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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 10-25-07 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsNovember 2007 is the 30TH Anniversary of the Disabled
Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP). The Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program
(DVOP) Specialist position was signed into law in 1980. These
unique positions were created specifically to provide outreach
assistance to veterans, particularly those who have a disability
and need intensive services, including specialized one-on-one
job development assistance. This program has touched the lives
of thousands of veterans in America, especially disabled and
Vietnam-era veterans. This program started as a temporary program
with the employment of 2000 Disabled Viet-Nam Era veterans
across the country. DVOP Specialists have assisted hundreds
of thousands of disabled and other veterans to return to work
and society. The DVOP Program has continued to change over
the past 30 years. The focus is still the disabled veteran.
In the 1990s after the Desert Storm War, the DVOP program was
instrumental in helping thousands of returning disabled and
combat veterans in finding jobs and returning to their normal
lives. Today in 2007, with the next generation of veterans
and disabled veterans, DVOP staff are again making a difference
in helping returning veterans back in to the labor market,
assisting them to secure training, veterans' benefits and quality
careers. Workforce boards and service providers are encouraged
to recognize and celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the DVOP
with the acknowledgement of the great services for veterans
provided your local DVOP staff, through local proclamations,
Regional Veterans' Roundtables, and ancillary activities such
as Veterans' Job Fairs and other veteran-focused events. Commensurate
with this anniversary, the Veterans' Employment and Training
Service will create Certificates of Appreciation for all DVOP
staff in Florida and these will be forwarded to the Regions
for presentation to your DVOPS. If you have any questions,
please contact Mitch Collier, State Veterans' Program Coordinator,
Paul.Collier@flaawi.com, (850) 245-7451, VA Announces 46 Grants for Homeless Programs Including Four Florida Organizations - Department Marks 20 Years Serving Homeless Veterans. WASHINGTON – As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) marks the 20th anniversary of its homeless program, VA has awarded 46 grants worth over $16 million to public and private non-profit groups to assist homeless veterans. Florida grantees are: Steps to Recovery, Inc., New Port Richey; Volunteers of America of Florida, Pensacola; Volunteers of America of Florida, Punta Gorda; and The House of Hope, St. Petersburg. Together their awards total $3.1 million. “For the last 20 years, VA has worked with its community partners to lift veterans out of homelessness,” said Gordon H. Mansfield, Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “We are making progress by expanding treatment, rehabilitation and safe transitional housing for our homeless veterans, though more remains to be done.” Based on VA’s national estimates, progress is being made for homeless veterans. The number of homeless veterans on any night has decreased 20 percent during the last six years, and veterans as a percent of the adult homeless population has decreased 10 percent. This latest round of grants creates 950 beds for homeless veterans, bringing to more than 12,000 the number of VA-funded community-based beds provided by public and community non-profit and faith-based organizations in 34 states and the District of Columbia. VA has the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country. It is the only federal agency providing substantial one-on-one contact with the homeless. In many cities and rural areas, VA social workers and other clinicians conduct extensive outreach programs, clinical assessments, medical treatment, alcohol and drug abuse counseling and employment assistance. For the full release including a list of the grantees go to: http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1399. More information about VA’s homeless programs is available on the Internet at: http://www.va.gov/homeless. Florida’s September Unemployment Rate Holds Steady ~ Job growth was lead by the leisure and hospitality industry. TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) Director Monesia T. Brown last week announced Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 4.0 percent in September 2007, unchanged from the month-ago rate. The 4.0 percent unemployment rate represented 373,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,270,000. Florida’s August and September 2007 unemployment rates of 4.0 percent were the highest since April 2005 when the rate was also 4.0 percent. The national unemployment rate for September 2007 was 4.7, which was 0.7 percentage point higher than Florida’s current rate. Since mid-2002, Florida’s rate has been below the national average and Florida had the lowest unemployment rate of the ten most populous states, based on the latest nationwide data. Florida’s nonagricultural employment growth rate was 1.3 percent in September, representing 105,700 new jobs over the year. The statewide job growth rate was just slightly higher than the national job growth rate of 1.2 percent for September. Nonagricultural employment in September increased to a total of 8,145,200 jobs. Based on the latest nationwide data, Florida ranked third in job growth among the ten most populous states, behind only Texas and California. Access the full press release at: http://www.labormarketinfo.com/library/press/release.pdf. Florida Department of Education to Conduct Statewide Public Meetings. The Florida Department of Education will conduct public meetings throughout the state for the purpose of affording all segments of the public and interested organizations and groups an opportunity to present their views and recommendations regarding the state’s plan for the administration of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. The meetings will take place in five regions across the state and at two different times at each location. The draft of the state plan along with a meeting registration site may be found on the Department’s website at: http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/perkins/perkins_home.asp. Florida’s Community Colleges are Top Producers of Nation’s Associate’s Degrees for Fifth Year in a Row. For the fifth consecutive year, Florida’s community colleges rank as the nation’s most successful producers of Associate degrees. According to Community College Week’s annual report for 2007 conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, community colleges in Florida continue to lead America’s more than 1,200 community colleges in a number of Associate degree categories. Degrees awarded during the 2005-06 academic year were compiled for the 2007 Top 100 report through the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Set’s Completion Survey (IPEDS). For more information, visit www.fldoe.org/news/2007/2007_10_12.asp. Workforce Hosts Business and Professional Services Job Fair. (Oct. 18, 2007) OCALA, Fla. – The One Stop Workforce Connection will host the Business and Professional Services Job Fair on Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Central Florida Community College Ocala Campus in the Klein Conference Center. The business and professional services industry is expected to grow twice as fast as the overall economy. 