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issue 2 - May 2005 |
wib.news@state.mn.us |
In this Issue:
- Where We Are, and Where We're Headed
- Regional Roundup – Creating the Dakota Future
- Regional Roundup – Investment for All is Secret to Washington County Success
- Regional Roundup – Business Services Specialists: Best Practices
- Marketing News – Reminder to All WSA Directors: Deadline on Marketing Plans Fast Approaching
- Marketing News – DEED Provides Online Marketing System for Business Outreach
- Small Business Development Centers Offer Tools and Guidance for Small Business Owners
- Grants Column
- Check It Out: A List of Useful Products, Services and Resources
- Minnesota Development Conference
- Employer Satisfaction Overview
Where We Are, and Where We're Headed
By Trish Taylor
Our state has earned the right to be proud of where we are and where we are headed. I’m especially proud of the relationships we’ve forged among partners working together. To be sure, these relationships have come despite struggles and mistakes. But we’ve also achieved many successes that make Minnesota a more progressive state than most.
For example, we’ve taken giant steps forward in working with economic development organizations. We’ve fostered a new relationship with the Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM) and developed statewide economic development training programs. Because of these successes, the Minnesota Workforce Council Association (MWCA) has been able to move forward quickly toward meeting two important goals: 1) to work with and build a stronger relationship with economic developers in the service areas, and 2) to work regionally on economic development (even if it crosses state lines).
As chair of the MWCA executive committee, I have several goals of my own that I’d like to share, the first of which is to move our economic development relationships forward and to continue our progress toward being the national leader we all aspire to be.
My second goal is to create more opportunities for small businesses and their employees or future employees. We’re already seeing progress in many areas, including training, health care, state support, and others. We need to keep that momentum going.
My third goal is to encourage all of the 16 Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) to be active and motivated, to sponsor statewide training sessions, to keep informed of national and statewide developments, and to realize that their voices can influence the direction state. With the county commissioners and mayors behind us, we do make a difference.
My final goal is to make a personal visit to each of the 16 WIBs. In future columns I’ll write about these visits – and about the progress we’re making on all of our goals.
With the support and cooperation of everyone, MWCA works extremely well for all us. With the great directors and inspired, progressive boards, we can keep moving this state forward (especially in our own service areas). Our partners working with us and under the WIBs’ direction make a difference. Don’t be afraid to be heard, to get our message out to the legislators. Some of us have, and our message has been heard.
In closing, I’d like to thank the local elected officials, WIBs and directors who have given me the opportunity to serve. Thanks to Anne Olson and Cathy Lattu at MWCA, who are there for all of us, and to DEED and all staff and partners who work with the workforce system. A special thank you to LaDonna Boyd, who has been an inspiration, and to my husband and family who allow me the time to fulfill my mission to do whatever I can to keep this system moving forward.
Trish Taylor, chair of the Minnesota Workforce Council Association Executive Committee, will have a regular column in future editions of the WIB Newsletter.
Creating the Dakota Future
By LaDonna Boyd
In Dakota County, our initiative to meld workforce and economic development efforts is gaining momentum. Our recent Economic Summit, co-sponsored by the Dakota Workforce Investment Board, Dakota Future and others, brought together business, education, health care and government representatives for a half-day retreat. Participants heard from noted futurist Ed Barlow and then worked in groups to develop strategies for ensuring the economic vitality of our area.
Workforce emerged as the critical common element for growing existing companies and attracting high performance industry to Dakota County. Both Dakota Future and the WIB will use this input to drive our activities.
Dakota Future is the countywide economic development organization launched by the WIB in November 2003. As chair of the WIB, the creation of Dakota Future has been one of my top priorities. The WIB has nurtured this private-public partnership and it is paying off. Dakota Future’s executive director attends WIB meetings and participates on the Executive and Business Services Committees. Several WIB members, including me, serve on the board of Dakota Future, ensuring great communications and collaboration.
Effective use of technology is an important part of our business development strategy. Dakota Future is creating a Dakota County Business Development web portal (keep your eyes peeled to www.dakotafuture.com) that will include county demographics and workforce data, a sites and buildings database, community information, business development resources and quality of life information. In addition, Dakota Future is a partner with the Dakota County Technical College and the WorkForce Center on Dakota County Bizpathways (www.dakotacountybizpathways.org), a tool to help spur entrepreneurial and small business growth. The WIB is the primary financial sponsor of this great online tool.
