Minneapolis Workforce Council News

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May 2016

For Your Calendar

Carolyn Roby City Council Resolution

Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Time: 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Location: Minneapolis City Council Chambers

Minneapolis City Hall, 350 South 5th Street, Minneapolis

 

Join us as we continue the celebration with cake and refreshments from

4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Crown Roller Mill

Second floor atrium, 105 Fifth Ave. S, Minneapolis

 

Minneapolis Workforce Council Meeting

Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Time: 8:00 a.m.

Location: TBD

 

STEP-UP Worksite Tour

Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Time: 9:00 a.m. - Noon

Location: TBD


April 2016 Unemployment Rate for Minneapolis

The April 2016 unemployment rate dropped to 3.1%, down .4% from March, resulting in 7,286 residents unemployed and actively seeking employment, a decrease of 813 unemployed from March to April.

 

The federal government’s estimate of the Minneapolis labor force showed little change between March to April, adding 425 to the labor force, increasing the total labor force to 235,239.

 

The year-over-year trend for April shows both increased labor force participation and lower unemployment from one year ago.

 

April’s 3.1% unemployment rate in Minneapolis is .7% lower than the State of Minnesota, .1% lower than the seven county metro area, and 1.6% lower than the national average.

 

State Adds 15,600 Jobs in April

Minnesota employers added 15,600 jobs in April, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by the DEE).

 

April job gains were the most for a month since September 2013. March employment figures, meanwhile, were revised downward slightly from 2,900 jobs lost to 3,200 jobs lost. Job growth in Minnesota is up 1.1 percent from a year ago, compared with a 1.9 percent growth rate nationally.

 

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady in April at 3.8 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate in April was 5 percent.

Go here  for details.

 

Check Out the 800 West Broadway Newsletter

800 West Broadway is a new e-newsletter with updates on the new employment, education and health center in North Minneapolis in an effort to keep community members up-to-date on construction progress, events of community interest, and partner services and programs. See the newsletter and sign up for future issues here.

 

ISEEK Is Now CAREERwise Education

ISEEK.org has changed its name to CAREERwise Education.  This change strengthens the website's alignment with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). MnSCU assumed leadership of the website on January 1, 2015.

 

MnSCU’s CAREERwise Education will continue to deliver the relevant information and valuable services users have grown to rely on by:

* Offering innovative tools and content to help students and job seekers with career planning, including Career Profiles, Assessments, Reality Check, and other popular tools

* Providing college and university program, course, and WIA/WIOA certification information for all Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

 

DEED Offers Updated Legal Guide to Privacy and Data Security

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has teamed up with the law firm of Gray Plant Mooty to publish the second edition of “A Legal Guide to Privacy and Data Security,” a free booklet for Minnesota businesses.

 

The guide offers guidance on a variety of privacy and data security-related laws, the impact of such laws on businesses, and best practices to mitigate risks. It covers key federal privacy and data security laws, Minnesota privacy laws, and privacy issues in the workplace, as well as compliance with global privacy and data security laws.

 

The guide is available on DEED’s website and is also available in print or CD-ROM from DEED’s Small Business Assistance Office at 651-259-7476, 800-310-8323 or deed.mnsbao@state.mn.us. Requests also can be mailed to the Small Business Assistance Office at the First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota St., Suite E-200, St. Paul, MN 55101-1351. 

 

Carolyn Roby, a Career of Dedication to the Community

carolyn

Carolyn Roby has recently retired as Chair of the Minneapolis Workforce Council following her retirement as Vice President at Wells Fargo Foundation MN.

 

Carolyn’s commitment to community is evidenced by her work on the Minneapolis Workforce Council, a member since 1994 and as the Chair since 2006. In this role, Carolyn kept Minneapolis job seekers interests at the forefront of many iterations of employment and training programs over the years. Her leadership will be remembered as one with a focus on racial equity in employment and youth career development.

 

During her tenure as Chair of the Minneapolis Workforce Council tens of thousands of Minneapolis residents, both adults and youth, found career paths and reached self-sufficiency through a unique community-based partnership model. Carolyn played an integral role in developing and supporting this effective network of community-based service delivery organizations within the City of Minneapolis.

 

Under Carolyn’s active leadership, City of Minneapolis Employment and Training has earned numerous awards, commendations, certificates of appreciation and recognition for outstanding service delivery, efficiency, and effectiveness, most notably for the nationally recognized STEP-UP program that has provided more than 21,000 internships since 2004.

 

Carolyn has earned the respect of her colleagues in workforce development for her unwavering commitment to a responsive, high-quality community based delivery system. 

 

HIRED Partner Profile

hired

HIRED receiving the 2015 Youth Provider of the Year award from City of Minneapolis Employment and Training. Pictured L to R: Tyler Olson, Minneapolis Workforce Council; Deb Bahr-Helgen, City of  Minneapolis Employment and Training; Jane Samargia, Jan West, and Kelley Eubanks, HIRED; and Carlye Peterson, Minneapolis Workforce Council 


HIRED has partnered with Minneapolis Employment and Training for more than 30 years to provide personalized and innovative work solutions to serve the needs of individuals who are disconnected from the workforce. HIRED’s service model includes career counseling for individualized support, workshops to develop and enhance skills and job search strategies, and targeted training for specific career tracks. HIRED has seven locations throughout Minneapolis, including high schools and community centers, where employment counselors provide services to job seekers from start to finish.

