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issue 13 - FEBRUARY 2007 |
kathy.sweeney@state.mn.us |
In this Issue:
- Demand-Driven Training is Completed
- WIBs and Partners Make Great Strides in 2005-2006; More Challenges Ahead
- Nearly 57,000 Customers Registered with Minnesota’s WFCs
- Nearly 4,000 Minneapolis Students Use New Career and College Centers
- Northland Works Project
- WIB and partners learn about Industry Clusters; Cluster Strategy to Enhance Workforce Development
- WFC Customers Get On-site PC Training, Thanks to Collaboration in Worthington
- Minnesota Launches Online Economic Development Tool; Nation's Best Site Selection Database Compares Minnesota to Other States
- Important News: National Level
- Important News: State and Community Level
- Questions about Sector Strategies
Demand-Driven Training is Completed
By Workforce Development Director Bonnie Elsey, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
The final Demand-Driven Training for all Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) field and HQ staff and Workforce Service Area partners was held on January 25. I hope this training has helped you better understand the driving forces behind our strategic plan for the Workforce Development division, and sparked some ideas on how we can implement and support a demand-driven workforce development system.
The final Demand-Driven Training for all Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) field and HQ staff and Workforce Service Area partners was held on January 25. I hope this training has helped you better understand the driving forces behind our strategic plan for the Workforce Development division, and sparked some ideas on how we can implement and support a demand-driven workforce development system.
For those of you who could not take part in the training, I want to make sure that you understand the term "demand-driven” – or “market-driven” in the private sector. In a nutshell, a demand-driven system means that the needs of businesses drive the information and services we provide to job seekers.
In future issues, I will be informing you of specific initiatives underway to help us in shifting to a demand-driven system. In this issue, I would like to highlight one aspect of our plan – initiating sector strategies throughout the state. A sector strategy brings regional business, education, workforce, and economic development organizations together to support the workforce needs of a key industry. The goal is to identify common solutions for businesses in a specific industry with similar issues to ensure we are not duplicating our efforts. This can often be accomplished by working with industry associations that represent specific issues or business groups within the same industry. This does not preclude working with individual businesses.
Dan McElroy, Kathy Sweeney and I, along with other state agency leaders, are engaged in dialogue with the National Governor's Association Academy for Sectoral Development to create sector strategies in Minnesota. DEED and our Adult Basic Education and Carl Perkins partners have pooled our WIA Incentive resources with technical assistance from the Governor's Workforce Development Council to provide grants to regional leaders to plan and/or implement sector strategies. Go to www.gwdc.org for information on sector strategy development workshops being held in Minnesota. The National Center for Education and the Economy has selected three WorkForce Service Areas – WSA 5 Central MN, WSA 6 Southwest, WSA 17 Stearns-Benton – to work together on regional industry sector strategies.
What does this mean to you? If you work in a WorkForce Center, you may have access to more precise information on the workforce needs of a key industry sector that could be used to help job seekers in a new way. Local Workforce Investment Boards may choose to target specific industries for program resources. At the state office, planning guides and monitoring efforts could focus on industry sectors in addition to traditional programmatic approaches. DEED directors and managers will continue to be engaged in sector strategies.
I am looking forward to working with you as we move forward!
WIBs and Partners Make Great Strides in 2005-2006; More Challenges Ahead
By Trish Taylor
Because my term has ended as the chair of the Minnesota Workforce Council Association, this is the last of my scheduled WIB NEWs columns. I have appreciated the opportunity to serve as your chair.
During the last two years our association has achieved the following goals:
• Developed a process for nominating and disseminating best practices. (Go to http://www.mncounties3.org/mwca/MWCA%202006%20Best%20Practices%20Information.pdf for the MWCA 2006 best practices recognition information);
• Improved access to relevant webinars and teleconferences so that more WorkForce Investment Board (WIB) members and Workforce Service Area (WSA) staff can access training without having to travel;
• Expanded our library of DVDs and other training materials;
• Increased the participation of WIB members in the Governor’s Workforce Development Council Committees as well as in work with the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and the Job Skills Partnership Board;
• Expanded partnerships with Adult Basic Education, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and economic development organizations, so that collectively we can better serve Minnesota’s businesses and job seekers; and
• Improved services for small business development and incumbent worker training.
