Conference marks official launch of Certified Work Ready Communities

September 7, 2012 By

Certified Work Ready Communities (CWRC) in Missouri is a voluntary initiative guided by key community leaders (local elected officials, economic development, business leaders, chambers, educators, and workforce development). Whether a town is large or small, the community will be able to attract, retain, and develop a workforce with the education and foundational skills to succeed in the 21st century by utilizing the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC).

By strengthening the local workforce your community can prosper and grow together.  A certified Work Ready Community means a local county has job candidates in the pipeline with high-demand skills proved by the National Career Readiness Certificate. It also shows that local employers care about hiring the best and brightest your region has to offer.

CWRC got its official launch at the Missouri Governors Conference on Economic Development that concluded today in St. Louis.  The opening session of the conference featured a panel discussion featuring statewide business leaders.  One of the breakout sessions provided detailed information on launching CWRC in local areas.  Gov. Nixon referenced CWRC in his remarks to the conference on Friday.

Missouri’s statewide Workforce Investment Board (MoWIB) officially endorsed the CWRC and NCRC.  Chairman Keith Gary provided information on MoWIB’s role in accepting recommendations and making the designation approvals as part of the CWRC process.

Michael Holmes and Jasen Jones represented TEAM as ex-officio members of the DWD’s statewide CWRC leadership team.  As local workforce development is a required local partner for each county’s entry into CWRC, local WIBs and one-stop career centers have an important role in this initiative.  The partnerships of WIBs and one-stop centers, in collaboration with local colleges and tech-ed centers, provide the key delivery system for NCRCs in Missouri.

A wealth of information on CWRC, including the application and help in getting started, may be found online on the official CWRC website.  A printer-friendly brochure may be downloaded as well.

 

Filed Under: Featured, Initiatives, News, Training & Education

New web-based technical assistance resources launched

September 5, 2012 By

DOL’s Employment and Training Administration announced Tuesday the launch of Workforce System Strategies, an array of technical assistance resources designed to make it easier for workforce system professionals to quickly find information that supports positive customer outcomes. Published through Workforce3one, the repository is a highly-searchable tool populated with a growing number of experimental studies, implementation evaluations, and peer-informed how-to guides. Outcomes to the workforce system include

  • Help job seekers and employer customers achieve better outcomes
  • Identify preliminary evidence that may be useful in program design
  • Be at the forefront of the workforce system

The announcement came through official channels of Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 10-12.  For more information about Workforce System Strategies, visit http://strategies.workforce3one.org (see especially the “News” and “About” tabs). Questions, comments, or nominations may be submitted by using the “Help” tab on the Web site to contact project staff, or by contacting the appropriate Regional Office.  Missouri’s Regional Office for DOL is Region 5 in Chicago.

Filed Under: Featured, News, Public Policy, Research, Training & Education

Input sought for new state workforce plan

July 18, 2012 By

The State of Missouri’s Workforce Integrated Plan for Program Years 2012 through 2016 is now available for public comment online.  According to the Division of Workforce Development, this plan was developed using the instructions given in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s (DOLETA) Training and Employment Guidance Letter Number 21-11, “Requirements for 2012 State Workforce Plans.” The plan addresses specific planning elements for programs funded under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act and the Wagner-Peyser Act, as well as other DOLETA-funded programs.

On July 13, 2012, the Missouri Workforce Investment Board voted to recommend to the Governor that this new plan be approved and submitted to DOLETA following a 30-day public comment period.

The Division urges workforce professionals to share the communications about the plan with chief local elected officials, local workforce investment board members, service providers and any other interested parties, including organizations representing the diverse populations. Comments on the plan may be forwarded to Anita Henry at anita.henry@ded.mo.gov by August 14, 2012.

Filed Under: Featured, Public Policy

Feds cite Missouri’s exemplary approach to one-stop integration

June 22, 2012 By

The U. S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) recently paid tribute to Missouri’s approach to workforce development.  Specifically, ETA acknowledged the Next General Career Center model, first implemented in Missouri Career Centers statewide in December 2009.  In its annual guidance for state and local workforce agencies on improving the effectiveness of workforce programs, ETA emphasized the need to streamline administrative processes to maximize program efficiency.One way to do this is to simplify the processes for customer intake, application completion, and case management.

