Leaders in Technology – DuBois, Pennsylvania

The Leaders in Technology program is a community youth development program which serves youth ages 14-21 in the Pennsylvania counties of Clearfield, Elk and Jefferson. Youth participating in the Leaders in Technology meet after school hours, one night per week at four sites throughout the three county regions, including Clearfield, Elk, and Jefferson counties. In addition to engaging in technology using robots, GPS units, nanotechnology, telecommunications, and laptop computers, the youth are provided with math, reading and PSSA tutoring, as well as leadership activities. All youth are matched with an adult mentor in a field related to their career aspirations, based on assessments and aptitude analysis completed early in the program. Technology related community service projects are also included in the program.

Sandusky County Ohio Offers a Basic Work Ethics Boot Camp

In June, 2009 the Sandusky County Department of Job and Family Services sought proposals for “a program to provide basic work ethics training to Adults and Dislocated Workers” using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA Stimulus Bill). The result of this request was the Basic Work Ethics Boot Camp program facilitated by EHOVE Adult Career Center in Milan, OH.

Green Jobs Community of Practice (CoP) Overview

This is a short overview of the features of the Green Jobs Community of Practice. Introductions are conducted by Grace Kilbane, Administrator of the Office of Workforce Investment at the Employment and Training Administration.

Central Texas Student Futures Project

The Central Texas Student Futures Project is a research partnership of the Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas and a growing number of Central Texas independent school districts (ISDs). The Project seeks to provide ISDs, postsecondary institutions, and employers with comprehensive, longitudinal research on what high school students are doing after graduation; why they are making these decisions; and how a variety of educational, personal, and financial factors are related to their success in higher education and in the workforce. The Project also offers workshops, seminars, and applied research on best practices and applied research that assist ISDs, Texas’ Regional Education Service Centers, and postsecondary institutions in increasing the number of regional youth who obtain postsecondary academic and workforce credentials. Related Resources:Leveraging Postsecondary Partners to Build a College-Going Culture: Tools for High School-Postsecondary PartnershipsInside Higher Ed College Counselors for AllPartners in Career ExplorationThe Economic and Workforce Case for Regional Career Academy Strategies

Award-Winning City of Long Beach Youth-Driven Career Center Program

The National League of Cities (NLC) recently recognized the City of Long Beach’s Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network with a Gold Award for Municipal Excellence. Long Beach earned the award for Creating a Youth-Driven Career Center program. The Creating a Youth-Driven Career Center program is a reinvention of the Network’s youth service strategies, which focuses on providing opportunities to engage youth in the design and creation of physical spaces, outreach messages, collateral materials, actual products, key policy-making, and critical community connections. Related Resource: Finance Project’s Clearinghouse for on Expanding and Sustaining Youth Programs and Policieshttp://www.servicelearning.org/etrcncs-link/?popup_id=1685

Green Jobs Innovation in Portland, Oregon

Portland's program, called Clean Energy Works Portland, creates a Recovery Act-funded revolving loan fund that will enable Portland homeowners to take out long-term, low-interest loans and repay them through small additions to their utility bills. Green for All has partnered with the City of Portland to implement an innovative green jobs program that aims to retrofit 100,000 homes for energy efficiency while creating new green jobs and economic opportunities for low-income residents of the city. Grantee: Portland YouthBuilders (PYB) Location of Grant Activities: Oregon Amount: $100,000 Key Partnerships: Oregon Employment Department, Southeast Works OneStop Career Center, Portland Community College, the Oregon Institute of Technology, and the Oregon Employer Workforce Training Fund Project Description: Portland Youth Builders (PYB) will expand its current greenjobs training program to prepare low-income youth for entry-level obs and advanced training in the following energy efficient and renewable energy industries: energy efficient construction, weatherization, solar and wind energy, sustainable agriculture, and residential and commercial retrofitting. Project Outcomes: Key modifications will be made to the PYB programs including the development of a weatherization pathway, the development of a green internship program, the enhancement of existing green curriculum based on feedback from the Energy Trust of Oregon, the establishment of key partnerships with PostSecondary institutions and local green employers, and the construction of PYBbuilt Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified homes. Contact: Jill Walters Portland YouthBuilders 4816 SE 92 nd Avenue Portland, OR 97266

Corporation for Enterprise Development Announces Future of Economic Opportunity Award Winners

The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) recently announced the winners of its Future of Economic Opportunity Award at the organization’s 30th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. CFED honored several organizations for outstanding work in the areas of Financial Security, Entrepreneurship, and Affordable Housing. Awardees were highlighted for their innovative accomplishments in integrating community practice, public policy, and private markets to achieve results at significant scale.

