NORTH CENTRAL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD 651 Montmorenci Road º Ridgway, PA. 15853 814-773-3162 814-772-7045 fax North Central Workforce Investment Board North Central Teleconference Room Ridgway, PA January 20, 2010 Meeting Minutes at 10:09 AM WIB Members Present Lois Richards Cathy Grove Bob Tami Eric Bridges Robert Esch Robert Cardamone Jennifer Macey Kelly Okerlund Anita McDonald James O Mara Catherine Farr John Sutika William Moulfair Jeffrey Miller WIB Members Absent Donald Masisak Hugh Daly Greg Lezanic Sandra Romanowski David Cornelius Randy Davis Mark Moore Anthony Viglione Dan Burfield Cindy Gelnette Victor Marquez George Heigel Courtney Cole Autumn Wolfe Sharon Drukenbrod WIB Staff Pamela Streich Barbara McKnight Joseph Kulick James Stockdale WIA Staff Larry Horning Peggy Shilk Jennifer Merritt Others June Sorg, Elk County Commissioner Kris Kronenwetter, Community Ed Council Jim McIntyre, Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Bogacki, PA CareerLink (Elk & Cameron) Joe DeMott, McKean County Commissioner Lisa Kweder, Coca Cola Enterprises Todd Vanderburgh, PA CareerLinks (DuBois & Clearfield) Call to Order Chair Bob Esch called the meeting of the North Central Workforce Investment Board Meeting to order at 10:09 AM and welcomed all. Pledge The Pledge of Allegiance was given. Minutes Chair Bob Esch asked for the approval of the minutes from the November 16, 2009 WIB meeting. With no corrections, amendments, or additions to the November 16, 2009 meeting minutes Cathy Grove moved to accept the minutes, seconded by Bill Moulfair. Motion passed. Correspondence Pam noted that the NAWB (National Association of Workforce Boards) will hold its annual Forum March 6 9, 2010 at the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel. This year s forum will be Preparing a
Competitive U.S. Workforce Reflection, Reinvestment, Recovery. WIB members wishing to attend should contact Susan Snelick or Barb McKnight as soon as possible. Pam noted that Pennsylvania Partners will hold their 26 th Annual Employment, Training & Education Conference at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA May 19 21, 2010 (please see below). The conference will be on Building a Sustainable Workforce. Any WIB member wishing to attend should contact Susan Snelick or Barb McKnight as soon as possible.
Presentation North Central Local Workforce Investment Act Plan Pam did a PowerPoint presentation of the PY 2009 North Central WIA (Workforce Investment Act) Local Plan that can be found on the North Central WIB (Workforce Investment Board) website. The North Central WIB solicited specific input on the development of our Local Plan from a variety of stakeholders. This included several regional meetings throughout the region. Local Elected Officials, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Agencies, Education Representatives, Employers and other partners were invited to participate. In addition, input was solicited from PA CareerLink Partners and Title I Operations Staff. Meetings were convened specifically for input into the development of this plan in Ridgway in June 2009. In attendance at these meetings were Local Elected Officials, Chambers of Commerce Representatives, Industry Representatives, PA CareerLink Partners, Education Representatives as well as WIB staff. Valuable input was received from both meetings. Valuable input was also gathered from the PA CareerLink Staff through the administrators and the Business Services Teams in each PA CareerLink. This input is gathered at various times via email, telephone calls and personal visits on a consistent basis regarding local labor market information, emerging industries, etc. The format of the stakeholder meetings included an overview of where we are in regard to systems and services. This then led to the discussion of where we want to be, what are the current gaps that exist and how do we work collectively to address each gap. In addition to the meetings that were held staff gathered valuable input through the participation in several meetings throughout the Region. This included: PA CareerLink Leadership Meetings and Workforce Operation Meetings. The process for development of the plan as well as a timeline was reviewed with the North Central Workforce Investment Board at their July 20, 2009 meeting. The Chief
Local Elected Officials (CLEO) were made aware of the plan and solicited for input into the plan at their local meeting held here at North Central in July. As this plan was developed cooperatively, it then went through a review and approval process of the Workforce Investment Board and Local Elected Officials. A public notice regarding input into the North Central WIA Local Plan was published in each of our major newspapers. Pam reviewed: The Workforce Investment Act of 1998, What a Workforce Investment Board is Our Role in the Workforce Investment Act The Vision and Priorities of the Plan Government Structure Economic and Labor Market Analysis Service Delivery Administration Performance State and National Update Pam noted that a 2010 Policy Document PA Association of Workforce Investment Boards and PA Partners Policy Recommendations 2010 was included on the North Central WIB website under Meeting Information for today s meeting. This was supplied as a For Your Information. We are not taking action on this because it has already been approved by the WIB Association. This is what they will be utilizing when they are presenting to State and National legislators for the WIA Reauthorization. These are the points that will be presented to our State and Federal legislators. It includes recommendations of several items for the local WIBs, CareerLinks, it has comments about education and training post secondary and adult education, etc. Pam encouraged WIB members to review this