“For example, Missouri’s Next Generation Career Center initiative integrates service delivery for customers across a wide variety of workforce programs, including Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), WIA, and Wagner-Peyser programs,” ETA noted. Missouri is among the states that have streamlined the intake and eligibility process for first-time career center customers, thereby fast tracking them for better service.

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Filed Under: Featured, Initiatives, Public Policy

State of the U.S. Workforce System: Incremental Realignment or Serious Reform?

June 15, 2012 By

The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development published a report this month titled, The State of the U.S. Workforce System: A Time for Incremental Realignment or Serious Reform?  Authored by Kathy Krepcio and Michele M. Martin, the publication aims Aims to start a dialogue about the U.S. workforce system by asking: What would a 21st Century workforce system look like if we built it for today’s economy, using today’s tools and processes? And, in the new economy, where and how can the public workforce system add true and targeted value?

 

Filed Under: Featured, Public Policy, Research

Kansas City Fed joins with partners to address workforce needs

February 20, 2012 By

Unemployment trends continue to confound the economy two years after the Great Recession and related financial crisis of 2007 to 2009.  As a result, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is joining with other Reserve Banks to find ways to facilitate more workforce training programs.

Complementing the many workforce development activities being planned this year by Federal Reserve Banks across the nation is the National Conference on Workforce Development to be hosted by the Kansas City Fed, in partnership with the Atlanta Fed, on Sept. 19 and 20, 2012. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Events, Featured, Initiatives, Public Policy, Research

TEAM adopts policy position on workforce system reform

February 16, 2012 By

Members and officers with the Training and Employment Administrators of Missouri officially adopted a policy position on workforce system reform at its January and February meetings.  Re-Inventing the Workforce System is the title of the white paper that delivers the recommendations endorsed by TEAM members as the WIBs that administer the WIA Title 1 program in Missouri’s 14 local workforce investment areas.

The practical approach for improving the quality and effectiveness of employment and training services, builds on the success of the current system, address inefficiencies, and focuses on increasing direct services to customers.  Download the PDF white paper online from TEAM.

Filed Under: Featured, Initiatives, Public Policy

GOA touts nationwide results of LWIBs collaborating with employers

February 16, 2012 By

The Governmental Accounting Office (GAO) published a report recently touting the positive effects of local WIBs collaborating with employers.  DOL Secretary Hilda Solis echoed praises for the public workforce system in testimony to congress, as noted in her statement issued February 16th.

According to GAO, Workforce board officials and their partners in the 14 initiatives cited a range of factors that facilitated building innovative collaborations. Almost all of the collaborations grew out of efforts to address urgent workforce needs of multiple employers in a specific sector, such as health care, manufacturing, or agriculture, rather than focusing on individual employers. Additionally, the partners in these initiatives made extra effort to understand and work with employers so they could tailor services such as jobseeker assessment, screening, and training to address specific employer needs. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured, Public Policy, Research, Training & Education

Workforce Day @ the Capital set for April 17th

February 15, 2012 By

Training and Employment Administrators of Missouri (TEAM) and the Missouri Association for Workforce Development (MAWD) joined forces to thank Missouri legislators and staff for their service to Missouri job seekers and employers.  Workforce Day @ the Capital is a breakfast event planned in the Capital Rotunda from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17th.  Invitations are going out soon to legislators and their aides in Jefferson City.  MAWD board members and LWIB members of TEAM will be on hand with workforce system advocacy materials.

Filed Under: Events, Featured, Public Policy

DED predicts best bets for Missouri jobs in 2012 and beyond

February 3, 2012 By

Registered nursing, wholesale and manufacturing sales, tractor-trailer truck drivers, retail sales personnel and customer service representatives will be the occupations with the highest number of openings in 2012, according to a study by the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED). The Department’s research arm, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), has developed a real-time jobs analysis tool to develop regular reports on top openings around the state, with projections data that will indicate what to expect over the next 2 and 10-year periods.

“We are encouraged at the direction of Missouri’s economy, with our state unemployment rate now at its lowest point in three years,” said Chris Pieper, Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. “We want to keep that positive trend continuing by doing everything we can to create jobs in Missouri, and the Best Bets for Missouri Jobs study by MERIC provides timely advice to assist job seekers as to where to search for employment.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured, Research
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