We Are Thankful for the Work that You Do!
 First Row: Mohammad Gaba, Liz McLoone, Mo Malin, Gao Sheng Lee, Sylvia Garcia, Jason Wadell, Marla Beaty Second Row: Annie Welch and Monica Weber
“I am
thankful for our partners always willing to go above and beyond. They lend
their own life experiences in mining to tirelessly support the people impacted
by our regional crisis on the Iron Range.” Marla Beaty
“We thank
you for your understanding, patience and respect. Thank you for all that you do
for the people of Minnesota.” Mohammad
Gaba
“I am
thankful for our partners and WFC staff who serve the public on a daily basis
with patience, knowledge, and a smile.” Gao Sheng
Lee
“I am
thankful for our partners because their commitment to excellence has made a
difference in so many communities.” Sylvia
Garcia
“Thank you
DW partners for always being there for us for assistance whenever we need
information regarding a layoff.” Mo Malin
“I am
grateful to our partners for going above and beyond the traditional way of
assisting workers find new employment.” Liz McLoone
“I am
thankful for all the Dislocated Worker Program counselors who are the “flat
tire” repair kit for the dislocated workers!” Mai Neng
Moua
“I am grateful
for our partners because they provide the dedication needed in assisting those
individuals affected by layoff to get back to a career faster and with higher
outcomes!” Jason Wadell
"I am
thankful for our providers being upbeat and flexible when grant processes get
complicated." Monica Weber
“When I speak with customers, both present and
former, they talk about how huge of an impact their counselor had on their
lives, and for this, I am thankful!” Annie Welch
 Mai Neng Moua
Director’s Corner
Greetings all!
This month finds us taking a moment to give thanks for one another and for all of our incredible partners in the field. We couldn’t do what we do if we didn’t do it together.
We hosted a very successful Roundtable last week, with participants from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. We had great discussion with folks from DOL and other states about WIOA implementation, performance measures, strategies for Rapid Response and Trade Adjustment Assistance, and much more.
Additionally, I have one more transition to share: Gao Lee, a stellar member of our team, has accepted a pretty impressive position with the Bush Foundation. Gao started with our team in 2013 as a grants specialist, worked on National Emergency Grants, and has been a member of the Rapid Response team for the past year. We are going to miss Gao tremendously, but are so very excited for her next adventure! Her last day with us will be Tuesday, November 15th. Thank you, Gao, for all that you’ve brought to the team over the years!
Other than that, I would like to let our teams’ statements of gratitude take up more space in this issue and the next issue.
Annie
 CORNER ON THE MARKET: WITH CAMERON MACHT
Regional Analysis & Outreach Manager Minnesota Dept. of Employment & Economic Development cameron.macht@state.mn.us 320-441-6596
A Lot to be Thankful
For
By almost any measure, Minnesota ranks as a great place to
live. Our state was named the #1 state for business by CNBC in 2015, placed
second for its high standard of living by the Camelot Index, has the second
highest percentage of adults with at least a high school diploma, and has the
second longest life expectancy in the U.S.
According to DEED’s Why
Minnesota fact sheets, “We have it all: a growing economy, affordable
living, top-notch health care, pristine lakes and forests, educated workers and
a low crime rate. In study after study, Minnesota consistently lands at the top
of the heap when it comes to quality of life measures. We ride bicycles, vote,
exercise, read and volunteer at rates that far out-pace the rest of the
country. Minnesotans are among the healthiest in the U.S. thanks to the
availability of high-quality health care and a commitment to healthy living.”
In addition, Minnesota has the 7th highest home
ownership rate, the 8th lowest poverty rate, and the 9th
lowest violent crime rate among all states. Minnesota’s per capita personal
income surpassed the national average by 6 percent in 2015, ranking second in
the Midwest and 14th overall.
All of these data point to a high standard of living. This
information is available through DEED’s Compare Minnesota
tool, which has data that allows users to compare Minnesota to the rest of
the nation in nine major areas including quality
of life, business
climate, education,
and the economy.
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POLICY UPDATES
As noted in the October Partner Express, we
continue to work on policies related to expenditure and cost category
requirements, CLIMB, and transfers between WIOA funding streams. More to come
on that soon! We will notify you when these policies are posted for public
comment.
