ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMING EVENTS

WDS Annual Report for 2003-2004 Posted
The WDS annual report (November 2004) illustrates the Virginia Community College System’s impact on workforce development during the 2003- 2004 fiscal year. Its mission to prepare a well-trained workforce is steeped in a tradition of service to communities, to employers and to the employed, underemployed and unemployed.

The tradition of service underscored the ability of the system’s 23 colleges to collectively assist with more than 12,000 community and economic development activities and to contribute more than 34,694 staff hours of service to Workforce Investment Boards and One Stop Centers.

As a strong link in the Commonwealth’s workforce development system, the colleges provided customized employee training and services for 769 employers and enabled individuals to complete 80,597 non-credit courses and 35,691 customized credit courses to gain the skills, certifications and licenses needed for successful employment. Of these, about 20,000 participated in distance education courses. The colleges also comprise one of the strongest ACT WorkKeys systems in the nation, having conducted more than 24,293 WorkKeys assessments and 80 WorkKeys Job Profiles.

Read the full report.

WDS Centers Return on Investment Report Released
In a September 2004 report entitled "How the VCCS Workforce Development Service Centers Contribute to Virginia’s Economic Future", the focus is on three aspects of the economic contribution that VCCS’ 23 WDS Centers make to Virginia’s economy: 1) the benefit/cost ratio associated with non-credit and for-credit workforce training/education, 2) meeting critical labor market demands, and 3) providing workforce development services to local employers and other organizations.

This report deserves a thorough read to understand the continuous and lasting contribution that the WDS Centers make to their local economies and to the health of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Not only do the Centers provide a high cost/benefit ratio of 8.1%– the benefits to the Virginia’s economy are more than eight times greater than the costs required to generate those benefits, but they also produce many of the graduates needed needed to address critical labor shortages in Virginia.

Read the full report.

The study was commissioned by the Virginia Community College System and was performed by Mangum Economic Consulting, L.L.C.

Governor Launches the Career Readiness Certificate as a Statewide "Education for a Lifetime" Initiative on October 19th
Governor Mark R. Warner recognized the first round of recipients of the Virginia Career Readiness Certificate, acknowledging businesses that have worked to certify their employees, and more than 5,200 recipients of the certificate.   Read the full press release. 

Also, visit the new Career Readiness Certificate website.

Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Virginia’s Community Colleges Partner to Offer Guaranteed Admission
Governor Mark R. Warner presided over the signing of an articulation agreement between Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Under this comprehensive, statewide agreement community college graduates are guaranteed admission into Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The agreement, called “Pathway to Excellence - Guaranteed Admission Initiative,” provides students with a seamless curriculum, instruction, and advising program that maximizes efficiency for degree completion and high-quality instruction.  Read the full press release.

VEDA Announces its 2005 Public Policy Agenda
As a professional association in Virginia, the Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) is designed to provide educational, networking, and technical assistance for professionals who have an interest in economic development. VEDA supports the maintenance and expansion of efforts by state, regional, and local governments and other interested organizations to foster the growth of employment business sectors that will expand the job opportunities and improve quality of life for all Virginians. As such, VEDA offers its policy platform for consideration by the administration and the General Assembly in setting legislative and budgetary priorities for 2005.  Read more.

Coming Soon:

December 4 - 7  3rd National Workforce  Development Conference
Renaissance Vinoy Hotel
St. Petersburg, Florida

December 8 - 10  Workforce Development and Continuing Education Peer Conference
The Homestead
Hot Springs, Virginia

April 7 - 9  2005 VCCS New Horizons Conference online registration form is now available through a secure web site.  Conference registrations will only be accepted through the online form.

For listings of upcoming events, click on our On-line Calendar

Governor Mark R. Warner Announces Appointment
Mike Eisenman of Richmond will serve as the new Director of the Virginia Department of Business Assistance. Eisenman, currently the deputy director of the Department of Business Assistance, brings 30 years of business experience to the department’s goal of promoting growth and success among the Commonwealth’s businesses. The Department of Business Assistance ensures that Virginia’s business have adequate access to capital, provides small business counseling and workforce training, and serves as the key point of communication and contact between Virginia's basic employers and the Commonwealth.

Eisenman founded Morgan/Eisenman, L.L.C., an executive search firm, which recruited for financial and other business institutions. He also has worked in executive positions with the Norwick Corporation, Georgia Pacific, AMF Bowling, and Colonnade Capital.

AACC Launches Flight Crew Defense Training Course at NVCC to be Expanded Nationwide at 2-Year Colleges
Five community colleges from across the country instructed flight attendants and pilots this month in the trial phase of a self-defense training contract between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

The self-defense course is a prototype that could be rolled out nationwide, perhaps this fall, at other community colleges. The five community colleges that participated in the trial run of the course are located in cities with major airline hubs.

A “train the trainer” course was held in August at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) in the Washington, D.C., area, one of the five prototype sites, where instructors from the five colleges were trained by federal instructors.

William Gary, vice president of workforce development at NVCC, said the TSA contract means a lot for community colleges that have been doing similar training for years.

