State Policy Resources for Supporting Adults’ Postsecondary Success

In early November 2009, the National College Transition Network hosted the Policy Forum “Shifting Adult Education Policies to Support Postsecondary Success.” The Forum explored policy changes being pursued by six Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) to create pathways to postsecondary education and family-sustaining careers (“middle-skill” and high-skill occupations) for low-income working adults. These states are part of the Joyce Foundation’s “Shifting Gears” initiative, which was launched in 2006 to promote regional economic growth by improving the education and skills training of the workforce. Shifting Gears grew out of the recognition that many adults lack the skills and postsecondary credentials necessary to obtain the new jobs emerging in the wake of the decline of traditional Midwestern industrial and manufacturing sectors. The initiative is helping these states implement significant, systemic policy changes to institutionalize innovation in adult education, workforce development, and postsecondary education programs and to strengthen the connections among these various programs. Click here for other related resources:

NGA Center for Best Practices Offers State-by-State Green Economy Profiles

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) commissioned Collaborative Economics Inc. (CEI) to prepare a profile of each state’s "green" economy. The profiles provide a comprehensive picture of each state’s existing assets across multiple green sectors and offer a foundation for identifying future green growth areas and related needs. Profiles discuss areas such as green business activity, employment concentration, technology innovation, and sector information.

Goods Movement Resource Manual from the National Association of Regional Councils

The National Association of Regional Councils, in partnership with transportation cluster association partners, has released a new resource entitled “Building Planning Capacity Between Public and Private Sector Partners in the Freight Industry: A Resource Manual.” The objective of the Manual is to develop the planning capacity of freight stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, and to create more effective and efficient regional level freight-specific infrastructure planning. The manual explores the relationship among goods movement, regional business and workforce, economic development, agriculture, the environment, and public health, and highlights the need for a high degree of coordination among multiple modes of transportation crossing multiple jurisdictions. In collaboration with the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics Community of Practice, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has worked with education, business, and industry leaders to develop a comprehensive competency model for transportation. The model is designed to evolve along with changing skill requirements. The community of practice members have committed to working with industry partners to keep the model current. Click here for access to the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics competency model.

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.

Workforce Solutions 2009 Update

Since 2008, The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has disseminated 541 solutions through the Workforce3One innovative solutions project developed under the Community-Based Job Training Grants and High Growth Job Training Initiative. This flyer provides information on the 2009 Updates to these solutions.

Recovery Act Dollars Fund QuickJobs Carolina Initiative

Recovery Act dollars will help support a collaboration among state and local agencies, including technical colleges, that aims to increase South Carolina’s ability to provide new opportunities for dislocated workers and eligible adults to receive job training that meets the demand of the local business community. Courses offer training in high demand industry areas with particular focus on the industry sectors of: Advanced Manufacturing, Construction Trades, Energy, Health Care, and Transportation/ Logistics.

Transcript

Community-Based Job Training Grants (Round 4) Teleconference on Performance Reporting

On April 2, 2009 the Business Relations Group conducted a teleconference with Community-Based Job Training Grantees (Round 4) on Performance Reporting. In preparation for this call, grantees were encouraged to listen to a pre-recorded webinar titled: “1-2-3-4 9134 A Guide to Preparing your First Quarterly Performance Report”: http://www.workforce3one.org/view/3000905433277743821/info The teleconference reviewed key policy guidance and themes, responded to questions submitted in advance of the call, and provided additional instruction for preparing and submitting quarterly performance reports. The following materials were referenced on the call: 1) General Reporting Forms and Instructions; 2) ETA 9134 Report-Form; 3) Frequently Asked Questions documents (5 total); 4) Supplement & Glossary; and 5) Grantee Guidebook to Performance Reporting.

