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The National Fund for Workfoce Solutions: An Innovative Public/Private Funding Collaborative (ADD)

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS) is a public/private funding collaborative that aims to strengthen and expand regional sectoral workforce partnerships. The NFWS aims to invest $50 million in 30 or more regional and rural collaborative across the country between 2007 and 2011. Through these investments, the NFWS expects to place and/or advance at least 50,000 people in career-oriented jobs, leverage more than $200 million in local funding, and provide services to at least 1,000 employers to help them recruit, train and advance new and incumbent workers.

This initiative is funded by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, Hitachi, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundations in collaboration with the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. National strategic partners include the Council on Foundations, Jobs for the Future, and The United Way of America.

For more information, go to http://www.nfwsolutions.org/.

NEI Testifies in Senate Committee

Carol Berrigan, Director of Industry Infrastructure for the Nuclear Energy Institute, testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on September 25, 2007 at a hearing entitled "Green Jobs Created by Global Warming Initiatives." She emphasized that if Congress were going to create a climate initiative, nuclear energy should play a critical role in that policy. Additionally, other energy company representatives served on the panel with Berrigan, including:  Norm Szydlowski of Colonial Pipeline; Paul Bowers of Southern Company; Ray Stults of National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and Jim Hunter of IBEW.

Based on the briefing opening comments from Chairman Bingaman and Ranking Member Domenici, as well as the nature of the follow-up questions that were fielded by all panelists, Berrigan provides the following highlights:

• Career & Technical Education:  There was a great deal of emphasis on doing more to promote CTE and how best to eliminate the "stigma" for young people that do not opt to pursue college.
  
  
• Career Awareness:  How can we encourage more young people to pursue energy careers. (The tools available through CEWD were noted by several panelists.)
  
  
• Blending traditional apprenticeship training with creative/innovative training opportunities to increase output of workers.
  
  
• How do we measure success?  What metrics do we use? 
  
  
• Alignment of Resources:  How do US DOL and DOE (as well as other federal agencies with sources of training funds) work together to effect solutions for this sector?
  
  
• Are we producing enough engineers?  From Senator Domenici:  Nuclear is "once again exciting". Do we have enough nuclear engineers in the pipeline ?  [In Florida , only one of the 11 universities has a nuclear engineering program, the University of Florida (UF).  UF produced 35 engineers last year.]
  
  
• Alternative Energy:  Although this committee focused on workforce shortages with the energy industry, there was a tremendous interest in alternative energy and occupations of the future related to alternative energy.  The US DOE representative was pointedly asked when their department might have further analysis of these issues.
   
  
• Possible National Energy Workforce Training Act:  Senator Menendez referenced this potential initiative, and asked if funded at $100 million, how might these funds be utilized?  Did we have some suggestions?  [Assistant Secretary DeRocco, however, when asked if more funding was needed to address training needs, said "no, there is enough money unspent in the states."  [Note:  Some states may have unspent Workforce Investment Act funds; Florida has fully invested all of its funds.]
  
  
• Economic Development Opportunities:  There was much interest in spin-off econ development opportunities related to alternative energy.  For example, Senator Domenici noted that there was a two-year backlog of wind turbines manufacturing.
  

Read Berrigan's full testimony.

NE Regional Workforce Development Meeting

The Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) organized a meeting on September 19-20, 2007 for energy companies in the Northeast, their educational partners and workforce investment boards/councils to discuss their workforce development issues, recruitment needs and concerns and to share solutions to these issues.
Download the Agenda.

The meeting was hosted by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at their facility in New Brunswick , New Jersey. The meeting was co-sponsored by NJ Resources and PSEG.  Ralph Izzo, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of PSEG and Laurence Downes, Chairman and CEO of NJ Resources kicked off the meeting, and Carl Van Horn, Director of the John J. Heldrich Center welcomed attendees. Other speakers included Connie Hughes, former President and Commissioner of the NJ Board of Public Utilities, Grace Kilbane, Department of Labor, Gregg Betheil, Sr. VP Academies and Schools, National Academy Foundation, Karen Alexander, President and CEO of the NJ Utilities Association and Genie Cohen, Executive Director IAJVS.  Model program presentations were given by Cathy Deka, FirstEnergy Corp, Rosa Schmidt, PSE&G, Trad Horner, Millstone Nuclear Plant and Kandice King from the Rochester Institute of Technology.   

Center Hosts Workforce Development Meeting

The Center hosted its third Regional Workforce Development meeting on July 26 for nearly 70 people at the corporate office of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG). The meeting was also co-hosted by Georgia Power. CEWD members throughout the region shared their successful strategies, as well as challenges in workforce planning. There were several speakers, including those from state and local workforce boards and a state department of education, to discuss career and technical education.

