WIB News - December 2009 Issue

Wildwood Receives Trailblazer Award
Inez Wildwood (pictured) received the 2009 Trailblazer - Exemplary Business Leadership Award from the National Network of Sector Partners on Nov. 12. She was recognized for building and promoting industry-specific workforce initiatives and creating new opportunities for workers. The award was presented in Washington, D.C., during the group’s national conference.

Wildwood, of Duluth, is the workforce and internal talent development manager at Duluth-based Minnesota Power. For the past 10 years she has been working with post-secondary institutions, businesses and other organizations to develop innovative training and programming related to workforce development. 

She has been chairwoman of the Minnesota FastTRAC initiative since 2008 and a business representative on the Governor’s Workforce Development Council since 2003. She also serves on the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board of Directors. The National Network of Sector Partners is a national group that promotes workforce development initiatives to help communities grow.

Zuidema Urges Workforce Practitioners to Broaden Partnership
Byron Zuidema, regional administrator with the U.S. Department of Labor – Employment and Training Administration, was a keynote speaker at the 2009 Collaborative Action for Employment (CAfE) Conference in Bloomington on Nov. 5.

The theme of the conference was “Collaboration:  The Art of Surviving Tough Times.”  The event, which featured numerous breakout sessions and an exhibition area, showcased projects from around the state that provide training or services to low-income groups.

Zuidema, originally from Minnesota, is a former director of the Community Action Program and a former manager at the Minnesota Department of Economic Security.

His presentation, entitled “Economic Recovery, A Community Action Effort,” included a review of the economy, a discussion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and a call for partnerships to spur on economic recovery.  He said the challenge is to broaden the partnership to include all parties that can assist job seekers. 

He urged attendees to define their networks and processes, including roles, responsibilities, agreements and operating procedures.  He told attendees to share information on labor markets, the economy and education.

A second keynote speaker was Tom Hanson, commissioner of finance with Minnesota Management & Budget, who spoke about ARRA funding in Minnesota.  He said Minnesota is a leader in innovation of workforce development programs. 

Susan Tulashie, who represents DEED in the CAfE group, said one important purpose of the collaboration is to share information that supports resources for unemployed workers. These include WorkForce Center resources, support for food and housing, and other programs. 

“Organizations and agencies that help job seekers are like spokes of a wheel, joining together at the center,” said Steve Erbes, who also represents DEED in the CAfE group.  “The collaboration is built on the premise that no one agency can do it all.” 

As a result of the collaboration, he said, staff at WorkForce Centers can better serve their customers by connecting them to food, housing, energy and other support services.

Collaborative Action for Employment partners includes DEED, Minnesota Community Action Partnership, University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Workforce Council Association, Minnesota Department of Human Services -Office of Economic Opportunity, Minnesota Department of Human Services-Transition to Economic Stability, ISEEK and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

The group meets on a regular basis. If you are interested in participating or want more information, email  Susan.tulashie@state.mn.us or call her at 651-259-7586.

CareerOneStop.org Earns Tekne Award
Mike Ellsworth (pictured) of CareerOneStop.org was presented with a coveted Tekne Award by the Minnesota High Tech Association on Oct. 23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. 

CareerOneStop.org won the IT-Software and Hardware, Communications and Infrastructure Award in the category for "established company recipient."

"This year's recipients exemplify innovation and perseverance," said Kate Rubin, president of the Minnesota High Tech Association.

CareerOneStop.org was selected for redeveloping CareerOneStop.org, integrating a new Web content management system, a search engine, and new information architecture and taxonomy. 

The Web site serves more than 24 million unique visitors each year.

"We were both proud and surprised to receive this honor," said Ellsworth, who manages CareerOneStop.org at DEED. "We competed against high-quality companies, and given the competition, I hesitated to even be considered for this award." 

Ellsworth credits the CareerOneStop.org staff from DEED, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, XPAND Corp. and the U.S. Department of Labor-Employment and Training Administration for exceptional team work.

The Tekne Awards acknowledge companies and people who have demonstrated superior technology advancement and leadership in Minnesota.

The awards event was sponsored by the Minnesota High Tech Association in partnership with LifeScience Alley and Enterprise Minnesota.

Certification Program Ensures Consistency of WorkForce Center Services
About 50 WorkForce Center staff members completed training through the Reception and Resource Area Certification Program this year, and about 100 others are registered to participate in future sessions.  The statewide program trains DEED employees and partner staff in basic workforce development competencies.

“We now have a program that ensures that services provided are consistent throughout the state,” said Lisa Snyder, a workforce development specialist at DEED, the program’s sponsor.  “In the long run, customers will receive a higher quality of service.”

Topics include customer and staff support, labor market information, career planning, job search, rules and regulations for services, customer service, unemployment insurance and more.  Upon completion of the training, participants are evaluated and earn certification if they are successful.

Participants can earn three levels of certification, called “designation levels.”  They are:

• WorkForce Customer Representative I – Reception Staff
• WorkForce Customer Representative II – Resource Staff
• WorkForce Customer Representative III – Guidance Staff

Training to earn these designations is offered in “modules” that take three to four months to complete.  Each module consists of up to seven “units,” each about 2-1/2 hours long. The training is webinar-based, with the exception of Assistive Technology Equipment and optional training. Webinars are recorded and posted online to accommodate more participants. The training is free.

