SEMCA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD Wednesday, May 17, 2017 SEMCA, 25363 Eureka Rd., Taylor, MI MINUTES Members Present Alternates Present Members Absent Charlie Mahoney Wanra Pearson Rory Gamble/Dave Pagac Marie Hocker James Van Buren/Kandi Wood Donald O Connell Gerald Hesson/Mike Smith Connie Carroll Nicole McLaughlin Frank Lopez Patricia Chatman Jason Evers Chris LaJoy/Todd LaJoy Tupac Hunter Naheed Huq Malin Wagner Sean Sims Molly Luempert-Coy Sheryll Rodgers Staff Present Gregory Pitoniak Tamara Lamper-Norrix Bill Hellar Patricia LeBlanc Sonya Grant Daniel Martinez Traci Sassak Guests Randy Liepa, Wayne RESA Donna McDowell, Wayne RESA Tirria Kendred, Wayne RESA Joe Quick, Michigan Works! Association Supervisor Pat Williams, Canton Township Call to Order Chair Mahoney called the meeting to order at 2:07 p.m. Roll Call Mahoney welcomed our visitors and everyone introduced themselves. A quorum was present. Board stands for the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comment No public comment was made upon request. Approval of Agenda MOVED by Wagner to approve the Agenda of May 17, 2017, with the change to move Agenda Item 12 to Agenda Item No. 8 as an action item, supported by Leumpert-Coy. All voting aye, motion carried.
Approval of Minutes MOVED by Wagner to approve the Minutes of March 15, 2017 with amendment on Page 3 changing Riverview to River Rouge, supported by O Connell. All voting aye, motion carried. Review of WIOA Title II Adult Education Applications and Their Alignment with SEMCA Local Plan Board received a copy of the WIOA Title II Adult Education Local Board Review Forms and a copy of the SEMCA Local Plan prior to the meeting for their review. A summary of the process taken by the evaluation team for each application was distributed to the Board. It also included a chart identifying each plan s rating as to its alignment to the SEMCA Local Plan. All but one plan is highly aligned with our Local Plan. Wayne County Community College s General Institutional Plan was assessed as moderately aligned for the single reason that the programs identified are primarily targeted to Detroit and DESC. MOTION by Leumpert-Coy to review and file the WIOA Title II Adult Education Applications from Bedford, Dearborn, Hamtramck, Livonia, Monroe, Plymouth Canton Schools, Romulus Schools, Southgate Schools, Wayne County Community College, Wayne Westland (Tinkham) and Michigan Department of Corrections as presented, supported by Evers. All voting aye, motion carried. Pitoniak noted that this action does not guarantee WIOA funding for any of these entities. We will send our report to the State and they will ultimately make the final decision. There is a second major funding source with state dollars for Adult Education that is not a part of this formal process. Presentation by Wayne RESA Asset Map Mahoney introduced Dr. Randy Liepa, Superintendent of Wayne RESA. Liepa has been very supportive of the connection between workforce and education and contracted with Donna McDowell and Judy Cock to develop an Asset Map that can be easily accessed by counselors and students. The Asset Map is an inventory list to arm all students in every school district with a one-stop shop for education and workforce services that will provide information on all available options, programs and services. Liepa acknowledged Jason Evers and Tirria Kendred for their part on the project. Their goal is to hire counselors that are specifically trained on the Asset Map to work with the school districts. The House Appropriations has earmarked $500,000 in its draft Appropriations Bill that will help launch this program and hire the counselors. Wayne RESA has also received a grant from Bosch Industries in Plymouth for this project. Liepa and McDowell have asked the Board to review the Asset Map when it goes live, and if they know of any resource that is not listed to please contact Donna McDowell. Also, if you know of businesses that may want to partner with Wayne RESA, that information can also be relayed to McDowell. The PowerPoint is on file. Lopez noted that this information also needs to be available to parents. Counselors agree that students and parents need to be able to access this information together, and Liepa stated that it is their longterm plan to make it available to parents. Wagner asked if the consortiums and CTE programs will start sharing programs and allow the money to follow the student, maybe at a reduced rate, so that all students have access to all programs. Liepa stated that this subject will be part of Phase II. It will be more long-term and requires a regional approach. This is an area where legislation would be beneficial. Leumpert-Coy inquired as to how many counselors will be hired? Liepa stated that every single counselor in Wayne County will be invited to be trained on the program. They will also hire two or three additional counselors just for this program that will assist all of the schools districts.
