April 5, 2004 - Special Report from WWA: The President gave a speech this morning proposing significant reforms to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The reforms are intended to double the number trained with WIA funds by:

1. Sending the WIA funding directly to Governors;
2. Saving $300 million by making the administrative cost definitions more stringent;
3. Reducing the number of performance measures to focus on placement, earnings, and retention; and
4. Give $250 million directly to the Community College system.

The relevant portion of the President's speech follows, with emphasis added to highlight these four proposals.

President Discusses Economy and Job Training in North Carolina
Remarks by the President on Job Training and the Economy
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, North Carolina
April 5, 2004 10:15 A.M. EDT
…The main worker training program is called the Workforce Investment Act. That's the primary -- (applause.) Yes, there you go. (Laughter.) The program spends about $4 billion a year in grants on states -- to states. Money from those grants go to about 3,500 state and local one-stop centers around the country. Perhaps some of you who have been looking for work or help have gone to a one-stop center. They're smart things to do. See, those one-stop centers have been providing employment services, advice, job search assistance, resume writing. In other words, people walk in and say, look, I need some help. They're kind of a decentralized approach to providing help for people, and that's very smart.

They also give workers individual training accounts, or what I call innovation training accounts they can use to get job training. In other words, you take the money and your innovation training account, and you can go to a community college, just like Piedmont right here, or at a business or at a union hall or at other locals.

But last year only about 206,000 workers obtained job training through this program. In other words, we've got a great federal program where we spend $4 billion -- and, admittedly, some of it goes to other services, but only 200,000 workers got trained. It says to me we've got to do a better job of training more people with the money we spend. We've got to make the system work better. One of my jobs as the President is to analyze programs, and if they're not doing the job they're supposed to do, is to redesign them so they do the job they're supposed to do, so that we properly spend taxpayers' money.

So today I want to talk about a plan to reform the job training programs, to the WIA programs, to the Workforce Investment Act. And I believe we can double the number of workers who are going through the job training programs.

And let me tell you how we're going to do it. First, the federal job training programs need to be -- the money needs to be sent directly to the governors. We don't want to federalize the program, quite the opposite. We want the governors -- and let the governors distribute the money to programs which actually are training people for jobs which exist. Now, that sounds simple, but that's not the way it's working today, because the federal government, as a result of the laws passed by Congress, micromanaged the system. There's a series of programs, all of which have their own specifications. In other words, they tell the governors and the states where to spend the money, what to spend the money on, the kind of system the governors ought to set up. And as a result of micromanagement -- missed opportunities for jobs which exist in the communities, in which people are looking for work. In other words, we need to make the system more flexible, more available to workers, and less dependent on foreign -- of federal rules, in order to make sure that the money gets to the people who need it most. So, step one is to change the system on how -- the relationship between the federal government and the state government.

Two, we need to make sure that the states reduce the overhead costs connected with these job training programs. There's now a 15-percent cap on how much federal job training money that states can spend on administrative overhead. That's positive. It seems to make sense. If you're going to spend money, a certain amount ought to go to setting the program up. And the rest of it goes to the people. But, unfortunately, there's loopholes in the program. Too much federal money is spent on things that have little to do with job training, such as management studies, or travel. We want the money going to the people. That's what we want. It's okay to spend money to set the system up; we want as much money going to the people. We need to close the loophole. One of the reforms is to say, the 15-percent cap is a stringent cap, we mean what we say when we say we're going to limit the amount of money that can go to overhead.

We believe that by making sure the cap is a strong cap on overhead money, we will save about $300 million, which means an extra $100,000 -- a 100,000 workers get trained. (Applause.)

Third, we need to require clear results of federal tax dollars that go to training workers. In other words, if we're going to spend $4 billion a year, we want to make sure we get results for the money. It's amazing what happens when you start to ask for results. The problem is there are now 17 different goals involved in the training programs. If you've got 17 goals, there really are no goals, right? I mean, if you've got so many goals, it's really hard to measure.