document. Bob Esch commented that Dr. Garraty did a news release a few days ago. It was a review of what is taking place from a legislative standpoint. There seems to be some movement in legislation moving forward on WIA. The PA WIB Association s recommendations are in line with moving that legislation forward. He encouraged WIB members to review the 2010 Policy Document and to give feedback of their observations or recommendations. Regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding Pam gave updates on the following 2 awarded contracts: Regarding Penn State Subcontract Pam noted Penn State worked out details and everything has been subcontracted. Jeannine Hanes is our contact person at Penn State DuBois to get that program going. One of the biggest barriers she is having is recruiting youth. They are asking for help in this area. The program provides tutoring, leadership development and adult mentoring to in school and out of school youth and consists of after school activities including leadership workshops, five technology modules, and College 101 and Portfolio module. The five technology modules include: 1) using Lego Mindstorm NCT software and components to construct Lego robots and machines, 2) using C-Tech copper and fiber networking kits to gain understanding of technology in the high demand occupation of telecommunications, 3) exposure to Penn State s Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization by use of teleconference technologies, 4) use of personal computers managing, files, work processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, and internet and email, and 5) GPS/GIS introduction. Pre and post tests are given prior to and following each module. We received an update from them and there are 7 in-school youth enrolled in DuBois, 2 enrolled in Clearfield, 2 in St. Marys. It is the out-of-school youth population that they are having difficulty recruiting.
Regarding Empereon Marketing Subcontract Pam noted we subcontracted with them for On the Job Training (OJT) in Potter County for dislocated workers. We have not received an invoice from them yet but have been trying to keep in contact with them and offer some technical support. They are having a lot of difficulty in getting dislocated workers to work for them mainly due to unemployment being extended for the dislocated workers and the wages being offered. We modified the subcontract to serve a number of WIA Eligible Adult Workers in addition to Dislocated Workers. That modification was sent to them on October 23, 2009 and unfortunately we have yet to receive the signed modification. Pam made phone calls to them and just heard back from them yesterday. They are going to sign the modification and return it. Discussion ensued. WIB members recommended to send Empereon a letter setting a deadline to receive the signed modification back; listing the performance criteria; and to request additional detail on how they intend to satisfy the contract and the value that it will bring. The letter will come from the WIB and will state that if we don t receive the signed modification by a specified date with this additional information that we intend to redirect the funding. Committee Reports Audit & Finance Committee Bob Esch reported the following from the Audit & Finance Committee and Executive Committee meeting that was held on January 14, 2010. The main purpose of the meeting was to provide a mid-year budget review to ensure we are on the right track for expenditures. At the meeting Susan reviewed the Budget Update 2009 that included funds received from ARRA, WIA Formula Funds, Industry Partnership Funding, and others. Total of all funds is $7,769,066 with $667,699 in administration, and $7,101,367 in program. She noted that our Industry Partnership funds may be impacted by the Governor s recent Spending Reduction plan. Approximately $1 million was cut from these funds and we will let you know as we hear more. The Expenditure Report was then reviewed. Included in this report were ARRA funds, WIB Administration, WIB Program, and WIA Operations. At the meeting Susan reviewed the details of each report and highlighted certain areas that could look questionable. WIA Operations will work with the Accounting Department on some mid-year budget adjustments. In most cases some items were charged to an incorrect category. Jennifer Macey asked if we were under expended under our training category for WIA funds. Susan explained according to information she has received that these funds are almost 100% obligated. This means a financial commitment has been made to our customers to attend training; however training may extend into 2011. It was noted that ARRA funds are 63% expended; WIB Administration funds are 45% expended; WIB Program funds are 32% expended; and WIA Operations funds are 24% expended. Jim Chorney made the members aware that the North Central Audit is complete and the Audit and Finance Committee of North Central s Executive Committee will meet next week to review. Once the Audit is accepted by the Executive Committee it will be made available to the WIB for review and comment. Bob noted that Bob Cardamone also participates on the North Central Audit and Finance Committee to bridge the gap with the board. A detailed report of expenditures can be obtained by contacting Susan Snelick. Bob Tami made a motion to accept the Audit & Finance and Executive Committee Meeting report, seconded by Cathy Farr. Motion carried. CareerLink Committee Report Joe Kulick reported that the CareerLink Committee met this morning prior to the WIB meeting. Joe noted that the meeting was general conversation and discussed plans for the next month. The Operator Consortium is going to take a very hard look at the Strategic Plan in this time period. They also discussed regional reports and data entry accuracy.