Presentations and other meeting materials are now available for download from the Members Service page in the Members Only section.

Florida Center Launched to Address Industry Workforce Needs

The Employ Florida Banner Center for Energy was launched recently through a $500,000 grant from Workforce Florida, Inc. to help grow the skilled energy workforce. The Banner Center, which will focus on developing curricula and increasing training opportunities for electric utility line workers and power plant employees, is based at Lake-Sumter Community College's Sumter campus. It is a joint initiative with Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce.

In March, state and local workforce and economic development leaders, education partners and energy sector executives gathered at Lake-Sumter Community College to outline plans for how the center will address a critical workforce need in Florida. The center will hold its first training session this month.

The Banner Center is one of 10 such centers created under a year-old, $6.2 million initiative to develop the state's workforce in several key Florida industries. These centers increase opportunities for cutting-edge training for Florida workers while supporting high-wage, high-growth sectors ó a priority of the state's economic development plan. The centers also are a top strategic priority of the entire workforce system, including Workforce Florida, the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) and the state's 24 regional workforce boards and nearly 100 One-Stop Career Centers.

Read the full press release about the Banner Center here.

Regional Meeting Addresses Workforce Challenges

The Center's first Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting, hosted by Areva NP and Central Virginia Community College, was held February 19-21 in Lynchburg, VA. The purpose of the meeting was for utilities in the Mid-Atlantic States to come together and pool their resources to address the workforce challenges they are experiencing. It was an action-oriented meeting designed to help members walk away with a plan and a to-do list. Each participant was asked to bring successful workforce development models to the meeting.

Regional meetings will be offered in other CEWD regions this spring. Watch for more details soon.

Center for Energy Workforce Development Hosts First Annual Summit

The Center for Energy Workforce Development's (CEWD) first annual Energy Workforce Summit was attended by more than 170 utilities, community and technical colleges, workforce development boards, and government officials from around the country. Held in Charlotte, NC this past fall, CEWD speakers offered an array of best practices to jumpstart the workforce development process for energy industry partners. While the problem of finding skilled utility workers is a widely known problem, the Summit was about solutions.

With an eye toward regional implementation, participants heard from those in the trenches who have formed alliances with their workforce boards, local community colleges, and high schools. They learned about small learning communities, career academies, centers of excellence, and school to work programs.

As one attendee put it, "These are models and templates that can be used by the industry as a whole." As part of the Summit, participants joined regional breakout sessions focused on local concerns and what makes each region unique. Numerous regions will be hosting meetings in 2007. Dates, locations, and meeting details will be posted on the CEWD site as they become available.

If you are a CEWD member, you can view the agenda, webcasts and handouts from the presentations, speakers' bios and list of current participants.

CEWD Joins Forces with the Department of Labor for Industry Competency Model

As the representative of the nation's leading utilities in the area of workforce development, the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) has been asked by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) unit to assist with creating a competency model for the energy industry. This effort is part of ETA's goal to identify foundational and technical competencies to drive workforce investment and talent development for high growth industries, such as the utility sector. Both CEWD and the ETA see several purposes of this initiative, including:

• Drive curriculum and workforce education strategies
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• Provide a basis for alignment of industry credentials
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• Establish a framework for future Department of Labor investments

Once the model is finalized this spring, it will be distributed to all CEWD members as well as their partners, including workforce development boards, state departments of educations, local schools, career academies, technical education establishments, one-stop career shops, community colleges, and other higher learning institutions. Look for CEWD programs in 2007 to help you use this model at your organization for developing and attracting qualified employees.

For more information on the competency model, contact staff@cewd.org.

Communications Advisory Council Sets Priorities for 2007

The Center for Energy Workforce Development's (CEWD) Advisory Council convened in early-December to develop a communications strategy and implementation plan for 2007. Members of the Council include representatives from investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, and associations. The communications strategy includes templates, tools, web sites, and processes that target specific audiences and can be accessed and modified for use on a regional or individual utility basis. The materials will be available online for CEWD members and will continuously be updated with current information, best practices, and individual company experiences.

The focus for 2007 will be on middle and high school students, teachers and guidance counselors, and parents of school-aged children. The goal is to create awareness and interest in the utility industry and to encourage students to develop the necessary skills for employment. Deliverables for the first quarter include a brochure/flyer describing skilled energy industry workforce careers, posters for bulletin boards in the schools, and PowerPoint presentation utilities can use when doing a presentation in their local schools.

All materials will be available for CEWD members only. If you are interested in membership, contact Ann Randazzo at ann@cewd.org. Members can review the full Communications Charter or the minutes from the Council Meeting on the "Communications Campaign" page in the Members Only section.