But we continue to face many challenges and must continue working together to:
• Communicate with federal and state legislators to make sure they realize the return on investment of our services;
• Engage our local elected officials in the leadership of our Workforce Investment Boards;
• Improve our coordination with K-12, Adult Basic Education and post-secondary institutions to better serve career development needs, job seekers, incumbent workers and businesses;
• Grow resources for workforce development;
• Improve our services; and
• Strive to be national leaders.
We should continue to disseminate best practices so that others can learn from us, as well as seek best practices from others. Applying for recognition of our efforts should also be encouraged.
I would like to recognize each individual who serves on the 16 WIBs in Minnesota. During the last two years I have visited each WIB and have seen the unique contributions you are making to our communities. Thank you again for the warm greetings I received during each visit.
Thank you also to the Governor’s Workforce Development Council and its committees, as well as DEED.
I appreciate the Governor’s Workforce Development Council and its committees for including participation of local staff and WIB members in your work and listening to our opinions as you prepare recommendations to policy makers.
I commend DEED and our other partners for their dedication. DEED assisted in paying for my travel expenses: I traveled 13,000 miles in Minnesota over the last two years! I am pleased that DEED listened to us. We now have the business services initiative in place, plus improved services for small businesses.
A huge thank you goes to the Workforce Service Area directors for your wisdom and knowledge. I knew that I could count on you. You gave me confidence to push forward.
I especially send thanks to my home WIB, Central Minnesota, for the support you gave me to “step up to the plate.” Without Barb Chaffee I would not have taken on this leadership role. Barb, I cannot thank you enough.
To my family, thanks for your support that freed me to devote my time to leading this effort.
Hats off to each of you!
Nearly 57,000 Customers Registered with Minnesota’s WFCs
New Customer Registration System Tracks Customer Data Statewide
How many people visit the Resource Area of your WorkForce Center each month? What are their reasons for visiting? How many of these visits are repeat visits? The WorkForce Center System Customer Registration System (CRS), an electronic data collection and reporting system, now answers these questions. And the recent results are now in: During April-September 2006, the first six months of full operation, 56,700 customers (unduplicated count) registered on the CRS at WorkForce Centers throughout Minnesota.
“With CRS, we can now provide more comprehensive data to legislators, WIBs, local and state management, and other constituents,” said David Niermann, director of WorkForce Center Coordination, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. “I believe that local and state leaders can make more informed operational and strategic decisions with the information provided by CRS.”
Facts About Resource Area Customers
• Only a small percentage of the Resource Area customers also receive intensive services and training services.
• Only 15 percent of Resource Area customers are enrolled in eligibility-based programs.
• Two-thirds of Resource Area customers use Minnesota’s Job Bank.
• About 45 percent of customers use Resource Area computers only one time.
• Customers who use Resource Area computers more than once average eight to nine sessions at the computers.
• Over 50 percent of seminar attendees attend just one seminar during the year; another 35 percent attend between two to seven seminars.
Process of Receiving Customer Information
On their first visit to the Resource Area, customers register in CRS by providing demographic information (including birth date), and receive a User ID. CRS uses a customer’s User ID to record information about the customer’s use of services and reasons for visiting the Resource Area.
WorkForce Center managers and staff can generate CRS reports that summarize information about use of Resource Areas and attendance at seminars.
How to Obtain Reports
To obtain reports about the usage of WorkForce Centers in your area, contact your local WorkForce Center management team.
Nearly 4,000 Minneapolis Students Use New Career and College Centers
The Minneapolis Workforce Investment Board (and its WSA) is working in collaboration with Minneapolis schools, Achieve!Minneapolis (www.achieveminneapolis.org), and other sources of funds to provide quality career and college centers in each Minneapolis high school. All seven high schools now feature a Career and College Center, as well as two alternative schools. Minneapolis Employment and Training Program (METP) Youth Programs - Workforce Service Area (WSA 10) supports two of the nine Career and College Centers.
