Greetings from the Minnesota Dislocated Worker and Rapid Response Team!
We hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying our
early spring weather. There are a few items the team would like to share with
you as we head into May.
First, DEED’s Employment and Training Division is
undertaking a major update of our policies. These include revisions to all of
our program policies, not just Dislocated Worker, Rapid Response and TAA. We
will be sending updates as they become available through the Partner Express
and the Rapid Response Email Broadcast system, but please check DEED’s policy website
frequently to make sure you’re staying up-to-date.
We’d also like to remind everyone of the upcoming Joint
Counselor Training, taking place May 17-18 in Rochester, Minnesota. DEED and
the Department of Human Services (DHS) join forces in Partners for Equity, the
theme of the 5th Annual Joint Counselor Training. This Training will assist us
in developing our skills and managing stress, sharing best practices, building
relationships and promoting system and policy changes that make a difference.
Please join us as we work to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to
economic opportunity that gives hope and results in a stronger future for
themselves and their families. More information on the conference is available on DEED's website.
Finally, the new program and state fiscal year is right
around the corner. Once we receive our final allocations from both the US
Department of Labor and the Minnesota Legislature, we will be in touch about
work plans and budgets for WIOA Adult and DW and State DW. This will likely be
towards the end of May or early June. Please let us know if you have questions
in the meantime.
Thank you for all your hard work on behalf of Minnesotans!
Best,
The DW and Rapid Response Team Coordinators
PERFORMANCE/POLICY UPDATES:
New Mass Layoff
Projects
We have four new mass layoff projects to announce:
- Macy’s was awarded to RESOURCE
- United Technologies was awarded to Minnesota Job
Partners (Minnesota Teamsters Service Bureau)
- Molex was awarded to HIRED
- Seagate was awarded to Dakota/Scott County
Please remember that all grant work plans and budgets
(including modifications) must be submitted to Monica Weber (monica.weber@state.mn.us) by the
last Friday of the month to be reviewed at the following monthly Grants Review
Team meeting.
Sector Partnership
NEG
You should have received an update recently on the National
Dislocated Worker Sector Partnership NEG. We are excited to announce that the
grant has been extended through June 30, 2018. Please contact Chelsea
Georgesen, the DW Grants and Policy Coordinator at Chelsea.s.georgesen@state.mn.us
if you have any questions or if you have not yet submitted your updated
planning document. Thank you for all your hard work and partnership as we move
into the final four quarters of this grant!
Performance Breakout
Session at the JCT!
Be sure to stop by the Performance Breakout Session if you
are planning on attending the Joint Counselor Training. Amy Carlson, the
Performance Coordinator, will be presenting on WIOA cohorts and other data
elements. See you there!
OJTs under WIOA
On-the-Job-Trainings (OJTs) under WIOA do not require a
credential attainment in order to be successful. OJTs are included in the
Skills Gain performance measure, which means at least one measurable skill
needs to be entered into WF1’s “Reporting Collection Summary” page each fiscal
year the participant is accessing the OJT benefit. If a measurable skills gain
is not entered it will have a negative impact on performance.
Opening an OJT activity will not generate a credential
pending status since OJTs no longer require a credential be attached. If a
provider chooses to attach credentialed training to an OJT the counselor needs
to open an additional activity in WF1 to acknowledge the credentialed training.
 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
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Recent
articles have painted a darkening picture of the retail industry as several
major mall-based chain stores have closed including Macy’s, JC Penney, Sears,
and more. According to an
article from CBS News, “The wrenching changes in the
retail industry resulting from the shift of consumer spending online shows no
signs of slowing. As shoppers flock to e-commerce sites such as Amazon, the
result has been a record number of store closures and thousands of job cuts.”
While
these layoffs are jarring for the workers, they may be an opportunity to find a
better paying job in a related field, or a completely different career path.
On one hand, many retail jobs offer flexible hours when it comes to
evening, weekends and holidays, which may be family- or lifestyle-friendly for
workers. On the other hand, retail jobs tend to offer relatively low wages, and
often don’t offer benefits.
Rachel
Vilsack, DEED’s Agency Performance Manager, looked at data from the WIOA Adult
and Dislocated Worker programs and found that many retail salespersons
eventually return to jobs as retail salespersons, cashiers, bank tellers, or
customer service representatives. The same is true for first-line supervisors
of retail workers; they often transition back to the same occupation.
For
retail salespersons who do get training, the outcomes are much more varied.
Here are a few occupations which seem to have frequent placements and where we see customers transition
into after their exit from the program:
o Childcare
workers
o Nursing
assistants
o Office clerks,
general
o Security guards
To help
these workers make smart transitions, DEED’s Match Jobs to Experience data
tool allows job seekers to enter the
title of a job they’ve held in the past, then based on an analysis of the
skills, knowledge, and abilities gained through work experience in that prior
job, the tool provides a list of occupations that are a good match for a new
career.
The list of
matching jobs includes examples of potential skills gaps — areas where a
jobseeker may be either over-qualified or under-qualified for the new job. For
example, those recently laid off as welders might be interested in becoming a
boilermaker because of the similar mechanical, mathematics, and design skills,
but may need to increase their knowledge of building and construction,
operations analysis, and troubleshooting. If the new job will require new
skills through postsecondary education or training, JobSTAT also has a list of
schools offering programs related to the occupation, showing the school name,
location, program title, award level offered, and program length.
Sortable by
region, JobSTAT also provides the current level of demand and median annual
wage for each occupation in the list, so jobseekers can make sure they’re
choosing wisely for their situation. In addition to demand, the tool links
directly to a list of relevant jobs that are currently posted by local
employers on www.MinnesotaWorks.net, the state’s free online job
posting database.
Jobseekers
can use JobSTAT to make sure they are making the most use of their past
experience before entering the door of their next opportunity.
SUCCESS
STORIES
 SUCCESS STORY: Amy
SW MN Private Industry Council
Amy was laid off from
a local plant in Marshall after working there for over three years. She was not sure what she wanted to do after
she was laid off. Amy’s past experience
was doing seasonal work that required her to be away from home for long periods
of time. She is a single parent with a
young daughter and she needed to be close to home. After 3 months of job search she met with a Private
Industry Council Specialist to talk about the Dislocated Worker program
services. At the time Amy was not sure
if she wanted to complete a retraining program to find employment.
The counselor discussed the OJT program option and how it
might help her with her job search, but after a few months with no success in
finding employment, Amy made the decision to attend a training school to gain
new skills that would lead to employment.
Once Amy researched different schools in the state and had completed an
assessment she decided to attend Minnesota West Community and Technical College
in Granite Falls for the Fluid Power program.
Amy completed her program with a GPA of 3.8, and after
graduation and several job opportunities she relocated and accepted her new
career in Alexandria. She is working as
a Machine Operator making $5 more an hour than the position she was separated
from.
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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
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