Bob Cardamone made a motion to accept the CareerLink Committee Report, seconded by Bob Tami. Motion passed. Futures Committee Report The Futures Committee met via conference call on January 13, 2010. Pam reviewed the following: An update of the federal grant opportunities that we have been part of with the State was provided. To date we have been unsuccessful but there are grant awards still out there (this includes gas extraction proposals as well as healthcare) that the State is waiting to hear about. An update regarding RCEP activity was provided. As part of the Youth Council a RCEP committee was formed and a meeting was held on January 6, 2010 via teleconference to discuss spending the RCEP funds according to our proposed plan. We officially received $65,000 of the $70,000 we applied for. o o o We already put out a mini grant application process for schools in our region, non-profits, and other youth serving organizations to apply for. $15,000 is available for this endeavor the plan is to award 5 mini grants of $3,000 each. The mini grant guidelines and the application are available on the North Central Workforce Investment Board website. The mini grants will be awarded February 18 th or 19 th, 2010. Also, through the RCEP Committee, we are currently working with Career and Technology Centers in our region (i.e. Clearfield County Career & Technology Center, Jeff Tech, and Seneca Highlands Vo Tech). We are going to provide funding to these 3 agencies to do some Youth mini camps, based on the high priority occupations list, sometime this summer, but hopefully in June. We are also working on a subcontract with the Community Education Council of Elk and Cameron counties to do some professional development education for teachers that will be held throughout our 6-county region. Teachers will be able to attend these they will be career related and they plan to get industry very involved with the professional development education courses. Teachers will be awarded Act 48 credits. This is a very good opportunity for our region. An update regarding the online training collaborative. $150,000 is available for Industry Partnership members to take advantage of online training. Under the Gas and Oil Industry Partnership a Natural Gas Expo is scheduled for March 17 & 18, 2010 for Potter, Cameron, and McKean counties (please see below).
A lot of training has been or will be scheduled soon for the Healthcare Industry Partnership for Pain Management, Strategic Planning, Oasis C- Review, and Intermediate ICD-9 Coding. Under the Lumber, Wood, and Paper Industry Partnership Optimal Harwood Bucking training will be held. Under the Oil & Gas Industry Partnership Oil & Gas Operations Basics, Oil & Gas Production, and Supervising Drilling Operations trainings will be held. Under the Manufacturing Industry Partnership Value Stream Mapping, Welding, Supervision, CNC Programming, Master CAM, PLC (Programmable Logic Control), Die-Setting, and Advanced Statistical Process Control trainings will be held. Lois Richards made a motion to accept the Futures Committee Report, seconded by Bill Moulfair. Motion passed. LMC Larry Horning noted there was nothing to report at this time. Youth Council Pam noted that the Youth Council met on December 9, 2009 and reported the following highlights: A conference/workshop on Increasing Student Achievement Lead to a Successful Workforce: an Education and Workforce Development Symposium will be held at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center February 16 & 17, 2010. The Pennsylvania Association of Career & Technical Administrators are organizing it they hold this symposium every year. The minutes are very detailed regarding the PowerPoint presentation she gave on the Recovering America s Youth Summit that she and Blythe Brunner attended the first week of
December. The purpose of the Summit was to: share the findings and lessons learned from ETA s (Employment and Training Administration s) involvement with the summer employment programs; to focus on building the capacity of state and local areas to serve older out-of-school youth ages 18 24 in year round activities; and to discus strategies to develop training and employment opportunities for youth in renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries. Workshop sessions included: Green Job Fundamentals; Green Job Opportunities; Healthcare Opportunities; Engaging Employers; Ensuring Quality Work Experiences; Work Readiness, Classroom Training, Other Training and Support Services; Lessons Learned During SYEP; Transitioning Older Out of School Youth; Program Planning and Securing Community Resources; Recruiting and Serving Older Out of School Youth; Effective Case Management; and Resource Mapping. Other Youth Opportunities regarding Marcellus Shale Play include: gas and oil companies coming into the area Texas, Utah, Oklahoma ; still a lot to learn and partnerships being built; many efforts throughout the state; jobs are projected to be many, of a wide variety, and long lasting (at least 2 generations); and what the industry wants: o Great Work Ethic come to work on time, ready to work, long non-traditional hours, not time off for hunting, etc. o