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President's Report
December 2010/January 2011
Issued January 27, 2011 |
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Rising to the Challenge New Year, New Opportunities
As a new year and new decade get underway, there are many reasons to be optimistic about Florida's future, even as we continue to respond to the challenges of a recession that has resulted in record unemployment in the Sunshine State and across the nation. The focus for Workforce Florida - and for our entire state workforce system - is unwavering. We are as committed as ever to helping Floridians get back to work and bolstering businesses that create jobs.
That focus now includes doing our part to advance Governor Rick Scott's 7-7-7 Plan and its goals for job growth and retention - restoring Florida to its place as a job-creation leader. We know that workforce quality is one of the most important factors for businesses looking to grow or relocate. We also want to continue to do all we can to ensure existing businesses in our state have a skilled workforce to remain competitive and retain important Florida jobs. Those objectives are clearly at the center of our state strategic plan for workforce development, Creating the Strategies for Today's Needs and Tomorrow's Talent.
They also are reflected in our work, as demonstrated in our new annual report delivered recently to the Governor and Legislature. I'll share a few highlights from the annual report later in this newsletter.
First, I want to express my gratitude to workforce-system professionals and leaders for their efforts in 2010 to respond to the workforce development needs of Floridians and businesses - from those on the front lines serving customers to our collaborative partners and the volunteer leaders in business, education, economic development and government, among others, who help govern our work. Thank you. This new year holds the promise of new opportunities to reinvigorate Florida's economy. I look forward to continuing our mission to help Floridians enter, advance and remain in the workforce while strengthening Florida's business climate.
Getting to Work on Governor Scott's Priorities
Workforce Florida's Executive Committee moved swiftly to respond to Governor Rick Scott's call to action through Executive Orders that he signed on Inauguration Day. Though applicable to state agencies directed by the Governor, Executive Orders 11-01, addressing fiscal accountability and regulatory reform; and 11-02, regarding verification of employment status, encourage other entities to take similar actions.
Consistent with Executive Order 11-01, Workforce Florida will submit any new contracts exceeding $1 million for review by the new Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform during the 90-day review period. Also consistent with Executive Order 11-02, Workforce Florida will use E-verify to confirm employment eligibility for new hires with a similar requirement for its contractors. The implementation of these new policies is now underway.
New Annual Report
Florida's workforce system has continued to rise to the challenges of some of the toughest economic times in our state's history. In our new annual report, we reflect on the strategies, services and resources used to address the employment and training needs of Floridians and businesses. This work takes many forms - from use of Florida's comprehensive online job-matching and talent development tool, the Employ Florida Marketplace at EmployFlorida.com, to the One-Stop Centers that serve job seekers and employers. Also integral to these efforts are Workforce Florida's own flagship and innovative grants and initiatives as well as workforce solutions directed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation and Florida's 24 Regional Workforce Boards. Critical to this work are our collaborative partnerships with education, business and industry and economic development.
At-a-glance in 2009-2010, our system:
- Assisted more than 2.9 million job seekers, providing them more than 40.6 million services
- Provided over 1 million services to nearly 33,000 businesses
- Helped place more than 434,000 people in jobs
- Trained more than 89,000 individuals
Responding to the Real-Time Needs of Florida Businesses
We are very excited about action taken recently by the Workforce Florida Business Competitiveness Council and full Board, which illustrates in a tangible and timely manner how Workforce Florida and the workforce system, working collaboratively with our K-12 education system, responds to the needs of Florida business. The Board recently approved three new certifications requested by industry to be added to the Comprehensive Industry Certification List, which Workforce Florida reviews, vets with industry and approves each year. This list is foundational to ensuring Florida's high school career academies maintain the rigor and relevancy needed to ensure our youth are work ready with industry-recognized credentials and prepared to enter the marketplace or continue their education. The three certifications -Certified Agriculture Technician, Biotechnician Assistant and Engineering Core Certification - were developed collaboratively with Florida industry and are garnering national attention.