Between February 1 – June 30, 2006, nearly 4,000 Minneapolis students attending the Henry and Washburn High Schools took advantage of the services provided by these new centers. Of these, 1,893 of the students attended Henry High School with the remainder from Washburn High School.
“What makes these centers unique is their ability to centralize the services that high school youth need to advance while in school and more importantly, beyond high school,” said Anne Fischer, coordinator of METP’s (WSA 10) Youth Programs. This is important because a workforce shortage is expected by 2015, when Minnesota is projected to produce fewer workers than the number needed to replace retirees (baby boomers).
As an intermediary, Achieve!Minneapolis brings together schools, businesses, the WIB/WSAs in support of developing the workforce in Minneapolis. Achieve! Minneapolis is coordinating the fundraising and managing the project. Each year they must ensure that they have the appropriate funding to operate the program which is currently running at over $2 million per year.
Grand Opening of New Centers
Recently, there was a grand opening of the centers at the Roosevelt High School featuring such dignitaries as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. Speakers noted the urgency of the mission of such centers and the need to collaborate to help (improve career and college planning for) what Mayor Rybak called “this most valuable generation of Minneapolis youth.”
The centers are focusing on helping students who need assistance with determining how they can plan their career and what schooling they need to move to that point because they are often ignored, according to organizers. Most often these are youth who are academically “in the middle.”
Program Objectives
The objectives of the program are:
Provide career and college planning as part of the curriculum through academic courses and an advisory system and graduation requirement (to be secured) so that all students have a life plan developed.
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Provide access to a well equipped Career and College Center in each Minneapolis high school.
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Provide access to relevant work-based learning (e.g. job shadowing, internships) to support career exploration.
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Coordinate and build on existing community-based programs about career and college planning.
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Provide advising, coaching and mentoring to assist students in making informed choices about career and college plans.
Services Students Have Used
Thus far, students at the Henry and Washburn high schools have benefited from receiving general information about career planning and exploration, filled out interest surveys, used equipment and technology donated by the 4 XL Kevin Garnett Foundation, attended a career fair, and used other resources for career research. To prepare for their post-secondary education, students have received general information on colleges, prepared and signed up or taken the ACT/SAT exam, conducted research on colleges, researched or applied for financial aid and scholarships, filled out college applications, and visited with college representatives, thanks to the centers. But that’s not all. The students have also benefited by using a web-based tool called “My Life Plan,” visited classes, discovered the military as a life/career option, taken on summer jobs and participated in other career exploration and summer programs.
Students Use the Centers in Large Numbers for a Variety of Purposes
At Washburn and Henry high schools, students connected to the centers in October 2006 for:
Career /information/research |
300 |
College information/research |
574 |
Financial aid/scholarship information/research |
8 |
Jobs/work |
31 |
Orientation to Career & College Center |
88 |
Other |
141 |
Total for month |
1,142 |
“We’re very pleased with the first year of this project and we look forward to continued participation in the collaboration and ultimately, success for Minneapolis youth,” said Fischer. “We are committed to the program and will continue to use our local funds to support it.”
From the Duluth WorkForce Council and Northland Works Task Force Chair
Northland Works Project: Successful Collaboration Moves Forward with Site Redesign and OutreachBy Kevin C. Snyder
[Editor’s note: Kevin C. Snyder is the director of human resources for the W.P. & R.S. Mars Company]
Thanks to its public relations and advertising campaign, the Northland Works project (www.thenorthlandworks.org), is reaching increasing numbers of job seekers and career explorers since it was launched in November 2005. The project, which covers northwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota, informs students, parents, teachers, employers and others about the coming baby boomer retirements in the Northland, and lets them know that high quality jobs are becoming available.
Recently an exciting achievement took place: The Duluth City Council voted unanimously on a resolution to partner with the Duluth Workforce Council in forming a Workforce Strategy Task Force. Our partnership’s mandate is to study the economic impact of the large number of baby boomer retirements to Duluth and report our results to the Duluth City Council by the end of 2007. You can read the complete resolution at http://www.ci.duluth.mn.us/city/council/resord07/07-0049r.htm.
