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Workforce Development in Wisconsin  |
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| Greetings! |
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Unemployment and the state of the workforce are on everyone's mind these days. In this issue we have included information about the business driven industry partnerships that are developing across the state. These partnerships will work on strategies to train and retain workers for 21st century jobs.
Also included this month is information on the new job center in Sheboygan, the Career Valley Youth Career Fair in Eau Claire, and a grant received in northern Wisconsin that will increase the number of trained and certified direct care workers.
The Wisconsin Workforce Development Association recognizes the importance of communication on statewide workforce issues and we encourage you to contact us with any questions you have. Starting later this month you will also receive updates every few weeks on how the ARRA WIA funds are making an impact in Wisconsin. This new communication piece will include success stories, performance indicator updates, and upcoming events you may want to attend.
If you wish to be added to future mailings or removed from mailings please use the links at the bottom of the newsletter. Thank you! |
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| Driven By Demand: Wisconsin's Industry Partnerships |
Wisconsin's workforce development boards have been working hard to build and strengthen industry partnerships this spring. Across the state, workforce development boards brought together employers with workforce and economic development stakeholders to develop, or strengthen, partnerships in industries that are critical to regional economies. Industry sector partnerships allow businesses, unions, educators, and the workforce system to plan for, and implement, strategies to make sure that employers in high-growth, high-wage industries that are in geographic proximity to one another have access to employees with the skills they need. These partnerships provide employers with the opportunity to articulate what job skills and competencies are needed now and into the future. These partnerships also help to ensure that workforce training is oriented to job preparation, rather than just degree acquisition.
Wisconsin's eleven workforce development boards fall into seven Growing Regional Opportunities in Wisconsin (GROW) regions: Regional Workforce Alliance, New North, North Central GROW Partnership, Northland Works, West Central Regional Development Coalition, Seven Rivers Region Workforce Development Partnership, and Southwest/South Central GROW.
While working within the Governor's GROW regions, Wisconsin's boards took steps to coordinate with regional economic collaboratives. This was especially important because in most cases GROW boundaries replicate regional economic development efforts, such as with the Milwaukee 7 and New North. The boards also worked with technical college partners to ensure that industry partnership efforts dovetail with workforce investments made by the Department of Workforce Development and Wisconsin Technical College System through the Regional Industry Skills Education (RISE) Initiative. At present, the boards have led the development of twenty-two projects for industry partnership planning and for training to support industry partnerships. |
| Northwest Wisconsin Receives Grant for Training Direct Care Health Workers |
Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program (CEP, Inc) recently received a $150,000 grant from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, in the Health Resources and Services Administration, to fund the first year of a three year project. The grant's purpose is to provide training and pre-employment services for people interested in becoming direct care health workers. In addition, it includes continuing education for direct care supervisors and managers.
The executive director of CEP, Inc., Steve Terry, described the grant as "meeting the needs of our elderly and disabled while also providing an important employment opportunity for the residents of Northwest Wisconsin. Over the course of the next three years, the Direct Care Worker Initiative will recruit, train, and help to place 300 individuals, while also providing training for their supervisors. If we're successful this first year, the grant allows for two more years of funding, for a total of $375,000."
There is currently a shortage of direct care workers in the eleven counties of Northwest Wisconsin, with over 1,300 people on waiting lists for in-home, personal care services. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services wants the waiting lists eliminated, with all eligible people receiving the needed services. In addition, the State has expanded long term care options, making more citizens eligible. At the same time, the general population is aging, further adding to the need for personal care workers.
The grant has three primary goals, according to Terry. "First, the grant seeks to increase the number of people receiving these direct care services. By increasing the number of trained workers, the grant will help decrease the number on waiting lists, while also serving the expanded population group."
"Secondly, the funding will increase the numbers of trained and certified direct care workers: 75 the first year, 125 the second year, and 100 the final year of the grant. Once trained and
experienced, we want to help employers keep these workers. That ties in with the third goal of initiating polices that enhance job satisfaction and retention of direct care workers."
To implement this grant, CEP, Inc staff will work closely with both public and private service providers, as well as a working consortium consisting of the Wisconsin Personal Services Association (WPSA), Northern Bridges, and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. For more information regarding the direct care workers grant initiative, contact Steve Terry at 715-682-9141 |
| West Central Workforce Board's 2009 Career Valley Draws Largest Crowd Ever! |
 On Tuesday May 5 the West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Area held its 2009 edition of Career Valley - its annual career fair - at the Eau Claire Exposition Center. Workforce Resource event coordinator Ginger Dutton, noted that "this year's event was the largest ever attracting 2546 youth from 23 different schools." Exhibits from over 60 employers and educational programs involved over 200 volunteers who mobilized to provide highly interactive experiences demonstrating welding, masonry, public safety, healthcare, science and technology, nano-tech, energy, retail, personal service, finance and other a wide range of other career areas found in the region.
Among those volunteers was Workforce Development Board member Betty Laskowski from Royal Credit Union, (shown top left) who explained aspects of financial service careers to an eager group of students. Welding exhibits, sponsored by WITC, CVTC and OEM Fabricators (another Workforce Development Board Employer), was again a big hit as students manufactured a "Steel Magnolia" Mother's Day gift. Youth in attendance participated in Career Bingo drawings for IPods, flash drives and gift certificates sponsored by the regional Manufacturing Works Alliance. This year students voted the Eau  Claire Police Department exhibit as most interactive and the JC Penney exhibit as most informative.
Career Valley is an integral component of West Central's youth strategy addressing employer engagement, career awareness, workforce retention and workforce/education collaboration issues. The Career Valley event followed on the heals of the Job Center Network's Employment Expo which drew another 2000 plus individuals to the region's premier Job Fair held in late April. |
| Auxilary Sheboygan Job Center Opened |
An auxiliary job center office opened on May 4th in Sheboygan at Memorial Mall. It is the result of a partnership between Lakeshore Technical College and Bay Area Workforce Development Board. Staff from Great Lakes Training and Development Corporation, the AFL-CIO and Lakeshore Technical College will be available at the new office at 3347 Kohler Memorial Drive, from 8-4 PM daily to assist job seekers. The new site is about a half mile from the existing Sheboygan Job Center. The Sheboygan area has been hit particularly hard hit in recent months with dislocations at area companies including the Kohler Company, JL French and Pentair. The new site will provide additional capacity to serve displaced workers and other job seekers in Sheboygan. Service capacity and parking have become a problem at the current site, 3620 Wilgus Avenue. Services provided at the new site include career counseling, resume writing, tuition assistance, basic skills and computer literacy training. Sheboygan's unemployment rate hit 12.5% in March. Recently Thomas Industries, a manufacturer of compressors, vacuum and liquid pumps, announced their decision to relocate production to Louisiana, idling an additional 286 workers in Sheboygan. |
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Mari Kay-Nabozny
Wisconsin Workforce Development Association
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