Hunter asked about MI Bright Future. Liepa noted they do not manage MI Bright Future but it is a resource on the Asset Map. Currently each school district must purchase the MI Bright Future program. Pitoniak noted that MI Bright Future is managed by WIN and there is actually a placeholder in the Governor s budget to possibly provide funding for MI Bright Future this year. The DTE Foundation has some youth summer job funds that may need to be added to the list. McDowell noted that when the program goes live in the fall, there will be a feedback form that can be filled out for additional information. Hunter asked how to refer interested businesses and asked if there are any materials that he can share. Liepa stated to provide the interested party s information to McDowell, Evers or Kendred and they will follow-up. Rodgers noted that we need to remember those students with disabilities. McDowell thanked SEMCA for their help with the program and for the opportunity to present to the board. Approval of One Stop Operator Procurement Pitoniak apologized for the late notice of this action item. It is on the agenda for the SEGA Board meeting but it must also be approved by the Workforce Development Board. Pitoniak discussed the WIOA requirements for a competitive procurement of the role of One Stop Operator (OSO). Currently the Workforce Board serves as the One Stop Operator and has for two decades. It has been emphasized by the USDOL that the Workforce Development Board cannot both bid out the OSO and also bid to be the OSO. In the Act itself it states that the Workforce Development Board can be the OSO but it is difficult to overcome the conflict of interest provisions associated with the federal procurement rules. The OSO RFP was issued by the SEGA Board as we learned more about the complications associated with avoiding conflict of interest. The role of the OSO in the new Act was not explicitly defined and was left to the discretion of the local MWA s. Pitoniak reviewed the responsibilities of the OSO for the SEMCA region. Three bids were received from ACCESS, DCC and TIC. Two of the bidders were essentially at the $15,000 budget and one was over. Pitoniak noted that the third bid was not eliminated for being over budgeted as noted in the board attachment and was scored. The management team evaluating the bids decided it was best to score them all. The management level was concerned with a conflict of interest with ACCESS and DCC because they are both current service centers. TIC is a more neutral party and they have been a longtime contractor with SEMCA for our toll-free hotline services. This action item will go before SEGA for approval at their June 16, 2017 meeting. SEGA is the Chief Elected Official in the WIOA world and approval of the OSO is required by both the workforce board and the chief elected official. MOTION by Hunter to approve The Information Center as the One Stop Operator for SEMCA Michigan Works! for a one (1) year contract (7/1/17 through 6/30/18) in the amount of $14,798.00, with two options to extend for one year (potentially through 6/30/2020), supported by Carroll. All voted aye, motion carried. Policy/Funding Updates Pitoniak thanked the Business Service Reps, SEMCA staff and our board members that reached out to businesses to personally write letters to our Michigan congressional delegation urging them to support WIOA funding and oppose the proposed cuts. Pitoniak discussed the preliminary WIOA funding
beginning July 1, 2017 and the planning allocations cuts that were just released as follows: Adult Education 23.6%; Dislocated Worker 9.34%; Youth 18.56% and Employment Services 20.9%. They do intend to be accurate but the final amounts will be announced at the end of the month. The economy of Wayne and Monroe counties are better than most regions of Michigan and the country which resulted in a reduction of our formula funding by $1.5 million in total. SEMCA will begin intensive review of the situation and determine the reductions needed for our contracts. This will result in reduced funding for training and may result in less staff at the One Stops and/or less intense services. Our service centers are strategically placed so that all customers have access to a center so we are committed to avoiding closing any Service Centers. COA Site Visit Update Grant advised that SEMCA received its four-year COA Accreditation through 2020 with very high marks on our standards. SEMCA Strategic Plan Update The Board reviewed the first-quarter dashboard that ended March 31, 2017. Hellar reminded the board that there are both short-term and long-term strategic priorities. Most of the short-term strategies that we are working on this year are in progress, as well as a couple of