But the partnership is only one way we are getting out the word about the 75,000 good jobs becoming available in the Northland.
This fall the Northland Works task force launched an advertising campaign to reach out to job seekers and career explorers. Click here to see the details
Since the response was fantastic, we launched the second phase of our advertising campaign featuring three 15-second TV advertisements through our local CBS and NBC affiliate KBJR. You can check out the commercials by clicking on the ads shown on our home page (www.thenorthlandworks.org) or visit www.youtube.com.
We also formed a speakers’ bureau that includes task force members Don Hoag (Duluth Workforce Manager, City of Duluth); Matt Schoeppner (Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development - DEED); Michelle Ufford (Northeast Minnesota Workforce Investment Board); Brad Gingras, Andrew Lisak and Roger Wistricill (all of Northwest Minnesota Rural CEP, Inc.); and me. Our group has made presentations to schools, the Duluth City Council, and other leaders in the community. Presentations continue to be scheduled and we will be busy in the months to come.
The number of visits to our web site is steadily increasing. The site reached a record number of hits on January 16, the day the Duluth City Council resolution was passed.
We’ve made many improvements to our web site.
To inform job seekers and career explorers about the jobs becoming available now and what occupations will need the most workers, our web site features “Hot Jobs” for the Northland. It contains the top-ranked occupations based on DEED’s labor market projections.
The job search page is top ranked in popularity followed by the page containing current and future “hot jobs” for the Northland.
We’ve expanded our web site’s focus to include living and working in the Northland.
It features pages on affordable housing, child care, K-12 education, and post-secondary educational options. Each page has links to local realtors, day-care centers, and school districts.
Under “Northland Living,” visitors can find links to the Northland’s chambers of commerce, hotels and inns, restaurants, and special events. Young people can now make better, more informed decisions about their economic future.
We know that visitors to the web site have come from all over the world. (A recent example is a job seeker from Brisbane, Australia who used the site to find work as a bricklayer.) Progress is being made.
The Northland Works Task Force, which is made up of local business leaders, educators and workforce development professionals from Northwest Minnesota Rural CEP, Inc. and DEED, has done a great job in making this all happen.
For more background on the Northland Works project you can check out my first column in the WIB NEWS at http://www.mnwfc.org/WIBnews/Feb2006.htm#six
I encourage you to visit our web site and contact me if you have any questions or comments at ksnyder@marssupply.com.
WIB and Partners Learn about Industry Clusters; Cluster Strategy to Enhance Workforce Development
About 70 Workforce Investment Board members, partners and staff participated in a 50-hour training seminar to learn how a cluster (or grouping of inter-related industries) strategy will help workforce development boards across the state leverage community resources to improve services to key businesses.
“We need to look across industry to plan broad workforce development strategies,” said Bonnie Elsey, director, Division of Workforce Development, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The ultimate goal, she says, is to improve the local and regional business environment, support the performance of existing firms, and attract new enterprises that can offer good-paying jobs.
As a result of the training, more than 16 field studies on key regional industries in Minnesota have been completed. The studies provide a framework that will be used for sector development work in the months ahead.
“It will be very applicable to what I will do,” said Joan Danielson, regional administrator for Central Minnesota, DEED, who participated in the training as well as in a study about the printing industry in the St. Cloud area. “It’s given us new ways of looking at business needs. An important part of the process was listening to the businesses that need skilled workers and understanding how educational institutions are currently meeting their needs.”
Partly as result of the study, the local trade association for printing and area training providers are developing a stronger bond so that the most up-to-date curriculum will be offered by local technical colleges. This is important because the technology for the printing industry is changing rapidly.
The training centered on Harvard Business School economist Michael Porter’s idea of a “diamond of competitive advantage” as the key to an industry customer’s success. The four components are factor conditions, which include resources which all participants in a cluster benefit from, such as skilled workforce and local educational institutions; demand conditions that encourage an industry cluster to innovate to stay on the leading edge; related and supporting suppliers that form a supportive network for all companies in the cluster; and firms’ strategies that promote both strategic cooperation and friendly rivalry.
