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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 11-09-07 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsChris Hart Named President of Workforce Florida. ORLANDO—Workforce Florida Inc.’s Board of Directors yesterday named Chris Hart IV President and CEO of the nonprofit, public-private organization charged with policy-setting and oversight of the state’s workforce system. Hart, a former senior vice president of external affairs and investor relations for Enterprise Florida Inc., assumes his new role immediately. His selection was unanimously approved during today’s Workforce Florida Board meeting. “In his new role, Chris Hart brings the value of his prior experience as a leader in moving Florida to its current public-private workforce system,” says Katherine E. Wilson, Chairman of Workforce Florida and Assistant Vice President for Load Engineering and Design Services for CSX Transportation. “He also brings a network that will continue to align the mission and work of Workforce Florida with the legislative intent for a workforce system that is demand-driven and responsive to the needs of Florida businesses for a highly trained and highly skilled workforce. “Chris has the unique ability to communicate that workforce development is essential to economic development and both are needed to confront our current and future workforce challenges.” Hart is the second president to lead Workforce Florida, which was created by the Florida Legislature in 2000 through the Workforce Innovation Act. The state’s mostly federally funded workforce system is recognized as a model for innovation. His new position puts Hart at the center of efforts to ensure the state has the workforce talent to strengthen the global competitiveness of Florida businesses while also assisting Floridians with advancing their skills and qualifying them for better jobs. “People want good jobs and employers want talented people,” says Hart. “Workforce Florida, working with our workforce, education, economic development and other strategic partners, is the chief architect of solutions that help bring those two mutually dependent goals to fruition. I look forward to helping to turn our state’s workforce challenges into new opportunities.” Creating such opportunities is work Hart is familiar with. A two-term state representative from 1998 to 2002, Hart sponsored the legislation that created Workforce Florida and the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the state agency charged with implementing workforce policy and administrative oversight of the 24 Regional Workforce Boards and state workforce programs. He also served on Workforce Florida’s first Board of Directors that was chaired by former Senate President and later Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings. “If you take a look at any economic development proposal, when you are talking to a business interested in locating in Florida or expanding, the first question from company leaders is about the workforce,” says Hart, who was part of the Enterprise Florida executive team from 2004 until recently. “Next you talk about business climate issues such as permitting, incentives and taxes, but the last question goes back to workforce. It’s clearly the top-of-mind issue for employers.” Read the complete press release at: http://www.workforceflorida.com/news/news_releases/071108_ChrisHartNewPresidentWFI.pdf. Workforce Florida Highlights Energy Workforce Initiatives During U.S. Senate Hearing. WASHINGTON, D.C.—A member of Workforce Florida’s executive leadership team testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources this week about Florida’s efforts to ensure the state’s energy industry has the skilled workers needed to meet increasing power demand. The hearing on whether the nation’s domestic energy industry will have the available workforce—craft and professional—to meet growing energy needs and whether gaps exist that Congress should act to address represents a first on this topic for the panel. “We have identified energy as a critical sector in our state because of the role this industry plays in keeping our economy strong, and in the event of storm activity, helping us to regain normalcy,” Andra Cornelius, CEcD, Vice President of Business Outreach, told the committee. Following the series of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, Florida’s workforce system reached out to state utilities to better understand their workforce challenges. That effort led to the April 2006 formation of the Florida Energy Workforce Consortium (FEWC), whose members include more than 50 representatives from Florida energy companies and associations, the workforce system, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, labor organizations, and the national Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD). All of the state’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs)—Florida Power & Light, Progress Energy, TECO Energy, Gulf Power and Florida Public Utilities Co.—participate in the consortium. Also involved are municipal electric utilities including JEA, the state’s largest, and Orlando Utilities Commission, among others, as well as rural cooperatives like Sumter Electric Cooperative (SECO). The consortium’s goals are to:
Veterans Day Events in Florida (from eFloridaVetsNews - November 9, 2007).
WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA Presents First Annual Workforce Champion Award And Awards Of Excellence. ORLANDO, Fla. … WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF) presented its first-ever Workforce Champion Award and Awards of Excellence at its 5th annual State of the Workforce Summit, held Wednesday, October 31, 2007. Joan Tiller, the recently retired assistant vice president for workforce development at Valencia Community College, was named the WCF Workforce Champion. For 26 years Joan developed and modified workforce development educational and training programs to meet the needs of business and industry in Orange and Osceola counties. “Joan has been called on repeatedly to lead and participate in state and national committees on various workforce development issues,” said Gary Earl president and chief executive officer of WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA. “She has that unique talent to listen to the issues and then suggest next steps to accomplish the goals of the committee, always keeping an eye toward how this will help our local employers and Valencia. Joan Tiller is the ultimate example of a true professional and a workforce champion that WCF has had the honor to work with.” Orlando Regional Healthcare was presented with a WCF Award of Excellence for adopting new, best practices in workforce development. Orlando Regional developed a new career and clinical ladder for registered nurses that resulted in lower turnover, greater retention of new hires and improved team member satisfaction ratings. “We know the happiest team members are those who feel fulfilled in the workplace. That’s why we are committed to offering them new opportunities to grow in their careers and in the organization,” said Willanne Colwell RN, MBA, director of education & development at Orlando Regional. “We are pleased to be recognized for our contributions to Central Florida’s workforce and we thank our team members for continually looking for new ways to enrich themselves while helping our patients.” Four additional Central Florida employers were recognized as being finalists for the WCF Award of Excellence: Children’s Home Society of Florida; Devereux Florida; Leesburg Regional Medical Center & The Villages Regional Hospital; and, Orlando Magic and Magic Carpet Aviation. Faith Kirkwood, a patient care technician at Florida Hospital, was presented the second WCF Award of Excellence for her determination and fortitude while she was utilizing WCF programs. This struggling mother participated in a community program called Jobs Partnership and attended a 12-week life-skills employability skills training path. During her training she was pregnant with her second child and had a cesarean birth. Faith was so dedicated to the path she was on, she was back in class just four days later. She never missed a day of training in her program, obtained her state boards and then obtained her position at Florida Hospital. Awards were presented in front of more than 400 attendees at WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA’s State of the Workforce Summit, an event of more than one dozen breakout sessions and a key note luncheon for CEOs, human resource professionals, business owners, elected officials and managers. For more information, visit WCF online at: www.workforcecentralflorida.com. The B.E.S.T. Comes To Citrus County. (November 2, 2007) Ocala, Fla. – CLM Workforce Connection’s new B.E.S.T. program will provide free training to 120 candidates interested in careers in healthcare or manufacturing industries. On Nov. 7 and 14, B.E.S.T. will be hosting healthcare bridge orientations. After orientation candidates may elect to take the free 40-hour, week long introductory bridge beginning Nov. 26. The healthcare introductory bridge will include topics such as math for healthcare, language of healthcare, confidentiality, industry safety and Service-Plus, a course developing top-quality patient service practices. By the end of the bridge, potential participants will have a basic understanding of the healthcare industry and the option to enroll in one of the specialty tracks. These tracks include Certified Nursing Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Healthcare Team Assistant, Medical Transcriptionist, Phlebotomist and Sterilization Technician. The B.E.S.T. program is open to all Citrus, Levy and Marion County residents. Interested candidates are asked to contact Leisa Miller at (352) 873-7955 or email best@clmworkforce.com to sign up for an orientation. 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. Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Workforce welcomes people with disabilities. If accommodations are needed please call the local Workforce office or (352) 840-5700 ext. 1278. Florida Relay users please dial 711. The NationUSCIS Revises Employment Eligibility Verification
Form I-9 - Revision Will Eliminate Certain Documents For
Employment
Verification. WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) announced this week that a revised Employment
Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) is now available for use.
All employers are required to complete a Form I-9 for each
employee hired in the United States. The revision seeks to
achieve full compliance with the document reduction requirements
of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility
Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), which reduced the number of documents
employers may accept from newly hired employees during the
employment eligibility verification process. The revised Form
I-9 is a further step in USCIS’ ongoing work toward reducing
the number of documents used to confirm identity and work eligibility. U.S. Department Of Labor Announces Awards Totaling $20 Million For Youth Offender Grants – One $2 Million Award Comes To Florida. WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao last week announced awards totaling $20 million to 16 organizations, including $2 million to the School Board of Miami-Dade County, offering career training, alternative education and apprenticeships to youth and young adults who either have been adjudicated by or are at risk of facing the justice system. "These $20 million in grants will provide troubled youth with educational opportunities, apprenticeships and skills training so that they can turn their lives around and become productive citizens in their communities," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. Award-winning projects fall into three categories: apprenticeship opportunities, alternative education and existing projects that competed successfully to expand their operations. A total of nearly $3.8 million is being provided to four organizations involved in apprenticeship. Six alternative education initiatives are receiving more than $5.6 million. Six existing programs will use almost $10.6 million to expand their successful projects including one program in the Miami-Dade area. Under this competition, 109 organizations vied for funding. "Learning career skills and taking advantage of work opportunities will be crucial to young people looking to make wise choices at a key crossroads in their lives," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "The programs funded today offer meaningful opportunities for taking productive steps toward lifelong employment." Apprenticeship opportunities will prepare young adult offenders for in-demand careers in fields such as construction, welding, masonry and advanced manufacturing. Programs geared toward alternative education will create or enhance schools to help young offenders earn