IN THIS ISSUE:
NWLB: A Priority for the Governor
A New Structure for Workforce Development
No Worker Left Behind in the News
No Worker
Left Behind
No Worker Left Behind News
March 11, 2008
The toughest thing about NWLB is communicating what it is. We tend to get stuck in the trap of explaining what it isn’t. It’s not putting a new name on an old program; it’s not a way to indiscriminately give people money to go to college; it’s not a lot of things.
After becoming entrenched in implementation over the past six months, I think we need to again focus on what NWLB is. NWLB is a concept, a vision, and a new way to address a new problem. It’s about taking action on a problem that has been coming at us like an elephant across the desert; we saw it coming for a long time but really didn’t feel the need to react.
NWLB is about lifelong learning. It’s about providing opportunities for people who have lost their jobs to improve their lives. It’s about creating a workforce with skills to match the needs of business ─ which in turn, will help bring in more jobs and create more economic opportunity. It’s about aligning existing programs and funding streams to maximize the impact limited resources can have on a workforce system.
Once you think about all of the things NWLB is, it becomes much easier to start putting the achievements and challenges of the past six months in perspective. We started NWLB in an extremely tough budget year. Consequently, the state legislature was unable to support the Governor’s request to include $40 million for NWLB in the 2008 budget. That forced us to look even harder for ways to get money out to support training, help the Michigan Works! Agencies (MWA) and training institutions streamline their systems to get the most out of every dollar, and to look at other potential funding sources for NWLB. To a limited extent the lack of state funding in our first year has had positive consequences.
The Governor has again included $40 million in her 2009 executive budget presented to legislature; but there are striking differences between this year and last. The Governor has pre-identified refinancing of general bond obligations at a lower interest rate as the proposed funding source to expand NWLB – without raising taxes. A bipartisan legislative group, headed by Senator Mark Jansen and Representative Rick Hammel, chairs of the appropriations sub –committees with authority over the DLEG budget, have been meeting with me to work on a legislative proposal for this budget year. And, most importantly, this year we have a track record. More than 18,000 people have entered training through NWLB with many more seeking degrees and certifications than would have prior to its implementation. This is the beginning of the long term effect we need to help move Michigan forward.
No Worker Left Behind opened the door to thousands of people who would not have considered continuing their education because they felt they couldn’t afford it. The public’s response to NWLB has opened some people’s eyes in the way they view Michigan’s workforce. Many did not give our citizens enough credit. The people in our state understand the need for education, they grasp the concept of a knowledge economy, and they realize that the definition of work in this state is changing. Many MWAs have been overwhelmed with the sheer volume of people coming through their doors and in some instances have been forced to create waiting lists. It made us think about better ways to track these people and start to see where bottlenecks in the system are occurring.
No Worker Left Behind has also brought to light capacity issues in our educational system. Skills shortages that we knew about in fields like health care have been joined by shortages in emerging and green technologies, and to some degree in traditional areas like advanced manufacturing. We have awarded grants to community colleges to help them develop innovative ways to address capacity issues. There are jobs available for those with the proper skills and education.
The first six months have provided a clearer picture of what No Worker Left Behind is and what it can be. We are working on funding and capacity issues to accelerate the process of moving people into meaningful training and family-sustaining jobs. The remainder of this newsletter highlights changes and progress that will continue to help us move forward.
NWLB: A Priority for the Governor
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The Governor continues to stress the importance of education and training for our adult workforce. She made it very clear during the State of the State address that NWLB remains a priority. In the brief time since the address, the Governor has made it a point to talk about NWLB just about everywhere. I saw her on TV in Lansing, at a meeting of the Detroit Chamber, and during a roundtable discussion in Grand Rapids. In her speech, the Governor emphasized the importance of education and training and the new opportunities it creates. She introduced John Sternhagen, an alumni client from the Central Area Michigan Works! Agency and shared his story. |
John had worked in manufacturing for 31 years, when his last employer, Electrolux, closed its doors for good in 2005. He and his wife were raising six children, two of whom they were putting through college. Although John was in his late 40s, he made the decision to return to school and become a registered nurse. With tuition paid through the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program (now under the NWLB umbrella), he completed the accelerated registered nurse program at Montcalm Community College in 2007. Today, he is working full time as a nurse at Gratiot Medical Center in Alma making 50 percent more than what he made in manufacturing. John and so many others are making the transition from work-to-school-to-work in high demand occupations. The Governor is committed to making sure that more workers are afforded these same opportunities to better themselves and meet employer demand for higher skills. |
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A New Structure for Workforce Development
During the 11 months that DLEG Director Keith Cooley and I have had the privilege of playing leadership roles for the Governor on the crucial issue of Michigan’s workforce strategy, many have offered us advice on how to improve DLEG’s ability to resolve tough issues. As we have gotten to know the organization we took over, we’ve concluded that the underlying design of our workforce bureau structure will benefit from change.