Communication Skills o Leadership Skills o Pass Drug Test o Good Driving Record Regarding Marcellus Shale Play it was also noted that: job opportunities will continue to increase; many are blue collar jobs with some certification; there will be 410 different jobs in 150 different occupations to drill a Marcellus well; 20 30 subcontractors are utilized for a single well; there are 11.53 full time equivalents per well drilled; and.17 production jobs for every 100 wells and the size of workforce depends on number of wells drilled. Marcellus Shale Play jobs include: CDL drivers not over the road 10% of jobs General office 20% of jobs General Labor 20% of jobs Heavy equipment 17% of jobs Land Man/Realty 5% of jobs Others semi skilled technicians, x-ray and x-ray technicians, inspectors, engineers, welders, welders helpers, geologists, paralegal, etc. As of October 30, 2009 there have been 20 Marcellus Shale wells drilled in Clearfield County, 10 in McKean County, 7 in Potter County, 3 in Elk County, 1 in Cameron County, 1 in Jefferson County, for a total of 42 in the North Central WIA. The following handouts were made available to Youth Council members: Careers in Pennsylvania s Oil & Gas Extraction Industry Are there opportunities for me in the Marcellus Shale? (a pamphlet put together the partnership put together a few years ago) Natural Gas Careers in the Natural Gas Industry Natural Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Natural Gas Pennsylvania s natural gas workforce Natural Gas Tapping Pennsylvania s Potential Current Topics Through RCEP an invitation to participate on a webinar conference call was received. It was a sneak preview on the work the DEP has been doing around Career and Education work standards implementing them into the schools lesson plans. The Council of the Workforce of Tomorrow (the State Youth Council) has done work to provide the highest level of professional development for teachers and counselors when teaching/learning back to core competencies in curriculum. Some of our RCEP funds will most likely be dedicated to this. Blythe Brunner, Donna Kilhoffer, Joe Kulick, and Jim Stockdale attended the webinar conference. The following handouts were reviewed:
Planning for Careers in Pennsylvania (www.pacareerzone.com) (www.pacareerstandards.com) PA s Career Education and Work (CEW) Standards Toolkit Career Education and Work (CEW) Standards on the Standards Aligned System (SAS). Regarding the Penn State Subcontract Update Pam noted at the last Youth Council meeting we were unsure of the subcontract relationship as Penn State was not sure they would be able to accept it as written. They worked it out and everything has been subcontracted. One of the biggest barriers they are having is recruiting youth and they are asking for help in this area. This was also referenced under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Under the State and National Update at today s WIB meeting. Regarding STEM/Green Careers this is where it was hoped to bring in an activity for the Youth Council s Strategic Plan. In regards to the information Pam talked about earlier in the meeting about STEM/Green Careers we were hoping to look at part 3: Where we are going? Vision, Priority Goals and Strategies. North Central staff will make binders for Youth Council members that will include the North Central WIB Youth Council Strategic Pan and other items that Youth Council members can use at the meetings. We have been doing a lot of activities to address those action items and goals. Because time ran out the Youth Council members were asked to look at the one-pager that lists the Youth Council Strategic Plan s 4 goals of 1) Awareness, 2) Preparedness, 3) Employment, and 4) the Youth Council as a Resource distributed at the meeting. Jennifer Macey made a motion to accept the Youth Council Report, seconded by Anita McDonald. Motion passed. Workforce Operations Activity Report Larry Horning noted that he has a policy recommendation that will require a vote. A memo Individual Training Account (ITA) Policy from Larry Horning to the Workforce Investment Board, dated January 13, 2010 was included with the information for today s meeting. The current ITA Policy established during the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is up to $7,500 for Tuition only in High Priority Occupations in the North Central region. The voucher is awarded based on the development of an Education Cost Worksheet identifying possible financial aid and utilizing Workforce funds as a funding source of last resort to close the gap between cost and financial aid. All training must meet established standards and be on the State Approved Training Providers list. Historically the average cost for training has been $4,500. In light of the historical trend with awards and cost, staff started assessing projected annual wages in relationship to occupational training. An award of $4,500 would allow a greater distribution of funds to the targeted populations. With this in mind staff believe establishing a two-tier award process would better utilize the ITA award. The ITA would afford a greater distribution of funds to the targeted populations by establishing