We Are Thankful for the Work that You Do!
 First Row: Laurie Larson, Kelly Kalli, Cindy Boyle, Mary Garcia, Sarah Saito Second Row: Estella Hernandez, Linda Skogen, Amy Carlson, Deb Gramza, Ed Seel, Thomas Sommer Not Pictured: Jen Anderson, Marla Beaty, Jackie Brekken, Adele Cloutier, and Olajide Williams
“I am thankful for our partners because they share our passion of prosperity for all Minnesotans based on the compelling ways they serve dislocated workers.”
Jen Anderson
“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
“I’m so very thankful to all of the DW Counselors who are willing to go the extra mile for their clients and for putting up with all of my “reminder” emails!”
Jackie Brekken
“I am grateful to all Minnesota DW Counselors for their insights and patience while working directly with clients. They have the extraordinary task of being on the front line. I value DW’s input which is invaluable in assessing a client’s ability to be successful in TAA programs. TAA’s success is based on DW’s ability to engage and motivate clients. DW Counselors are truly my eyes and ears with clients. I could not do my job without DW and I am thankful for all of them.”
Cindy Boyle
“I am thankful to our partners for contacting customers quickly in order to get answers to may seem to be goofy questions about applications and related issues. “
Adele Cloutier
“I admire the professionalism, compassion, and drive that our partners have; they inspire me to do my best for our mutual customers.”
Mary Garcia
“Thank you for commitment to provide excellent services for laid-off Minnesotans. You make a huge difference not only in participants’ lives you serve. Your work improves the lives of their families and the communities they live in. Thanks again!”
Deb Gramza
“I’m thankful for the team approach between TAA and DW partners. The DW Counselors work really hard to serve the customers and do a fantastic job!”
Sarah Saito
“I am grateful for the hard work and dedication that our partners continually demonstrate.”
Thomas Sommer
Director’s Corner
Happy
Holidays, everyone!
There
are a few things going on this month that I believe you will like to know
about.
First,
DEED is hosting a discussion about Transforming Minnesota’s Workforce
Development System and Implementing Minnesota’s WIOA State Plan. The
meeting will take place on Friday, December 9th from 1:00 until 4:00
at St. Paul College (235 Marshall Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55102). Because the
registration filled up so quickly, we expanded the seating capacity; here is
the updated link to register: http://mn.gov/deed/events/stake-summit.jsp
Please keep in mind that registration is still somewhat limited, so be
considerate about not sending too many individuals from your organization.
We’ll look forward to seeing you there!
The
following Monday (December 12th), the Dakota County WorkForce Center
(1 Mendota Road West, West St. Paul, MN 55118) will host the final Job
Skills Partnership Board meeting of the calendar year. The board will have
a lively discussion including some of the topics discussed at the
Transformation discussion from the preceding Friday. Please join us if you
would like; the meeting starts at 10:30 and will likely go until 1:00. Details:
https://mn.gov/deed/business/financing-business/mjsp/board/
Third,
our new Employment and Training Programs Division Director, May Thao-Schuck will
assume her role as our Division Director on Wednesday, December 14th.
She comes to DEED with extensive private-sector leadership experience in
organizational development, change management, and business process innovation.
She has led large and complex organizations and effectively managed diverse
teams; she values community engagement, is team-oriented and prioritizes
collaboration. Having met her during the interview process, I am very excited
to work with May and look forward to her meeting you all as well. I would also
like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Rick Caligiuri for guiding us through
this extensive transition between directors.
In
closing, the team photo and statements of gratitude mirror my exact sentiments
– we are so grateful for all of you and the good work you do.
-Annie
PERFORMANCE
AND POLICY UPDATES
WIOA Follow-up Services
Follow-up services must be provided as appropriate for
participants who are placed in unsubsidized employment, for up to 12 months
after the first day of employment. Counseling about the work place is an
appropriate type of follow-up service. Follow-up services do not extend the
date of exit in performance reporting.
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 161 / Friday, August 19, 2016 /
Rules and Regulations
Docket No. ETA-2015-0001
ACTION: Final Rule.
The Department or Labor declines to make any change in
regulatory text to allow the provision of supportive services for adult and
dislocated workers for up to a year after exit; section 134(d)(2)(A) of WIOA
requires that adults and dislocated workers must be participants to receive
supportive services.
WIOA Performance Information
See
attached WIOA Cohort chart and WIOA Indicators.
DEED
is awaiting additional guidance from DOL on specific services available during
the WIOA Dislocated Worker and WIOA Adult Follow-up timeframe and other
reportable participant details in relation to performance indicators. As soon
as this information is available it will be provided to your local areas
 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
Tis the Season for Sales
Like the first snowflakes that turned into the
first blizzard of the season, Black Friday is the start of an upcoming flurry
of activity in the retail trade industry. Retail sales and retail hiring both
surge in the fourth quarter of each year, creating thousands of job
opportunities across the state.
