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Online healthcare career exploration portal launched today

April 16, 2012 By

Today, at Goodwill Industries’ International Spring Advocacy conference, the Department of Labor (DOL) Assistant Secretary Jane Oates announced the launch of the Virtual Career Network (VCN), an online portal for career exploration and training for healthcare occupations.

“Health care continues to be one of the bright lights in our improving economy,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “In order to sustain this positive momentum, we must do everything we can to ensure that our workforce is equipped with the skills and experience that meet the needs of this growing industry. This exciting new platform will help connect people with the knowledge and training they need to qualify for available health care jobs.”

The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) and other organizations partnered with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), which had received a grant from DOL to develop the VCN. NAWB conducted research on healthcare occupations and education and training programs to populate the site, and partnered with Jobs for the Future to develop and deliver training on its use.

“Our members understand the demand for healthcare workers across the United States. Having a skilled healthcare workforce is essential to a community’s growth and infrastructure,” said Ron Painter, Chief Executive Officer at NAWB. “We have worked extensively with AACC and other partners to ensure that jobseekers have a comprehensive one-stop portal of information to enter and excel in the healthcare field. We hope that all WIB staff will share this tool and use it to get jobseekers into this growing industry.”

Jobseekers can use the VCN to:

  • Explore over 80 healthcare occupations, 11 of which require less than one-year of education and 37 that require a two-year degree;
  • Assess their interest, aptitude and readiness to pursue a healthcare career and complete the education and training needed to obtain a job;
  • Determine whether any gaps exist in their academic preparation or prior work experience that they would need to fill to prepare for their healthcare career;
  • Take foundation education and training online through the VCN to prepare them for enrollment;
  • Locate and enroll in a training or instructional program that will qualify them for a job; and
  • Access tools that will help them locate and apply for job openings.

The VCN allows users to set up a career management account and store career preferences and information. In addition, users can find national and local information about healthcare careers and see job listings in their area.  Also of interest to workforce professionals is the affiliation of VCN as a proud partner of America’s Job Center Network.

 

Filed Under: Public Policy, Training & Education

Summit marks launch of healthcare jobs program

March 19, 2012 By

The Missouri Community College Association’s MoHealthWINs grant office hosted a summit recently at Camden on the Lake in Lake Ozark for state workforce officials, local workforce investment boards and community college leaders. The statewide consortium grant partners came together to implement activities in support of the $20 million MoHealthWINs grant. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Initiatives, Training & Education

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

Local director named president for U.S. Mayors Workforce Council

January 25, 2012 By

Full Employment Council, Inc. President and CEO Clyde McQueen was elected president of the United States Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) at the organization’s 80th Winter Meeting last week in Washington D.C. Mr. McQueen will lead the WDC for the next year and will continue the council’s efforts to provide a forum for Mayors and their employment and training administrators to examine all workforce development issues and to strengthen the ability of cities to meet the needs of their citizens; particularly economically disadvantaged individuals, those with serious skill deficiencies, dislocated workers, returning veterans, and others with special barriers to employment, including youth.

“I am honored to serve in this important role with The U.S. Conference of Mayors,” said Mr. McQueen. “Jobs and the economy continue to be a primary focus for Kansas City and all cities, and I look forward to providing mayors with the critical information that will help them effectively address today’s workforce development challenges.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured, Public Policy

MIT builds open source online training innovations

January 15, 2012 By

MIT announced in The Tech magazine their plans to build a new online learning platform.  This innovation should be of special interest to workforce professionals as it expands the reach of Open Courseware education.

The tools help enrich the classroom and lab experiences for students on campus by expediting knowledge transfer, according to MIT Provost L. Rafael Reif.   Non-students will have options to earn certificates, some free of charge and some with a modest fee.  “If we’re going to do the best job we can for our campus, why don’t we make that available to the whole world? So that everybody can have access to these learning tools, and if you can handle the learning of the MIT-quality of the material, you should just go after it and try,” says Reif.

 

Filed Under: Featured, Training & Education

Lawmakers introduce workforce system reform measures

December 12, 2011 By

The Workforce Development Council of the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported Friday on significant legislative action pertaining to the public workforce system.   The report came through WDC’s weekly update.  The inclusion of this information on MissouriWorkforce.net does not imply an endorsement in favor or against the legislation reported from WDC.  This information is provided merely as a convenience. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured, Public Policy
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