We will be replacing two DLEG bureaus – Workforce Programs and Career Education Programs – with a new integrated Bureau of Workforce Transformation (BWT). The process of transitioning to the new bureau has already begun.
Highlights:
- The bureau director will have two deputies, one responsible for services to workers and the other responsible for services to employers.
- The Rapid Response Unit staff (responsible for services to workers who lose their jobs due to plant closures or mass layoffs) and new specialists in communications and fund development and external relations, will report directly to me.
- The staff team supporting the Council for Labor & Economic Growth will also continue to report to me.
We’re making this change for several reasons:
It will mark a shift from an organizational structure based on funding sources and history to one aligned with key strategies and unified approaches to issues and relationships.
We want to increase the structural focus and emphasis on learning as central to the success of workers and employers. Michigan’s workforce needs and our strategies to address those needs have shifted from being primarily about job placement to focusing on increasing the skills and lifelong learning of Michigan workers. We’re going to align our approach to this work using the No Worker Left Behind initiative as the unifying theme. Our policy and programs about learning at all levels, from basic skills development to job/occupation specific training – to attainment of postsecondary degrees and credentials, will be realigned to emphasize the importance of lifelong skill development and occupational flexibility to meet growing and shifting employer demands.
This organizational restructuring will facilitate DLEG’s ability to build on innovative experiments launched in recent years to rethink services to employers, including both sectoral strategies like Regional Skills Alliances and reinvention of how we support individual firms in their growth and success. Rapid Response for dislocated workers will take on a heightened urgency and visibility consistent with the needs of a state in which 350,000 to 450,000 people are out of work and transitioning between jobs at any given point in time.
As I’ve gotten to know many of the staff in the two current bureaus, I’ve been impressed with the passion and dedication they bring to our work. But they have been working in a structure that hasn’t always made it easy for them to be creative and innovative. Two key goals that I have for the new bureau are: 1) remove impediments to creativity and innovation and, 2) encourage nontraditional thinking in a dramatically evolving state economy with a changing set of customer needs.
It will take a few months before the transition is complete. We’re going to do this just as fast as we possibly can. The important first step is to recruit and select a director for the Bureau of Workforce Transformation. Our goal is to have this person on board by April 1.
Read the news release announcing the restructure.
No Worker Left Behind in the News
Jobs are there, but skilled workers aren't
The Saginaw News
Tens of thousands of jobs go wanting in Michigan because workers don't have the skills for nursing, healthcare and advanced manufacturing positions, a state labor and economic leader says . . .
Plan to retrain workers is winner
The Detroit Free Press Editorial
There's a blizzard of ideas from the many presidential candidates about how to fix things, but one from U.S. Sen. John McCain jumps out for its particular importance to Michigan. It's a proposal that ought to survive whether or not the McCain candidacy does. . .
Granholm: State raises funding, and expectations
Detroit Free Press
Nearly four years ago, I set an ambitious goal for our state: to double the number of college graduates in 10 years . . .
May 8, 2008 3rd Annual Adult Education Conference – Acme
June 4, 2008 Canton Chamber of Commerce – Canton
If you have a question, just call the No Worker Left Behind hotline at 517.335.1319 or email nwlb@michigan.gov. A team member will respond to you promptly.
Look for more news about Michigan’s workforce programs in the coming weeks!
Best Regards,
Andy Levin, Deputy Director
Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth
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