Annual Report FY2016

Annual Report FY2016

CONTENT ABOUT the GLWDB 3 CAREER CENTER SERVICES JOB-SEEKERS 4 EMPLOYERS 5 YOUTH PROGRAMS WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT 7 CONNECTING ACTIVITIES 7 SUMMER JOBS 7 INDUSTRY INITIATIVE NORTHEAST ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CONSORTIUM 9 FY16 HIGHLIGHTS 10 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 11 MEMBERSHIP 11

About the GLWDB The Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board is one of 16 Workforce Boards throughout Massachusetts, servicing the communities of Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Dunstable and Westford. We are charged with overseeing and implementing workforce development initiatives throughout the Workforce Development Area. Board members offer a wide range of skills and experience and include representatives from local businesses, educational Institutions, community based organizations, labor unions, governmental agencies, economic development bodies, and Chambers of Commerce. The Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board oversees a wide range of workforce development activities, representing a multitude of federal and state funding streams. These include Youth, Adult and Dislocated Worker programs funded by the Workforce Development Act, School to Career Initiatives, DOE Adult Basic Education Activities, The Workforce Training Fund, and other specially funded workforce development activities. The Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board (GLWDB) is a collaborative involving employers, educational institutions, labor groups, municipal and state officials, and community-based organizations that provides leadership, policy direction, and accountability for the local workforce development system. By securing and allocating public and private funds for high quality, innovative, and collaborative workforce development programs, the GLWDB promotes a skilled and educated workforce, meets the workforce needs of employers, and supports and sustains economic development, business competitiveness, and job creation in Greater Lowell. The Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board offers a wide range of services to employers and job seekers throughout our region. Many of these services can be found at the Career Center of Lowell. CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE Fiscal Year 2016 was a year of change and growth in workforce development at the National, State and Local level with continued implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA has five key focus areas including governance, partnerships, one-stop operations, work-based learning and youth. While WIOA was the foundation of our work during FY16 and our initiatives and projects were aligned with successful planning and implementation of this new legislation, our goal to ensure the necessary strategies and resources are in place to meet the current and future needs of our Region remains the same. In the area of governance the GLWDB expanded its focus on aligning the needs of business and workers to workforce solutions and continuing to provide excellent services to businesses and job-seekers through the Career Center of Lowell as our One-Stop operator. During FY16 the Career Center of Lowell provided services to over four-hundred employers with many companies participating in job fairs and utilizing the Career Center of Lowell for job recruitment; and over six thousand job-seekers were served through assessments, labor market research, career guidance, workshops and job-matching. The Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board continued to build employer outreach through the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium, Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund and the MA Apprenticeship Initiative. Partnerships are essential to our success and we are pleased to have the opportunity to integrate and expand our partner relationships under WIOA with efforts designed to focus on the needs of shared customers by providing greater access to partner services. We will do this in collaboration with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Department of Transitional Assistance, Department of Career Services, Department of Unemployment Insurance, Adult Basic Education, our Senior Community Employment Program and other agencies. Further, in Greater Lowell we developed a strong process for procurement of local One-Stop Operations to ensure compliance with another key component of WIOA competitive selection of a One-Stop Operator to provide services to jobseekers and businesses. Additionally, we continued to move forward with increased emphasis on serving out-of-school youth as required under WIOA and this was reflected in our FY17/FY18 Youth Vendor Procurement process with contracts awarded to one in-school and two out-of-school vendors. We extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our Board, our partners and colleagues and GLWDB and Career Center of Lowell staff for their continued dedication and to Ronald L. Walker, MA Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, Lowell City Manager Kevin J. Murphy and our local elected officials for their leadership and support. Ray Wrobel, Chair, GLWDB

Career Center Services JOB-SEEKERS 6,326 417 Veterans 262 Job-seekers served 400 Disabled 271 Youth ENROLLED IN TRAINING PROGRAMS *Office/Administrative *Production/Manufacturing *Healthcare $25.51 Average Hourly Wage TOP 3 INDUSTRY PLACEMENTS *Professional/Scientific/Technical Services *Manufacturing *Healthcare

Career Center Services EMPLOYERS 408 Employers Served 258 Attended Job Fairs 326 Listed Job Orders TOP THREE INDUSTRIES SERVED *Healthcare *Manufacturing *Professional/Scientific/Technical Services WIA PERFORMANCE MEASURES Career Centers are measured by performance on outcomes: entered employment, employment retention and six-month average earnings. The Career Center of Lowell exceeded their performance goals. PERFORMANCE AVERAGE (% of Goal) for Performance Groups *Adult Group: 114.6% (1st in the state out of 16 areas) *Dislocated Worker Group: 115.1% (2nd in the state out of 16 areas)

The career readiness has changed how I think about work and helped me this whole summer. I learned many things about what I can or can t do to help me get a job. This includes interview skills, resume writing and assistance with applications. The things that I learned I know will help me in the future. -Rachana P.

YOUTH PROGRAMS WIA 112 Youth provided HiSET(GED) preparation, leadership skills development and work experience Connecting Activities 448 Youth served with job application assistance, resume development and job referrals Summer Jobs 302 Youth worked a total of 41,210 hours and were paid a total of $370,890 in wages* *The majority of summer jobs are funded by the YouthWorks program through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The program is administered by the Commonwealth Corporation.