And so what we need to do is to make sure that people are judged -- people who are spending your money are judged on what we care about. Jobs centers will report how many people they help find work. That makes sense as one of the goals. In other words, we've got money coming your way. Tell us how many people have actually found a job, how much they earn on their jobs, and how long they stay on those jobs. That's what ought to be measured. And nothing else. And we ought to say, look, this is what the programs exist for, and these are the three goals we'll measure you on. And if the state doesn't make progress, then it only makes sense to take some of the money that is being sent to the states and send it directly to the job trainers, so that we actually do meet what we expect to have happen, and that is people being trained for the jobs which exist.

And finally, look, I recognize -- there is a balance between the state role -- the states have got a vital role to play, and between places like Piedmont. Piedmont does a fabulous job, and so do a lot of other community colleges, because their curriculum is flexible. They're just not stuck. They don't -- you know, like some places get stuck and they don't change. The community college system has the capability of change. One reason they changed is because they listen to the job providers.

One of the things, if you talk to a leader in the community college, a good community college, they'll say, I call in a group of business leaders who are looking for workers and say, what skills do you need? If you're interested in hiring people, what can we do to help you? What kind of people are you looking for? And then they change the curriculum accordingly.

I met with a small business owner earlier. I think he said 75 people had gone through the Piedmont -- through the campus. And he helped pay for the programs for worker training. In other words, the community college system is a flexible program. It's adaptable to meet the needs of the local communities. And so the fourth proposal is to provide federal job training money directly to community colleges. (Applause.)

And that was part of the Jobs for the 21st Century Initiative I outlined. It's $250 million additional to go to community colleges directly to help create partnerships with job providers and the community college systems around the country. We believe this will help train up to an additional 100,000 people a year.

In other words, these are four reforms that will help meet the needs of this country as we go into the 21st century. This economy is changing. First of all, it's growing. And as it grows, it changes. And so what we need to do is adapt our systems and the programs we've got in place to help meet the needs of our people. It's a legitimate role of the federal government, is to help people who want to help themselves….

March 17, 2004 - Sunnyside - A series of seminars aimed at introducing health careers to Lower Valley middle and high school students will be offered in April and May, under the auspices of Sunnyside Community Hospital. Read full details here.

Many newspapers picked up The Associated Press article about last week's meeting in Washington, DC where western WIB board members met with legislators to urge re-authorization and full funding for WIA.
Business execs push for job training MATTHEW DALY; The Associated Press WASHINGTON - March 17, 2004
Food processing companies in Central and Eastern Washington state have long recognized the need to train workers to perform increasingly complex jobs. But with profit margins tight, the cost of training seemed prohibitive. Thanks to a federal grant, however, about 100 companies in the region have trained more than 1,000 workers in jobs from forklift operator to food storage technician. The 3-year-old program, which involves local colleges and other partnerships, has exceeded expectations, employers say. Full Story at these links:
Tacoma News Tribune | Eugene Register-Guard | Portland Oregonian | Seattle PI

2/28/04 - The Governor's office announced that TANF and low income citizens will be able to file their income tax returns at local WorkSource sights via the internet. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) directed ESD to establish an Internet link to sights that allow clients to file their income tax returns free of charge.

A link from go2worksource.com will take clients to a page that describes and introduces them to the opportunity to claim Earned Income Tax Credit, and to file their federal income tax return right from the computers in WorkSource offices.

2/27/04 - “Basics of Disability” Training has been scheduled for our local workforce system staff. The training will be offered as two half-day sessions in each area to ensure that all WorkSource and partner staff can attend. The morning session will run from 8:30 to 12:00 and the afternoon session is from 1:00 – 4:30. Dates and locations are listed below.
Topics to be covered include such things as sensitivity issues, customer service, overview of assessment, disability related resources and services, creating a welcoming environment, etc. A more detailed curriculum and specific locations will be forthcoming. Contact Terie Dohrman at South Central WDC for more information: 509-574-1950.
March 15, 2004 - WorkSource Yakima
March 16, 2004 - WorkSource Sunnyside
April 6, 2004 - WorkSource Columbia Gorge

2/27/04 - A One Day Disabilities Workshop, sponsored by the Washington Workforce Association in collaboration with Employment Security and the WorkSource Disability Network, will be held in two locations this Spring: April 13th in Yakima and April 15th in Seatac. The on-line registration form will be available soon.

