Workforce Today

E-Magazine    

A Publication for Businesses of Northwest Wisconsin

 

Fall 2012
 
Welcome to the Fall Edition of Workforce Today Magazine!

 

Greetings!

 

In this edition, NWWIB is pleased to announce that September is Workforce Development Month! NWWIB and CEP, Inc. have a number of employer and jobseeker events scheduled, including Fall Open Houses, a ribbon cutting at the Ashland CEP, Inc. Job Center's new location, Teachable Fit seminar for employers, and a Future of Healthcare in Northwest Wisconsin workshop.
 
NWWIB has also been making strides to raise public awareness about the impending cuts to workforce investment purposed under the Budget Control Act. An opinion piece about this issue was submitted and printed in some of our regional papers. The letter is included at the end of this newsletter.
 
Enjoy the articles and as always please let us know if there is a topic you are interested in!

 

Happy reading!

Mari Kay-Nabozny  

 

* If you wish to unsubscribe to this publication please use the link at the bottom of this page. 

Ashland CEP, Inc.Job Center Welcomes Public to New Location!

 

Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (CEP, Inc.) recently celebrated the opening of the Ashland Job Center's new location inside of the Ashland Area Enterprise Center. A ribbon cutting was performed by the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce. Pictured is Bradford Gingras, COO of CEP, Inc., and Mari Kay-Nabozny, CEO of NWWIB, Inc. Also present at the ceremony was 74th Assembly District Representative Janet Bewley, Mary Willett of Congressman Duffy's office, Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce staff and ambassadors, and community members. The ceremony was followed by an open house. 

Future of Healthcare in Northwest Wisconsin

 

What does the high performance of rural healthcare system look like? The Future of Healthcare in Northwest Wisconsin workshop is part of an effort to meet the workforce development needs of healthcare employers and increase the skilled labor supply for the healthcare industry. On October 4th, Jennifer Lundblad of the Rural Policy Research Institute will share her vision of the key approaches needed for a system that is not only affordable and accessible for all residents, but delivers high quality, high value services. The presentation will be part of a half-day workshop for area healthcare providers to be held at Hayward's Flat Creek Inn. The meeting will be from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM with lunch provided at no-charge to participants. Click here to register! 

Or, for more information, contact Pam Hayes, HealthCARE Project Manager, at [email protected]  or 715-682-9141, extension 118.

Workforce Development Month 

Northwest Wisconsin CEP, Inc. Staff

September is Workforce Development Month in Wisconsin! To celebrate this month and recognize the success of workforce staff, customers, partnerships, and collaborative efforts, NWWIB and CEP, Inc. are hosting Fall Open Houses, Ashland CEP, Inc. Job Center ribbon cutting, along with other employer events featured in this newsletter.

 

Fall Open Houses will be held at the new CEP, Inc. itinerant offices in Hayward and Ladysmith, each located at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College campus, and in Medford at the Northcentral Technical College campus. CEP, Inc. and NWWIB staff will be available to discuss jobseeker and employer services. Refreshments will be provided at these events. The Open House schedule is:

  • Hayward CEP, Inc. Itinerant Office: September 14th (Friday) 10:00 - 1:00 PM
  • Ladysmith  CEP, Inc. Itinerant Office: September 21st (Friday) 11:00 - 1:00 PM
  • Medford CEP, Inc. Itinerant Office:  September 21st (Friday) 11:00 - 1:00 PM

Teachable Fit: A Statewide Business Services Group Seminar 

 

 

Melanie Holmes, 
Keynote Speaker
One of the premiere Workforce Development Month events is the statewide video conferencing seminar by Melanie Holmes--Vice President, World of Work Solutions at Manpower, Inc.--presenting "Teachable Fit" on Thursday, September 27th from 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM. "Teachable Fit" is a concept that focuses on four questions:

 

1. What capabilities are essential to performing the job?
2. Which of these are teachable in an efficient way?
3. Is there adequate time and money to develop these capabilities in the candidate?
4. And do candidates have the capacity (both motivation and capability) to develop them?

Smart organizations are already adopting this approach, but typically in a limited and non-systematic way. As economies recover and more Baby Boomers retire, the challenges of building a sustainable talent pipeline are only going to increase. For more information on Teachable Fit, read the ManpowerGroup blog article.  Our keynote speaker will be performing a live video broadcast to all regions of Wisconsin. There will be great content as well as solutions related to the workforce skills and talent shortages that many of you face as well as a time for questions and answers.

 

Northwest Wisconsin employers can take advantage of this great opportunity by attending at the Ashland CEP, Inc. Administrative office located in the Ashland Area Development Center. Reserve your spot by contacting Carrie Miller, Focused Initiatives Manager, at 715-682-9141, extension 200, or [email protected]. RSVP deadline is September 25th.


The Long Road Ahead: Skills Gap Needs Local Solutions 

 

Thanks in part to numerous news articles, reports, and studies, most of the population is aware of the current workforce skills gap, both locally and nationally. While we may have a large labor pool available, many local employers struggle to find the skilled workers they need to grow their businesses. Two recent reports highlight the complexity of the systems in place to meet the skills gap challenge. As the Chief Executive Officer of the local workforce development region, I recognize local decision makers and flexibility of resources are essential to meeting the skills gap challenge for local employers and job seekers.

