Celebrate Black Businesses this Month

August is National Black Business Month, a time to recognize and support Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. The annual celebration was created in 2004 when historian John William Templeton and engineer Fredrick E. Jordan partnered to advance the policies affecting 2.6 million African American businesses and develop greater economic freedom for Black communities. According to the Brookings Institute, black people represented 14.2% of all Americans in 2020, but only 2.4% of all employer-firm owners. Maryland ranks 6th in the nation among black-owned firms. There are approximately 6,717 black-owned firms in the state, employing over 53,000 workers in Maryland. The top industries in Maryland for black-owned firms are the healthcare and social assistance industry, with 1,816 firms and the Professional, scientific, and technical services industry with 1,662 firms. Here is a great recent article from Pew Research Center that profiles black businesses across the nation.

New Americans Corner Stay in the know about the various populations with whom you are working by checking out these great resources: Cultural and Practical Considerations for Working with Afghan Clients, Language & Working with Interpreters Cultural and Practical Considerations for Working with Ukrainian Clients Find these and more from Switchboard, a free resource hub for those working with the new American population.

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                                                                                                                           

• 2023 Reemployment Summit Brings Together Workforce and Unemployment Insurance Professionals -

  Now in its third year, Maryland's Reemployment Summit has established itself as the premier annual event for the workforce specialists and unemployment insurance representatives who work together to help unemployed Marylanders quickly return to work. This year’s Summit took place on August 15 and 16 at the Sheraton Baltimore North in Towson, Maryland.

  More than 130 attendees participated in the two-day event, which was designed to promote communication across a variety of roles and organizations. Reemployment Summit sessions touched on diverse topics that included an employment panel on hiring from hard-to-serve populations, strategies for implementing successful change management, techniques for assisting women who are reentering the workforce, and more. In addition to networking, team building, and sharing best practices, participants received the latest updates on policy and program changes.

  The professionals who attended the Summit left feeling valued and recharged! 

• Get Ready for Recovery Month! September is National Recovery Month, and MarylandROPTA (Maryland Reinforcing Overdose Prevention Through Training and Advocacy) has some great free trainings teed up. Check out this free training opportunity for Adult Mental Health First Aid Training - September 6, 9 am - 3 pm (Virtual).

• Coming Soon! Raising the Bar 2023 - September 12 & 13 (with Pre-Conference on September 11) at Maryland Live! Hotel - The Maryland Workforce Association’s Raising the Bar Conference for 2023 is right around the corner! 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. Learn more…
• Virtual Training Institute Coming - September 18-21, 2023 - 

  Maryland’s Department of Labor, Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning offers the Virtual Training Institute twice annually to support improved learner outcomes in adult education. These opportunities provide targeted, innovative, and thoughtful professional development offerings for all adult education stakeholders. Participation is open to all and the content is offered at no cost. Sessions vary from 30-minute teaching tips to 1/1.5-hour conceptual discussions around topics specific to adult education. Together we can strengthen the instructional foundation in Maryland and improve student outcomes. Learn more…

• Have You Completed the Latest Training in the Benchmarks of Success Series? 

  If you work as frontline staff or supervise frontline staff for one of the partner programs in Maryland’s workforce system, you recently should have received a notification that you were assigned the latest training module in the Benchmarks of Success eLearning series.

  WIOA - Module 8: Understanding the Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG) - This module provides an overview of what JVSG, is, what JVSG does, and how JVSG supports the goals of the Benchmarks of Success. This training module is about 20 minutes in length.

  If you haven’t completed the training yet, here is your friendly reminder! If you do not receive notifications for WIOA specific training, please email John Feaster at johns.feasteriii@maryland.gov.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) - The Next Generation of Computer Technologies is Here - AI is a term that has received a lot of attention lately, at least in part because of its potential to revolutionize the world of work. For example, you may have heard of Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer – or Chat GPT, an application capable of producing written work and even art. Check out this article from the Pew Research Center to learn more about which workers and occupations are most (and least) likely to be impacted by the growing application of AI.

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Benchmarks of Success Newsletters

• For all previous newsletter issues, click here.

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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 July 31, 2023. The next meeting is scheduled for August 28, 2023. 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 its most recent meeting on August 8, 2023. The group's next meeting is scheduled for November 14, 2023. 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 10, 2023. The group's next meeting is scheduled for September 14, 2023. 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 next meeting of the Committee is to be determined. 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 August 23, 2023 and has the next meeting scheduled for October 18, 2023. 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.