On April 1, WDC Chief Executive Officer Marléna Sessions joined Washington Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii to discuss with reporters new job-training programs for returning veterans. Watch the video below!

“The WDC and our one-stop employment system WorkSource are collaborating with educators, business owners and labor organizations to ensure today’s heroes have the training, career guidance and opportunity to realize the American dream they fought so hard to protect,” said Sessions.

The event was at VECA Electric and Technologies in the Georgetown industrial area of Seattle. The company was started by World War II veterans in 1946 and still hires a significant number of vets. One of them, a young man named Jason, spoke about his two deployments and starting his new career as an electrician through the VICE program, which connects veterans with apprenticeships in electrical construction.  

Senator Inouye, a Medal of Honor recipient, said today’s veterans with their multiple deployments have it far worse than he did in World War II, adding that our country owes them every opportunity to find a job.

The April 1 event also focused on veteran-hiring tax credits for businesses, and drew coverage from three TV stations including KOMO (see story here), KING5 and Q13 Fox.

The kudos came as Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County CEO Marléna Sessions and other key partners in the Alliance updated the council’s Committee of the Whole March 5, 2012. Marléna explained how the WDC is investing $900,000 in federal workforce funds this spring to train hundreds of local workers for the huge increase in aerospace manufacturing jobs.

“These federal grants will pay tuition, the bricks-and-mortar, the classroom and instructor time, and any supplies and books,” said Marléna, who added that disadvantaged and dislocated workers or veterans who get in now can be employed in a great job in 12 weeks.

The WDC will soon offer a new “Map Your Careers” page highlighting the skills and education needed for the wide array of opportunities in aerospace. The map will be online and distributed to hundreds of local schools.

In complimenting the panel for its work, Committee Chair Jane Hague noted the importance of reinforcing the region’s aerospace advantage while adapting to meet the industry’s evolving need. “This isn’t just a national issue, but an international competitiveness issue,” said Hague.

Watch the complete committee testimony here

Read the report Innovative Collaborations between Workforce Boards and Employers Helped Meet Local Needs: Read the whole report (Seattle section begins on page 66) or see the one-page summary.

The GAO visited Seattle in May 2011 to gather information, talking with staff and partners in our numerous health-care partnerships among private-sector employers, colleges, community organizations, unions and more.

As a result of the report, the Senate Employment and Workplace Safety subcommittee invited WDC CEO Marlena Sessions along with three other the highlighted programs to testify in a hearing on Feb. 16. Learn more about the hearing…

In contrast to the GAO’s report a year ago on duplication and overlapping between workforce programs, this report shows the effectiveness and efficiency of collaborations led by the public workforce system.

“Our experience proves that when employers are engaged with partners in workforce and education, the solutions we find together are always more effective than what any of us can do alone,” said Marlena.

Read the WDC’s press release…

Read the written testimony from the WDC and the other presenters and watch the webcast at the EWS website…

View photos from the hearing…

One of the key actions is to develop a pipeline of trained aerospace students into the workforce.

While the average age of workers at Boeing is close to 50, local schools are graduating only half the number of trained workers that Boeing needs for production every year. The Alliance will support creation of the next generation of machinists and engineers through a number of actions that promote today’s aerospace industry as an outstanding career choice for students.

"This region’s aerospace industry is rich in family-wage jobs with a great future in a wide range of career opportunities," said Marléna. "Our responsibility is to make sure workers are trained to meet the demands of these jobs now and for the next generation."

The WDC will work through youth programs to implement science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills programs that engage King County’s diverse communities and all students—collaborating with labor and K-12 school districts to identify the best practices for training and developing the workforce, and share those ideas across all grade levels and schools.

Media coverage:
King County, cities announce plan to bolster aerospace jobs here (Seattle Times)
Region unveils plan to keep the aerospace industry competitive (Renton Reporter)

Read the county’s full press release…

Read the press release…

"Marlena is our first recipient and very deserving of this special recognition,” said outgoing council president Tom Phillips. He initiated the award for WDC board members who exemplify superior commitment and outstanding service to the organization.

“She continually went above and beyond,” added Phillips. “She not only serves as second vice president and co-chairs the Youth Committee, but also created a timely Youth Employment Survey for legislative outreach, and was a major contributor to the WDC’s report to Congress on an ideal 21^st-century workforce system."