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Governance
Congratulations to our New and Reappointed Board Members
Joining our Board to provide hands-on expertise and leadership are four new members representing business and education. We are delighted to welcome:
- William "Bill" Law of Clearwater, President, St. Petersburg College
- Violet Nikolici-Lowrey of Fort Lauderdale, Owner, A Plus Professional Resumes
- Linda Reiter of Miami, Educator, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
- Stanley "Britt" Sikes Jr. of Fort Lauderdale, Chief Executive Officer, US Imaging Solutions
In addition to the recent new appointments, eight Board members were reappointed:
- James "Jim" Baiardi of Miami, Vice President of Chapters, Florida Police Benevolent Association
- Daniel "Dan" Baldwin of New Port Richey, Management Consultant, Baldwin & Associates LLC
- Miguel Fuentes of Boynton Beach, Political Director, Florida Carpenters Regional Council
- Jennifer Grove of Pensacola, Workforce Development Coordinator, Gulf Power Company
- Benedict Grzesik of Melbourne, Certified Senior Human Resources Professional
- George Hauer of Merritt Island, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, L2 Aerospace
- Dwayne Ingram of Odessa, Lead Executive in North America, Amadeus
- Linda Sparks of Orange Park, Regional Executive Director, The Academy of Electrical Technology
As noted in our December news release announcing the appointments, the seasoned viewpoint brought by the reappointed members, along with the fresh perspectives of our new leaders, will strengthen our efforts to respond to the employment and training demands in our state today and in the future. Please join me in congratulating these members.
Fiscal Accountability Always at the Forefront
At their December meeting, the Board of Directors approved the results of Workforce Florida's annual financial audit conducted by James Moore & Co., P.L., for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. We are proud of the audit results, which include:
- An unqualified opinion on the financial statements, which fairly present the financial position of Workforce Florida for the year ending June 30
- No deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting were considered to be material weaknesses
- No instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported in accordance with Government Auditing Standards
- No disclosure of reportable conditions in internal control, in general
- No disclosure of reportable conditions in internal control over major Federal programs
- No findings related to the audit of federal awards or state projects in the prior fiscal year.
This latest report again demonstrates our commitment to fiscal accountability. I remain grateful for the dedication of our Board, staff, contractors and partners to ensuring that we carry out our important mission with a clear priority for maintaining fiscal integrity and the public trust. |
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Strategic Plan Update
Governor, Legislative Leaders Receive Update on Workforce Strategic Efforts
Recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as a national model, our strategic planning and implementation efforts remain at the forefront of everything we do. The strategic plan was developed as a broad, forward-thinking vision for strengthening our state's workforce now and in the decades to come. The plan is aligned with talent priorities of key collaborative partners such as Enterprise Florida Inc. (charged with developing the state's economic development plan) and the Florida Chamber Foundation (which is focused on building consensus and action toward a long-term vision for Florida). It also speaks directly to our need to strengthen our alignment and collaboration with education, which we have endeavored to do by working jointly with education and business partners to create a Talent Supply Chain Team for Florida. Performance and accountability also remain strong tenets of our strategic vision. That's why we are refining a new Dashboard to track and measure our implementation work and achievements as well as to identify lagging areas that need to be addressed.
We recently provided an update on our strategic efforts to the Governor and Legislature. The report highlights some of the exciting work underway including supply and demand analyses for targeted industry clusters, entrepreneurship training, industry cluster task forces and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) leadership as well as training for the long-term unemployed aimed at helping them gain new skills that improve their opportunities to find a job. The collective efforts in 2010 to begin implementing the strategic plan have provided a strong foundation for the work to come in 2011. |
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Supporting Collaborative Partnerships
Talent and Economic Development in Action
At the December meeting of the Workforce Florida Board, members were briefed on how Workforce Florida's efforts to deliver world-class service to target industries, through workforce development, are directly being linked to the economic development activities of Enterprise Florida. In particular, our investment and leadership on the talent development front is critical to the state's integrated approach to economic recovery and long-term growth for Florida, as highlighted by Enterprise Florida's Sena Black, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Intelligence, and Crystal Sircy, Senior Vice President Business Retention and Recruitment, in their presentation on delivering results in today's marketplace.
New Banner Centers Support Florida Key Industry Sectors
Three new Employ Florida Banner Centers are now getting underway through partnership and leadership within Florida's higher education community. The Employ Florida Banner Center for Creative Industries and the Employ Florida Banner Center for Financial and Professional Services are based at the University of North Florida. The Employ Florida Banner Center for Life Sciences is based at Palm Beach State College. That brings the total number of Banner Centers statewide to 13.
Banner Centers are designed to cultivate talent and support economic growth in high-skills, high-wage sectors. With industry, workforce, education and economic development all working together through postsecondary institutions and industry organizations, Banner Centers are able to address existing and emerging needs for talent development from entry-level to experienced workers. Floridians who received Banner Center training experienced an average wage increase of 21 percent within just one year of completing training.
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Workforce Readiness and Performance
An Up-Close Look at our Efforts to Train Florida Youth
It wasn't all business as usual at the December Board meeting. Thanks to the Youth Opportunities Committee and its Chair Buddy Streit, Workforce Florida's Board enjoyed another successful field experience. This time the Board took part in a half-day trip to learn more about our system's collective efforts to support the education, employment and training of Florida youth.
I think all who participated would agree that the highlight was meeting and hearing directly from a group of Florida teens who have participated in Workforce Florida-funded youth pilot initiatives. This experience, they shared, has led them to develop new skills and find employment. Perhaps most importantly, the experience instilled in each of them new confidence and optimism about their future. Most rewarding was their expressed commitment to using their experiences to help their peers. The field experience included a panel discussion at Chamberlain High School's Culinary Arts Academy, which has a dining area modeled after an Outback Restaurant and prepares students for culinary careers. We also toured Greco Middle School's STEM Academy. Since 2009, Workforce Florida has invested $8 million in funding to support pilot initiatives that enhance the skills, work readiness and employment of at-risk youth.
Front-line Workforce Staff Convene for Training, Share Best Practices
The need for new ideas, strategies and tactics among front-line workforce professionals has probably never been greater than it is today. Florida's workforce system has seen, in recent years, a dramatic increase in the volume of One-Stop Center customers, as increasing numbers of unemployed Floridians seek employment and training assistance.
In December, workforce professionals from around the state took part in the Super Hero Academy, a statewide workforce staff development summit presented by the Florida Workforce Development Association through training funds from Workforce Florida. The summit sought to help One-Stop Center staff increase efficiency and provide the high level of assistance customers need in today's challenging economy. Sessions included enhancing communication with customers and helping them develop clear steps to self-sufficiency, reaching the business community and creating and maintaining regional industry partnerships, among many others. The three-day academy was attended by more than 700 workforce professionals. One of the event's highlights was a recognition program during which awards were presented to two dozen front-line workforce professionals for their exemplary service to Florida. The awards provided workforce-system leaders with another opportunity to underscore how important talent is to the work we do every day in advancing our vision to develop a globally competitive workforce for Florida.
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Thank you for your commitment to creating a world-class workforce in Florida.
Sincerely,
Chris Hart IV
President/CEO
Workforce Florida, Inc. |
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| Workforce Snapshot | |
Florida's
Workforce:
9,245,000
Unemployment Rate:
12%
Job Growth:
Private Education and Health Services
Up 34,500
Leisure and Hospitality Up 33,900
Trade, Transportation and Utilities
Up 9,600
Other Services
Up 9,300 | |
Source: Florida Labor Market Statistics Center (December 2010 data) |
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