Omar finds stability through Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare's (BACH) apprenticeship program.

Omar Syed immigrated to the United States in 2015, hoping to secure a more stable future for his children. Although he held a Bachelor of Science degree from his home country of India and had over 20 years of corporate management experience in the United Arab Emirates, he struggled to find employment that matched his skillset upon arrival in the United States. After arriving in Baltimore, he worked as an associate at Walmart, a customer service representative at BWI Airport, and finally as a manager at an adult daycare. Omar heard about Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare’s (BACH) apprenticeship program through his mosque. Omar was selected as an Environmental Care Supervisor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Spring 2019. Since then has been able to increase his wages, enjoy greater stability, and build on the management skills he developed throughout his career. When asked about his experience as an apprentice, he said, “The apprenticeship program has given me sense of stability, job satisfaction, and makes me feel like I am part of the community.”

Workforce Partners

Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation                        Maryland Department of Human Services

Maryland State Department of Education                                                Governor's Workforce Development Board

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development                            Maryland Workforce Association

Maryland's Latest Workforce Development Updates

Through inter-agency collaboration, the Hogan administration continues its innovative approach to offering services by providing both employers and employees with the opportunity to improve their performance and thrive in Maryland.

• Raising the Bar - Again this year, the Maryland Workforce Association hosted the Raising the Bar Conference September 17-19, 2019. This two-day event provided workforce development and education professionals with the opportunity to discuss evidence-based solutions and promising practices for developing Maryland’s workforce system.
• Congratulations Tamara Barron--Occupational Coordinator for Correctional Education, Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning, Maryland Department of Labor--who won the award for Program Support at this year's Raising the Bar! Her contributions to the occupational programs within the MD State Prison System are vast, and she was recognized for her many accomplishments and fierce dedication to providing returning citizens with the tools they need to succeed once they return to their communities.
• Workforce partners combine forces to help ADP workers - Maryland Department of Labor's Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning and Division of Unemployment Insurance combined efforts with Baltimore County Office of Economic and Workforce Development and HealthCare Access Maryland to provide two Rapid Response sessions for 123 Owings Mills ADP employees who will be laid off effective September 27, 2019. Additional Rapid Response sessions will be held on October 9 & 10, 2019. The partners will be conducting two interviewing workshops on October 9 and a recruitment fair - date TBD. 

• Baltimore and Montgomery Counties Join Maryland's Growing Youth Apprenticeship Program - Baltimore and Montgomery County Public School Systems have joined the Apprenticeship Maryland Program. Twelve counties are now participating in the state’s apprenticeship program for high school juniors and seniors, which accounts for half of the public school systems within the state. Read more...
• Adult Education & Family Literacy Week: September 22–28, 2019 - Did you know that in a recent survey, 92% of business leaders thought that U.S. workers were not as skilled as they needed to be? By 2018, 63% of all U.S. jobs will require education beyond high school. Yet, nearly half of the U.S. workforce—about 88 million of 188 million adults aged 18 to 64—has only a high school education or less, and/or low English proficiency. Educating motivated students with the skills that companies need provides qualified candidates for hard to fill positions. Read more...

• WorkSource Montgomery Convening to be held - On October 25, 2019, panels of elected officials, community-based organizations, and business leaders will share their perspectives on policies, programs, and market trends that impact how we work together as a system to meet the needs of jobseekers and the business community. Read more...
• Benchmarks of Success Defined - Download and share the Benchmarks of Success two-sided flyer!

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Benchmarks of Success Newsletters

• Issue 01, July 2018
• Issue 02, August 2018
• Issue 03, September 2018
• Issue 04, October 2018
• Issue 05, November 2018
• Issue 06, December 2018
• Issue 07, February 2019
• Issue 08, March 2019
• Issue 09, April 2019
• Issue 10, May 2019
• Issue 11, June 2019
• Issue 12, July/August 2019

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Benchmarks of Success Committee Updates

• Five Benchmarks of Success committees are hard at work... 

  • Executive Steering - provides strategic leadership for the rollout and implementation of the Benchmarks initiative - meets quarterly
  • WIOA Alignment - oversees and coordinates the activities of the Benchmarks committees - meets monthly
  • Data and Dashboard - creates a sustainable system supporting local areas in utilizing the Benchmarks to continuously improve the quality of their service delivery - continues to develop the scorecard and is developing notable data to share
  • Communications - promotes the Benchmarks statewide and educates local workforce areas on the value, implementation, and outcomes of the initiative - has developed the two-sided informational flyer and is drafting a poster and rack card to be distributed to workforce system partners 
  • Policy - identifies opportunities which support the Benchmarks implementation via policy changes - brainstormed recommendations related to Measurable Skills Gains

  ...providing strategic planning and organizational infrastructure to ensure successful implementation of the Benchmarks leadership tool.

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Please share your feedback!

We would love to hear from you! Please take this brief survey and let us know how we are doing with getting the word out regarding the Benchmarks of Success!  https://goo.gl/forms/GyeXFshutUgtWeXE2

July 2018

Introductory Video

Featured Guests: Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Kelly M. Schulz; Maryland State Department of Education Superintendent of Schools Karen B. Salmon, Ph.D.; Department of Human Services Secretary Lourdes R. Padilla; and Governor's Workforce Development Board Executive Director Michael R. DiGiacomo.

August 2018

Targeted Audience: Management/Frontline Staff/Partners - Parts One, Two and Three

Featured Guest: Secretary Lourdes R. Padilla, Maryland Department of Human Services

September 2018

Targeted Audience: CEOs/Boards/Privates/Non-Profits - Parts One and Two

Featured Guest: Board Chair Louis M. Dubin, Governor's Workforce Development Board

October 2018

Targeted Audience: Jobseekers/General Public

Featured Guest: State Superintendent Karen B. Salmon, Maryland State Department of Education

November 2018

Targeted Audience: Employers

Featured Guest: Secretary Kelly M. Schulz, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation

December 2018

Targeted Audience: Elected Officials - Federal, State and Local - Parts One, Two and Three

Featured Guest: Secretary Kelly M. Schulz, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation