| October 2009 |
Vol 1, Issue 18 | |
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Workforce Development in Wisconsin  |
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| Greetings! |
The Wisconsin Workforce Development Association (WWDA) is working hard to ensure that Wisconsinites are receiving the training and employment assistance they need. In this issue you will find information on the decreasing funds available for laid-off workers as well as an expanded grant program to help inmates transition from prison to working within communities.
Data and stories relating to the workforce development activities funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) can be found in the latest edition of the Workforce Times, a WWDA publication specific to the ARRA workforce projects and programs. 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.
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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Wisconsin's money for retraining displaced workers is running out by Joel Dresang
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Local workforce boards are telling dislocated workers in much of Wisconsin that there's not enough money to help them retrain for new work. Citing unprecedented job losses and limited funding, agencies say they don't want to overcommit themselves and let workers start programs without knowing that they'll have the money to let them finish.
Last week, executives from Wisconsin's workforce investment boards met with state Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman pleading their cases.
"We're concerned. Why put people in training and not let them complete? And a lot of people are in two-year training. So we're watching that real closely," said Bob Borremans, executive director of the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, which covers the Janesville area. "We're going to probably take a cautious approach to bringing new people in. I know other workforce boards are already putting people on waiting lists because they do not have funding."
The Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board informed its staff last month that it was suspending new training vouchers because requests in the pipeline already exceeded available funding.
"We're just projecting out at this point what it would take to complete the commitments that we have," said Don Sykes, president and chief executive officer of the Milwaukee board. "We figure we can handle it. We're trying to just go slow enough to make sure."
Meantime, the board is recalculating projections, applying for additional funds and stepping up other services for dislocated workers, including outplacement orientation, job search consulting, résumé writing and basic computer skills classes.
A spokesman for the state Department of Workforce Development said it has taken a $10.4 million hit this year in the federal funding it passes down for dislocated worker training - a 40% cut - at the same time demand has escalated. Even $16 million in federal stimulus funds for dislocated workers hasn't been enough. Read entire article...The above article was published in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's JSonline on October 12, 2009 |
Expanded 'Windows to Work' Model in Bay Area Receives $750,000 federal Second Chance grant
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Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Rick Raemisch announced October 2nd that the DOC has been awarded a $750,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Justice to expand its collaborative "Windows to Work" program - already serving areas covered by the Bay Area Workforce Development Board - to areas covered by the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board as well. Local match funding, including support by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, will bring the total investment to $1.5 million.
"Thanks to this grant and in partnership with the Bay Area Workforce Development Board and the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, we will further enhance the already strong connections that are in place to assist inmates as they transition from prison into the community," Secretary Raemisch said.
"The Windows to Work program is a great strategy we have in place to promote the successful reentry of prisoners back into the community, which means fewer new crimes, fewer new victims, and safer Wisconsin communities."
Funds from the grant will enhance reentry services for inmates being released from Oshkosh Correctional and Racine Correctional institutions (OSCI and RCI) - both of which are among the DOC's largest prisons - into communities in Brown, Manitowoc, Milwaukee and Sheboygan counties. Reach-in services focused on employment and independent living will begin for participants six months prior to release, and will continue for a minimum of one year following release. A primary goal of the grant is to reduce one-year recidivism of participating offenders by 50 percent over five years.
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North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board Announces its 2009 WIA Excellence Award Recipients
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 Award Recipients pictured left to right: Placement of the Year went to Ministry Dental Center in Stevens Point, pictured accepting the award for Ministry Dental Center is Jayne Tutton; Participant of the Year went to Johanna Sodke of Stevens Point; Partner of the Year went to CENTERGY in Wausau, pictured accepting the award for CENTERGY is Bill Tehan; Provider of the Year went to Serena Adler of Forward Service Corporation in Rhinelander; and Promoter of the Year went to Kelly Lucas, President/CEO of South Wood County Community Foundation in Wisconsin Rapids.
North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board (NCWWDB), 1121 West Grand Avenue, of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, recently selected and announced the five recipients for their 2009 WIA Excellence Awards. Nominees were solicited throughout the Workforce Development Board's nine-county region, for the following five categories: Participant, Partner, Promoter, Provider, and Placement of the Year.
NCWWDB's Board Chairperson, Charmaine Prewitt introduced the 2009 recipients, and NCWWDB's Executive Director, Sally Cutler, presented the awards and congratulated the individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement in supporting North Central Wisconsin's workforce and economic development. Awards were presented during NCWWDB's Board Meeting held September 24, 2009 at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau.
Receiving NCWWDB's WIA - 2009 Excellence Awards were:
ˇ Participant of the Year - Johanna Sodke of Stevens Point;
ˇ Partner of the Year: CENTERGY - Accepting the award for CENTERGY was Bill Tehan;
ˇ Promoter of the Year: Kelly Lucas - CEO/President of the South Wood County Community Foundation in Wisconsin Rapids;
ˇ Provider of the Year: Serena Adler - Forward Service Corporation's WIA Youth Case Manager;
ˇ Placement of the Year: Ministry Dental Center in Stevens Point - Accepting the award for Ministry Dental Center was Jayne Tutton.
Read the full article... | |
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Mari Kay
Wisconsin Workforce Development Association
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