Industry Initiative

The Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium Regional Manufacturing Meeting The Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative and the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (NAMC), of which the GLWDB is a member, hosted a regional meeting of public, private and educational partners dedicated to promoting advanced manufacturing in Massachusetts. Panel discussions were held on NAMC & Workforce Training, Massachusetts Innovation Grants, and the Workforce Training Fund. At the conclusion of the panel discussions a jobseeker and employer networking event was held. Over 100 people attended the panel discussions and more than 60 job-seekers participated in the networking event. US DOL Women s Bureau The GLWDB partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau in a round-table discussion focused on apprenticeships in manufacturing as part of National Apprenticeship Week. Industry, education, federal, state and local partners collaborated on the contribution and expanding role of apprenticeships in the Massachusetts workforce. Apprenticeships The GLWDB, in partnership with NAMC, will assist in recruiting 16 apprenticeship trainees, toward a total of 72, for positions in manufacturing including industrial technician, machine operator, assembler and machine set-up operator at 15 advanced manufacturing employers. NAMC will receive a portion of a $2.9 million grant to fund the Massachusetts Apprenticeship Initiative (MAI) through the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of Career Services. Trainees To date, more than 100 individuals have been trained in machining or electronics, earning industry-recognized credentials and obtaining employment throughout northeastern Massachusetts.

Fiscal Year 2016 Highlights WIOA Implementation During FY16 the GLWDB continued planning for full implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). We changed our youth vendor strategy to serve a larger percentage of out-of-school youth to ensure compliance with WIOA s focus on out-of-school youth (young adults in need of HiSet/GED attainment and pursuit of training, post-secondary education or job placement). In FY17 two out-of-school vendors will be selected to provide services and one inschool vendor to help achieve this goal. We attended planning sessions to prepare for procurement of One-Stop Career Center Operator Services and release of the RFP in early October 2016 and participated on workforce board and career center certification standards sub-committees to ensure readiness for these next components of WIOA. Customer-Centered Design Challenge The GLWDB and the Career Center of Lowell participated in the Customer-Centered Design Challenge, launched in March by the US DOL under the Federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA.)The Customer-Centered Design Challenge teaches methods to design government services by looking first at what a customer needs. This revolutionary approach will build the capacity of the workforce system to better empathize with job seekers, employers who need skilled workers, and out of school youth, and to design more personalized services to help them get the skills, workers and jobs they need. Working Cities Initiative On June 1, The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston announced that Haverhill, Lowell, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester will each receive $475,000 in the second round of the Working Cities Challenge, a competition for smaller cities in New England focused on building collaborative leadership, which is shown to be a critical element in economic growth for struggling postindustrial cities. In Lowell, the Acre Initiative will focus on three high-level factors that can alleviate the multi-generational poverty entrenched in the Acre, Lowell's poorest neighborhood: low educational attainment, lack of employment opportunities and family-sustaining wages, and the complex issues of diversity and inclusion. The Acre Initiative's team represents a mix of partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, including the Career Center of Lowell. Workforce Training Fund Program In Fiscal Year 2016, six area businesses were granted a total of $800,000 to train 596 workers through the Workforce Training Fund Program. Administered by Commonwealth Corporation and the Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the program is financed entirely by Massachusetts employers through a reduction in unemployment insurance contribution rates. The program helps address business productivity and competitiveness by providing resources to businesses to fund training for current and newly hired employees. The GLWDB raises awareness of the program and provides information to businesses interested in applying for a grant.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS GREATER LOWELL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT AREA WIA Adult $541,218 WIA Youth $630,986 WIA Dislocated Worker $779,216 Wagner-Peyser/Federal Career Center $1,407,814 Summer Youth $519,432 Department of Transitional Assistance $314,189 Department of Education $209,132 State One Stop $181,582 Workforce Training $95,000 Other $520,420 $5,198,989 MEMBERSHIP *On July 1, 2016 Chairman Raymond Wrobel, Align Credit Union Vice-Chair Maureen Fitzpatrick, Lowell General Hospital 2nd Vice-Chair Danielle McFadden, Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce Shannon Norton Calles, Career Center of Lowell Melida Aizupura, Laser Services Vichtcha Kong, Washington Savings Bank Michele LaGrega, Wie Sic Machine Peter Bata, Raytheon Robert Broughton, McCoy Associates Carolyn Cox, Cox Fuel Stephanie Cronin, Middlesex 3 Coalition Charlene Jancsy, Enterprise Bank Greg Lennartz, Excell Solutions Susan Gath Koerber, George Gath Insurance Liliana Kualapai, Merrimack Valley Small Business Assistance Center Staci Landress, Watermark Environmental Stephanie Lee, Verizon Joe McNally, Cracker Barrel Alicia Melo, United Parcel Service Melchior Moundele, Burger King Cynthia Smith, Element Care Tracy Trippleton, Walgreens Beverly Woods, Northern Middlesex Council of Governments Tom Raiche, Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council Ed Starr, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Judy Burke, Middlesex Community College Elizabeth McKiernan, Abisi Adult Education Center Karen Frederick, Community Teamwork Sovanna Pouv, Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association Linda Arsenault, Greater Lowell Technical High School Jackie Romero, United Way Johanna Bohan Riley, UMass Lowell Susan D'Amore, UMass Lowell Allison Lamey, City of Lowell Beth Goguen, Massachusetts Department of Career Services Maureen Kriff, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Susan Jepson, National Senior Network

The Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Report Designed by Michael J. Paglia, Grant Specialist, GLWDB Printed by Owl Stamp Visual Solutions, Lowell, MA 107 Merrimack Street, 3rd Floor, Lowell, MA 01852 Phone: 978.937.9816 Fax: 978.459.2111 Email: info@glwdb.org