(For more details on Porter and his work go to http://dor.hbs.edu/fi_redirect.jhtml?facInfo=bio&facEmId=mporter&loc=extn).
The instructors of the course, taught through the case study method developed by Porter, were Senior Fellow Lee Munnich, Jr. and former Senior Fellow Zbigniew Bochniarz, Humphrey Institute of the University of Minnesota. The course was held in St. Cloud, St. Paul, and Mankato locations to allow for participation of staff across the state.
(Source: Humphrey News Institute News, December 2006 issue)
WFC Customers Get On-Site PC Training, Thanks to Collaboration in Worthington
The WorkForce Center in Worthington has teamed up with the Community Education Department and the Adult Basic Education (ABE) unit of the Worthington Public Schools to offer fundamental computer skills training to its customers. Already 26 customers have attended one of two 40-hour training sessions, which were launched September 21. A similar collaboration is taking place in Marshall.
Customers of the WorkForce Centers typically are referred to training offered elsewhere, such as community education programs or technical colleges, to learn the fundamentals.
“As a placement professional, I have seen a rather dramatic increase in the need for computer skills in the workplace, particularly in the last three to five years,” said Kurt Lintelman, DEED – Rehabilitation Services, who places persons with disabilities in jobs in the community. “Yet about one in five customers comes to the Worthington WorkForce Center without basic skills to use a computer.”
Lintelman said that even entry level jobs – like being a fast food server or being a housekeeper in a hospital – increasingly require some PC skills to be successful.
For example, a local hospital recently installed a patient tracking system which must be used by all staff members who work with patients. As a result, food service staff, housekeeping staff, nurses and doctors all must know how to use the terminal outside each patient’s room which is connected to the new system.
Most fast food restaurants now have ordering and cash register systems that also require knowledge of the fundamentals. Even cooking a hamburger may require the use of an automated system that controls the grilling mechanism.
The fundamentals – keyboarding, the Windows Operating System and word processing – are taught in two formats, with one designed for the one-third of attendees who speak English as a second language. The goal is to make the training accessible to all customers, according to Lintelman.
The WorkForce Center’s staff members provide the computer labs for the training and support the registration of attendees. (Six PCs came available at the WorkForce Center after newer ones were provided by DEED.) The curriculum and the instructors are provided by the Worthington ABE and Community Education program.
Lintelman says that word has spread in the community about the value of the training. Already there is a waiting list of nearly 50 people for the popular classes.
“We’ve shown there is a need, and that with some teamwork, we can move people forward in their capability in operating the computer,” said Lintelman.
He noted that many of the course attendees have moved on to take jobs in and around Worthington.
“I wish we could devote even more resources to this effort,” he said.
Minnesota Launches Online Economic Development Tool; Nation's Best Site Selection Database Compares Minnesota to Other States
Compare Minnesota, the most detailed and comprehensive profile of the state’s economy and population compiled anywhere, is available online at www.compareminnesota.com.
The searchable online database features new and updated information on the state’s business climate, major industries, economic performance, labor, innovation, energy, taxes and Minnesota’s renowned quality of life.
Compare Minnesota is an ideal tool for companies considering startups, expansions and relocations, as well as workforce development professionals, business analysts, economic development professionals and others looking for statistical data comparing Minnesota to other states.
“Compare Minnesota offers a distinct advantage over other states by providing customized information on demand,” said Commissioner Dan McElroy of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The database allows users to compare Minnesota to a single state or collection of states based on a wide variety of economic indicators. The database can be used free of charge and will be maintained and updated continually as new data is available.
Important News: National Level
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has Rural Business Opportunity grants up to $150,000. Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, Rural Economic Area Partnerships and Indian Tribes are eligible. The deadline is March 30. Contact Cindy Mason, (202) 690-1433 for more information or visit www.usda.gov.
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Rural Communities program has a terrific website (http://www.iatp.org/ruralcommunities/) and newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter listserv at http://lists.iatp.org/listarchive/subscriptions.cfm.