Data from DEED’s Current
Employment Statistics (CES) program show that the retail industry's holiday
season begins in Minnesota even before the snow flies. In fact, retail
employment has increased between September and October every year for at least
the last 25 years. Through the first three
quarters of 2016, retailers in the state are reporting the highest number of jobs
since prior to the recession in 2007, making this the best year on record in a
decade (see Figure 1).
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 With nearly 300,000 jobs across the state,
retail trade is the third-largest employing industry behind only health care
and manufacturing. Along with the related accommodation and food services industry,
these customer service-oriented sectors account for about 18 percent of all
jobs in Minnesota. With the on-going employment gains, DEED’s most recent Job
Vacancy Survey results show that retail trade and
accommodation and food services had over 26,000 current openings, accounting
for more than 25 percent of total vacancies.
About half of those vacancies were
part-time, compared to just 35 percent of total openings statewide, and a
higher percentage were temporary or seasonal, especially in accommodation and
food services. Wage offers were also much lower in both industries than in
other sectors, ranging from $9.00 an hour at the 25th percentile in
accommodation and food services to almost $14.00 per hour at the 75th
percentile in retail trade.
However, in addition to the state’s
rising minimum wage, the strong and steady demand for workers has led to wage
increases over time. For example, the median wage offer for retail workers
increased almost $1.50 per hour over the past 2 years, while wage offers for
food service workers jumped $2.00 an hour from 2014 to 2016.
These flexible, available jobs
can be a great opportunity for job seekers to get started on a career.
Typically learned on-the-job, the skills and knowledge gained through many of
these positions – which include active listening, mathematics, customer and personal
service, sales and marketing, dependability, cooperation, self-control, and
attention to detail – are transferable to every other industry!
Best Practices for
Grants Administration:
- Dislocated Worker grants can spend 10% of expenditures on
administration. While you don’t have to be below 10% every month, if you go
over it can be difficult to go back down.
- Direct Customer Training must account for at
least 30% of expenditures in
dislocated worker grants; unless the grant is TAA certified.
- If you need a modification to a grant, the
revised paperwork is due the last Friday of the month to be reviewed by the Grants
Review Team the next month.
- Modifications to DW grants should be done in the
quarter before the grant ends (for example if the grant ends March 31st,
all mods should be reviewed in January and paperwork submitted the end of
December.)
- It is better to ask questions or seek technical
assistance with a grant sooner rather than later, adjustments are easier to
make with more time.
- If you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask,
DEED grants staff are happy to help.
New Mass Layoff
Projects:
Taylor Communications was awarded to Career Management
Services for $273,000.
New Legislative
Session to Start
January 3, 2017
The Minnesota Legislature will convene on January 3, 2017.
With the 2016 election the Minnesota Legislature has a new majority in the
Minnesota Senate. Senator Paul Gazelka (R-Baxter) will be the new Senate
Majority Leader. Senator Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes) will be the new Tax
Committee chair and Senator Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) will be the new chair of
the Job & Economic Growth and Finance & Policy Committee.
The Minnesota House retained its GOP Majority, but some
committee chairs have changed.
This session the legislature will be passing a new state
budget for the biennium, including any additional equity grants or special
projects funded out of the General Fund or the Work Force Development Fund. To
subscribe to committee meetings schedules or see new bill introductions visit https://www.leg.state.mn.us/
 SUCCESS STORIES
Jeremy, Stearns - Benton Employment and Training Council
I had seen the writing on the wall as to where the company was at
financially and where it was going from a business standpoint. I made the decision to go back to schools
about 4 months before my layoff. When I was laid off I was both scared and relieved
that it gave me the opportunity to go back to school full time and get my
degree/license earlier than anticipated. The layoff was actually a great thing
for me and with the help of the workforce center I was able to go back to
school full time which made the financial side much easier to manage.
I knew that the amount of school I would need to get the degree I
wanted was the perfect fit. I had chosen a career that I knew would not put in
this situation again of begin a part of a layoff, I chose a career that I will
always to get employment rather easily.
Enrolling in the Dislocated Worker program allowed me to access
school tuition, get my books and supplies paid for, and receive financial
assistance with monthly bills. I also
took career readiness classes, received resume and cover letter writing
assistance, and had great support from my career counselor.
I have a great deal of respect for the people that have been in my
situation. This experience has taught me
that money is not as important as people think.
It has taught my children how important school is and the value of a
dollar. It has made me a more humble
person. Going through this experience
has given me a new look on life and new respect for programs like this one and
the people who work in this field who understand that there people in need and
they are willing to those that need it.
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