Governance
Board Approves Budget, Lays Foundation for Innovative
Workforce Solutions
Despite the economic challenges we all are facing today, it
continues to be an exciting time at Workforce Florida! That excitement, along with
optimism about the bright future ahead for Florida, contributed to the upbeat
atmosphere during last week's quarterly
Workforce Florida Board of Directors meeting for several reasons. For starters, Chair
Belinda Keiser shared her vision for how Florida's
workforce system will meet and exceed its charge. Priority No. 1 remains getting
unemployed Floridians back to work.
With an emphasis on jobs, innovation, partnership and accountability,
Chair Keiser issued several challenges. Among them, she called on regional
workforce boards to improve business use of the Employ Florida Marketplace at
EmployFlorida.com as well as the many other
workforce-system services and resources available at the local level to support
Florida
companies. She also highlighted her increased emphasis on services for military
veterans and their families as well as support for Florida's rural communities to create new
opportunities for economic growth. She urged state and local workforce partners
to strengthen partnerships and to resist working in silos. Chair Keiser also
underscored the need for continuing innovation in the workforce system and
strong alignment with economic development and education. She reaffirmed her
own commitment to ensuring Florida
workforce issues are understood in Washington,
D.C., which is critical given
that our system is largely federally funded. Other important goals for Chair
Keiser include the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization and improving
the flow of federal dollars returned to our state for workforce services to
develop the world-class talent Florida
needs to compete globally. Finally, she called on the board and workforce
system partners to join her in making Florida's
nationally recognized workforce system even more accountable, transparent and
responsive.
As is customary, the budget takes center stage at our May
meeting, laying the foundation for the new fiscal year that starts July 1. The board
allocated
$307 million in new funding for the workforce system -- 26 percent more than last year, due to an increase in
our annual federal funding. About 87 percent of that -- $268.9 million -- will go
directly to the state's 24 regional workforce boards. Of the remaining 13
percent, or about $37.9 million,
nearly $9 million will be directed to statutorily required commitments. The remainder will go toward initiatives including
Employ Florida Banner Centers,
the aerospace transition from the
Shuttle to the Constellation program, rural
initiatives, regional performance incentives and
several other workforce investments,
among other related expenses.
In my own report to the board, I recapped Workforce Florida
highlights from the tough legislative session that ended May 12, previewed some of the budget recommendations from Workforce
Florida's staff for the new fiscal year and walked through an update of some of
our newest initiatives such as the Employ Florida Healthcare Workforce
Initiative and Global Trade Training as well as our tried-and-true talent tools
including Quick Response Training and Incumbent Worker Training grants. I also outlined a timetable for our strategic planning
process for the new five-year State Strategic Plan for Workforce Development as
well as our alignment with and participation in planning for the new
Roadmap to Florida's Future, the state's economic development
plan. Of special emphasis and consistent with Chair Keiser's vision are the
efforts by Workforce Florida to ensure that our workforce system is not only
meeting today's needs, but also investing in talent development that will
position Florida to seize new economic opportunities on the horizon.
We also were thrilled to hear from Eric Eikenberg, Governor Charlie
Crist's Chief of Staff. Eric joined us to bring a message from the Governor,
who regrettably had a late-scheduled Everglades
tour with the U.S. Interior Secretary that precluded his planned participation
in our meeting. Eric recognized the work of Workforce Florida's Sustainability and Infrastructure
Committee to help
define green jobs in Florida's economy.
Particularly, he noted the importance of such work in turning the bold vision
of Governor Crist for energy efficiency, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
and increased reliance on alternative and renewable energy technologies into a
reality for Florida.
Eric also outlined
the Governor's focus on K-12 education and its important role in ensuring Florida graduates have
the education, training and skills -- all critical aspects of talent -- needed to
optimize our state's workforce and economy.
Finally, another highlight of the jam-packed agenda was the
presentation by Florida Stimulus Czar Don Winstead, who also sits on Workforce
Florida Board as a designee. Don provided
a
comprehensive and contextual overview of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).From a historical perspective spanning back to the bill's
origination in Washington, Winstead explained the ARRA's overall budgetary
impact on Florida and as well as a narrowed focus on workforce-related funding,
highlighting the Governor's commitment to fiscal integrity, transparency and
accountability in implementing the ARRA in Florida. As implementing the ARRA is
now an additional measure of the workforce system's efficiency, effectiveness
and overall success, Workforce Florida continues to work on several fronts with
Don and the
Florida Office of Economic Recovery to ensure that as we deploy these funds throughout
the system to support individuals looking to re-enter and advance in the
workforce, we continue to keep these important tenets visible and in practice.
