Minnesota WorkForce Centers

issue 6 - november 2005	kathy.sweeney@state.mn.us

In this Issue:

• Plan to Attend Dec. 1 Training on How to Support WIB Financial Independence
• Sign Up Now for the 2005 Regional Summit & Workshop on Nov. 18
• Minnesota Must Continue to Innovate to be a Strong Global Competitor
• Centers Of Excellence in Health Care, Engineering and Information Security Established
• Einess Replaces Yecke as Deputy Commissioner

Plan to Attend Dec. 1 Training on How to Support WIB Financial Independence

By Trish Taylor

There is an important training opportunity coming up on how to support Workforce Investment Board (WIB) financial independence. The training is scheduled from 10:15 a.m. - 4 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Best Western Kelly Inn St. Cloud, following official business at the winter meeting of the Minnesota Workforce Council Association (MWCA).

Kristin Wolff, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, will provide this unique training, addressing issues such as system sustainability, the differences between fundraising and financing and factors that enable or impede effective financing efforts. The training session will be customized to meet your local WIB needs, as indicated by the results of a survey on financing sent to all of the Workforce Service Area directors.

I recommend that all WIB members attend this important meeting. An agenda and RSVP information was sent out to all Workforce Investment Board members and a response is needed by Tuesday, Nov. 15. If you have questions, please contact Anne Olson, Director, Minnesota Workforce Council Association (651) 224-3344 or go to www.mncounties3.org/mwca/index.htm the MWCA website.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the event.

Back to Top

Sign Up Now for the 2005 Regional Summit & Workshop on Nov. 18

Innovate Locally, Grow Globally is the theme for the Second Annual Regional Summit & Workshop, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18, at the St. Cloud Civic Center. You’ll learn about key initiatives in Central Minnesota and hear about the progress made on the local economic development plan since the 2004 summit.

The keynote speaker will be Randall Kempner of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, who will share best practices on economic development from around the nation and provide feedback on the progress that is being made in Central Minnesota. For the last decade, Kempner has been advising private and public sector leaders about innovation-based economic development. For more information, you can visit the Council on Competitiveness website: www.compete.org

The Regional Summit & Workshop will also include presentations by Initiative Leaders about growing the strategic industries and building the seven forms of capital necessary for that growth. Cyndi Lesher, Chair of the Governor’s Workforce Development Council, and St. Cloud Mayor John Ellenbecker will also give remarks. The emcee will be Tom Schlough, Chair of the Strategic Industry Forum Leaders. Go to http://www.ventureallies.com/pfsg/2005_Summit_brochure.pdf to view the complete brochure.

If you haven’t already signed up, we encourage you do so now at http://www.ventureallies.com/summit/ A fee of $35 will be charged to each participant to cover lunch and program costs. St. Cloud Chamber Area of Commerce members will be billed for the fee, and non-members should bring a check payable to "SBETC" when you arrive at the Summit.

For even more details and to see the collaborating organizations, visit the Partners for Strategic Growth website at www.ventureallies.com/pfsg, or contact Shelly Bauerly Kopel, shelly@ventureallies.com or (320) 203-7600. Partners for Strategic Growth is an initiative in Stearns and Benton counties to enhance positive growth in the community by growing strategic industries and occupations.

Back to Top

Minnesota Must Continue to Innovate to be a Strong Global Competitor

The 10th Annual Minnesota Development Conference drew nearly 550 attendees, including many members of local Workforce Investment Boards. The Oct. 5-6 conference featured the theme "Stepping Up to Global Competition." All of the conference presenters agreed that innovation, versatility, post-secondary education and skills development were needed to meet the challenge.

Governor Tim Pawlenty highlighted a number of goals for Minnesota to be successful as a global competitor. These included:

• Have a winner’s attitude
• Keep costs of doing business in Minnesota reasonably low
• Equip Minnesotans with skills that are relevant to the needs of employers
• Introduce automation and lean manufacturing
• Attract innovation and creative innovators
• Develop a world leading educational system
• Modernize the teaching profession
• Keep health care costs down

The conference featured four additional keynote speakers:

• Mason Bishop, Assistant Secretary - U.S. Department of Labor - Employment and Training Administration, emphasized that Minnesota is a leader in workforce development initiatives and has been chosen as a mentor state, along with Texas and Pennsylvania. Bishop said that Workforce Investment Act reauthorization is a key priority for the Bush administration, along with creating streamlined services focused on businesses
   
• Steve Gunderson, a former congressman from Wisconsin and author of The Jobs Revolution: Changing How America Works, highlighted the need for educating the U.S. high-growth population.
   
