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Welcome to Workforce Today Magazine!
Greetings!
Welcome to the winter issue of the E-Workforce Today magazine.
Within this issue you will find information on upcoming events, Middle Skill Jobs, Twitter, and job training funding in Ladysmith.
We hope you enjoy the articles and as always please let us know if there is a topic you are interested in!
Happy reading!
* If you wish to unsubscribe to this publication please use the link at the bottom of this page. |
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 Study Calls for Training Investment to Fill Middle-Skill Jobs (10/15/09) WI State Journal
A new report says Wisconsin must invest in more training to prepare needed workers for the nearly half a million new and replacement jobs expected by 2016 that will require education beyond high school but short of a four-year university degree.
The state also can gain a competitive edge in the economic recovery if businesses and policy-makers use the national recession as a time to provide skills training for the more than 426,000 jobs, according to the report from the Workforce Alliance and the Skills2Compete-Wisconsin campaign.
The study also found:
So-called "middle-skill jobs" will account for 46 percent of all openings between now and 2016. Shortages in manufacturing and health care will increase. A survey of the health care work force in central Wisconsin finds that more than 25 percent of workers plan to retire within 10 years - 28 percent of them nurses.
Middle-skill jobs expected to grow in Wisconsin include police and sheriff's patrol officers, with an average annual wage of $45,269; carpenters, at $38,760; and registered nurses, at $57,376.
The report was developed by a steering committee of individuals at the state and national level. For more information, see http://www.skills2compete.org/Wisconsin.
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What Is Twitter and How Does A Business Use It? 
You hear more and more about Twitter these days and unless you fall in the "always connected" Generation Y demographic you probably have no idea what it is or how it can help your business.
What is Twitter?
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. While the service itself costs nothing to use, accessing it through SMS may incur phone service provider fees as they count as text messages.
Confused about how on earth a 140 character message can be a powerful marketing tool? Get started using the tips below.
First Steps
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Build an account and immediate start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor's names, words that relate to your space. (Listening always comes first.)
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Add a picture. We want to see you.
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Talk to people about THEIR interests, too. I know this doesn't sell more widgets, but it shows us you're human.
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Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you.
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Share links to neat things in your community. ( @wholefoods does this well).
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Don't get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. ( @jetblue gives travel tips.)
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Be wary of always promoting your stuff. Your fans will love it. Others will tune out.
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Promote your employees' outside-of-work stories. ( @TheHomeDepot does it well.)
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Throw in a few humans, like RichardAtDELL, LionelAtDELL, etc.
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Talk about non-business, too, like @astrout and @jstorerj from Mzinga.
So now that you are started and have an account... what do you talk about? Don't believe the common misconception that no one cares what is occurring in Ladysmith or Hurley. You would be amazed at what people will follow on Twitter.
Ideas About WHAT to Tweet
- Instead of answering the question, "What are you doing?", answer the question, "What has your attention?"
- Have more than one twitterer at the company. People can quit. People take vacations. It's nice to have a variety.
- When promoting a blog post, ask a question or explain what's coming next, instead of just dumping a link.
- Ask questions. Twitter is GREAT for getting opinions.
- Follow interesting people. If you find someone who tweets interesting things, see who she follows, and follow her.
- Tweet about other people's stuff. Again, doesn't directly impact your business, but makes us feel like you're not "that guy."
- When you DO talk about your stuff, make it useful. Give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.
- Share the human side of your company. If you're bothering to tweet, it means you believe social media has value for human connections. Point us to pictures and other human things.
- Don't toot your own horn too much. (Man, I can't believe I'm saying this. I do it all the time. - Side note: I've gotta stop tooting my own horn).
- Or, if you do, try to balance it out by promoting the heck out of others, too.
Not everyone thinks that Twitter is all it is cracked up to be. You may get some negative feedback on the Twitter idea. Such as...
The Negatives People Will Throw
- Twitter takes up time.