Rural Employment At A Glance, a six-page brochure that highlights the most recent indicators of employment and unemployment in rural areas, is now available. It documents changes and differences in employment growth, unemployment, earnings per job, and occupational mix, as well as differences across non-metro areas by location and county type. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB21/
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposes major WIA and Wagner-Peyser Act regulatory changes. The U. S. Department of Labor has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement several major policy changes to the Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser Act Regulations. The changes proposed in the December 20, 2006, Federal Register notice address some long-standing issues that have arisen under the current WIA regulations. Comments on the proposed changes must be in writing and must be received on or before February 20, 2007. For a copy of the Federal Register notice, go to:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net:80/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-21766.htm.
GAO issues a report on employers' use of one-stops. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report on employers' use of the One-Stop Career Centers. The report, entitled, Workforce Investment Act: Employers Found One-Stop Centers Useful in Hiring Low-Skilled Workers; Performance Information Could Help Gauge Employer Involvement, found that regardless of size, employers completing the GAO survey hired a small percentage of their employees through one-stops, and two-thirds of those they hired were low-skilled. Many employers said they only hired low-skilled workers because they thought the labor available from the one-stops was mostly low-skilled. Employers said that they would hire more job seekers from the one-stop labor pools if they had the skills for which they were looking.
Most employers said that they used the center’s job posting service, and that they were unaware of many of the other services available to them.
GAO recommended that the Secretary of Labor follow through with plans to collect information on employers’ use of one-stop services and develop a way to measure employer engagement in the workforce investment system as part of the department’s performance reporting system. Labor noted its intent to collect such information (proposed WISPR system).
For a copy of the GAO report, go to: http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-167.
For Highlights from the report, go to: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07167high.pdf.
Minnesota earns high marks on the 2007 Development Report Card for the States. Released by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), the annual report card is the nation’s most broad-based index of the economies of the 50 states, using 67 measures in three key dimensions: performance, business vitality, and development capacity. The nation's two top performers in 2007 are Connecticut and Delaware - the only states to earn straight A’s. Minnesota joined Colorado, Massachusetts, Utah and Wisconsin on the "honor roll" by earning all A's and B's.
For the 2007 Overview Development Report Card, go to: http://www.cfed.org/
An annual report card tracks progress in public education. Education Week has released Quality Counts, its 11th annual report card on public education in the fifty states. As it does each year, this report tracks state progress on developing standards, assessments and accountability systems.
New this year is a “Chance for Success Index” for each state based on 13 indicators that highlight whether young children get off to a good start, how well they perform in elementary and secondary school and how well they fare in the job market. Also new is an index for evaluating K-12 performance across the states. The State Achievement Index assigns points to each state based on 15 individual indicators related to national averages in reading and math, high school graduation rates and participation in Advanced Placement courses.
Interspersed in the special report are short commentaries on topics such as large-scale early interventions, teacher preparation and an analysis of countries that perform well on international tests.
Related Links: Detailed state-by-state reports with all the indices can be viewed free of charge for a limited time at www.edweek.org/go/qc07.
Sector Skills Academy creates a unique opportunity for peer learning, skills development and professional growth. Applications to the Academy will be accepted through March 16, 2007.
Every field needs visionary, energetic people to explore new ideas and set future directions. To support the next generation of innovative leaders in sectoral workforce development, the Sector Skills Academy was created to provide a unique opportunity for peer learning, skills development and professional growth.
Designed for leaders from community-based organizations, community colleges, labor-management partnerships and business associations, the Academy is a year long program involving workshops, mentoring, technical assistance, and peer support. During three three-day workshops participants will hear from leading sectoral practitioners, share ideas and experiences, and develop lasting relationships that will influence the future of sectoral workforce development strategies. As an integral part of the Academy, each participant will reflect on and refine their vision, strategy and implementation plan for a specific sectoral initiative, compatible with his/her own organization's vision and goals. Applicants should be involved in a current sector initiative or undertaking a new initiative and have the authority within their organization to lead such an effort.
The Academy's third class of up to 24 participants will begin in June 2007. Participants will be exposed to innovative ideas and leaders in the sectoral development field and have the opportunity to work one-on-one with experienced professionals serving as mentors.
