Successful Job Club and Recruitment Event Brings Jobseekers and Employers Together

Wednesday, July 27, 2022, marked another successful Baltimore County Job Club event hosted by Maryland Department of Labor and Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development (DEWD)! These events occur during the fourth week of each month and rotate between each of the three Baltimore County American Job Centers (AJCs) (Eastpoint, Hunt Valley, and Randallstown). The July event was held at the Hunt Valley AJC and featured eight local employers from various industries that currently have employment opportunities. In addition to meeting with employers, participating jobseekers were able to access a range of career services, including onsite certified résumé reviewers, registered apprenticeship resources and information, veterans’ services resources, and the brand-new Baltimore County Mobile Career Center!  DEWD has partnered with Labor to offer the Job Club program for more than a year now. The job club provides a complete one stop shop experience for job seekers to meet with local employers who are actively hiring, as well as to share information that the state and local workforce agencies provide to both job seekers and businesses in Baltimore County. Baltimore County is planning to hold the next Job Club on September 28 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Eastpoint AJC. Check here for more information.

Workforce Partners

Maryland Department of Labor                                                                  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

• Maryland Awarded $22 Million Grant to Train Workers for Off-shore Wind Energy Jobs -

  On August 3, 2022, Governor Larry Hogan announced that Maryland has been awarded $22.9 million under the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant. The Maryland Department of Labor (Labor) will use the funding to implement a new apprenticeship model to support the region’s growing offshore wind industry. Learn more…

• Desk Aid for Recovery Friendly Workplaces - 

  As businesses put initiatives in place to hire and retain individuals in recovery, state and local workforce agencies have a vital role to play in supporting these efforts. USDOL has released a new Desk Aid resource focused on the role of the workforce system and the programs that operate under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to support Recovery Friendly Workplaces. Recovery Friendly Workplaces Desk Aid

• Nearly 6 in 10 Americans Now Work From Home -  

  Like the dinosaurs, working in an office may soon be a thing of the past. The COVID-19 pandemic upended the business world — including the idea that people need to work 9 to 5 in an office cubicle to be productive. Fast-forward to 2022 and a new survey finds more than half of adults in the United States are doing some form of remote work. Read more…

• National Adult Education and Literacy Week Coming in September! 

  The 2022 celebration of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week will be observed from September 18 to September 24. National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week raises public awareness about the need for and value of adult education and family literacy. Its goal is to increase financial and societal support for access to basic education programs for U.S. adults with low literacy, numeracy, and digital skills. Advocates across the country use this opportunity to elevate adult education and family literacy nationwide with policymakers, the media, and the community. Learn more at the National Coalition for Literacy website.

• New Tool for Career Exploration and Planning - 

  Could you use some new ideas for resources to help your customers search for jobs and develop career readiness skills? The WorkforceGPS technical assistance website may have what you’re looking for. Visit the website to access Navigating Online Career Exploration and Planning Tools: A Skills Gap Roadmap for Case Managers, a guide designed to help case managers guide jobseekers through the career exploration and planning process. 

  Components of the guide include:

  • Three ideas about how case managers can organize career exploration and planning;
  • Eight "At-A-Glance" templates that help case managers determine which electronic tools are most helpful to meet which customers’ needs;
  • Three "Career Transition Roadmaps" that show how case managers provide career exploration in three distinct scenarios; and
  • An “E-Learning Resource Chart” that highlights additional resources for case managers who want to learn more.

• From the desk of the Chief Learning Officer for Maryland's Workforce System, John Feaster III - 

  Have you completed all of the modules in the Benchmarks of Success eLearning series that have been released so far?

  • Introduction to the HUB
  • Benchmarks of Success
  • The Governor’s Workforce Development Board
  • Understanding Title I – The Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Programs
  • Understanding Title II – The Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs
  • Understanding Title III – Wager-Peyser Employment Services
  • Understanding Title IV – Vocational Rehabilitation Program

  For more information on these learning opportunities, feel free to reach out to me at johns.feasteriii@maryland.gov.

  Upcoming Training Opportunities and Conferences: 

  Raising the Bar is Back! 

  The Maryland Workforce Association’s Raising the Bar Conference is returning once again September 12-14, 2022. The conference is a great opportunity for in-depth conversations and networking for workforce and educational professionals to discuss innovative workforce development solutions for job seekers, youth, and businesses. Visit the conference website for more information. 