“What’s really important is the fact that community colleges, and in particular Northern Virginia Community College, are ready to meet the needs of our government … so that we can really be viewed as providers of choice,” Gary said.

Read the full article on the AACC website.

Paul D. Camp Community College Brings WorkKeys to the Netherlands:  A First!
In October 2003, one of PDCCC WorkKeys job profilers traveled to The Netherlands to conduct three job profiles for an international manufacturing company locating in PDCCC service area. The nature of the process that is used in this new plant is only found in one other place in the world: The Netherlands. Although there were a few problems with a language barrier, the electrical current, and other minor items, the profiles were successfully completed. The information will be used in the promotion of new employees into the three positions profiled. This was the first time WorkKeys has been used in Europe.

To contact WDS staff at any of the 23 community colleges in Virginia, go to
http://www.vccs.edu/workforce/centers/contacts.htm

WORKFORCE INITIATIVES                                                                       

The Bridge Partnership
A recent report by ACT (see below for the full text) underlines a crisis of underprepared students for college.  ACT research shows that far too few members of the graduating class of 2004 are ready for college-level work in English, math, or science—or for the workplace, where the same skills are now being expected of those who do not attend college.

The Bridge Partnership is one of several ways that Virginia is addressing this problem.  The Bridge Partnership is a national program of selected high schools and community colleges that work together to enhance the learning path from 10th grade through entry and success in college.  As members of the Partnership, select Virginia high schools and community colleges are dedicated to advancing college preparedness.

Bridge Partnership Goals

• To increase the number of high school students, especially minorities, who aspire to a college education.
• To increase the percentage of students who complete high school prepared to begin standard college credit courses.
• To decrease the level of deficiency of students who complete high school underprepared to begin standard college credit courses.
• To increase the number of prepared students who take Advanced Placement courses or earn college credits while in high school.
• To assure that underprepared community college students are prepared to succeed in standard college credit courses as a result of outcome based developmental education courses.
• To facilitate the alignment of the high school and community college curriculums.
• To improve the effectiveness of community college developmental education.

See the the new WDS website for more information.  For a list of participating Virginia colleges and high schools, go to Directory.

Career Switcher Program Featured on Richmond.com
Career professionals who are thinking of entering the teaching field can now pursue a teaching license without having to quit their existing jobs.

The Virginia Community College System is offering a semester-long program that will allow eligible students to complete most of the state-required 180 hours of instruction online, only meeting in person on five separate Saturdays. The pilot program, which begins Friday, Jan. 23, is part of the statewide Career Switcher program that puts professionals on the fast track to become teachers in critical need areas.

"The Virginia Department of Education has identified [several] critical need areas . . . but we have picked the top two, which are math and sciences, specifically chemistry and earth science," said Wendy Weiner, interim director of educational planning with the VCCS. "Our goal is to get 100 percent of our students employed in the classroom by fall. We're trying to meet one of Virginia's serious needs at this point, which is filling the major teacher shortage."   Read the full article by Polly Roberts; Thursday January 22, 2004

For more information on the VCCS Career Switcher program, go to the WDS website.

Upcoming Workforce Development Academy Courses

The Workforce Development Professional Competencies course will be offered in two parts. (To complete the course you must take both parts.) Part 1 is scheduled for November 15-17, 2004 and Part 2 is February 23-25, 2005. Both parts will be held in Charlottesville, VA. To register, complete the registration form and sponsor letter form located on the Workforce Development Academy portal: http://www.wdaportal.com under Shared Documents.

Part 1 (NCED 006 - 96140) November 15, 16 and 17, 2004
Fees: $350 ($250 for VCCS Personnel*)

Part 2 (NCED 007 - TBD) February 23, 24, and 25, 2005
Fees: $350 ($250 for VCCS Personnel)

For the above WDA courses, contact Barbara Kessler for more information or to register: bkessler@virginia.edu or 434-243-5337.

If you have any comments or questions regarding any of
the information provided, please contact Heather Felts    

CADD Workshop:  Building a Successful Workforce
Friday, November 19, 2004 at Germanna Community College, Fredericksburg Area Campus

9:00 – 9:45:   Enrollment Trends and Resources for Engineering Technology
9:45 – 10:30: TNCC – Using Tech Prep to Recruit Engineering Technology Students

• Glenn Dorsey, Manager, Engineering Training and Buz Jenkins,
  Manager, Technical Skills Development, Northrop Grumman, Newport News
• Deborah Buchanan, CTE Supervisor, NNPS
• Elizabeth Creamer, Director, Post-Secondary Perkins/Tech Prep, VCCS

11:00 – 11:45: Student Recruitment in Engineering Technology -- Dr. Anthony Brizendine, Chairman, Engineering Technology, UNC Charlotte

12:00 – 1:00: Lunch

1:00 – 1:45: How the Autodesk Civil Products are Used by Engineering Firms -- Dr. Randel Dymond, Director of GIS Institute, Virginia Tech

1:45 – 2:30 Round Table Discussion with Speakers

Sponsored by VCCS Workforce Development in Conjunction with the Drafting and Design Faculty of the Virginia Community College System. Contact Heather Felts.