Community-Based Round 4 “Ask the ETA Fiscal Expert” Teleconference Recording (Recorded March 24, 2009)

This is a recording of a teleconference conducted for Community-Based Job Training grantees and focuses on the financial management aspects of their Department of Labor grant. The following Financial topics were covered during the teleconference: Administrative Controls Match and Leveraged Resources Equipment Procurement Audit and Audit Resolution Facilities and Other Capital Assets Intangible Property In order to assist you on the teleconference, as well as when you are preparing your financial reports, below are two links that will take you to ETA Financial Form 9130. The first one is a direct link to ETA Form 9130 and its corresponding instructions. The second link takes you to the DOL-ETA Financial Reporting page where you will find information related to grantee reporting systems and how to access DOL's reporting system. http://www.doleta.gov/sga/pdf/9130_Basic_JUL08.pdf http://www.doleta.gov/grants/financial_reporting.cfm Prior to listening to the recording, grantees are encouraged to listen to the following pre-recorded financial webinars posted on Workforce3One: Financial Management and Match http://www.workforce3one.org/view/4887/info Leveraged Resources & Intellectual Property http://www.workforce3one.org/view/4886/info Grant Management Requirements http://www.workforce3one.org/view/4913/info Financial Reporting http://www.workforce3one.org/view/4904/info

Report: Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments

Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments, a report released in June from the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, examines 12 states and the people employed in occupations affected by six green economic strategies: building retrofitting, mass transit, energy-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power and cellulosic biofuels. Sponsored by NRDC as part of the Green Jobs for America campaign, the report shows millions of U.S. workers will benefit from a movement to defeat global warming and transform the United States into a green economy.

"Engage." A Practitioner's Guide for Effective Engagement of Business Leaders in Regional Development

One of the biggest challenges in implementing regional development efforts is recruiting business leaders who lend their insight, influence and financial resources to these projects. The Council on Competitiveness believes that having actively engaged business executives is critical to almost any regional effort, be it focused on talent development, transportation, energy sustainability or comprehensive efforts to build regional innovation hotspots. Engage. is designed to support the creation of cross-sector collaborations to address economic opportunities and challenges. Developed with the support of the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor, this guide lays out a series of recommendations aimed at helping regions to recruit, develop and sustain the involvement of business leaders.

Validating the Transportation Distribution and Logistics (TDL) Competency Model

The goal of this Webinar is to get industry feedback on the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics competency model. Participants should be familiar with the model prior to the Webinar in order to provide ETA with constructive feedback. ETA will use the information provided to rework the competency model and create a useful, employer-ready, tool for the industry. The model is a nine-tier graphic that outlines the skills needed to enter a number of fields within TDL. Tiers 1 through 3 represent foundational skills that are in demand across the industry. Tiers 4 and 5 contain industry competencies that are specific to the industry, or industry sector represented in the model. Tiers 6 through 9 represent specialized skills needed to enter specific occupations within the industry. This Webinar is an opportunity for participants to shape the development of the model. Just as the TDL industry is constantly evolving, the competency model will continue to develop and improve over time to remain a relevant and vital tool in developing the TDL workforce.

CareerOneStop (COS) Community Economic Development HotReports - ETA

Linked to and developed as one of the Census Bureau's Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Data Tools, the Employment and Training Administration's (ETA) Community Development HotReports web page provides users with access to a variety of economic indicators for either individual counties or one of ETA's 39 WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) regions. HotReport data categories include regional, state and county economic, demographic, housing, transportation, and other community information found useful for areas that have or may experience economic disruptions (natural disasters, plant or base closings) or other abrupt economic changes. Specific areas with data available for reports are: Economic (industry wages, top industries, top occupation groups, labor force by age, education levels); Demographic (income, population, school enrollment); Housing (mortgage averages, occupancy status, ownership rates, housing costs); Transportation (commute times, means of transportation); and, Community Assets (public schools, colleges and universities).