the long-term strategies. Mahoney advised that as we move forward into later quarters of the dashboard that more detail can be made available as to where SEMCA is in the completion of the strategy if the board requests it. Leumpert-Coy thanked staff for moving forward with her suggestion of a dashboard. Grant also advised that SEMCA has a project tracking sheet that the team has developed which indicates what actions have taken place on each priority, which can also be provided. Pitoniak discussed the MOU process required for the WIOA implementation from all internal and external partners associated with the workforce system. WIOA also requires an Infrastructure Funding Agreement (IFA) with each of those partners as well. Many of these may be in-kind agreements but there are still many questions and a lot of work needed to complete this WIOA requirement. SEGA Governing Board Update Previously discussed that the SEGA Board will be voting on the OSO recommendation at their June 16 board meeting. Talent District Career Council Update We have been waiting for approximately nine months for the state guidance on the change of the TDCC s from a regional model back to the Michigan Works! model. Region 10 has a meeting scheduled for June 1, 2017, which is the same day as the Mackinac Policy Conference. Pitoniak will talk to Chair Monika Leasure to determine if the meeting is needed. Evers questioned how the funding roles and structures tied to the TDCC are going to change or if they will change. Pitoniak stated Stephanie Beckhorn was asked that question at a meeting, and she said they are not sure how it will look/change. WIOA implementation has been a higher priority. We will keep you advised.
Program Updates: WIOA, ES, TAA, OJT, IWT, STTF, Project Rising Tide Grant advised that an offer has been made and accepted by Ana Salazar as the Workforce Development Programs Administrator. In addition to that we have a Talent Development Coordinator that we will begin interviewing for in the next couple of weeks. This position will focus on business services and developing and coordinating apprenticeship and work-based learning opportunities. Pitoniak referred the Board to the STTF update handout. He also advised that there is a $10 million increase for next year s program. Leumpert-Coy is thankful as DTE is one of the recipients of this funding. WIOA Youth, Foster Youth, JMG, WCCAN LeBlanc discussed the current Health Care Talent Tour that took place on March 22, 2017 at the Monroe County Health Department and Monroe County Community College. Both provided tours, labor market information about health careers and the training and experience needed for those positions. LeBlanc also showed a short video of Britney and her excitement to be participating in the tour and what it means as she continues her education through the help of SEMCA, DCC and the JMG Program. Britney obtained her GED while working full-time and is enrolled at Henry Ford College this fall. LeBlanc showed photos of her recent youth events. In April a group participated in the JMG Career Development Conference. Britney competed and was determined to win a trophy and took home two, one for public speaking and one for interviewing skills. Summer from Monroe received a trophy for product marketing. The participants were able to demonstrate the skills they learned through the program and competed against their peers from across the state in career-based events. One of our inschool youth from River Rouge also won a trophy for Public Speaking. Chuck Kaseman, JMG Specialist from Monroe, was awarded a well-deserved JMG Specialist of the Year Award. Special guest Frank Lopez surprised the team to lend his support. Alvin is one of two placements on a paid work experience with the Romulus Police Department. Tim Keyes, the Economic Development Director, has proposed to the City that they use paid work experience as their new co-op program. A group of nine out-of-school youth also went to Lansing the day before the JMG Conference to visit the Capitol Building and met with Senator Zorn and Representatives Jewell Jones and Jason Sheppard. A group from River Rouge High School attended the Careers in Construction in Howell. The weather was horrible but they loved it. They were able to operate some of the machinery and the experience provided valuable career information. Fodor has had the dream of a regional college and career fair and it is happening this October at the Ford Motor Company Conference and Event Center. SEMCA is currently reaching out to employers for Manufacturing Day. The goal is to recruit 50 employers this year. Fodor has been selected to present on Talent Tours at the Jobs for America s Graduates Conference in Las Vegas in July.