Fall 2004 Virginia Geospatial Newsletter
Learn more about Virginia's geospatial products and services through the following articles in the latest issue of the Virginia Geospatial Newsletter :

The VDOE's Precollege Geospatial Initiatives
The Virginia Geospatial Academy
York County's GIS-enabled Historic Document Archive
Implementation of GIS in Active Wind Energy Education
VT's Geospatial Research Centers
Geospatial Honors and Awards
Using 3-D Visualization Using ArcGlobe

New Report Says Technological Innovation Caused More Job Loss than Offshoring
The Government Accountability Office has issued a report, “Current Government Data Provide Limited Insight into Offshoring of Services,” (GAO-04-932, September 2004) which finds little evidence for claims of massive damage due to offshoring.

Of the 1.5 million jobs lost last year in mass layoffs, less than 1 percent was attributable to overseas relocation. In 2002, only about 3 percent of the money directly invested by American companies overseas went to developing countries. The report claims that technological innovation is responsible for a far greater number of jobs lost than outsourcing. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 5,000 workers were laid off because of offshoring in the first quarter of 2004. Over that same period, Kodak announced layoffs of 15,000 workers due to growth in digital photography and reduced demand for film. Regarding public sector offshoring, the total dollar value of the federal government’s offshore services contracts grew no faster than total federal services contracts. No comprehensive studies show the extent of services offshoring by state governments. For more information, see the full report.

Report Finds Info Tech Lost 403,000 Jobs Since Bubble Burst
More than half since recession "officially" ended There is little comforting news in a new statistical report for workers in the U.S. information and communication technologies (ICT) sector. Researchers from the University of Illinois-Chicago found the sector lost 403,300 jobs between March 2001 and April 2004.

A staggering 200,000 of the high-wage jobs were lost since the recession was officially declared over in November 2001, making the notion of a jobless recovery a significant understatement for the sector.

The resilience of the regional ICT sectors and the overall economies of the seven profiled metropolitan areas are being tested with the incredible losses suffered since the bubble burst in March 2001. The following list presents the percentage change in total ICT employment between March 2001 and April 2004 for the seven primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA):

San Francisco (-49.0%)
Boston (-34.1%)
San Jose (-33.1%)
Dallas (-30.2%)
Chicago (-25.9%)
Seattle (-10.8%)
Washington (-2.5%)

For the nation, a reduction of 18.8 percent of the total ICT workforce was lost during the three-year period.

America's High-Tech Bust, commissioned by the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers and funded by the Ford Foundation, is available at: http://www.washtech.org/reports/

Institutes of Excellence Portals–
•Advanced Manufacturing
• Biotechnology
• CADD
• Electronics
•Information Technology

Central Virginia Area's Wage Disparity Growing
The Central Virginia region saw an increase in 7600 jobs over the past five years. However, most of that growth occurred in economic sectors that pay an average of 40 percent less than the sectors that experienced job losses or small gains.

More than 3,100 manufacturing jobs with an average weekly wage of $660 were lost during that five-year period. By contrast, the 3,200 new hires in the government sector earned an average weekly wage of $571 and the 1,671 new retail employees hired during that time were paid an average of $371.  The local construction industry created 1,672 jobs that paid $548 per week and the 1217 employees hired in the food sector made an average of $217 per week.   Charlottesville Daily Progress (9/30/04)

For more information on this article and/or the report, contact: Sue Friedman at the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development.  

Demographic Train Wreck?
Commentators, consultants, politicians, and others are talking about a "demographic train wreck." They warn that employers will run out of workers to serve customers and make money for their companies.

For example, The Consours Group, a management consulting firm, says that "the U.S. workforce grew by 30 percent in the 1970s, slowed to 12 percent growth in the 1990s and this decade, and will practically screech to a halt with 2 or 3 percent growth in the next two decades. The reason is obvious, Boomers retiring and not enough GEN X, Y, or Zs to replace them."

While their numbers are reasonable, we differ in interpretation. From our perspective as workforce forecasters, there are several fallacies with the argument that we will exhaust our supply of workers to fill jobs.

First of all, we do not expect all of the 76.4 Million Baby Boomers in the United States---or their counterparts around the world---to retire in their fifties or sixties. People will continue to work---in full-time, part-time, contract, job-sharing, and other arrangements well into their seventies, eighties, and even nineties. A shift in personal values and well-being is influencing people to keep working. They want to be active, engaged, and productive.

On the other side of the coin, employers will need those older workers. They will value their expertise, experience, maturity, wisdom, and stability. Analysts are encouraging companies to use incentives to entice Boomers to remain after the traditional retirement age. These perks include reduced work schedule, added health benefits, and flexible, extended time off. Boomers will not be cheap to retain, but their expertise may be irreplaceable.

Young people entering the workforce have technical knowledge and formal education, but lack the seasoning that makes older workers an especially valuable resource. Expect to see younger workers, bred with technology, to mentor older workers. Reverse apprenticeship will make some people uncomfortable, particularly the workers in the middle who may be neither fully technologically competent nor heavily experienced.

Our demographic challenge will be blending an age-diverse workforce as we struggle to fill positions with workers prepared to fulfill their missions.

Herman Trend Alert: October 27, 2004