Director’s Corner
Hello
everyone – and happy February. This is about the time of year that we all get
cabin fever!
I
am thrilled to report that we are finally working with a strengthened policy,
grants, and performance team! Effective February 13th, Abdi Mohamed
will be a part of our team, bringing great experience as a USAID grant manager.
We are very excited! I want to thank Chelsea for hitting the ground running,
Amy for her steadfast work as our performance and data lead, and Monica for
doing the work of three grants specialists during this transition.
We
are also preparing for the March Job Skills Partnership board meeting. Should
any local areas see a need for additional funding to serve individuals impacted
by small layoffs, please let us know as soon as you are able.
As
mass layoff activity has increased recently, I am grateful to our rapid
responders for their strong and steady work meeting with employers and workers
– and to all of you for being great partners in this work.
Finally,
I also want to recognize our TAA team here at DEED for their on-going work in
an ever-changing world of internal administrative requirements. Thank you to
everyone for keeping our TAA customers right at the front of our focus!
I
hope that the groundhog sees… well, we’ll see.
Thanks
all,
Annie
PERFORMANCE/POLICY UPDATE
Enrolling Dislocated Workers Who Are Ineligible for UI:
Providers are encouraged to enroll Dislocated Workers who are ineligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits under certain circumstances. While being eligible for UI benefits is an easy way to determine if a customer is also eligible for the Dislocated Worker Program, please refer to the following in the Dislocated Worker Eligibility Policy:
“An exception may be made to allow DW eligibility even if the individual is not eligible for unemployment insurance, if the worker meets all other criteria in this definition and is not eligible for unemployment insurance due to either (a) insufficient earnings in the relevant time period or (b) having worked for an employer not covered by unemployment compensation law.”
Using WIOA Funding for Non-WIOA-Certified Training:
Many providers have asked about using WIOA funds to provide non-WIOA-certified training to customers. This is possible and encouraged! It is important to note that all training provided by institutions who are licensed, registered, or otherwise exempt by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education is available to all customers – regardless of funding source. However, counselors may only claim credentials for performance for WIOA for those training programs that are WIOA-certified. Therefore, please enroll your customers in “non-credentialed” training in order to use WIOA dollars for non-WIOA certified training.
National Dislocated Worker Grant Updates
Sector Partnership NEG Reminder:
The Grants Team recently sent an email providing further instructions for any provider who wishes to submit a cost category modification for their Sector Partnership NEG. Thanks to everyone for their patience as we work through a “reset” of the grant. For now, we encourage providers to submit cost category modifications ONLY, excluding incumbent worker and transitional jobs funding changes. Also, please do not include any increase or reduction in funding levels, as these types of modifications will be requested at a later time. Hopefully, this will allow providers the chance to more easily spend the funds they currently have.
DEED is currently working on a no cost extension modification for the federal grant, and will keep providers up to date on any new information that comes in.
TRADE ADJUSTMENT
ASSISTANCE UPDATE
As you’ve likely seen in a recent news
flash, TAA has a new process for TAA application submission. In the past, applications were sent directly to the TAA
Specialist. Effective immediately, TAA is asking that DW Counselors scan and
attach TAA applications to an email and send to the general TAA email address
at deed.taa@state.mn.us. TAA will
acknowledge receipt of the application and indicate who the assigned specialist
is at that time.
Remember to send the application securely by
either placing [encrypt] in the subject line (if you have Outlook) or sending
an initial request to the TAA general email asking for a secure email to attach
the application.
 CORNER ON THE MARKET:
WITH TIM O'NEILL
Twin Cities Labor Market Analyst
Minnesota Dept. of Employment & Economic Development
timothy.oneill@state.mn.us
651-259-7401
CTE: Career and Technical Education in Minnesota
February is upon us, and with it brings the promise
of Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, the Chinese New Year, Mardi
Gras, and many other important events, remembrances, and dedications. Among the
numerous observations and awareness pushes, February happens to be Career and
Technical Education (CTE) Month in Minnesota. You may not have heard of this
one yet.