Pitoniak advised that he was the moderator for the Annual Michigan Works! Association s Legislative Day luncheon with guest speaker State Representative Laura Cox, Chair of the Appropriations Committee and dinner with guest speaker Senator Wayne Schmidt from northern Michigan. In between there were legislative visits, and Pitoniak visited Senator Zorn and his staff, who were very complimentary of our Youth program and their visits with the Senator for the past two years. Carroll reminded everyone that Mike Smith has a wonderful Construction Camp coming up in June and July at the Monroe County Community College for youth grades 9-12. She encouraged the board to stop by if you re in town to see the students in action. PATH, Earn & Learn, Prisoner Reentry, MLB Martinez provided highlights from his report in the board packet. The JSA project team is doing site visits on May 16-18. They will be talking to site managers and frontline staff on the progress of the pilot, suggestions for improvements, and sharing best practices. Martinez noted that during a conversation with our representative from TIA in Lansing, it was stated that they are thrilled with the performance of our contractors. We are working with TIA on how to formulate a request to move this into an extended pilot for our whole system. It is currently a one-year pilot for Genesee and Wayne counties excluding ACCESS because of the high number of refugees. We will now begin producing the data for the percentage of customers in the control group versus the JSA study who are being referred to triage, which is the penalty phase for not participating. We know verbally that the numbers are dramatic and the data should help in our request to extend the pilot. Related to the JSA study, SEMCA has been invited, with our partners from Genesee County, to present and participate in a panel discussion on our successful JSA program at a National Association of Welfare Research Conference in Pittsburgh in July. This gives us the opportunity to showcase our success nationally. WIN On a technical level, for literally four years the Michigan Community College Association and WIN have been to trying to amend the state law as it pertains to non-personal unemployment insurance agency data. Most states allow for colleges and universities to access a lot more detailed data than the State of Michigan, and it has hindered the ability to have research done on labor force or in determining what programs to invest in. The House Committee unanimously approved a Bill that will allow more access to data, and it is expected to be voted on in the House this week and then hopefully over to the Senate. New/Old Business Seven board members have terms expiring on June 30, 2017. We need to know if you want to continue on this Board. Two of those seven have asked to resign after this year but will remain on until we can find replacements. We are working with Monroe Service Center management to obtain possible companies that may be interested in replacing them. If you know of anyone that may be interested in sitting on this Board, let Charlie Mahoney or Tamara Norrix know so we can go through the proper channels to have them nominated. Mahoney also advised that we need to appoint officer positions at our July meeting. Mahoney, Wagner and Carroll are our current officers so we need to know first, if they are willing to continue serving in their capacities and second, if there are any further nominations for Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary.
Please advise Charlie Mahoney or Tamara Norrix before the July 19, 2017 board meeting if you are interested in one of the elected positions. O Connell thanked Pat LeBlanc and Sonya Grant on their assistance with the Youth Build Grant they completed in collaboration with DESC. DESC applied a year ago and were not successful but they took into consideration the analysis of last year s submission and enhanced this year s grant application and feel pretty confident they will be successful. Pitoniak congratulated Sean Sims on recently achieving his Masters in Social Work. Pitoniak introduced Joe Quick from the Michigan Works! Association and thanked him for attending today s meeting. Quick stated it is important for the MWA to see what its partners are doing around the state and was impressed with the presentation today by Wayne RESA. Mahoney noted that the State Association s Annual Conference is coming up in September. Through the leadership of Luann Dunsford, the Association is really reaching out to advocate on a national level as to workforce programs and how it benefits the economy of this country. Michigan has been a model for WIOA and Dunsford has been asked to be a part of the convening around the nation and with the USDOL to discuss how WIOA is working in the State of Michigan, highlighting its success. Wagner thanked Norrix for her role in arranging conferences and travel for the Board. Mahoney welcomed back Traci Sassak as CFO for SEMCA. MOTION by Lopez to adjourn the meeting, supported by Hunter. Meeting adjourned at 3:47 p.m. The next full board meeting is scheduled for July 19, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Tamara Lamper-Norrix Executive Assistant SEMCA