Please send any questions you may have to
Monica Weber at Monica.Weber@state.mn.us.
PERFORMANCE UPDATES
Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act Dislocated Worker and Adult Program Performance
Measures
This past
August, we negotiated performance measures for program years 2016 and 2017 with
the United States Department of Labor.
Here are
the statewide measures for WIOA Adult:
Employment
Rate 2nd Quarter after
Exit 80.0%
Employment
Rate 4th Quarter after
Exit 76.0%
Median
Earnings 2nd Quarter after
Exit $5,700
Credential
Attainment within 4 Quarters after
Exit 70.0%
Here are
the statewide measures for Dislocated Worker:
Employment
Rate 2nd Quarter after
Exit 83.6%
Employment
Rate 4th Quarter after
Exit 81.3%
Median
Earnings 2nd Quarter after
Exit $8,400
Credential
Attainment within 4 Quarters after
Exit 70.1%
We will
reach out about locally adjusted measures soon.
Please send
any questions you may have to Amy Carlson at Amy.Carlson@state.mn.us.
Workforce One (WF1)
ticket processing delay
While the WF1 team work together
with Youth, Dislocated Worker, and WIOA Adult program performance staff to
align Minnesota’s case management tracking system with data elements required
for WIOA reporting, all WF1 ticket
processing will be delayed.
To assist you in receiving a
quicker response during this time, it is highly recommended you contact the
appropriate program performance staff prior to submitting any WF1 ticket. Program staff will help you determine if a WF1
ticket is necessary.
Reminder: Always contact
the performance lead associated with the program you are entering data on
whenever you have program specific data entry questions prior to submitting a
WF1 ticket.
 ETPL Data Freeze
DEED
greatly appreciates your patience during this interim period while we design
and build a new permanent webtool to serve as the state’s Eligible Training
Provider List (ETPL), following ISEEK’s transition last fall and the continuing
implementation of WIOA. In the intervening time, Minnesota has hosted its
ETPL on Excel spreadsheets linked on DEED’s Career Profile Tool.
DEED
is preparing to launch the first phase of the project: a secure training
provider portal where training providers will be able to enter and edit their
own information directly, similar to ISEEK. We hope to launch this phase
by the end of the year.
As
DEED makes the final preparations to launch, we are instituting a data freeze
from COB Friday, November 18th through
launch. We will not accept ETPL applications nor update the spreadsheets
after that point. There will be no additions nor changes to ETPL listings
during that freeze.
We
anticipate launching the second phase of the project – the public-facing
searchable Career and Education Explorer – in February. The spreadsheets
will still be visible on the Career Profile Tool until the Career and Education
Explorer site launches.
We
will notify ETPL training providers yet this week about the data freeze, so
they will have the next two weeks to request updates to ETPL listings before
the freeze.
Please
feel free to contact Sarah Sinderbrand at 651-259-7534 or sarah.sinderbrand@state.mn.us with any questions you may have.
 SUCCESS STORIES
Barbara was laid off from the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe on December 27, 2013
after 20 years of service. She was an
Employment and Training Counselor working with the MFIP/DWP population. Barbara enrolled into the Dislocated Worker
Program on March 3, 2014.
Unable
to secure a job with the skills she had, Barb started working for TBI
Residential Services on August 19, 2015.
This was an overnight in-house counselor position. In October, 2015 I realized that the
Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Council (AEOA) would be having an opening for an
Employment and Training Counselor. Barb
applied and started with AEOA on November 9, 2015. The match between employee and employer is
perfect. Barb brought forth a wealth of
knowledge, skill, information, and training needed to perform the job. Moreover, AEOA benefitted by hiring an
experienced person who know “the ropes”.
With
that being said, Barb works full time in the Cloquet WorkForce
Center/AEOA. She started with
probationary wages of $18.21. She now
earns $20.32 based on her expertise.
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encourage you to send your comments and suggestions to Liz.McLoone@state.mn.us,
View past editions of the Partner Express
Newsletter at http://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/dislocated-worker/counselors/news/index.jsp
Wanting to subscribe to this newsletter? Contact Liz McLoone at Liz.McLoone@state.mn.us with your request!
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