The Workshops will include Learning Disabilities with Dan Fey, Mental Health with Melodie Pazolt and Disclosure and Confidentiality as well as Reasonable Accommodations with Nancy Payne. Additionally, a panel of "informed consumers" will share their experiences as customers of the Workforce system.

Panelists will take "a common sense approach", offering practical and helpful suggestions for working with disabled individuals. An employer(s) of one or more of the panelists will also share the business perspective. The Workshops will be free of charge.

For further information, please contact Suzanne Gardner, WorkSource Operations Division, Labor Exchange, at sgardner@esd.wa.gov or (360) 438-4170, or Marie Tyvoll, Washington Workforce Association, 360-693-1314.

February 23, 2004 - Please be informed that the following programs offered at Sunnyside Beauty Academy have been approved and now appear on the Washington State ETPL at www.wtb.wa.gov/etp
Esthetics
Manicuring
Barbering
Cosmetology

This survey, taken twice yearly by Washington Labor Market and Economic Analysis staff, is the result of a 54% response rate from a sample of 20,407 employers. The sample was representative of employer size (number of employees), industry, and region. Respondents reported on vacant positions, their wages, full-time/part-time status, permanent/temporary status, number of weeks vacant, requirements for education, licensing/certification, and experience. The survey went out in October 2003.

The South Central Workforce Area cornered a 7 percent share of vacancies while only employing a 4 percent share of the workforce in our state. The two industries that lead the pack by a wide margin in this area are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Arts, Entertainment, Recrieation.

Complete report and statistical tables can be found at www.workforceexplorer.com.

By PATRICK THIBODEAU FEBRUARY 12, 2004 WASHINGTON --
Reacting to a top Bush administration official’s defense of offshore outsourcing, Senate Democrats today introduced legislation requiring companies to publicly disclose when they intend to move jobs offshore.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle’s bill would require any company that plans to lay off 15 or more workers and send those jobs overseas to disclose how many jobs are affected, where the jobs are going and why they are being offshored. The workers must be given three months’ advance notice. And the companies would be required to notify federal and state agencies responsible for helping laid-off workers, according to a bill summary.

The bill also calls on the U.S. Department of Labor to compile statistics of offshored jobs and report annually to Congress.

Daschle (D-S.D.) introduced the bill today on Capitol Hill at a news conference, which came in response to comments made this week by Gregory Mankiw, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, who argued in testimony before the Senate’s Joint Economic Committee that outsourcing helps the U.S. to be more productive.

The White House’s top economic adviser compared service-sector offshore outsourcing to manufacturing and said they both produce economic gains.

“The benefits from new forms of trade, such as in services, are no different from the benefits from traditional trade in goods,” Mankiw said in his testimony. “Outsourcing of professional services is a prominent example of a new type of trade. The gains from trade that take place over the Internet or telephone lines are no different than the gains from trade in physical goods transported by ship or plane.

“When a good or service is produced at lower cost in another country, it makes sense to import it rather than to produce it domestically,” he said. “This allows the United States to devote its resources to more productive purposes.”

“There is nothing good” about offshoring, Daschle said in a statement.

“The exporting of jobs is hurting millions of Americans and countless communities across the country.”

Joining him was Chuck Hackett, a former network engineer and computer programmer, who lost his job to outsourcing about two years ago. “Before I was laid off, I was asked to train a replacement worker who was hired for lower wages,” Hackett said in a statement released by Daschle’s office. “This is a disturbing trend not only in my community, but in many other communities, and middle-class workers are feeling the brunt of it.”

