GOVERNOR’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Chair’s Report
January 18, 2002
Highlights from October through December 2001
Activity in support of developing workforce development vision and direction
1. The extensive work of the transition team was completed to ensure that there is agreement prior to legislative session regarding how to successfully merge MDES and DTED by 7/1/02 under the leadership of Commissioner Yanisch. Roger Hale continued to serve with Earl Wilson, Rebecca Yanisch, other Cabinet Commissioners, and Transition Manager Morrie Anderson on the Transition Team Executive Leadership Group. Their role is to provide Executive Branch leadership through the agency transition process. Additionally, GWDC members Commissioners Earl Wilson, Rebecca Yanisch, Senator Dave Johnson, Representative Bob Gunther, and Willie Negaard have all been very active in Transition Team discussions. GWDC staff Kathy Sweeney and Luke Weisberg have served as staff support together with MDES staff Libby Starling and others from several agencies. See www.mntransition.org for complete details on the effort. The final report from the team is expected by the end of the month.
2. Staff, under the direction of the GWDC Executive Committee, have been finalizing the WorkForce Center Strategic Plan as requested by the Legislature. Financial and staffing information was gathered from field mangers using a template for local partners to outline resources available in each of the 53 centers. Letters were sent to Local Workforce Council Chairs requesting assistance from local areas to identify local issues regarding the sustainablity of the WorkForce Center system. A rough draft of the full report was circulated widely among local and state partners soliciting feedback. The document will be discussed by the full Council on 1/18/02 and finalized by the Executive Committee for a February 1 completion date. GWDC staff have received tremendous assistance from the MDES Systems Integration unit in this work.
3. The WorkForce Center Strategic Plan and work undertaken by the MN Job Skills Partnership Board (MJSPB) to identify performance measures for state-funded training programs both lay groundwork for a broader outcome measurement system as envisioned in the GWDC’s Preeminence Minnesota effort. GWDC Staff have worked closely with MDES Policy, Planning, and Measures Unit and DTED/Job Skills Partnership staff to help guide efforts per the Preeminence vision.
4. Roger Hale, GWDC staff, DTED Commissioner Rebecca Yanisch, MDES Associate Deputy Commissioner Mick Coleman, MDES Assistant Commissioner Jim Korkki, and MnSCU Vice-Chancellor Michael Murphy represented Minnesota at the National Governor’s Association Winter Policy Forum in New Orleans. GWDC leadership and staff also attended the state Chairs meeting for state workforce board chairs and staff that followed the Winter Policy Forum.
Strengthening Local Workforce Councils and other stakeholders as strategic community leaders
5. Families Forward, the partnership between the McKnight Foundation, the GWDC, and several service providers throughout Minnesota, got off the ground with a day and half retreat by the grantee organizations, potential “resource people” and others to identify issues facing working families in Minnesota and begin outlining how the GWDC will work with grantee organizations, per the terms of our grant award from McKnight, to provide assistance so they can succeed in their efforts and bring their knowledge and expertise to policymakers considering these important issues.
6. Local Workforce Councils continued to receive training and follow-up support from the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce in consultations subsidized by the GWDC. GWDC staff also supported individual Councils through consultations and assistance.
7. MDES staff, with assistance from GWDC staff, supported Workforce Service Areas by raising key WIA reporting issues with the US Department of Labor (USDOL) and addressing performance reporting issues in conjunction with the Annual Report submitted to USDOL.
8. The Council said thank you and goodbye to Michael Dolan, Dick McFarland, Steve Tufenk, and Bernie Brommer as their terms ended this summer. In October the Governor appointed David Nasby, Jaye Rykunyk, Norb Conzemius, and James Johnson to the GWDC. The Governor also reappointed Gordon Aanerud, Wendy Brower, Mary Haug, Rod Haworth to each serve another four-year term.
9. In November 2001, the GWDC welcomed Koryn Schultz as a new full-time Policy Analyst working with the Council. Koryn has experience in establishing credentialing and accreditation processes and is working on the credentialing process outlined in the WorkForce Center Strategic Plan.