  National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) 2022 Annual Training Conference -

  The NASCSP conference will be held October 24 - 28, 2022. The NASCSP 2022 Annual Training Conference offers valuable opportunities for professionals from around the country to come together and discuss strategies for meeting new challenges in improved performance, innovation, and accountability in the fight to change the face of poverty across the nation. Visit the conference website to learn more about pre-conference, core conference, sponsor/exhibitor opportunities, and COVID protocols.

  Maryland Rehabilitation Conference 2022 - 

  The Maryland Rehabilitation Association and Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Rehabilitation Services will hold the Maryland Rehabilitation Conference 2022 on November 17 and 18 at the Sheraton Baltimore North in Towson Maryland.

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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
• Issue 13, September 2019
• Issue 14, October 2019
• Issue 15, November/December 2019
• Issue 16, January 2020
• Issue 17, February 2020
• Issue 18, April 2020
• Issue 19, September 2020
• Issue 20, October 2020
• Issue 21, November/December 2020
• Issue 22, January 2021
• Issue 23, February 2021
• Issue 24, March 2021
• Issue 25, April 2021
• Issue 26, May 2021
• Issue 27, Summer 2021
• Issue 28, August 2021
• Issue 29, September 2021
• Issue 30, October 2021
• Issue 31, November/December 2021
• Issue 32, January 2022
• Issue 33, February 2022
• Issue 34, March 2022
• Issue 35, April 2022
• Issue 36, May 2022
• Issue 37, June/July 2022

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Benchmarks of Success Committee Updates

Committee Chairs welcome questions from newsletter readers regarding the work in which their groups are involved! To be connected with a committee's leadership team, feel free to contact the Communications Committee at dlwdalcommunications-labor@maryland.gov.

All committees are currently meeting virtually.

• The Executive Steering Committee is composed of the agency leaders of the partner agencies who meet periodically to provide the WIOA Alignment Group with high-level guidance. You can learn more about the Executive Steering Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The WIOA Alignment Group is composed of the department and division-level leaders of partner agencies who meet on a monthly basis to collaboratively address issues, plan joint efforts, make recommendations to the Executive Steering Committee, and manage and guide the activities of the Benchmarks of Success committees. The WIOA Alignment Group typically meets on the last Monday of each month. The most recent meeting was held on June 27, 2022. The next meeting is scheduled for August 29, 2022. You can learn more about the WIOA Alignment Group’s ongoing activities here.
• The Data and Dashboard Committee is comprised of representatives from partner agencies who possess subject matter expertise in program-based performance requirements and data collection methodologies and tools. The Committee meets on a quarterly basis to develop a consistent, sustainable system all workforce partners can use to measure, analyze, display, and apply Benchmarks data to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of services. The Committee held a joint meeting with the Policy Committee on August 8, 2022. The group's next meeting is scheduled for November 1, 2022. You can learn more about the Data and Dashboard Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The Communications Committee is comprised of representatives from partner agencies who possess subject matter expertise in programs and communications methods and tools. The Committee meets on a monthly basis to foster the integration of Maryland’s workforce system by broadly promoting the activities of the Benchmarks of Success committees and the services and resources of partner agencies and programs. The Benchmarks of Success newsletter is the committee's main deliverable. The newsletter serves as a central forum targeting frontline service providers, where partners can share information on important developments that impact the system. The Committee held its most recent meeting on August 11, 2022. The group's next meeting is scheduled for September 8, 2022. You can learn more about the Communications Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The Policy Committee is comprised of representatives from partner agencies who possess subject matter expertise in workforce system policy issues. The Committee meets on a monthly basis to research policy issues and produces an annual Policy Recommendations Report. The recommendations included in the Report help to guide system priorities and initiatives. The Committee's most recent meeting was held jointly with the Data and Dashboard Committee on August 8, 2022. The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for June 23, 2022. The Committee also has a follow-up meeting scheduled with the Data and Dashboard Committee on November 1, 2022. You can learn more about the Policy Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The Professional Development and Technical Assistance Committee works to advance a unified professional development program that helps all partner programs maximize access to and use of skills and credentialing and life management skills, eliminate barriers to employment through the use of supportive services, and strengthen and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the workforce system. The Committee typically meets on the third Wednesday of each month. The group held its most recent meeting on June 21, 2022 and has the next meeting scheduled for September 21, 2022. You can learn more about the Professional Development and Technical Assistance Committee’s activities here.

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Contact us!

Have a story you would like to see featured? Email us at dlwdalcommunications-labor@maryland.gov.