Greetings!
Welcome to the Winter Edition of the Workforce Today! In this issue, learn more about industry partnership events that have taken place over the past few months, including Mythbusting Manufacturing and Medical Discovery Days. This edition also includes information about a regional skills gap analysis survey to begin in January as well as local, regional, and national workforce development news.
Please let me know if you have questions on any of these articles or news items!
Mari Kay-Nabozny
* If you wish to unsubscribe to this publication please use the link at the bottom of this page.
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WORKFORCE INNOVATION & OPPORTUNITY ACT
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WISCONSIN FAST FORWARD GRANT: TRAINING FOR AGRICULTURE WORKERS & FARMERS
The Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board and the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin have recently received a Wisconsin Fast Forward Worker Training Grant. This grant award of $13,337 will provide training to 50 workers in northwest and south central Wisconsin. At a local level, the grant will provide training to 10 farmers in Ashland and Bayfield Counties in Agri Business. The goal of the training is to assist participating farmers in developing a plan to increase scale of their food production so they can participate in local food purchasing efforts targeted by the Chippewa Tribe and Northland College. In south central Wisconsin, the grant funding will be used to train 40 new workers at a meat processing facility in OSHA 10 and HACCP certifications. For more information about this initiative, please contact Mari Kay-Nabozny, CEO of NWWIB, at 715-682-9141, ext. 101 or mari@nwwib.com.
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PROGRAM YEAR 2013 ANNUAL REPORT: INVESTING IN WORKFORCE EXCELLENCE
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INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP EVENTS: MYTHBUSTING MANUFACTURING TOURS & MEDICAL DISCOVERY DAYS
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NTC welding student demonstrating welding techniques and giving high school students the opportunity to experience welding first hand during Mythbusting Manufacturing.
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Over the past few months, there have been two industry partnership events for youth showcasing regional high-growth sectors. Mythbusting Manufacturing Tours and Medical Discovery Days provide youth with a well-rounded picture of the manufacturing and healthcare industry career pathways and expose youth to careers and training available regionally. Event partners included Northwest Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Northcentral Technical College, Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, and regional businesses.
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High school students getting hands on experience during the first session of Medical Discovery Days at WITC.
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NORTHWEST WISCONSIN UNEMPLOYMENT REPORT
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 | | WDA 7 October Unemployment Rate |
This report, created by Thomas Michels, Labor Market Economist, Office of Economic Advisors - Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, provides insight into the unemployment rate for the 10 County region served by NWWIB. The data pictured above and below is for the month of October. All data in the report is not seasonally adjusted. For the full report, click here!
 | | US October Unemployment Rate |
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SKILLS GAP ANALYSIS SURVEY TO BE CONDUCTED IN NORTHWEST WISCONSIN
Beginning January 2015, a skills gap analysis survey will be conducted in a ten county region in northwest Wisconsin, including Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn counties. The survey will identify the current and future needs of employers and the skills possessed by the available and upcoming workforce. The final product will be a report highlighting current and potential future skill and talent gaps within targeted industries.
The Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (NWWIB) has contracted with the University of Wisconsin - Superior's Department of Business and Economics to conduct the survey. Other project partners include Visions Northwest, a nine county economic development region, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, who provided the funding to for the regional skills gap analysis.
"As I travel the region and speak with businesses, sometimes a troubling theme is evident according to business owners - that workers don't have the skills that employers need," said Mari Kay-Nabozny, CEO of the NWWIB. "While the skills gap is a challenging problem, this report will drive the development of data-driven strategies for narrowing it. This information will help us bolster targeted growth industries, including manufacturing and health services, to produce high quality, sustainable jobs in northwest Wisconsin."
The survey will target employers to find out why businesses find it difficult to fill certain positions. The University of Wisconsin - Superior will compile results of the employer survey and identify potential solutions on how to better train workers in the skill sets required by businesses. The final report will include a skills gap analysis and possible implications for economic and workforce development. The report will be released June 2015.
Regional targeted industries to be included in the survey are:
- Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
- Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
- Educational Services
- Health Care and Social Assistance
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Accommodation and Food Services
- Management of Companies and Enterprises
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
- Wholesale Trade
- Finance and Insurance
- Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
- Transportation and Warehousing
- Other Services (except Public Administration)
- Manufacturing
- Public Administration
For more information about the skills gap analysis survey, please contact Mari Kay-Nabozny, CEO of the NWWIB, at 715-682-9141, ext. 101 or mari@nwwib.com.
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2014 OCTOBER
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
NW WI: 5.3%*
WI: 5.4%
US: 5.8%
WDA 7 Counties:* Ashland: 6.3% Bayfield: 6.0% Burnett: 5.7% Douglas: 4.8% Iron: 8.0% Price: 4.0% Rusk: 5.1% Sawyer: 6.4% Taylor: 4.3% Washburn: 5.2%
*Numbers are not seasonally adjusted |
SAVE THE DATE: 2015 NORTHWEST WISCONSIN BUSINESS CONFERENCE!
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UPCOMING REGIONAL EVENTS
Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board Meeting
Thursday, December 18th - 10:30 - 12:00 PM
Lakewoods Resort & Lodge - Cable, WI
*For more details, contact Jennifer Decker @ jdecker@nwcep.org or 715-682-9141, ext. 113
Employer Workshop: 4 Free Tools You Need to Know as a Small Business Owner
Thursday, January 8th - 10:30-11:30 AM
Thursday, February 12th - 10:30-11:30 AM
Thursday, March 12th - 10:30-11:30 AM
All workshops take place at the CEP, Inc. Admin Office - Ashland, WI
*Contact Melissa Burris @ mburris@nwcep.org or 715-682-9141, ext. 122 to register or learn about other workshop dates and times
Transportation Industry MeetingTuesday, January 27th
*For more information, contact Tasha Hagberg @ thagberg@nwcep.org or 715-635-2175
Manufacturing Industry Meeting
Early January - TBA
*For more information, contact Skyler Dural @ sdural@nwcep.org or 715-762-2477
DivaTechWednesday, February 11th WITC - Superior Campus This fun and educational event will expose female students (grades 9th-12th) to non-traditional careers in manufacturing and IT *For more info, please contact Suzannah Crandall @ scrandall@nwcep.org or 715-682-9141, ext. 119
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Northwest Wisconsin Healthcare Network Development Initiative
The Northwest Wisconsin Healthcare Network Development Initiative is a one year initiative funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. This initiative aims to develop a formal network of regional healthcare providers, workforce development organizations, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to collaborate on: Identifying challenges, strengths and resources of area communities and network members, and developing a 3-Year Network Strategic Plan that draws on the collective knowledge of member organizations and includes workforce strategies that will add value to the regional healthcare system. For information, click here!
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ON-THE-JOB TRAINING REPORT
NWWIB and CEP, Inc. are focusing their efforts on ensuring that On-the-Job Training (OJT) contracts are being used by employers in our region as a training tool.
The information below is for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) OJT contracts written since July 1, 2014 thru November 30, 2014.
The Health Career and Regional Employment (HealthCARE) Project OJT contract information listed below is for the project's third year of the grant (including contracts written between April 1, 2014 thru November 30, 2014) and includes the entire grant region, including the Fox Valley and North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Boards.
OJT Contracts Written
WIA - 30
HealthCARE Project - 167 Average Hourly Wage WIA - $12.00 HealthCARE Project -$21.22 Average Reimbursement (Rate/Average Cost) WIA - $6.00/$1,852.38 HealthCARE Project - $12.49/$4,873.49 Training Hours WIA - 312 HealthCARE Project - 415
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