Workforce Solutions Week

March 8-14, 2010

Jobs for the Future invites our partners to join us in celebrating Workforce Solutions Week 2010, an opportunity to honor local successes, expand the reach of local projects, and deepen the community relationships that are essential for future growth and stability.

Across the country, Workforce Solutions Week will feature events that inform local stakeholders and the media about the power of local partnerships to increase career advancement for low-income individuals and low-wage workers, while meeting the workforce needs of employers. The week will highlight the successes of individual participants, service providers, employers, funders, and other partners in four national initiatives:

• The 32 Breaking Through community colleges promoting and strengthening efforts to help low-literacy adults prepare for and succeed in occupational and technical degree programs;
• The 5 Connecting Literacy and Work sites designed to strengthen the connections between adult literacy and workforce development; 
• The 17 Jobs to Careers projects helping frontline health care workers gain the skills and credentials they need to advance their careers, while helping their employers retain a talented workforce and ensure that patients receive high-quality care; and
• The 22 regional funding collaboratives and over 60 local workforce partnerships in the National Fund for Workforce Solutions addressing a critical problem in America today: the crisis in workforce preparedness.

Holding local events across the country within a one-week period is a grassroots strategy that builds national attention. In addition, JFF will use the opportunity of the week and local events around the country to highlight stories from all four initiatives in the national media.

We encourage our partners to participate in Workforce Solutions Week by mounting at least one quality event or other program during the week. The possibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Holding a graduation or certification ceremony for workers who complete a program through an initiative;
• Organizing a panel presentation or breakfast at which local employers and intermediaries discuss the impact of the skills gap as their community seeks to recover from the recession;
• Inviting the media on a “field trip” to witness the training activities sponsored by a local workforce partnership;
• Briefing the media on preliminary results of a local collaboration/workforce partnership.

As local partners plan their events, JFF will provide advice and downloadable resources to help with event publicity and management. Also, in collaboration with Rosenberg Communications in Washington, DC, we will work with partners to develop local planning and briefing materials, as well as help sites reach out to local media.

A Sampling of the Week's Events

• PA—Pennsylvania State Representative Chelsa Wagner hosts a press event for the Green Work Force Training Act, which establishes the Green Work Force Training Program in the PA Department of Labor and Industry to promote job training related to the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. Contact Emily Adair at Emily@winnets.com.

• MI—Macomb Community College issues a news release highlighting a young woman who overcame a learning disability to complete a training program at Macomb and eventually become a state certified florist. Contact Dan Heaton at heatond@macomb.edu.

• PA—The State of Pennsylvania issues a resolution acknowledging Workforce Solutions Week. Contact Don Kockler at dpkockler@yahoo.com.
• MA—Crittenton Women’s Union releases its “Hot Jobs 2010” report. This report identifies the occupations with high vacancy rates in Massachusetts that require two years or less of postsecondary education or training and with wages that meet the state’s income levels. Stephanie Nichols at snichols@liveworkthrive.org.

• NC—Durham Technical Community College in North Carolina hosts workshops for students on March 9-10 that will highlight new, cutting-edge courses that prepare graduates for the increasingly technical labor market. Contact Christine Kelly-Cleese at kleesec@durhamtech.edu.

• MA—The Commonwealth Workforce Coalition is sponsoring its 7th annual conference, Sharing Skills~Building Connections in Worcester, MA. The purpose of the conference is to support workforce professionals as they adapt to the post-recession economy, reach out to employers, share best practices, and learn about state and federal legislation and training programs. Contact Ann Donner at adonner@cedac.org.
• PA—U.S. Assistant Labor Secretary Jane Oates and economist Paul Harrington speak at a Greater Philadelphia event “Celebrating Success, Standing Up for Change,” sponsored by Job Opportunity Investment Network and District 1199c Healthcare Industry Partnership. Topics include contextualized literacy and workforce training. Contact Seth Green at segreen@uwsepa.org.

• PA—Northwest PA Healthcare Industry Partnership is hosting a Coffee Hour on Healthcare recruitment for jobseekers and employers at Erie PA CareerLink. Regional Center for Workforce Excellence CEO Michel Zieziula will read a decree by Representative Dahlkemper in support of initiative. Contact Marsha Walker at mwalker@nwpawib.org.
• MA—Hotel Training Center's Room Attendant Training program holds its graduation ceremony. HTC is a SkillWorks partnership. Graduates are all native or high-level English speakers with significant housekeeping experience in local Boston hotels who have completed six weeks of job training. Contact Joan Abbot at jabbot@hoteltrainingcenter.org.
• CA—The National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP) hosts “From Jobs to Careers and Credentials: Work-based Learning at the Front Lines of Health Care,” a webinar to explore the lessons learned from partnerships of health care employers and job training funds. To register, or more information, go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/791803353. Contact Jim Torrens at JTorrens@insightcced.org. Also, follow “NNSP” on Twitter.com.

• AL—University of Alaska-Fairbanks and Norton Sound Health Corporation host “Work Based Learning for Behavioral Health Workers in Rural Areas,” a webinar to explore work-based learning as a model for recruiting and preparing workers who have had limited access to formal education and training. The webinar will feature a panel of experts and highlight lessons learned in setting up this new career pathway along with defining the elements for successful systems change to meet the needs of an expanded workforce pool. Contact Jenny Shaw at jshaw@wiche.edu.

• PA—The Patriot-News in Central Pennsylvania runs an op-ed written by Rosemary Browne (The Foundation for Enhancing Communities) and Dale Cross (Employment Skills Center). Contact Susan Crandall at crandall@keystoneresearch.org. Also, follow “KRC_PA” on Twitter.com.

• KY—Owensboro Community & Technical College in Kentucky hosts a public information session at their new Hancock County satellite workforce training site on training opportunities in advanced manufacturing available in their local community. Contact Christy Ellis at christy.ellis@kctcs.edu.

• MA—Boston Mayor Tom Menino speaks at an event hosted by The Healthcare Training Institute, a sector partnership funded by SkillWorks and operated by Jewish Vocational Service (JVS). HTI partners with Boston’s major health care employers and community colleges to provide the education and training frontline health care workers need to develop their skills—and is approaching its one-year anniversary. Contact Meghan Johnson at mjohnson@jvs-boston.org.

• OR—WorkSource Portland Metro’s Foundational Skills program, aimed at increasing the skills of jobseekers in workplace math, English, and computers, is highlighted in testimony to the Portland mayor and city council. Contact Amy Youngflesh at ayoungfl@pcc.edu or Sean Kelly, Worksystems, Inc at skelly@worksystems.org.

To express your interest in participating, CLICK HERE. Beginning in January, we will convene a series of phone meetings to discuss and begin planning for Workforce Solutions Week.

For more information, contact:

Joshua Gambrell, jgambrell@jff.org, 617.728.4446 x106