LaDonna Boyd is chair of the Dakota County WIB, vice chair of Dakota Future, and chair of the Minnesota Economic Development Association.
Investment for All is Secret to
Washington County Success
By Marc Cove
The Minnesota WorkForce Center System should be a source of pride for all Minnesota residents. And for obvious reasons, I’m particularly proud of the Washington County WorkForce Centers, whose programs and services are second to none.
I’d love to take credit for the Washington County Center’s success, but I can’t. In some workforce service areas the prevailing thought is that the role of the Workforce Board is to oversee the programming and policies of the WorkForce Centers. But in Washington County we know our advantage is that we partner with our Workforce Center rather than trying to administer it.
The Washington County Workforce Board is made up of 20-plus volunteers, including business owners and managers, public sector managers and leaders from education and labor. Each of us knows that no one person is the most qualified or best suited to run Center programs, and we know that if we tried – we’d likely fail. Instead, we see our primary function as building a strong economic climate by creating good jobs and great employers. If we succeed, the WorkForce Centers will operate within an environment that improves their chances of success and gives them the tools they need for moving people in and out of the system.
To enhance these efforts and continue building a better economy in Washington County, the Workforce Board last year began monthly economic development meetings with all of our cities. And as we move deeper into 2005, we’re planning an Economic Development Summit that will bring together more than 200 stakeholders to further our reach. We also maintain several partnerships with educational institutions and meet with the national leaders in Workforce Board Development. Our wheel is turning and we are keeping pace with the ever-changing climate.
Marc Cove is chair of the Washington County Workforce Board.
Business Services Specialists:
Best Practices
By Joan Danielson
The team approach is paying dividends in Central Minnesota, where staff from DEED and the local WIB have been working together to support the region's priorities for business services. Two team leaders presented key lessons from their first year of doing business as a team at a recent Economic Development 101 training session in Clear Lake.
Wayne Anderson (DEED) and Tim Zipoy (Central Minnesota Jobs and Training) explained that coordination of three areas is critical to the team’s success:
- Clarify the WorkForce Center message;
- Maximize daily activities and communication; and
- Focus on joint activities and work planning which focus on the critical business priorities of the Region.
The Business Services Team concept works well
in WorkForce Centers in Monticello and Cambridge and it is in the implementation
stage at WorkForce Centers in Hutchinson and Willmar. Regional Administrators
Connie Ireland and Joan Danielson work closely with the local WIB and
its staff to ensure alignment between the WIB's local vision for
business services and DEED staff's contribution to the Business Services
Team.
For more detailed information, please contact:
- Joan Danielson, Central Minnesota Regional Administrator, 763-271-3767, Joan.Danielson@state.mn.us,
- Connie Ireland, Southwest Minnesota Regional Administrator, 507-389-1896, Connie.Ireland@state.mn.us.
or
Joan Danielson is the Central Minnesota Regional Administrator.
Reminder to All WSA Directors:
Deadline on Marketing Plans Fast Approaching
The deadline is June 1 for submitting your area’s spending
plan for $180,000 in funds earmarked for marketing business services. In
order to receive your apportioned funds, each WSA must submit an application
that includes a detailed cost estimate and explanation of all marketing activities.
Work plans must also address how the impact of these marketing efforts will
be measured, such as:
- Number of inquiries/contacts and attendees
- Media coverage
- Results of a satisfaction survey
- Increased usage of services/job orders
- Sustained contacts resulting from events
DEED's Communications and Marketing Office will support your marketing plans with free design services and electronic templates for ads, public service announcements, newsletters, direct mail or anything else you might need. So please - get your applications in soon to Kit Borgman at kit.borgman@state.mn.us or call with questions: 651-297-1192.
DEED Provides
Online Marketing System for Business Outreach
This summer, DEED will launch an online marketing system
called iMark to better serve the needs of the department, local economic development
partners and WorkForce Centers. During the first year of this pilot project,
seven licenses will be assigned to business services staff throughout the state,
allowing them to execute marketing plans, manage digital assets (such as graphics,
templates and logos) and continuously measure the success of their campaigns.
