “brain drain” that darkens our overall employment outlook and hinders the state’s growth. To be competitive and fuel the state’s economy, this out-migration must be reduced. The 55% Initiative calls for developing creative ways to promote NH to future college graduates to encourage more of them to live and work here. The University System of New Hampshire has taken a lead on the 55% Initiative and is working with many organizations to develop a “tourism-like” marketing campaign aimed at our future college graduates. Next steps include surveying recent college graduates and college seniors to gain input on their perceptions of the state, employment opportunities, and reasons to stay or leave; linking with organizations that interact with younger audiences; developing an inventory of lifestyle supports that are attractive to this audience; and promoting online internships, entry-level job opportunities, and Web-based tools showcasing NH activities. Learn more about the 55% Initiative at: http://www.usnh.edu/initiatives/55.shtml. Over 1,000 individuals indicate interest in returning to South Dakota. The Dakota Roots program continues to attract former South Dakotans wishing to return home, given the right career opportunity. A total of 1,165 individuals have expressed their interest at www.DakotaRoots.com, a Web-based recruitment tool launched by Gov. Mike Rounds in October 2006 to promote workforce development. "Over 1,000 individuals have contacted our outreach program," said Gov. Rounds. "These individuals recognize the great quality of life South Dakota has to offer and have a desire to return home. Department of Labor representatives will continue one-on-one efforts to match them with South Dakota employment opportunities." Upon registration, participants are assigned to one representative who works with them through the entire process to match their skill sets with job openings in an area of their desired interest. To date, 175 participants have entered employment and moved their families back to South Dakota. The Web site attracted an average of 154 visitors daily during the month of July. Businesses can also benefit from Dakota Roots by becoming partners. They can utilize services such as online job postings, labor market and business climate information, start up and expansion details and Web site exposure. Dakota Roots is a joint partnership between the Department of Labor, the Governor's Office and the Department of Tourism and State Development. It aims to connect former South Dakotans with career opportunities in the state in order for them to return – to live, grow and build. Casey Family Programs Take Over Funding Employment
Programs for Foster Youth. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor began
funding programs that address the multiple barriers the foster
youth population faces on the way to successful job placement.
These programs are located in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit,
New York City, and Houston; cities that have the largest
number of youth in foster care in the nation, and are home
to approximately 25 percent of this population. Foster youth
in and around these cities are more likely to be a racial
or ethnic minority, be a teen parent, have a disability,
or drop out of high school. Throughout the funding of this
project, Casey Family Programs was a key partner in evaluating
the project and offering technical assistance to grantees.
Beginning this year, Casey Family Programs will take over
funding this program. This project, called the EmPLOY: Employment
Programs and Life Opportunities for Youth, brings together
state, county, and local resources to offer comprehensive
services to youth, such as academic instruction and support,
preparation for and exposure to the workplace, and support
in developing skills for independent living and self sufficiency.
Each program is based on solid youth development principles;
collectively, they provide more intensive services than youth
in foster care typically receive. With regard to the EmPLOY
project, Dave Sanders, vice president of Casey Family Programs,
says “Too often, when foster youth leave care, they
do not have early employment experience, such as an internship
or structured job shadowing; these are essential developmental
experiences that connect young people to the world of work.
Our EmPLOY Project will help support these youth on a path
to success.” The Finish Line Calculator-Tracking Graduation Success in America’s High Schools. A new web tool launched this week gives communities the opportunity to learn their school district’s graduation rate and how it is calculated. The Finish Line Calculator allows users to access the graduation rate for most school districts nationwide. In three simple steps the calculator uses ninth through twelve enrollment data to predict graduation rates for the user’s school district, state, and nation as a whole. Articles detailing the challenges of calculating graduation rates as well as information about rates and formulas related to dropouts are available from links on the calculator. “Graduation rate statistics are used widely but they are often misleading or not properly presented,” said Dr. Suzanne Morse, president of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, “We hope the Finish Line Calculator gives communities a number they can use to start a discussion and the information they need to keep the conversation going.” Developed as a tool for the nation’s only dropout prevention, the calculator is intended to help communities recognize the seriousness of the problem. Registered Learning to Finish™ users can use the website to share best practices and new knowledge. The website was launched in October 2006 and has grown significantly in recent months with new sections, articles, and a counter that tracks the number of dropouts in 2007. Funding from the Pew Partnership for Civic Change and the Knight Foundation’s New Voices Initiative administered by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism made possible the implementation of the Finish Line Calculator. The Pew Partnership for Civic Change is a civic research and development organization using research, strategic seminars, and broad-based leadership development to help communities nationwide thrive. Access the Finish Line Calculator at: http://learningtofinish.org/calculator/. Community Economic Development HotReport Released (Census
Product Update - August 23, 2007). The Community Economic
Development (CED) HotReport provides community and business
leaders speedy access to information tailored to economic
development decision-making. It is a free, easy to use portal
to instantly obtain detailed information for local and regional
areas on a wide variety of topics from a multitude of sources.
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the Economic
Development Administration (EDA), the Office of Economic
Adjustment (OEA) and the U.S. Census Bureau collaboratively
designed the CED HotReport with local and regional experts
to help communities and businesses plan for economic expansions
and contractions using the best available information. For
a complete list of measures and sources, see CED Measures
(PDF - 72 KB) available at: http://lehd.did.census.gov/led/datatools/doc/CED%20measures.pdf.
The CED HotReport utilizes software developed by the Census
Bureau known as TheDataWeb, DataFerrett and ReportWriter
to retrieve data live from the original source whether within
or outside of the Census Bureau and display it in maps, graphs
and tables on interactive web pages. Access the CED HotReport
at: http://smpbff2.dsd.census.gov/TheDataWeb_HotReport/servlet/HotReportEngineServlet? Quote for the Week:“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Victor Borge |