The U.S. Conference of Mayors WDC is a group of workforce boards from large cities across the U.S.

“I’m very honored and humbled by this recognition by my peers,” said Marlena. “We will continue to work with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to support workforce development across the U.S. and strengthen our own efforts here at home.”

Connecting to Employment explains the work of a career navigator in two models, one in which the navigator works to directly support people in training, and one in which the navigator is a resource and relationship builder among agency staff and employers.

The WDC’s Homeless Employment Navigator partnership is an example of the latter, “staff resource” model. As described in the report, navigators trained WorkSource Seattle-King County staff in working with homeless jobseekers, while also helping people living in transitional housing sites to bridge to WorkSource employment services and job training.

The former, “customer resource” model is exemplified by the Automotive Career Pathways project at Shoreline Community College. A WDC-funded career navigator works with students to help them find financial aid, connect with services in the community as needed, get jobs and keep increasing their training after the program.

To learn more, read the press release or go to the report.

The topic is “Got Stress?’” The WDC was invited to speak on the effect of stress on jobseekers and resources available to help.

Details below.

HealthCare Series: Got Stress? [click to follow link to registration]

Town Hall Seattle  |  1119 – 8th Ave, Seattle [view map]
Registration:  11:30 a.m. | Program: 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Buffet Luncheon: $20/CityClub Members | $25/Guests and co-presenters | $30/General public
Coffee & Dessert: $12/CityClub Members | $15/Guests and co-presenters | $18/General public

Featuring:

• Marlena Sessions, CEO, Workforce Development Council
• John de Graaf, National Coordinator, Take Back Your Time
• David Levy, Professor, University of Washington Information School

o Susan B. Winston, LICSW, Director of Counseling Services, Sound Mental Health

Moderated by: Laura Musikanski, Executive Director, Sustainable Seattle

Have you achieved the ever elusive “work-life balance”? As a nation, we seem to be experiencing more and more stress and many cite stress as the main cause of mental and physical health problems. According to the International Labour Organization and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. remains the only industrialized nation without mandated annual leave. Americans work more and take less vacation time all while increasing in productivity a whopping 400% since 1950. What role does our current economic climate play? Is our stress simply work related, or does the increased access to information and technology also play a role? How big a problem is stress for us as individuals and for our society? Is medicine the answer or are social and behavioral changes needed? How can we combat the negative impacts and ultimately reduce the stress in our lives? Bring your own questions and join us as we strive to find the right balance!

What’s more, $146 million will be generated for our economy by the adults and youth placed in jobs by Workforce Investment Act programs during just one program year.

The WDC commissioned the study by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI) to examine the economic benefits generated by federal workforce dollars in the community of Seattle-King County.

The researchers determined the lifelong earnings of the customers placed in jobs by in Program Year 2009 to determine the effect on the economy. This “income effect” is $80.1 million for the 247 job placements in the WIA adult program; $52 million for the 328 job placements in the dislocated worker program; and $13.8 million for the 123 youth who were placed—for a total of $146 million.

Press release…

Full report…

Announced Nov. 16 by Governor Chris Gregoire, the awards recognize projects that benefit both workers and the economy. SODO Inc., a federally funded collaboration between the Workforce Development Council, King County Work Training/YouthSource, South Seattle Community College, and the Manufacturing Industrial Council of Seattle, allows low-income young adults to gain a foothold in the trades.

Press release…

More on the SODO Inc. program…

Almost 250 young people have participated in the program since it began in 2009. The students, 18 to 24 years old, come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many lack a high-school diploma, speak English as a second language or are ex-offenders.

Program components include:

• Four weeks of hands-on classes at the trades-focused Georgetown campus of South Seattle Community College. The youth learn a wide variety of skills—including tool use, safety, first aid, and basic work habits and attitudes—while learning about apprenticeships as a path to successful careers in the trades.
• Paid four-week internship with a private employer to apply learning on the job. More than 50 employers have hosted interns (who are paid by the program). Most are small companies in the fields of manufacturing, marine, and general trades.
• Individual support through a case manager who provides one-on-one mentoring and career/education planning, as well as assistance with program-related expenses such as boots, tools and transportation.