Module 2 began recently.  It covers the WorkForce Center system, customer service, population awareness, business services and unemployment insurance.

For details including sign-up, requirements and scheduling, contact Snyder at lisa.snyder@state.mn.us or 651-259-7584.

 DEED Launching Redesigned Web Site
The DEED Web site was scheduled to go live today. The new site is a marked departure from the previous site, both in visual presentation and the way the content is organized.

“Before we began developing the new site, we conducted a couple rounds of usability testing with actual users – job seekers, businessmen and women, site selectors and local government officials,” explained Laura Winge, creative services director at DEED. “They all told us the same thing: The current site is too confusing.”

The development team tested several Web site models with actual users before settling on the new design. The result is a more user-centered presentation that places less emphasis on delivering online content based on how the agency is organized and more emphasis on delivering content based on what our primary audiences want to see.  

The new home page presents content by audience sphere of interest rather than by office or program. The home page features three main tabs – one for job seekers, one for businesses and one for local governments – so that customers can easily navigate to pages of greatest interest to them.

“This is very important, because users told us over and over that they do not want to be bothered by information they think is irrelevant,” Winge said.

All of the new site’s sections and pages are organized in exactly the same way, providing a uniformity of user experience that didn’t exist on the previous site. That uniformity now extends to local WorkForce Center Web sites, which had varied greatly in their design, content and organization.

“It’s crucial that users can figure out quickly how to navigate the site, no matter which section they’re in. Uniform organization helps accomplish that,” Winge said. “When you understand one section, you understand them all. There’s nothing more to learn. Every click is predictable. Every click is designed to give users greater confidence that they’re getting closer to information they really want.”

The official URL for all programs is www.PositivelyMinnesota.com. There is no longer a mnwfc.org URL.

If you had pages bookmarked deep within the previous DEED site, you will be redirected automatically to the new home page. This will occur because it is not possible to redirect all of the pages from the previous site to direct links within the new site.

Minnesota Receives $1.16 Million Grant for Green Jobs Study
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a $1.16 million grant to Minnesota to conduct research related to green jobs in the state. 

Funding will be used to identify green jobs vacancies in the state, analyze potential growth in the sector, and identify skills requirements and other training needs for workers. It will also be used to provide information on the Iseek.org Web site to help people plan and explore careers in green jobs.

While DEED was the recipient of the funds, it is partnering with several other organizations on this project, including Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), the Governor’s Workforce Development Council (GWDC), and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

WIBs and the GWDC will help to identify regional green industries and review Job Vacancy Survey results.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to do this important research with the support of the WIBs and the GWDC," said Oriane Casale, assistant director of the Labor Market Information Office at DEED.

Identifying green jobs and the skills that people will need to work in them will help Minnesota develop strategies for workforce training and education, she noted.

The funding was among $55 million in grants that the U.S. Department of Labor awarded nationwide in November to help state officials study the potential for green job growth in industries such as recycling and alternative energy.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said the funding, authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus bill, is part of an overall strategy to help people find jobs and promote economic growth.

Renewable Energy Marketplace Awards Six Grants
The Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace—Alliance for Talent Development (MNREM) awarded six grants to train people for jobs in the renewable energy industry in the 36-county MNREM region of southern and western Minnesota.

“The projects funded through these awards represent a step toward building the strong and proactive talent development system that the renewable energy industry needs to stay competitive,” said Mark Willers, MNREM board chairman.

The following existing projects received additional funding:

Nova-Tech Engineering, University of Minnesota Morris, Alexandria Technical College, Minnesota West Community & Technical College, $85,000. The biomass gasification curriculum will be expanded to include an online component. The colleges will train Nova-Tech employees and others in biomass gasification principles and applications.

Heron Lake Bioenergy LLC, Minnesota West Community & Technical College, $95,000. Ethanol production education and training will be available to entry-level employees and potential new hires at ethanol facilities across the state.

V-Tek, Dotson Iron Castings, Cambria and South Central College, $95,000. Classes in mechatronics will be expanded, and Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College will be added to the partnership.

The following new projects were funded:

Ottertail Power Co., Bongards’ Creameries, Ottertail Ag Enterprises, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, $95,000. Funding will be used to train workers in maintenance, boiler operation, maintenance welding and ethanol theory.

Dotson Iron Castings, V-Tek, MICO, South Central College $70,000. Funding will support a second phase of the Shared Work Pilot Program and five ‘stackable’ classes. Stackable training refers to two layers of training: foundation classes that form the base of the second layer, career preparation classes.

Austin Public Utilities, Riverland Community College, Workforce Development Inc., $90,000. Funding will support the development of a solar installer certificate program and the cost of training students.

The Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace is a consortium of economic development, education and workforce leaders that is spearheading efforts to transform the economy of southern and western Minnesota by capitalizing on the region’s strengths in agriculture and renewable energy. The group is funded through a $5 million WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

For more information on MNREM, go to www.mnrem.org. 

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