diplomas and continue on to postsecondary education or jobs. Expansion projects that have demonstrated success with juvenile offenders will be empowered to open two additional sites. For more information on ETA's Youthful Offender Grants and other youth employment programs, please visit www.doleta.gov/youth_services. View the list of award-winning organizations. http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20071692fs.htm. GAO Report: Trade Adjustment Assistance States Have Fewer Training Funds Available than Labor Estimates When Both Expenditures and Obligations Are Considered. Manufacturing workers face an uncertain future as manufacturing employment declines--more than 3 million manufacturing jobs have been lost in this country since 2000 because of international trade as well as other factors. The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, administered by the Department of Labor (Labor), is the nation's primary program providing income support, job training, and other benefits for manufacturing workers who lose their jobs as a result of international trade. During the 3-year period from fiscal years 2004 through 2006, Labor certified nearly 4,700 petitions for TAA covering an estimated 400,000 workers. For fiscal year 2006, Congress appropriated about $966 million for TAA, of which about $220 million was for training trade-affected workers. Each year, Labor initially allocates 75 percent of the training funds, or $165 million, to states according to a formula developed by Labor. Labor holds the remaining 25 percent in reserve to distribute to states throughout the year as the need arises because of unexpected layoffs. To minimize year-to-year fluctuations in state funding, Labor uses a "hold harmless" policy that ensures that each state's initial allocation is at least 85 percent of the initial allocation received in the previous year. States have 3 years to spend TAA funds--fiscal year 2006 funds must be used by the end of fiscal year 2008. In addition, to cover administrative costs, Labor allocates to each state an additional 15 percent of its training allocation. Labor can also provide states with supplemental funding to assist TAA participants through National Emergency Grants (NEG)--discretionary awards intended to temporarily expand service capacity in response to major layoffs. During hearings held in June 2007, Labor asserted that, based on reported expenditures, all states had sufficient funds to provide training benefits to trade-affected workers. In summary, we found that as of March 31, 2007, states had about $173 million of TAA training funds available compared with Labor's estimate of $447 million. The difference between our estimate and Labor's is due to several factors. Download the entire report at: http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2007/d08165.pdf. U.S. tops world competitiveness rankings. The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report was released last week, and it identifies the U.S. as the world’s most competitive economy. America’s performance represented a big jump from last year’s rankings where Switzerland received the top spot and the U.S. held sixth place. The report bases its findings on a collection of economic performance measures as well as an assessment of each country’s business sector. The U.S. has always ranked high on various measures of business sector strength; its improved score in 2007 results from improved performance on key macroeconomic indicators. The report notes that the world’s strongest economies are able to combine macroeconomic stability with strong institutions (such as universities and healthy business sector) that foster innovation and sustained prosperity. The top ten competitive economies in this year’s list are (in rank order): the U.S., Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. To access the complete press release and a link to the full report, visit: http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20Press%20Releases/GCR08Release. Department Of Veterans Affairs Notices Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under Public Law 92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans will be held on December 3-4, 2007 in Chart Room at the Radisson Bay Harbor Hotel Tampa, 7700 Courtney Campbell Causeway, Tampa, Florida. On December 3, the session will convene at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. and on December 4, the session will convene at 8 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the Committee is to provide the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with an on-going assessment of the effectiveness of the policies, organizational structures, and services of the Department in assisting homeless veterans. The Committee shall assemble and review information relating to the needs of homeless veterans and provide advice on the most appropriate means of offering assistance to homeless veterans. The Committee will make recommendations to the Secretary regarding such activities. On December 3, the Committee will review the responses to the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans 2007 Report and receive information and reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal departments. On December 4, the Committee will continue to receive reports and begin preparation of its upcoming annual report and recommendations to the Secretary. Those wishing to attend the meeting should contact Mr. Pete Dougherty, Designated Federal Officer, at (202) 273-5764. No time will be allocated for receiving oral presentations from the public. However, the Committee will accept written comments from interested parties on issues affecting homeless veterans. Such comments should be referred to the Committee at the following address: Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans, Homeless Veterans Programs Office (075D), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420. 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. December 19, 2007 Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
November 15-17, 2007 Dec. 1-4, 2007 Jan. 15-18, 2008 January 22-25, 2008 May 18-20, 2008 Odds and EndsU.S. Commerce Department and Kauffman Foundation
Announce Public-Private Partnership for Entrepreneurship. The Ewing
Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Commerce Department's
International Trade Administration have announced a public-private
partnership focused on leveraging America's entrepreneurial
leadership to advance economic growth in the country and
around the world. The partnership will create a comprehensive
Web site, Entrepreneurship.gov, which will serve as an online
destination for entrepreneurship research, educational content,
policy papers, and entrepreneurship events worldwide. Symposia
held in key markets outside the United States will further
disseminate the information provided through the site, which
is scheduled to be fleshed out later this year. The partnership
aims to assist other countries in developing the environment
to allow entrepreneurs to organize and operate in a business
venture. "Ultimately, this initiative will seek to promote
economic growth, innovation, and entrepreneurship," said
Kauffman Foundation president and CEO Carl Schramm, "thereby
expanding markets for entrepreneurs in the U.S. and abroad,
and stimulating increased levels of productivity and standards
of living in countries throughout the world." Access
this press release at: http://www.kauffman.org/items.cfm?itemID=934.
Quote for the Week:With Veterans in our minds and hearts… “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them”. John Fitzgerald Kennedy |
