The road to recovery is named Main Street

November 13, 2010 By

Dozens of local groups such as WIBs, economic development agencies, schools, and civic organizations held focus group forums in 2010 on economic recovery. Those insights were shared as part of the multi-state think-tank effort through the Southern Growth Policies Board. Titled, The Road to Recovery is Main Street, Southern Growth’s 2010 Future of the South report presents the results of Southern Growth’s Listening to the South process, which engaged over 2,300 Southerners in talking about community economic recovery. The report also discusses the implications for state policy action and highlights creative initiatives in the region that aim to help communities recover from the recession.

“Communities felt that they needed to find ways to help themselves,” according to Southern Growth Executive Director Ted Abernathy. “They knew their answers would be found not on Wall Street but on Main Street. Nationally, we talk about creating jobs with place-based strategies, innovation clusters, expanding exports and improving regional competitiveness. Locally, while the language is different, citizens old and young, urban and rural told us they needed new ideas and needed to try new things. Their local economies were now different.”

In addition to sharing insights from dozens of local forums, the publication recommends five key strategies for local economic recovery in the South: look beyond industrial recruitment, reduce regulations, identify and build on community assets, revamp workforce training, and facilitate partnerships. Director Abernathy, in the book’s forward, pledged Southern Growth’s efforts to help communities to share ideas, success stories, and tools by disseminating the 2010 report widely with political, educational, and economic leadership throughout the South.

Missouri-based influences noted in the 2010 Southern Report on the South included the Four-States Partnerships of WIBs and Chambers at Joplin as well as an innovation award for Northwest Missouri State University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Southern Growth’s 2010 Report: The Road to Recovery is Named Main Street may be downloaded from Southern Growth’s website. Participants may listen or view a webinar online as well.

 

Filed Under: Public Policy, Research

Workforce systems examined in economic development statewide strategic planning

November 3, 2010 By

The Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth is a framework geared toward identifying a clear path for advancing Missouri’s economy. As part of the project launched by Gov. Nixon, project leaders engaged representatives from business, labor, higher education, and economic development across the Show-Me State. Following recent focus groups held in regional quadrants across Missouri, the project solicited white papers from various channel leaders to help guide the steering committee. The initiative now has 40 white papers across a wide array of economic development categories with two position papers specifically on workforce development and an additional eight on education.

Jasen Jones, Executive Director for the Southwest Missouri WIB in Joplin, was identified by project leaders to provide input on the workforce development system. Jones authored a white paper entitled, High Octane Workforce Development as a Catalyst for Regional Economic Growth. Jones constructed a logic model that promotes four key policy considerations: integration of outreach and service delivery, cohesive and balanced regional frameworks, diversified and value-added resource development, and building of social and political capital.

Workforce leaders from Missouri’s community colleges jointly submitted a piece titled, A Focused Response to Workforce Training to Support Economic Development and Job Creation. The five recommendations from this white paper included targeted industry strategies, common visioning and plan priorities within regions, additional collaboration among community colleges, Centers of Excellence based on industry sectors and other key disciplines, and established quality standards at community colleges.

The website gateway for the Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth includes links for all 40 of the white papers. Summaries of the strategic planning regional focus groups and lists of committee volunteers may be found online as well in the right hand sidebar of the homepage.

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

New book proposes disruptive innovation in workforce and business development for sustainable economic recovery

October 6, 2010 By

Reinventing the Workforce & Business Development Center

New Book Proposes A Disruptive Innovation for Sustainable Economic Recovery

In the spring of 2010 over 17% of American Workers were unemployed. To that 17% add the countless others that do not have the needed technical skills to reenter the job market or have lost hope and are no longer actively searching and the actual figure rises to well above 20%. Other workers are underemployed or trying to enter the job market for the first time or to re-enter after several years of separation.

