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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 12-05-07 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsChildren And Youth Cabinet Convene Interim Meeting ~ The 20-Member Panel Completed The Statutorily-Required Strategic Plan. TALLAHASSEE — The Children and Youth Cabinet held an interim meeting today in Tallahassee where the 20 cabinet members finalized a strategic plan to promote collaboration, creativity, increased efficiency, information sharing and improved service delivery between and within state agencies and organizations that administer child welfare services. “The Strategic Plan that we began in October and completed today, will be our guide as we move forward to accomplish our goals,” said Lt. Governor and Florida’s Children and Youth Cabinet Chairman Jeff Kottkamp. “The steps to finding the solution to the problems facing the children and youth in Florida today will be challenging, but I know this group is up for the task.” As laid out in Florida Statute 402.56, the Cabinet’s Strategic Plan is due to the legislature no later then December 31 of this year. The plan outlines guiding principals, goals and strategic priorities of the Cabinet. On July 11, 2007, Governor Crist signed the legislation that created the Children and Youth Cabinet. The Children and Youth Cabinet consists of 20 members including Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp who serves as chairman, the secretaries of the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Agency for Health Care Administration, as well as the directors of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Other members include the State Surgeon General, the Commissioner of Education, the director of the Guardian ad Litem Office and the Chief Child Advocate. Additionally, the Governor appointed five members from around the state who are representatives of children and youth advocacy organizations, but who are not service providers. Rounding out the 20 are the five ex-officio members named in statute, or their designees, including Representative Loranne Ausley and Senator Nan Rich, sponsors of the legislation. The Cabinet encourages all Floridians to visit the Children and Youth Cabinet Web site at: http://www.flgov.com/youth_cabinet. The Web site provides information about the Cabinet, the Strategic Plan and future meetings. Governor Crist Announces Partnership With Google Inc. ~ Improved Search Engine Results Make Accessing Online State Agency Information Easier. TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist this week announced a new partnership between the State of Florida and Google Inc. This collaboration will enable citizens to use search engines such as Google to locate government programs and services. The Governor was joined by John Burchett, state policy counsel for Google, to make the announcement. Google has helped state officials implement these Web site improvements at no cost to Floridians. “This public-private partnership is an innovative way to improve the accessibility of state information for all Floridians,” said Governor Crist. “I am grateful for this chance to join with Google to further develop Florida’s leadership in delivering open government services to the people of Florida. By empowering Floridians with the tools they need for easier access to state agency Web sites, we are allowing them to truly take ownership of state government.” The partnership between Google and Florida developed as officials from both entities recognized that the public is increasingly turning to search engines to access government services. However, a significant share of information on state agency Web sites could not be found using standard search engines because the information was stored behind a database, hindering citizens from easily finding online state government services. Now, with improved technology, search engines will access and index the records in online databases, making them available to anyone using a search engine. “Every day, millions of people turn to search engines to find the authoritative and trustworthy information provided by their government, and it is our mission to help them connect with this content,” said Elliot Schrage, vice president of global communications and public affairs at Google. “Florida has joined a growing circle of states that are taking a significant step to make their online information and services more accessible to their citizens.” Examples of information now accessible through the Google search engine includes reports regarding water and waste permitting through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Web site or looking up information on individual schools using the Florida Department of Education’s Web site. Other Florida agencies that can now be accessed include Department of State, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Additional agencies will be added in the coming weeks as their Web site information is made available. Florida joins California, Arizona, Michigan, Utah and Virginia as one of the first states to partner with Google to improve accessibility of its online services. In his first Executive Order issued on January 3, 2007, Governor Crist established the Office of Open Government and charged it with providing the Governor’s office and all state agencies the tools necessary to serve the people of Florida in a professional and efficient manner. The Governor created the Commission on Open Government on June 19, 2007, by Executive Order 07-107 to review and evaluate the public’s right of access to government meetings and records. Recently Governor Crist announced two initiatives to improve Floridians’ ability to access public documents and meetings. The first initiative created a Bill of Rights and the second worked to improve Internet access to state agency contact information. For more information on the Office of Open Government, please visit: http://www.flgov.com/og_home. For information on how a government agency can make it easier to search for hard-to-find public information, visit http://www.google.com/publicsector. Heartland Workforce Region Cited as Best Practice in WOW Publication. Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) has released “Reality Check: Promoting Self-Sufficiency in the Public Workforce System, Women, Youth and Ex-Offenders”. Heartland Workforce Region’s Florida reBuilds project was cited as a best practice. The region “used a statewide initiative called “Florida Rebuilds” to open construction training to women. When the local agency started the program, it was an ideal time to bring women into this field, as the region was experiencing a building boom and industry worker shortage. Furthermore, many of the women living in this rural area already had at-home experience working with tools and building materials. As part of the 10-week high intensity program, participants can get safety certified on jobsite hazards and requirements under OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), as well as learn skills necessary to be a roofer, roofer assistant, carpenter, carpenter’s assistant, painter, drywall installer, or general laborer. The program does experience challenges in providing adequate support services for the women participants, but works with local churches to secure gas cards and food. In its first year, the program successfully graduated 15 participants, and the average starting wage was $9 to $15 per hour.” http://www.wowonline.org/. Increased Funding and Program Delivery Changes Aim to Increase Florida’s Teachers and Nurses (from OPPAGA’s Florida Monitor Weekly - November 30, 2007). Consistent with our recommendations, the Florida Legislature, the State Board of Education, the Department of Education, the state’s community colleges and universities, and the Florida Board of Nursing have all taken steps to increase student enrollment in teaching and nursing programs and reduce barriers contributing to the state’s shortage in these areas. Since 2005, the Legislature has appropriated $56.8 million to support the expansion of teacher preparation and nursing programs. This additional funding includes $52.5 million for the SUCCEED Florida Grant Program and $4.2 million in direct funding for the graduate level nursing programs. The Legislature has increased financial aid for prospective teachers and nurses. More community colleges are offering baccalaureate degree programs in teaching, and community colleges and universities have expanded programs for individuals seeking teaching credentials through alternative preparation processes. To help address the problem of clinical site availability, the Florida Board of Nursing has increased the amount of training that can be delivered by simulators. http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/educ/r07-45s.html Office Of Early Learning Director Named - Dr. Birken Selected To Lead School Readiness, Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten And Other Vital Programs. Tallahassee, FL – After a national search, Brittany Birken, Ph.D., has been appointed Director of the Office of Early Learning within the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Formerly a childcare professional and researcher, Birken earned her Ph.D. in Child Development from the Florida State University. She has been with the Agency since 2005, having served as a Program Administrator, Assistant Director and most recently as Interim Director, all within the Office of Early Learning. “I am thrilled to have such a talented and dedicated leader in this key position,” said Monesia T. Brown, Agency Director. “Her enthusiasm, training and depth of knowledge are the perfect match for this vital role.” Supporting both the Agency’s mission to advance economic well-being and self-sufficiency of Floridians through early learning and workforce services, as well as one of Governor Crist’s top priorities of strengthening Florida’s families, the Office of Early Learning is committed to ensuring Florida’s children are emotionally, physically, socially and intellectually ready to enter school and ready to learn, as well as to stress the crucial role of parents as their child's first teacher. Among others, the Office oversees Florida’s School Readiness, Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten and Child Care Resource and Referral programs. For more information about the Office of Early Learning, go to: http://www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/index.html. As Director of the Office of Early Learning, Birken will also serve as an Agency liaison to the state’s 31 local Early Learning Coalitions, as well as our state partners, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Children and Families. Early Learning Coalitions are composed of members from the private and public sectors and represent all of Florida’s 67 counties. The Governor appoints each Coalition chair and two additional local Coalition members, and each Coalition is responsible for administering their area’s early learning services. “Florida is home to more than one million children younger than five, with almost 600 more being born every day,” Birken stated. “Of these, more than a half-million attend some type of early learning program. Our children count on us to make sure they have every opportunity for success in school and in life and I am very grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of so many children – and in our state’s future workforce.” The NationHeadlines from NASWA Workforce Bulletin - November 30, 2007:
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and NoticesFor current information, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.Featured Opportunity:
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