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. Career seekers who cannot attend but would like more information about the One Stop Workforce Connection may call (352) 840-5700 in Marion County, or toll free (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 One Stop Workforce Connection, a member of the Employ Florida network of workforce services and resources, is funded by and a program of CLM Workforce Connection... Employment solutions that work for business. An Equal Opportunity Employer/Program, Workforce welcomes people with disabilities. For accommodations call the local Workforce office or (352) 840-5700 ext. 1278. Florida Relay users should dial 711. The NationFor Veterans' Day, U.S. Department of Labor Encourages Employers To Participate In 25-day, Nationwide 'Blitz' of Job Fairs - Events are latest effort of HireVetsFirst campaign to connect employers and veterans. WASHINGTON In observance of Veterans' Day, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced plans for a 25-day blitz of 107 veterans' job fairs to be held in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico between October 23 and November 16. "The qualities America's service members are known for — discipline, a strong work ethic, leadership and technical skills — are in high demand by employers," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "These job fairs are an important part of our effort to help America's service men and women transition back to civilian life when their tours of duty end and a tremendous opportunity for employers looking for great workers." "The United States military is the finest, most technologically advanced in the world," said Charles S. Ciccolella, assistant secretary of labor for the department's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS). "Our nation invests billions of dollars annually to train America's armed forces, instilling and developing valuable hard skills in our service members. Equally important are the skills service members learn, such as loyalty, discipline, selflessness, leadership, and the ability to follow instructions and perform under pressure. These are all inherent to the military culture. The HireVetsFirst campaign is about increasing employer awareness of the skills veterans bring to their businesses, and to encourage employers to hire veterans, not just out of a sense of patriotism, but because it makes good sense for employers who want to grow their businesses." A list of job fair locations by state and more information about the HireVetsFirst campaign are available at www.hirevetsfirst.gov. For more information on all the veterans' employment programs offered by VETS, visit www.dol.gov/vets. Headlines from NASWA’s Workforce Bulletin – October 19, 2007:
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. November 7, 2007 November 8, 2007 Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
Oct. 27-30, 2007 October 30-31, 2007 October 31, 2007 November 15-17, 2007 Dec. 1-4, 2007 Jan. 15-18, 2008 January 22-25, 2008 May 18-20, 2008 Odds and EndsUrban Institute Releases First Two Reports in Series of Eight: Poor Finances: Assets and Low-Income Households. The Urban Institute, along with the Center for Social Development and the New America Foundation, with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (DHHS/ASPE) has recently released the first two reports in Poor Finances: Assets and Low-Income Households, a series of reports on poverty, asset building, and social policy. The full series will include eight reports. The first two reports are:
South Dakota Department of Labor Dakota Roots Celebrates First Year Bringing South Dakotans Home. South Dakota is a great place to live, grow, and build. Governor Mike Rounds' workforce development initiative, Dakota Roots, was launched one year ago to give former South Dakotans the opportunity to come home and do just that. The joint venture launched October 20, 2006 between the Department of Labor, Department of Tourism and State Development, and the Governor’s Office is proving effective. "In 52 short weeks Dakota Roots built a prospective labor pool of almost 1,400 individuals,” said Gov. Rounds. “These are people who have a real desire to locate here in South Dakota, where they can enjoy the quality of life we live every day. Just think what that means for our economic future." A total of 241 participants from 40 states changed their lives as a result of Dakota Roots this year, finding employment in South Dakota and moving back to the state. Justin Benson was one of those people. The Hurley native graduated from South Dakota State University with an engineering degree. After graduation he left the state because he could not find the type of job he was looking for. But that all changed when he logged on to www.DakotaRoots.com and found a job opening at MASABA Inc. in Vermillion. "I knew I wanted to come back home, so when I heard about Dakota Roots I was excited to check it out," Benson said. "I talked to one of my former SDSU professors about it, and decided to give it a shot. I could hardly believe it when I was presented with the opportunity to not only come back to the state I love, but at a more competitive salary than I was making out of state," he said. "I hope other professionals take another look at South Dakota like I did," he concluded. MASABA Inc. President Jerad Higman is grateful for the workforce tool that allowed his company to access a qualified workforce. "Dakota Roots gave us results. We know firsthand that South Dakotans have the work ethic and commitment we're looking for – now we have access to more of them than ever before," he concluded. All South Dakota businesses may become partners and have the opportunity to post their job openings at no charge at www.DakotaRoots.com. Department of Labor representatives will take the time to individually search for and refer candidates to openings that could be a good fit for companies. Confidentiality is guaranteed throughout the entire process. Dakota Roots also assists businesses looking to move to the state. "Twenty-six companies have expressed interest in expanding to South Dakota as a direct result of this initiative," said Gov. Rounds. These businesses are now working with the Governor's Office of Economic Development. Individuals or businesses interested in learning more about Dakota Roots can visit the website at www.DakotaRoots.com or call 1.800.592.1882. Quote for the Week:“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” Voltaire (1694 - 1778) |