At the same time, the American Entrepreneur is facing a highly unfriendly business environment and wrestling with whether or not their business idea has any staying power. Can their idea make money for them and if so, what is the best way to make it happen? If they think they are putting themselves in harm’s way and at risk of their idea being replicated by an off-shore company, what should they do? What can they do?

For both the American Worker and Entrepreneur, their concern is for their long-term survival in this volatile and unpredictable economy. There are bewildering arrays of career directions to choose from but which ones will still be viable in two, three, or five years? Even though the economy may be rebounding there is a continuing concern for choosing a career path that offers some protection against another weak job market following upon the heels of a repeat of the economic disaster.

This book introduces a disruptive innovation that integrates the career and professional development needs of the American Worker and the business development needs of the American Entrepreneur utilizing a customized Business Incubation Center (BIC) to help them take charge and create sustainable careers and businesses. It is offered as a solution for the worker and entrepreneur to help them develop and execute a strategy to get back in the mainstream of the economy with a sustainable plan.

The target audience for this book includes educators, trainers, human resource managers, career counselors, corporate university program managers, continuing education and workforce development directors and anyone who has a need to design and implement a practical and comprehensive program for career and professional development of the entire workforce so that they are positioned to compete successfully in a technology-based world of work.

Publication information:

  • Workforce & Business Development Center: A Disruptive Innovation for Sustainable Economic Recovery
  • Author: Wysocki, Robert K. (c) 2010
  • Available for purchase online at amazon.com
  • Worcester, MA: EII Publications, ISBN 978-1-933788-36-4
Filed Under: Public Policy, Research, Training & Education

State Parks Youth Corps Workers Earn National Recognition

September 17, 2010 By

On Sept. 9, Gov. Jay Nixon and the Missouri State Parks Youth Corps (SPYC) were recognized with the 2010 President’s Award from the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD) at the association’s annual meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The award honors extraordinary contributions at the state level to furthering the goal of a system of state parks. In recognizing SPYC, the NAPSD called the program “a workforce for [Missouri’s] state parks and historic sites unprecedented since work by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.”

A new overview of SPYC program accomplishments is available on YouTube. “The young people who made the State Parks Youth Corps a success have helped preserve Missouri’s natural and cultural history, and they’ll be our state’s conservation leaders in the future,” Gov. Nixon said.

 

Filed Under: Initiatives, Research

WIBs serve important role in federal policy for innovation

September 13, 2010 By

The Workforce Innovators Network through the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) published a report promoting the role of WIBs as conveners for talent development to meet community needs and economic prosperity. The report spotlights examples of high-performing WIBs to make the case for better federal legislation that funds local WIBs to expand the positive impact.

“CSW is not new to the field of promoting excellence in local workforce boards,” noted Jasen Jones, Executive Director of the Southwest Missouri WIB. ”The WIB Quality Benchmarking national body of research published by CSW in 2006 helped set a baseline and chart the progress of our WIB and dozens of others across the country.”

Jones anticipates using the new CSW report as a tool to engage stakeholders in the growing work of the local WIB and the opportunities emerging for federal workforce policy reform. As one of two Missouri representatives in CSW’s Workforce Innovators Network and the current Secretary/Treasurer for Training and Employment Administrators of Missouri, Jones is eager to expand the scope of influence for local WIBs in state and national workforce legislation and resources.

 

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

CSW benchmarks quality & innovation in local WIBs

December 14, 2008 By

Missouri led the way in 2007-2008 by funding the efforts with the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce to conduct the WIB Quality Benchmarking initiative.  The research collaborative identified the nation’s leading local Workforce Investment Boards.  Through surveys, on site visits, and focus groups, CSW drafted 16 success factors in common among high-performing WIBs.

The indicators are categorized as Measuring Success, Managing Work of the Board, Working Strategically, and Developing and Managing Financial Resources.  The study provides several key learnings and recommendations for states and regions to consider in local quality initiatives.
Filed Under: Initiatives, Public Policy, Research
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