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November 2010Vol 2,  Issue 11
Greetings!  

The NewsWIB this month features the SWORWIB'S 2009-2010 Annual Report, which includes reviews of historical data as well as data from the past year.

We highlighted the decade because it was about 10 years ago that the State of Ohio began implementation of the Workforce Investment Act as the "Ohio Option." For several years, the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County operated separate job centers, and the leaders of the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Policy Board -- our name under the state plan -- worked to implement WIA more effectively within the City and County. In 2003, several urban counties in Ohio withdrew from the state's "option" and formed stand-alone Workforce Investment Boards in urban centers.   

In 2004, the City and County entered an agreement to operate a joint one-stop -- the Super Jobs Center on Central Parkway -- to serve employers and job seekers. Data on outcomes began to be collected on a combined basis. Our purchase of the G*Stars data-collection system in 2006 allowed us to measure results even more reliably.

It's been a challenging decade, especially recently as the Great Recession disrupted our regional economy, leading to the layoffs of tens of thousands of people throughout our region. Charts on Page 9 indicate how demand for our services spiked dramatically beginning in 2008.

SWORWIB 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT
2009-2010 Annual Report 

In the face of such difficult times, we're happy to report that SuperJobs placed more than 2,100 people into jobs in 2009-10 -- and more than 14,000 since 2004. We served more than 13,000 job seekers this past year -- and almost 100,000 since 2004. We enrolled 506 people into training -- and more than 3,000 since 2004. We have served hundreds of businesses during this time as well. This represents an enormous commitment.

Throughout the decade, our SWORWIB has provided tremendous cooperation and leadership supported by the commitment and dedication by our volunteers, contractors, staff, and City and County leaders. As the next decade is upon us, we are positioned to serve job seekers and employers -- and like everyone, we hope for a better economy that returns our community to stability and growth.  Looking forward, we ask that you join us to continue this good work and support our initiatives:

n  Employers First Regional Workforce Consortium. Its innovation grant of $250,000 is allowing us to better identify the workforce needs of the Tri-State's employers.

n   Construction Clubs at Local Middle Schools.  As students work with professionals on multiple projects, they discover that construction careers can be an exciting and fulfilling choice.

n  Economic Development Linkages.  Regardless of the outcome of our collaboration with the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber for an Early Warning Retention Services grant, we are connecting better and more broadly with the economic development community on many regional efforts.

Our mission is to create, develop, and maintain a comprehensive workforce development system that engages the entire community toward ever-increasing levels of self-sufficiency. As funding tightens, we have to constantly look for innovative ways to make that happen, and your commitment to what we do is even more important and appreciated. 

Sincerely,

 

SHERRY KELLEY MARSHALL

PRESIDENT/CEO