• Jeffrey Rosensweig, who has served as a commentator for CNN and is a professor at Emory University, emphasized the importance of educating students in mathematics, science, and engineering. He said we need an export strategy that includes Asia, since 60 percent of the world’s population is located there.
   
• Patrick Peyton, CEO of Despatch Industries, a Lakeville equipment manufacturer, said continual innovation is a critical factor in his company’s ability to expand in markets around the world.

For more details about the keynote sessions view a longer article at www.deed.state.mn.us/events/wrap.htm

Attendees had the opportunity to visit with 13 exhibitors including the Minnesota Workforce Council Association (MWCA), hosted by Anne Olson, MWCA Director and her colleague Cathy Lattu.

The conference also featured numerous breakout sessions that focused on a variety of workforce and economic development issues.

A satisfaction survey was sent to the participants of the event and some key highlights emerged:

• Respondents mainly rated the overall conference as excellent, and said the conference was worth their time and registration fee.
• About 90 percent of respondents rated the conference highly on usefulness to their job, new information, variety of topics, integration of economic development, workforce development and education topics; and quality of information.
• Most respondents were involved in workforce development or economic development, although some respondents were from educational organizations. The respondents were slightly more likely to work in Greater Minnesota than in the Twin Cities.

The conference was organized by a planning committee that included representatives from the Minnesota Workforce Council Association, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, University of Minnesota, Government Training Services, Governor's Workforce Development Council, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and Public Financial Management (representing EDAM).

The next Minnesota Development Conference will be Oct. 4-5, 2006. MWCA members are encouraged to submit suggestions for next year’s conference through the Call for Presentations process that will be available at positivelyminnesota.com in May 2006.

Back to Top

Centers Of Excellence in Health Care, Engineering and Information Security Established

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) will establish centers of excellence in health care, manufacturing/engineering and information security at four state universities and 17 community and technical colleges.

The plan, adopted by the system's Board of Trustees on October 19, calls for each center to be housed at a state university and have community and technical college partners. The centers are:

• The Center for Strategic Information Systems and Security at Metropolitan State University with Inver Hills Community College and Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
• The Center for Integrated Health Science Education and Practice at Winona State University with Rochester Community and Technical College, Pine Technical College, Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical and Ridgewater College.
• The Center for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence at Minnesota State University, Mankato, with Alexandria Technical College, Anoka Technical College, Hennepin Technical College, Normandale Community College, South Central College and the Northeast Higher Education District.
• The Consortium for Manufacturing and Applied Engineering at Bemidji State University with Central Lakes College, Northwest Technical College, Northland Community and Technical College, St. Paul College, St. Cloud Technical College, Minneapolis Community and Technical College and Pine Technical College.

The centers were selected from among 11 finalists reviewed in a two-step process by business, industry and higher education leaders.

DEED offered considerable assistance during the process and selection of the four future centers of excellence.

DEED Commissioner Matt Kramer was a part of the selection committee that chose the four centers of excellence.

Rick Caligiuri, Director, DEED Job Seeker Services - Workforce Development Division, was involved in the selection process by serving on a healthcare panel alongside representatives from business to determine workforce needs in that area. He recommended the use of Labor Market Information produced by DEED to help identify workforce needs of Minnesota’s industries.

Diane Knutson was on the manufacturing selection team.

Caligiuri and Erik Aamoth, Director - DEED Business Services - Workforce Development Division, assisted MnSCU with developing the process that led to the selection of these four centers of excellence.

"By building on the outstanding academic talent, programs and resources already at these institutions, the centers will establish flagship programs in areas critical for the state to maintain its competitive edge," MnSCU Chancellor James McCormick said.

Back to Top

Einess Replaces Yecke as Deputy Commissioner

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED’s) former Deputy Commissioner Dennis Yecke is moving to Florida, where his wife, Cheri Pearson Yecke, was appointed Chancellor of K-12 Education for the Florida Department of Education. Dennis Yecke has accepted a new position with Governor Jeb Bush's administration as Deputy Secretary for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Deputy Commissioner Ward Einess has now assumed his new position. Ward has served as Governor Pawlenty's senior policy advisor since 2002, and has worked closely with DEED on several key initiatives. Ward brings with him a wealth of experience in legislative analysis and public policy, and a solid understanding of DEED's priorities. He is a licensed attorney who worked at a Minneapolis law firm before serving as researcher and legislative analyst for the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus. Before joining Governor Pawlenty's administration, Ward was director of fiscal policy for the Minnesota Business Partnership.

Back to Top

Key Contacts:

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.