eNewsletter for Winter 2008

Council Update

The Workforce Development Council met February 14th and 15th in Cheyenne. Several important topics were discussed at these meetings including the Council's upcoming strategic planning process, Workforce Investment Act rescissions, youth reports, the 2008 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions, the recently released Inter-state Commuting Study The Road to Work: Commuting in Wyoming, legislation before the 2008 legislature, and an upcoming Business Driven Worker Pipeline Initiative.

While in Cheyenne the Workforce Development Council toured the Laramie County Community College campus and took the Reading for Information section of the WorkKeys test that will be included in the statewide Career Readiness Certificate Initiative.

The Workforce Development Council will meet next May 27th in Laramie, WY.

2008 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions Set
On May 28th and 29th, 2008, the fourth Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions will take place at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The Wyoming Workforce Development Council, in partnership with the Department of Workforce Services, is sponsoring the event. The Summit is designed to assist Wyoming businesses in developing solutions to the many workforce issues they face.

The theme of the 2008 Summit is Defining Our Future. Topics will include Human Resources, Customer Service, Recruitment, Youth Issues, Education, Healthcare and various others.

Mark your calendars to attend the Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions. For more information on the 2008 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions and how to register, please visit wyowdc.org.

Wyoming Update

In the Spring of 2006, the Wyoming Workforce Development Council and Department of Workforce Services launched an effort to gather information about the movement of Wyoming's workers. As the unemployment rate continued to decline, and economic indicators suggested substantial future demand for more labor, it became clear to the two organizations that information on labor availability within Wyoming would become increasingly important in developing strategies to meet the growing demand.

The Council and Department engaged the Department of Employment's Research & Planning section to examine the question, "What can we find out about workers who originated in one state and are now working in Wyoming?" In this report, the answer to this question shows where people are moving from and the industries that are attracting them to our state. Knowing the origin of workers allows business owners, policy makers, and economic developers to explore these areas as potential sources of labor.

The data generated from the Road to Work: Commuting in Wyoming report identify relationships between the number of inflows into the state of Wyoming and that individual's state of origin. The report also breaks down distribution by industry for inflow into Wyoming by state of origin of workers who do not have a Wyoming driver's license.

Economic developers in Wyoming can use this data to assist recruiting efforts in other states. If workers already migrate to Wyoming for work, it is reasonable to assume that others will follow if their experiences are pleasant. Conversely, states of origin that exhibit minimal inflows are less desirable recruiting locations.

You can find the Road to Work: Commuting in Wyoming report at the Wyoming Workforce Development Council's website wyowdc.org. For questions related to the data of the study directly contact Research & Planning at (307) 473-3807. For additional information regarding the Wyoming Workforce Development Council, please contact (307) 777-5629 or visit wyowdc.org.

Legislative Update

On February 4, 2008 President Bush released his Fiscal Year 2009 budget for the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. This budget seeks to reduce employment and training programs nationwide by $1.1 billion and consolidate the WIA funding for adults, dislocated workers, and youth programs into one funding stream called Career Advancement Accounts (CAAs). CAAs would be self-directed accounts that would be available to both adults and out-of-school youth entering the workforce or transitioning between jobs, or incumbent workers in need of new skills. States would be required to contribute a 20 percent match of Federal funds used for CAAs. The maximum CAA would be $3,000 for one year. The President's budget has proposed consolidating the funding streams of the WIA since 2003 however; this is the first time they have proposed a zero budget for these grants.

Featured Council Members

Ray Fleming Dinneen

Ray Fleming Dinneen, Psy. D, is the Founder and Executive Director of CLIMB Wyoming, a non-profit organization that trains and places low-income single mothers in higher paying careers. She developed the CLIMB program in Laramie County in 1986 to meet the job and life skills needs of low-income single mothers. In 2003, she expanded the CLIMB program to six additional sites across Wyoming which now serve families in 12+ counties. The CLIMB program has received both local and national acclaim for successfully moving families out of poverty.

Dr. Fleming Dinneen has been a longtime advocate of Wyoming families. She currently serves on the Governor's appointed Wyoming Workforce Development Council, the United Way of Laramie County's Women's Leadership Council, as Board President of the Wyoming Children's Society and on the Poverty to Self-Sufficiency Action Team for the Laramie County Community Partnership. She has also served on the planning committee for the Governor's initiative to bring the Family and Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard to Wyoming. In 2004, Dr. Fleming Dinneen was honored with the Athena Award by the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce which recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact assisting women in reaching their potential.

Workforce and economic development are important for the state, Wyoming families and to Dr. Fleming Dinneen. Her work on the Governor's Workforce Development Council brings relevance to both human capital and the positive impact of workforce development on Wyoming families.

Curtis Biggs

Curtis grew up on a ranch in the Nebraska Panhandle, and attended high school in nearby Sidney, Nebraska. At the University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL), Curtis received his Bachelors of Science, and found his passion in international students. Pairing international student will to branch out with his endless enthusiasm to see the world through other eyes flourished into friendships without boundaries.

Employed under Department of Labor contract at Lincoln Action Program (LAP), Curtis began direct work with youth employment services in 2001, facilitating Workforce Investment Act Youth Programs in eastern Nebraska. He experienced great satisfaction, challenges and success in helping young people develop their career and leadership pathways. Curtis also continued his multi-cultural exposure at LAP. At that time, LAP had the highest rate of employee diversity in the U.S., with over 30 nationalities represented amongst staff. In 2005, Curtis decided to relocate to Wyoming. Thereafter, Curtis was hired as a Youth Employment Specialist by Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS), in Cheyenne, WY. Curtis was inspired by the significant impact our youth can make in the Wyoming workforce. Through DWS, Curtis became familiar with the friendly, willing people of Wyoming and enjoyed partnerships across the State that ensured success of youth in all facets of their lives. Curtis recently joined Sheridan College, where he administers and develops college credit programs for area high schools.

In free time, Curtis enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and cooking; preferably, with his brothers, Mark and Mitch. Curtis is pleased to have a role on the Wyoming Workforce Development Council, and although he would never trade his Nebraska "Flatlander" upbringing, he is proud to now be a part of Big, Wonderful Wyoming (He loves those mudflaps).