San Diego Renewable Energy Workforce Development Initiatives

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) awarded six Innovation Awards at its annual meeting in October 2009. San Diego Miramar College was recognized in the workforce development category for two if its innovative “green energy” faculty development programs for secondary and postsecondary instructors. Please also note that the Department of Energy has recently announced investments in solar energy technologies, including the establishment of an “Installer Instructor Training network (to promote) high-quality training in the installation of solar technologies.” The California Community Colleges Board of Governors was one of the nine recipients. Click here, for the announcement and a synopsis of the activities to be undertaken by each educational “node” of the network.

2009 Excellence in Tech-Based Economic Development Award Winners

The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) recently announced the winners of its 2009 Excellence in Tech-Based Economic Development (TBED) Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in TBED emphasizing impact, strategic value, and replicability.

Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership Mobile Outreach Skills Training Program

The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) operates an innovative accelerated job creation and job training program called Mobile Outreach Skills Training, or MOST. The MOST program is a two-week, intensive job training and placement program that “fast-tracks” Florida’s most-in-need job seekers into skilled, entry-level positions in the aerospace, biotechnology, electronics, plastics, pharmaceuticals, precision metal, construction, energy efficiency/conservation, and renewable energy manufacturing sectors. Successful trainees are awarded a Lean to Green Institute Sustainable Manufacturing Certificate, helping them become an integral part of their employers’ green initiatives.

Regional Council Self-Assessment and Resource Toolkit - Innovation in Action Article

Regional Council Self-Assessment and Resource Toolkit

The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), in partnership with the Missouri Association of Councils of Governments and Development District Association of Appalachia, has published a self-assessment and resource toolkit designed to assist executive directors of regional councils, along with policy board members, in conducting an organizational analysis. This resource is intended to help regional development leaders explore the various aspects, challenges, and opportunities of governing and operating a high-performing regional council, and to evaluate their own organizations against various characteristics of successful regional councils. Other related resources: Innovation in Action articles- http://www.workforce3one.org/view/3000929249738360965

New Publication Examines Innovative Opportunities for Rural Community and Economic Development

New Tools and Resources for “Adult Education for Work” Programs

Jobs for the Future’s (JFF) Workforce and Education Policy Group, a partnership between JFF and the Workforce Development Strategy Group of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), has released a series of four publications on adult education trends, promising practices, and opportunities. These papers seek to advance Adult Education for Work programs and strategies that help low-skilled adults obtain the skills necessary for workplace competitiveness, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. firms. http://www.jff.org/publications/workforce

New Strategies for Serving Unemployed “Professional” Workers

Across the country, state and local workforce systems are grappling not only with dramatically increased customer demand for services, but also with changing customer bases. In many areas, increasing numbers of laid-off “professional” or “white collar” workers are seeking reemployment assistance in One-Stop Career Centers. This article highlights several state and local efforts to implement targeted strategies to meet the particular needs of this job-seeking group.

Iowa Leverages Social Networking Media to Launch Career Hub

The Iowa Coalition for Innovation and Growth has launched the Iowa Career Hub on the Facebook social networking platform. The Iowa Career Hub is designed to raise awareness about career pathways and related academic opportunities among Iowans of all ages. Through the Career Hub, Iowans can access organizations in both the public and private sectors to learn more about career opportunities and planning.

Award-Winning Ohio Soft Skills Training Program

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ Workforce Development Office has given the state’s One-Stop Best Practices Award to the WorkPlus One-Stop Center of Clark County (Springfield, Ohio) for the Center’s innovative “Rise Above” training and job placement program. The Rise Above program is designed to help unemployed individuals develop the soft skills necessary to successfully re-enter the workforce. Workforce3 One also includes a number of other profiles on “soft skills” program implementation including Delaware’s “Soft Skills Career Essentials.”

New STEM Collaborative Launched in Colorado

Secondary and post-secondary education partners in Colorado have teamed to launch the Colorado Academy for the Development of STEM-related Careers (Colorado ADSC). The Colorado ADSC alliance seeks to position the state as a leader in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, from kindergarten to the post-secondary graduate studies level, and to ready students for entry into high-growth, STEM-related industries and sectors. The collaborative will offer students training, multi-level certifications and degrees, and job placement assistance. Other related resource: TEN 23-07: Building and Sustaining an Educated and Prepared STEM Workforce

Georgia Work$

In response to historically high levels of unemployment, the Georgia Department of Labor created Georgia Work$ (GW$), an innovative training program designed to stimulate job growth and hiring.

NYSDOL Awards Grants to Connect Emerging and Transitional Workers to In-Demand Careers

The New York State Department of Labor has announced the award of more than $2 million in stimulus funding for a new Emerging and Transitional Worker Grant program. The grants, awarded in the Finger Lakes and Central New York regions, are part of a larger, $15 million statewide stimulus investment to give those with little or no connection to the workforce the skills necessary to successfully obtain employment and advance in their careers.