Project C³

Project C3 (Connecting Youth to Communities and Careers) is a unique partnership between PACER Center, Pathways to Employment, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the Minnesota Department of Education, and other state and local organizations. The goal of the project is to improve employment and postsecondary outcomes for youth with disabilities.

Looking to the Future: Missouri Targeted Industry Clusters

The Missouri Department of Economic Development identified eight "Industry Clusters" for targeting based on research provided by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), existing initiatives, industry strength, and future growth potential. Through the consistent use of cluster definitions, important information can be gained on regional employment concentrations, staffing patterns, employers, and leading firms; and, issues can be addressed in a coordinated manner that strengthens target industries with regards to skills, education, recruitment, and incentives. Following these guidelines, Missouri has published award winning targeted industry cluster reports on Agribusiness, Automotive, Defense/Homeland Security, Energy, Finance, Information Technology, Life Sciences, and Transportation/Logistics.

Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments

The University of Massachusetts’ Political Economy Research Institute has released a new volume examining the “Green Economy.” Co-Director Robert Pollin and Assistant Research Professor Jeannette Wicks-Lim provide a snapshot of the kinds of jobs that are needed to build a green economy in the United States in “Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments.” According to the research, the six green strategies are: building retrofitting, mass transit, energy-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power, and cellulosic biomass fuels. Pollin and Wicks-Lim show that the vast majority of jobs associated with these strategies are in the same areas of employment in which people already work in today, in every region and state of the country. The authors present data on employment conditions in twelve states: Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. For each state, they report the number of people employed in each of the occupations affected by the green economy strategies, and what the average wages are in each state for each of these jobs. They also describe the national employment picture for each of the job categories.

Green Collar Jobs in America’s Cities

The American Solar Energy Society estimates that in 2006 alone, renewable energy and energy efficiency were responsible for $970 billion in industry revenues and 8.5 million jobs. This number will grow exponentially if our nation commits itself in earnest to reducing carbon emissions and making economy-wide improvements in energy efficiency. This publication, published by the Apollo Alliance focuses on local green jobs in clean energy industries-energy efficiency, renewable energy, alternative transportation, and low-carbon fuels. This report offers guidance on how cities can link residents to green-collar jobs: family-supporting, careertrack jobs in green industries and provides several examples.

Green Collar Jobs Initiatives

The high cost of energy and the growing awareness to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is creating a movement to "green" forms of energy throughout the United States and the world. Further, in 2006 alone, renewable energy and energy efficiency were responsible for $970 billion in industry revenues and 8.5 million jobs. The workforce development system can play a key role in this groundswell by building partnerships in the community that promote the development of "green" enterprises and provide the training and support needed to build a pipeline of skilled workers for these 'green-collar jobs. This article describes programs in Milwaukee, Chicago, Oakland, District of Columbia, and New York City that create economic and associated workforce solutions for this growing industry.

Truck Driver Assessment Offers Roadmap to Successful Career

The Rapid Road to Recovery Project (RRTRP), a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Arkansas Delta Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (ADWIRED) initiative, assists Hurricane Katrina victims, U.S. Armed Services veterans, and Arkansas residents seeking to improve their lives through training and employment opportunities in the trucking industry. The program is a model of how industry, education, and government can unite to respond to critical workforce requirements in the transportation industry. For more information on training and education as a response to workforce shortages in the transportation industry, please see: Data sheet on Pulaski Technical College’s Community-Based Job Training Grant http://www.workforce3one.org/view/3676/info Pulaski Technical College’s State-of-the-art training program for Associate of Applied Science Degree in Transportation Facilities Management, enhancing curricula, and expanding credentialing opportunities http://www.workforce3one.org/view/4056/info

Tuition-Free Program Graduates

Ivy Tech's Transportation, Distribution & Logistics (TDL) certification program graduated a second round of students on August 15 at its Gary campus. The program an initiative developed by the Center of Workforce Innovations (CWI) and was launched with funds from the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board (NWIWB) and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development in response to the state’s Strategic Skills Initiative.