 

Tim Sullivan's report, The Road Ahead: Restoring Wisconsin's Workforce Development, outlines 15 recommendations for immediate action. As the former CEO of Bucyrus and the Governor's special consultant on economic and workforce development, Mr. Sullivan should 

solutions

be applauded for the journey he has taken to understand and help improve the wide-reaching workforce system. Based on our first-hand knowledge we know the employment landscape is ever changing.  With the growing presence of technology, globalization of work flow and boomers with vast experience getting ready to retire, new job requirements are in constant evolution. These factors require even more cooperation as Mr. Sullivan explains in his report.

 

The local Workforce Investment Board is charged with providing the coordination, distribution, and monitoring of job training resources in our ten-county area. We serve as the direct link between employers and job
 seekers. Our One-Stop Job Center system has proven to be an effective and efficient method for assisting job seekers with finding and retaining employment. We work closely with local and regional employers to assess workforce needs and provide tailored training programs to fill open positions. The local structure of the workforce development boards allows us to respond quickly to employers and get people the skills they need to get to work. Neither Madison nor Washington can provide this level of service to local employers and job seekers.

 

As noted in the recently published Public Policy Forum report, Wisconsin's Workforce Development System, Wisconsin's workforce funding streams are varied, mostly federal, and have their own unique funding criteria. At a local level, Workforce Investment Boards weave these funds together to maximize resources for our customers. However, these funds are limited and continue to shrink even in the face of mounting demands from employers and job seekers. Today, Northwest Wisconsin receives 33% less federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding than it did in 2005. As a result, the Workforce Investment Boards have learned to be more efficient and work together to coordinate services where possible.

 

We are now reaching a tipping point. Additional cuts to federal funding will impact our ability to provide the same level of service to our local employers and workforce. We encourage our congressional delegation to recognize the value of federal resources to our local community. I commend Mr. Sullivan's recommendation for a dedicated source of state funding for workforce development that requires a high level of transparency and accountability. This recommendation is crucial if we are to maintain a high level of service and meet local needs.

 

We are encouraged by the increased interest in workforce development by our governmental and business leaders. To close the current skills gap we all must become involved in addressing our current and future workforce needs. We look forward to deploying our network of training providers and employer partners to most effectively assess local needs and address the skills gap in our region. 
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Workforce Development Area #7 Regional Economic Data Summary!

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In This Issue
Teachable Fit Seminar
Future of Healthcare in Northwest Wisconsin
Workforce Development Month
Ashland CEP, Inc. Job Centers Welcomes Public to New Location
The Long Road Ahead: Skills Gap Needs Local Solutions
July 2012 Unemployment Data
Sullivan Report Summary
CEP, Inc. receives $112,973 OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant

July 2012 Data

For Wisconsin and the U.S. (Latest Numbers for Wisconsin and the U.S. are Seasonally Adjusted)

 

Unemployment Rate

NW WI: 8.1%

WI: 7.3%

US: 8.3%

 

Civilian Labor Force

NW WI: 92,998

WI: 3,067,915

US: 155,013,000

 

Number Employed

NW WI: 85,420

WI: 2,843,717

US: 142,220,000

 

Number Unemployed

NW WI: 7,578

WI: 224,198

US: 12,794,000

 

*NOTE THAT NW WI NUMBERS ARE NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED

Sullivan Report Summary

CWI

Tim Sullivan, former Bucyrus International Chairman and Chair of Wisconsin's Council on Workforce Investment, released a report addressing the skills gap and proposing ways to bridge the gaps. Some of the report's recommendations are: align around 9 economic development regions; coordinate workforce training at Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development; immediately implement real-time labor market information software;  overhaul Wisconsin's UI System, among others. For more information about the Sullivan Report, you can access the full report here or read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. 


WANT TO LEARN MORE?

 

county unemployment rates

 

 

 


Are you interested in 

learning more about the economic and workforce status of your county?  You can view the Department of Workforce Development's County Workforce Profiles here.

CEP, Inc. receives $112,973 OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant to launch Center for
Combustible Dust Safety and Health


CEP, Inc.  has received a grant for $112,973 from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration through the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. CEP, Inc. will use this grant to develop a Center for Combustible Dust Safety and Health to provide safety training, education, and assistance for rural workers and employers in wood product and other manufacturing industries.

CEP, Inc.'s Center for Combustible Dust Safety and Health will be located in Ashland and will serve 17 counties through northern Wisconsin. The Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Bay Area Workforce Development Board, and North Central Workforce Development Board serve employers in this region. The Center will combat the dangers of combustible dust with education and safety training to employers and workers in high-hazard manufacturing industries. This is a crucial training need as 31% of workers in the grant region earn a living through the manufacturing sector, which includes many companies producing wood products. Research has shown that wood dust causes more workplace injury and death
than any other combustible dust.

This grant will build upon the collaborative success of the pilot Susan Harwood Training Grant that CEP, Inc. received in 2010. The pilot grant provided funds for CEP, Inc. to explore and assess the safety training needs and barriers within the wood products manufacturing industry. The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program focuses on providing training and education funding for workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces, as well as inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act. Target audiences for Susan Harwood grants include small business employers and under-served, low-literacy workers in high-hazard industries.

Since 1978, over 1.8 million workers have been trained through this program. A total of 72 nonprofit organizations, community/faith-based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management  associations, and colleges and universities received funding for various projects.

For more information about the CEP, Inc. Center for Combustible Dust Safety and Health, please contact Carrie Miller, Focused Initiatives Manager, at 715-682-9141, ext. 200 or [email protected].

Chief Executive Officer NWWIB, Inc.