- Twitter takes you away from other productive work.
- Without a strategy, it's just typing.
- There are other ways to do this.
- Twitter doesn't replace customer service
- Twitter is buggy and not enterprise-ready.
- Twitter is just for technonerds.
- Twitter's only a few million people. (only)
- Twitter doesn't replace direct email marketing.
- Twitter opens the company up to more criticism and griping.
But good news! There is a whole list of positives that you can throw right back at them! Some Positives to Throw Back
- Twitter helps one organize great, instant meetups (tweetups).
- Twitter works swell as an opinion poll.
- Twitter can help direct people's attention to good things.
- Twitter at events helps people build an instant "backchannel."
- Twitter breaks news faster than other sources, often (especially if the news impacts online denizens).
- Twitter gives businesses a glimpse at what status messaging can do for an organization. Remember presence in the 1990s?
- Twitter brings great minds together, and gives you daily opportunities to learn (if you look for it, and/or if you follow the right folks).
- Twitter gives your critics a forum, but that means you can study them.
- Twitter helps with business development, if your prospects are online.
- Twitter can augment customer service. (but see above)
So you have some ideas and a good base knowledge of what Twitter is and what it can do for you. Now go tweet!
Credit given to Chris Brogan for his blog article 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business
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| Are you interested in learning more about the economic and workforce status of northwest Wisconsin? You can view the Department of Workforce Development's Data Dashboard report here. | |
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October 2009 Data for Wisconsin and the U.S.
Latest Numbers for Wisconsin and US.
Seasonally
Adjusted
Unemployment rate:
NW WI: 8.2%
WI: 8.4%
US: 10.2%
Civilian labor force:
NW WI: 93,052
WI: 3,047,900
US: 153,975,000
Number Employed: NW WI: 85,444
WI: 2,792,100
US: 138,275,000
Number Unemployed:
NW WI: 7,608 WI: 255,800
US: 15,700,000
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The
GEARING UP! Business Connections in Northern Wisconsin Conference
is May 5th & 6th in Cable, WI!
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INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE
MARKETING YOUR COMPANY ON FACEBOOK
HUMAN RESOURCE LAW
PRINCIPLES TOWARD A BALANCED LIFE
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Ms Wold
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the industry.
Don't miss this exciting and worthwhile conference
held in your own backyard! Registration is just $65 for two days of networking and learning!
REGISTER ONLINE!
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$25,000 Will Help Train Workers in
Ladysmith
The Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC) and the Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program (CEP, Inc) received a $25,000 check from State Sen. Russ Decker (D-Weston) to help train workers in Ladysmith. The funds will be used to retrain out-of-work residents of Rusk County in a new skill. It will be used for Industrial Maintenance Programs like Basic Electric and Welding and Blue Print Reading. Decker noted that the funds are from the state budget passed earlier this year that was focused on job creation and worker training. "We made investments in job creation and worker training a priority in this budget to help get our economy moving forward again. The $25,000 check today for the Ladysmith Branch of Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College is part of that investment," said Decker. The budget passed by the State Senate included an additional $1.84 million to ensure that technical colleges had the funds they needed to train workers for new jobs. Technical colleges often work directly with local employers to provide training programs for skills needed to fill current job openings or future needs.
The Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board and CEP, Inc will be project partners in the training of dislocated workers in the county. Decker lauded WITC and CEP, Inc.as being fully prepared to help dislocated workers in northwest Wisconsin train for the jobs that employers will need to fill. With unemployment in Rusk County doubling in the past year, this grant will increase career educational opportunities for those in need. Jerilyn Dunlap, WITC-Ladysmith Branch manager, said that funds will be used to offer programs for students to earn Microsoft Office Computer certificates and Industrial Maintenance certificates, two skill areas that have been identified as a priority in preparation to meet employer needs. Other programs and certificates can also be completed in Ladysmith.
Photo and article courteousy of the Ladysmith News | |