From the Minnesota State website, CTE Month is a
“public awareness national campaign held each February to celebrate CTE and the
achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs and students across the country.”
Every week in February, the CTE Month Campaign in Minnesota will focus upon a
unique theme:
-Week of Feb. 1st: College and career
readiness tools
-Week of Feb. 5th: Success stories from
students, educators, administrators, business and industry leaders, and the
community
-Week of Feb. 12th: Partnerships
-Week of Feb. 19th: CTE news and resources
to help other stay informed
-Week of Feb. 26th: Legislation, policy,
and advocacy supporting CTE
From the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) website, CTE programs
“offer academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training to succeed in
future careers.” Career fields being promoted in
Minnesota
include Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Arts, Communications, and
Information Systems; Engineering, Manufacturing, and Technology; Health Science
Technology; Human Services; and Business, Management, and Administration. Each
of these career fields can be further broken down into career clusters and
pathways. In 2016, nearly 250,000 Minnesota high school and college students
enrolled in CTE courses focusing on these career fields, clusters, and
pathways. Overall, there are nearly 50
community and technical colleges in Minnesota offering CTE.
Beyond resources available through MDE and Minnesota
State, including CAREERwise Education, the Minnesota
Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has numerous job
market tools for students, educators, administrators, and job-seekers
interested in or involved in CTE. Some of these tools have been previously
noted within “Corner on the Market,” including DEED’s Occupations-in-Demand and
Employment Outlook tools. One other tool of note includes DEED’s Graduate
Employment Outcomes (GEO) tool, which shows how many Minnesota graduates are
finding Minnesota jobs, and at what wages. All of these tools can be found on DEED’s
website.
Using these resources in concert, students, job-seekers, and others can
determine the right school programs and career pathways for them. This is especially important for workers
looking to get back to work as quickly as possible. Some of these school programs and pathways
may include CTE, which considering it is CTE month, should be highly considered.
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SUCCESS
STORIES
We are in
the process of writing the 2016 Annual Report, and will be including DW and TAA
Success Stories. In the near future you will see an email from
Sylvia Garcia requesting partners to send us a success story from a participant
who has completed a program in 2016.
These
stories give us the ability to give real life examples of how our programs help
everyday Minnesotans and we share them far and wide.
We hope to
have the stories collected by February 16th. If you have any
questions please contact Sylvia at 651-259-7519.
 SUCCESS STORY: Keith
CMJTS/Chisago Co
My name is Keith. I am a 37-year-old parent. During the past
two years I have been divorced, laid off from my job due to company downsizing,
and have relocated. I decided it was time to pursue my dream of earning a
degree in an IT-related field and enrolled in an AAS program in Cyber Security.
I have discovered this is an area of computer networking that I am extremely
passionate about. The past two years of school have been especially difficult. However
with support from friends and family and instructors and college staff, I
maintained a 3.4 GPA while taking fifteen credits per semester.
It was hard to come back to school after 18 years. I did
take some classroom courses in the military, but nothing compared to a full two
years of college. As an adult, I have responsibilities such as rent, utilities,
and child support. I was receiving unemployment, but that ended last year. So
last fall I relied on student loans and the hope that I can find a part-time
job. I struggled in algebra and spent an average of ten hours per week with the
available tutors. I also did every available extra credit assignment. I received
an A in college algebra!
I graduated, with honors, with an AAS degree and a diploma
in Cyber Security. I believe that I am proof the grant that CMJTS provides does
work. I have used the scholarship that was graciously awarded to me to pay for
my 2nd and 3rd industry certifications. I continued to
intern throughout the school year and have recently accepted a full-time
position as a security analyst. This is a position that would normally take
several years to mature into. I feel that, in part, because of the opportunity
given by CMJTS, I was able to achieve success. Thank you so very much and
please realize how much your generosity can change the life of a recipient!
In closing, I would like you to know that throughout my
program, my (CMJTS) case worker (Janelle Sowers) was with me every step of way.
There were times when it was difficult, yet her guidance and support were
crucial at the times that I needed her. She helped me craft a resume and
prepare for an interview that landed me an internship that turned into a
career.
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