 

Dislocated workers receive help to revamp job search materials, create their personal brand, and strengthen their skill set with training or education so that they can return to work quickly and at the highest skill and wage level possible.

 

Adult low-income job seekers, detached from the workforce and with steep barriers to employment, are offered services that help stabilize personal situations and allow for time to focus on enhancing skills. Services center on workshops, coursework, and training that are critical for careers with promising futures.

 

At-risk youth struggling to stay in school, return to school, or find their first jobs get individualized support through a team of dedicated counselors focused on putting youth on the path to more stable futures through workforce attachment.

 

HIRED has strong connections with local employers and has maintained an Employer Services Division and Employer Advisory Boards which allow for up-to-date information about local hiring trends.

 

Partnerships with ABE providers, Hennepin Technical College, Normandale Community College, local employers, and others make it possible to offer training programs that meet the demand for well-prepared and qualified workers. Many participants earn industry-recognized credentials in high growth industries (health care, manufacturing, green construction, transportation, food and hospitality, and customer service) and are able to find jobs in their area of training.

 

An example of the impact of HIRED’s work is the recruitment and successful hire of the first manager of color in the history of Seward Coop.  Vivian Mims came to HIRED as a dislocated worker in need of job search assistance, and after working with an employment counselor and refocusing her job search strategies, the position at Seward Coop became available and she was selected for it. See Vivian’s story in City Pages.

     

Students Get a Second Chance to Explore Careers

City of Minneapolis Employment and Training, using funds from the state of Minnesota targeted toward career advising, is partnering with the Minneapolis Workforce Centers to deliver career advising workshops to high school students. 

 

On April 23, 20 students attended the first set of workshops. The students in this group were youth that had applied for the STEP-UP summer program but were unable to attend the required work readiness training. Using the Career Edventure curriculum, the workshops provided a second chance for students to explore career interests using current assessment tools and coaching. In addition, the three-hour sessions allowed the participants to learn effective job search and networking strategies, interviewing techniques, and how to update or develop a resume that highlights their skills. All workshop participants received individualized coaching and feedback and left the session with three current job leads that fit their skills and interests. Additional workshops are scheduled in June.  

 

City of Minneapolis Launches Cooperative Technical Assistance Program

Over the past two years, the City’s department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) has undertaken an internal review of programmatic support for cooperative development.  As a result, CPED has decided to expand its current Business Technical Assistance Program (B-TAP) to include services aimed at specifically assisting co-ops or the Cooperative Technical Assistance Program (C-TAP).

 

B-TAP was created to provide business consulting support to businesses located in the City of Minneapolis.  Through B-TAP, the City of Minneapolis department of Community Planning and Economic Development contracts with 13 local nonprofit organizations focused on entrepreneur training and economic development to provide direct services to new and existing small and medium sized businesses in Minneapolis with an emphasis on women and minority owned businesses.

 

By creating C-TAP, the City desires to leverage the co-op model for maximum community benefit to

  • Use the co-op model as an economic development tool to reduce poverty and promote social cohesion
  • Increase racial and ethnic diversity
  • Promote innovation, community building, and local investment by promoting a more collaborative business model.  

Over 500 Teens Attend Minneapolis Teen Job and Opportunity Fair

On Saturday, April 30, over 500 teens, many with parents in tow, descended on the Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central for the 10th annual Minneapolis Teen Job and Opportunity Fair.

 

The teens, dressed in their best, took advantage of the opportunity to connect with 40 exhibitors offering training, employment, and volunteer experiences. 

 

At workshops offered at the fair, teens learned how to conduct a job search and land a job from Minneapolis North WorkForce Center and EMERGE Community Development staff. A panel of employers facilitated by the Minneapolis Youth Congress gave advice on how young people can leave a positive impression when applying for a job. Attendees also learned how to dress professionally at a fashion show “Pro Up to Glow Up” from Aveda Institute and the Minneapolis Youth Congress.

 

Hennepin County librarians were on hand to help teens fill out online resumes and with resources for their employment searches.

 

The Teen Job Fair was produced by City of Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development , Hennepin County, Hennepin County Library, AchieveMpls, Minneapolis WorkForce Centers, Lunds and Byerlys, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Youth Congress, Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board, EMERGE, East Side Neighborhood Services, and Aveda Institute.  

  

Teen Summer Employment

In recent years the labor market in Minnesota has recovered to the point that unemployment is no longer the serious issue it once was with rates for 16 to 19 year olds falling below 10 percent last year. 

By the end of 2015 the unemployment rate for this age group reached its lowest point since the summer of 2002, well before the recession hit in 2007. Unemployment for all workers in Minnesota reached 3 percent in late 2015, the lowest rate in 15 years. More than at any other time in recent years, Minnesota teens who wanted a job in 2015 were able to find one, a sign that healthy market figures should carry over into the summer of 2016.

 

As Figure 3 below shows, summer participation in the labor market is much higher in Minnesota than in the rest of the United States. There has been a distinct uptick in participation in Minnesota since 2013, while U.S. participation rates have remained largely flat.   

 

chart