eNewsletter for Summer 2008

Council Update

The Wyoming Workforce Development Council has redesigned its website. The new site is designed to be more user-friendly and includes information on the realignment made by the Council earlier this year.

The Council met May 27th in Laramie. Align® Organizational Development and Training, who facilitated the Council's recent "strategic doing" retreat, presented the final draft of the "Strategic Doing" Report. The purposes of this "strategic doing" retreat were to generate understanding and consensus among Council members regarding its mission and goals, and to develop immediate objectives and strategies to be achieved.

Moving forward the Council agreed to the following vision:

"The Wyoming Workforce Development Council's vision is a state with a strong and growing economy populated by educated, economically self sufficient people who enjoy a high quality of life."

Additionally, the Council redefined its mission to:

"The mission of the Wyoming Workforce Development Council is to shape strategies and policies to develop, recruit and retain Wyoming's workforce."

The Council also established the following goals for the next two years:

• The Council will be the recognized authority on workforce issues in Wyoming.
• The Council will drive workforce training and education initiatives within the State.
• The Council will be comprised of committed team members who ensure good governance and who advocate the mission, goals and objectives of the Council.
• Provide oversight for financial and compliance accountability to the Council and public.
• Establish and maintain effective communication and administration channels that ensure the mission and goals of the Council are accomplished.

Through the process of "strategic doing" the Council chose to realign its structure. The new structure will include the following committees: Sector Solutions, Talent Pipeline (development, recruitment, and retention), Youth Council, Communications, and Evaluation (oversight). Further, Industry Champions will be sought to fill slots on the Council in order to align Council membership in meeting the needs of Wyoming business and industry. Industry Champions are being sought in the following areas: Coal, Oil and Gas, Agriculture, Hospitality, Healthcare, and Technology. For more on the Council's realignment please visit wyowdc.org.

The Workforce Development Council will meet next September 18th and 19th in Sheridan.

2008 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions

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

The theme of the 2008 Summit was Defining Our Future. You can view photos, copies of the presentations, and a recap of the Summit at wyowdc.org/summit/2008.

We would like to congratulate the 2008 Summit Award winners. These awards recognize businesses, partnerships, and individuals committed to innovative solutions to address workforce issues in Wyoming. This year's winner of the Innovation in the Workplace Award was Trihydro Corporation. The Workforce Partnership Award was awarded to the Community Housing Partnership of Campbell County. The winner of the Outstanding Individual Performance Award was Fred Bronnenberg of Groathouse Construction. The winner for Outstanding Investment in Older Workers was Gene and Joann Schrader of Schrader Metal and Design. The final award, Outstanding Investment in Young Workers was awarded to Chris Tarantola of Colour Graphics. Congratulations to you all!

Arrangements are being made for the 2009 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions. More details will be released at wyowdc.org when they are available.

Next Cycle Works

At the 2008 Governors Summit on Workforce Solutions the Department of Workforce Services launched the Next Cycle Works Initiative. Next Cycle Works is the result of an effort begun by Gov. Dave Freudenthal, AARP Wyoming and the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services in 2003. At that time, U.S. Census projections showed Wyoming would lead the nation with the largest percentage of population age 65 and older by the year 2020. A thriving energy industry is bringing many young workers to the state, but projections still show Wyoming in the top five states for resident's age 65 or older come 2020.

In 2004, Gov. Freudenthal and AARP Wyoming hosted a summit and produced the Ahead of the Curve report to discuss what impact these numbers might have on the state's economy and local communities. Workforce issues and the looming retirement of the Baby Boom Generation (those born between 1942 and 1964) were deemed crucial parts of the equation. The focus of the initiative became known as "Boomers and Business."

Working-age Wyoming Baby Boomers were surveyed about their plans for the future. Eighty percent said they wanted or needed to keep working past the age of 65, but they didn't want the restrictions or responsibilities of a career-ladder job. They have skills and experience to share with an employer who offers them flexibility to enjoy life.

A survey of Wyoming businesses showed a significant need to keep skilled and experienced workers in the workplace. Managers didn't want to lose the institutional knowledge and the work ethic of their workers 50 years of age or older, but they didn't know how to make the necessary changes.

Next Cycle Works is intended to help both businesses and workers aged 50 or older meet their needs. Wyoming is experiencing a significant shortage of skilled workers. Keeping and attracting experienced workers is crucial to sustaining the state's booming economy. Next Cycle Works aims to provide real-life examples of how managers have successfully met their needs while providing a flexible workplace for workers age 50 or and older.

For more information about Next Cycle Works visit wyomingworkforce.org/nextcycleworks.

Legislative Update

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Humans Resources, Education and Related Agencies took the first step in piecing together a Fiscal Year 2009 spending bill for the U.S. Department of Labor. Although specific numbers have not been released, the Subcommittee rejected the cuts to the workforce system as proposed in the U.S. Department of Labor's Fiscal Year 2009 budget and proposed a budget of $11.7 billion, compared with the proposed $10.5 billion, an increase of $722 million. The proposed House budget includes $703 million for Wagner-Peyser Employment Grants to States. The U.S. Department of Labor proposal sought to eliminate all funding for this program. The proposed House outline proposes a $40 million increase to help unemployed workers obtain new job skills. The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a $241 million cut to this program. The House proposal also included $3.3 billion for Workforce Investment Act job training and employment assistance programs, rejecting the $583 million cut proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Developments will be watched closely.

Featured Council Members