To learn more about the Academy, or download an application visit: www.sectorskillsacademy.org.
Get recognition for your innovative work. Showcase your job quality innovation!
All around the country, employers, unions, nonprofits and public agencies are taking action to improve job quality in the low-wage labor market. Through the Center for Law and Social Policy’s (CLASP’s) new initiative, “Opportunity At Work,” attention can be drawn to promising innovations, but CLASP needs your help to find them. CLASP has picked four topics, one for each month through early spring. Nominate innovations that you have underway or know about that fit these topics.
For all the details, go to http://blog.clasp.org/opportunityatwork/2007/01/showcase_your_j.html
Important News: State and Community LevelThe Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is soliciting responses from institutions of higher education and other qualified organizations to serve as regional Minnesota Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) for a three-year period commencing January 1, 2008.
The Minnesota SBDC Network is sponsored in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), DEED, regional host partners, and numerous other private and public partners sharing the SBDC mission. This is a competitive grant program and all interested parties, including current existing regional host partners, must submit a proposal for consideration.
The Minnesota SBDC Network is the state's preeminent provider of professional business consultation to Minnesota's small business community. Through its network of service centers, SBDCs are able to provide business owners access to a network of highly qualified professional business consultants at no cost. SBDC consulting services are designed to stimulate business formation and contribute to measurable long-term business success and vitality. This goal is a mission shared by many of your own respective organizations.
Becoming an SBDC regional host partner enhances your economic development strategy by serving the needs of your regional business community. Your organization will also gain credit for direct and measurable economic impact and more.
To learn about the Minnesota SBDC Network and who are current partners include see our current annual report at http://www.mnsbdc.com/PDFs/AnnualRpt05.pdf.
A complete copy of the RFP announcement, including the advised proposal format can be viewed online at http://www.mnsbdc.com/PDFs/MnSBDC_2008-2010.pdf. Completed proposals must be received no later than 4:30 p.m., Friday, March 30, 2007. An informational meeting to answer questions concerning the RFP will be held Wednesday, February 28, 2007, from 1 - 3 p.m. at:
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
(Minnesota Conference Room, 2nd Floor)
332 Minnesota Street, Suite E200
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101
Any organization wishing to submit a proposal must have a designated representative present at the informational meeting and must pre-register by 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 23 by e-mail or phone to:
Melody Randle, Office Administrative Specialist
(651) 297-5770
Melody.Randle@state.mn.us
Attend the 2007 Minnesota Rural Summit - the 10th annual get-together -- May 10 - 11 in Brainerd. The theme of the 2007 Rural Summit, "Thriving by Design," has been a featured topic in a recent issue of Architecture Minnesota magazine. The emergence of the “design economy” – the connection between good design and a healthy, competitive community environment has all been covered. See how it all fits together at the 2007 Rural Summit. Sign up before April 1 and get the early bird rate ($185). Don't miss out on leading-edge ideas, trends and forecasts in the economy and demographics, agriculture and energy, housing, transportation, information and communications technology, education, and design. Get all this plus planning tutorials to help your community “thrive by design.” Registration, agenda, speakers, and more are available at http://www.minnesotaruralpartners.org/2007_summit/index.html.
Questions about Sector StrategiesDo you have a question about sector strategies? If so, contact us at Kathy.sweeney@state.mn.us and let us know. We will publish your questions with answers in our next issue, which will be devoted to sectoral work.
Key Contacts:
Kathy Sweeney Stephen Larson Connie Ireland |
Rick Roy Jim Wrobleski Joan Danielson |
Kathy Sweeney |
Irene Connors |
We Need Your Feedback
We're trying to make this newsletter as timely and useful as we possibly can and, to accomplish that goal, we need to know what you want to know. We need and welcome any feedback you can offer – especially concerning topics of broad statewide or regional interest to the WIBs and all other partners. To register your questions, comments, complaints and suggestions, simply send an e-mail to Kathy.Sweeney@state.mn.us. We'll do our best to address your concerns directly and use your feedback to help us develop articles for future editions of the newsletter.
Thanks.