Users will be able to do real-time monitoring and analysis of e-mail and fax campaigns, surveys and customer demographics. DEED will post customizable templates for newsletters, press releases, direct mail, public service announcements and ads, as well as graphics and logos that can be quickly inserted into personalized e-mail, fax and direct mail campaigns.
Most marketing professionals – including those within DEED – must
retrieve contact information from owners of several separate databases, and when
they finally get it – it’s often unusable. iMark is currently working
with staff to import contacts from multiple databases, and training the system’s
15 users on how to expand, develop and use select lists from the integrated database
in their marketing campaigns.
DEED is paying the full cost of implementing the marketing automation system
through June 2006, and the agency’s Marketing and Communications Office
will provide all templates and graphics at no charge to our partners. The only
costs incurred by users will go toward postage, printing and/or delivery of printed
materials.
As more WorkForce Center marketers become familiar with the inherent benefits and cost-savings of this integrated online marketing tool, they will be invited to purchase additional user licenses for $250.
Small Business Development Centers
Offer Tools and Guidance for Small Business Owners
Most businesses start small. And while many stay small, many others grow and diversify. The Minnesota Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provide tools and guidance to help small business owners to succeed and flourish.
Minnesota SBDCs offer free, confidential business counseling and low-cost training to small businesses through a network of nine statewide regional centers and 21 satellite and outreach locations. For the most part, these offices are located at Minnesota institutions of higher learning. Each SBDC is staffed by committed professionals who are able to assist with both general and specialized business needs.
Minnesota SBDCs assist primarily companies that have been in business from one to five years with 20 or fewer employees and positioned for growth. It also assists entrepreneurs examining business ownership through collaborations with other technical assistance providers and business assistance resources, including publications like The Guide to Starting a Business in Minnesota, published by DEED's Small Business Assistance Office.
SBDC counseling services and training opportunities are designed and delivered based on the needs of local businesses. Counseling services include start-up assistance, business plan development, marketing, and financing and capital acquisition. While many small businesses request help with financing, the SBDCs do not administer loan or grant programs, but its counselors do help small businesses to assess funding options, identify financing sources, evaluate eligibility, and prepare documentation that lenders require.
To learn more about SBDC counseling services and training opportunities, contact SBDC State Director Michael Myhre, 651-297-5773, or visit the website at www.mnsbdc.com.
OOPS!
In the February edition of the WIB newsletter, we missed a perfect opportunity to highlight the partnership between Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development and DEED. The section in the newsletter concerning the Business Services Pilot failed to mention Kent Robbins from the City of Minneapolis as a member of the Business Services Pilot Team. Sorry for the omission.
By Kathy Sweeney
- The President's Community-Based Job Training Grants totaling $125 million were announced in the May 3 Federal Register. Grant applications are due by July 3. A second round of grants is expected in fall/winter 2005. These grants are intended to build the capacity of community colleges to train workers in the skills required to succeed in high growth/high demand industries.
The Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor expects to make 75 grants of between $500,000 and $2 million through this competition. Eligible applicants must be publicly funded community and technical colleges in a strategic partnership with at least one entity from each of the following categories: 1) publicly funded Workforce Investment System, 2) employers and industry-related organizations such as associations and unions, and 3) the continuum of education including the public K-12 system.
Grant applications must include at least six critical elements: 1) skills and competencies of local high-growth, high demand industries, 2) strategic partnerships, 3) industry-driven capacity building, 4) leveraged resources, 5) replication, and 6) clear and specific outcomes.
Detailed information on all aspects of the grant application is available on the U.S. Department of Labor website, www.doleta.gov.
Note: Several local groups started working on grant applications for this effort even before the official announcement. If you plan to apply for this grant, please let me (Kathy Sweeney) know so we can have a well-coordinated statewide approach. Also, please call me with questions..
- The U.S. Department of Labor announced $20 million in grants for competitive awards for the President's Reentry Initiative for efforts designed to reduce recidivism and help non-violent prisoners prepare for work as they reenter the community. A competitive Solicitation for Grant Application appeared in the Federal Register on April 1. Grant applications will be accepted until July 13. For more information on the SGA, please visit www.doleta.gov or check the Federal Register. Again, several community groups are already working on this effort; if you plan to apply, please let me know.