High-tech labor organizers praised the legislation, saying it could impede companies from sending work overseas, in part by making offshoring more expensive.

“I think it can have a potentially significant impact -- it sounds fantastic,” said Marcus Courtney, president of the Seattle-based Washington Alliance of Technology Workers.

Once state and local governments are aware of a company's offshore intentions, “there can be a lot of pressure points applied to companies moving work overseas,” such as attacking tax breaks they may be receiving, said Courtney.

Ralph Montefusco, a former IBM employee who is now a union organizer for Alliance@IBM, said the legislation’s disclosure requirements is what his union has been seeking. “Disclosure is something companies do not like to do,” said Montefusco, who also believes such a law will make companies think twice before offshoring work.

Even so, Stan Lepeak, an analyst at Meta Group Inc. in Stamford, Conn., said he doesn’t believe the proposed legislation will have a major effect because companies are motivated by "solid business reasons." They’re also likely be able to avoid disclosure by outsourcing jobs to a U.S.-based company, which can then ship those jobs overseas.

"I don't think it will materially stop the flow of offshoring," he said.

Just wanted to give all of you a heads up that we are moving forward with our plans for an on-site job fair on 2/26 and our dislocated worker meetings on 3/3, 3/4, 3/9 and 3/10. Job Fair

If you are interested in attending the job fair on Thursday, 2/26 please contact Alicia Johnson at 509-895-1004 by Friday, February 20th to reserve your space. If you are not interested in attending the job fair, you can contact Alicia and we will be more than willing to post your job postings on site.

We will be providing tables and chairs for all attendees. If you have a booth that you would like to bring, feel free to bring it but realize that we don't have a lot of space. All companies planning on attending the job fair should arrive at 9:30 am to set up on the 26th as the job fair will start at 10:00 am and go until 4:00 pm.

1/27/04 - Sylvia P. Mundy named longtime senior manager Gary Gallwas Tuesday to serve as Interim Deputy Commissioner.

Gary Gallwas, currently the Assistant Commissioner of Employment and Training, will take over the position Feb. 16 and is expected to serve until the next governor is elected in November. "Although the next governor will name his or her cabinet, we needed someone of Gary's caliber now," said Mundy. "Gary's understanding of the department and its programs, and his record of leadership, makes him a wonderful fit." Gallwas has been with the department in a variety of positions since 1980, and most recently was the department's lead player in helping Washington land the Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Janet Bloom will serve as Interim Assistant Commissioner in the Employment & Training Division.

"I'm honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as Interim deputy," Gallwas said Tuesday, "and I feel very fortunate that Janet Bloom will serve in my place as Assistant Commissioner."

Thomas Bynum, who has been serving in an acting role as deputy, is returning to his position as Assistant Commissioner of the Information Technology Services Division. Mundy thanked him for his efforts. "With some critical retirements in his division, it was pretty clear he needed to be back there full time," Mundy said. "Thomas's leadership is needed more than ever in that division."

1/13/2004 - This year’s Workforce 2004 conference on February 2 at the SeaTac Marriott offers you an opportunity to explore two content areas in greater depth than the usual 1 hour breakout sessions offered at this annual event. The conference consists of six 3-hour mega workshops designed for educators, career development professionals, counselors, career coaches, and anyone interested in sharpening skills in career and workforce development.

Workshops (you choose TWO when you register): ·
Dependable Strengths Articulation Process - Jean Haldane and Allen Boivin-Brown
WOIS: Hands on with the 4Ps – Karen Naughton and Tami Palmer
The Shocking Truth about the Education and Work Connections – Susan Quattrociocchi
Appreciative Inquiry: Become the Change You Want to See – Morgan Zantua
Using Career Development to Increase Motivation and Improve Learning – Cal Crow
Career Counseling and Coaching in Challenging Times – Dely Judal and Margaret Porter

The conference fee is $140 (includes materials, breaks, lunch, and clock hours).
http://www.learningconnections.org/workforce/2004/