a policy awarding up to $4,500 for tuition only to demand occupations projected to provide an annual wage up to $30,000 and award up to $7,500 for tuition only to demand occupations projected to provide an annual wage of more than $30,000. Staff asks for approval immediately to implement the two-tier award for ITAs understanding all available financial aid is to applied before the North Central ITA and training will be completed within 24 months of the start of the training. The North Central ITA is only awarded upon verification of sufficient financial aid and using the award to address the gap in covering Tuition cost. Lengthy discussion ensued. Bill Moulfair made a motion to approve the recommendation with a review/evaluation at the May 2010 WIB meeting, seconded by Bob Tami. Bob Cardamone, Anita McDonald, and Jim O Mara opposed. Motion carried. Larry noted that Pennsylvania Partners 26 th Annual Employment, Training & Education Conference will be held May 19-21, 2010 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. We are submitting two nominations (1 employer and 1 youth). We will recognize these individuals at the May 2010 WIB meeting.
Regarding an Operations/CareerLink update Larry noted that we will be starting the Weatherization Program with the Community Action agencies throughout the North Central region. Between the State, WIB, and CareerLink partners we have set up funds for some instructional training and assessment. We have been setting things up and trying to identify if there is demand training in our area where they will either go to Penn Technology in Williamsport or Johnstown Career and Technical School. These are the 2 locations in the State that we are aware that are setup to provide the Weatherization Training Standards. The computer-based software training, KeyTrain, is available at all of the Pennsylvania CareerLinks in the North Central region at the local level. The purchase of KeyTrain and the WorkKeys programs were approved and discussed at the November 16, 2009 WIB meeting. Discussion ensued. Bob Cardamone commented, as the local Weatherization for Jefferson and Clarion counties that they are struggling to find subcontractors to do standard weatherization. He asked that if anyone knows of any subcontractors in their area to please refer them to his organization. Rapid Response activities are ongoing. Larry noted that closings and layoffs are starting to decrease and not as busy as last summer. Staff continues to respond to layoffs and closings. Other Business Under Other Business: Eric Bridges gave an update regarding the North Central Commission. He noted that the Commission is midstream through the fiscal year. He does not expect to see a budget impasse this year and he does not expect the shortfall to be as mighty as it was last year. He thinks the shortfall will be right around 1 billion dollars that will depend on how quickly the State sees revenue from the recently enacted gaming legislation. The Commission has established a staff committee that has regular conversations regarding all programs and is developing an internal appreciation for how our respective programs/organizations across the Commission operate, etc. This not only allows us to position ourselves as an organization but also allows us to look at our resources and how they can be directed. On the training side partnership discussions remain strong between Eric and his counterpart at PMI in Meadville regarding trainings at ITEC. Bob Tami noted that it seems that things are beginning to turn around. His employer, Metaldyne, is calling employees back this week and they have ads in the papers to hire skilled workers. It appears that at least the automotive industry is beginning to pick up some. Some other competitors in the area are also doing some hiring and it looks like it is more of a long-term than short-term pick up. This also opens up training needs for the companies. Bob Esch commented that there was an article in the morning paper that Case Cutlery is calling back 39 employees and Alcast in Olean, NY is advertising for employees. Bob Esch noted that he would like to comment on boards. There is a change in accountability and responsibility of many organizations. That has been evidenced in discussions we ve had this morning. It is a good thing to see people accepting that change and recognizing the accountability that goes along with it. Bob Esch noted that it has been suggested that due to the State WIB meetings being held the same day as the North Central WIB Meetings and Ms. Snelick s need to attend those meetings to change the North Central WIB meeting dates so she is able to attend both meetings. Discussion ensued regarding dates. It was the consensus of the North Central WIB that a survey with suggestions of meeting dates be sent to the members via email. Adjourn Bob Cardamone made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Anita McDonald. The meeting adjourned at 11:41 am. In lieu of the next North Central WIB meeting the North Central WIB will hold bi-annual WIB Retreat on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at the Red Fern in Kersey, beginning at 9:30 am at North Central in Ridgway, PA.