- Note: We make a point of sending information to local partners on all federal grant opportunities related to Workforce Development. The two in this column are highlighted because they are important federal grant opportunities that will benefit from state wide coordination.
Check It Out:
A
list of Useful Products, Services and Resources
- The U.S. Department of Labor and Education have redesigned their Career Voyages website (www.Careervoyages.gov) to provide students, parents, career counselors and career changers with up-to-date information on high-growth industries and occupations. The site includes both national and state level information and several short videos about careers.
- DVD training tapes are now available for
three sessions on Workforce Board Leadership by national trainer Greg Newton.
The three tapes are: “Aligning for Action and Achievement,” “Ten Human Resource
Challenges and What Your Workforce Board Can Do To Make a Difference” and “Partnering
with Economic Development: Creating the Workforce Advantage.” Contact Anne
Olson, Director of the Minnesota Workforce Council Association, 651-224-3344
or aolson@mncounties.org.
- Regional economic profiles along with community audits of workforce resources are being posted as they come in at www.deed.state.mn.us/youth/lmi.htm. Final profiles are due on May 31, 2005, as part of the Workforce Investment Act plans but many areas have completed theirs already as part of pilot efforts over the last few years. Pilot efforts sponsored by DEED and the Governor's Workforce Development Council have enabled most regions to utilize DEED's Local Labor Market Analysts and DEED's other strategic information resources to identify the workforce implications of economic trends. DEED's Regional Administrators are working closely with Local Boards and their staff on follow-up to the Regional Profiles.
Minnesota Development Conference
The 10th Annual Minnesota Development is slated for October 5-6 at the Radisson Riverfront in St. Paul. There have been several requests from organizations and individuals who would like to speak at a breakout session at the 2005 Development Conference. A one-page Call for Presentation will be posted on DEED's website (www.positivelyminnesota.com) on May 20, 2005 for this very purpose. The deadline to submit breakout session recommendations is June 30.
Employer Satisfaction Overview
Employers who used WorkForce Center services in 2004 reported about the same level of overall satisfaction as in 2003, according to an on-going Workforce Center System Employer Satisfaction Survey. But those surveyed reported using some WorkForce Center services more and others less than those employers who were surveyed in 2003.
The Minnesota Customer Satisfaction Index Score (MnCSI), an average of responses to three questions about general satisfaction, is used to track changes. The average MnCSI edged up slightly from 2003 to 2004 for the whole state (75.7 in 2003 to 76.6 in 2004) and more noticeably for the Metro area (70.6 to 73.0). These differences are not statistically significant. (See Figure 1.)
The survey also asks about services used. In 2004 compared to 2003, respondents were significantly more likely to report posting a job order in the last six months (87 percent in 2004 to 79 percent in 2003) and to have done it via the Internet (54 percent to 48 percent) rather than by contacting a WorkForce Center (39 percent to 49 percent).
However, fewer employers reported receiving the “right number” of
applicants (49 percent in 2004 to 58 percent in 2003) and more reported
receiving “too few” (41 percent to 28 percent) in response to their WorkForce
Center or Job Bank postings. (See Figure 2.)
In both years, 98 percent of respondents were likely or very likely to post future job openings with the WorkForce Center or Job Bank.
Differences appear between Metro Area and Greater Minnesota employers as well. In both years, employers in Greater Minnesota reported higher satisfaction than employers based in the Metro area.
For the most current results, please visit the website: http://www.deed.state.mn.us/customersurvey/employerMain.htm.
METHOD: Survey samples are drawn monthly of employers who received one of 12 designated services and/or placed a job order through a WorkForce Center during the previous month. The questionnaire consists of a core set of questions plus four modules covering: employability assistance, labor market information, worker recruitment, and WorkForce Center-sponsored seminars and job fairs.
The total sample size for 2004 was 1,343 employer contacts; half had submitted a job order and half received another service. The response rate for completed interviews was 79 percent (1,059 respondents).
Key Contacts:
Kathy Sweeney Stephen Larson Connie Ireland |
Rick Roy Dave Niermann Jim Wrobleski Joan Danielson |
We Need Your Feedback
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 wib.news@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.