On Tuesday, November 3rd, TRWIB conducted orientation for three new board members. Hosted by Schneider Downs and Company, Inc, the orientation covered the roles and responsibilities of TRWIB members; the structure of TRWIB and the local workforce system; and a summary of current projects. TRWIB welcomes the following new members of the Board of Directors:

• Dr. Linda Hippert, Executive Director, Allegheny Intermediate Unit
• Hope Vaccaro, Vice President & Diversity Recruitment Manager, BNY Mellon
• Brenda Vester, Vice President - Business Development, Lee Hecht Harrison

TRWIB is looking forward to the experience and new ideas that our new members will bring to the table.

For a complete list of TRWIB board members, please visit http://www.trwib.org/about/board.html

 

On November 12th Mayor Ravenstahl in partnership with TRWIB and Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) hosted the 2009 Graduate Pittsburgh Summit. The summit hosted over 200 participants's representing community based organizations, employers, educators, youth, and policy-makers.

The day's events consisted of the signing of the Multiple Education Pathways Blueprint by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, PPS Superintendant Mark Roosevelt, and TRWIB President Mary Richter, a keynote address from Bill Milliken the founder of Communities in Schools, and developing a community-wide strategy for drop-prevention.

Identified needs from the community round-table discussions included:
- Equip educators with the tools to teach life skills and career readiness to students
- Increase best practice sharing among schools in the district
- Engage the business community in-order to build greater awareness of the situation

For more information on the Graduate Pittsburgh Summit 2009 please contact Micah Frankenfield at mfrankenfield@trwib.org.

On October 28th, the TRWIB Inclusion Committee convened its first focus group around those with disabilities. The focus group was coordinated by TRWIB board member Mary Curet and facilitated by board member Tammie McNaughton. The group included those with hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and mental illness.

Participants shared their workplace struggles openly. Mindful of solutions, they discussed analyzing job duties to determine which tasks can be assigned to those with disabilities, also known as job-carving. This would serve as a tool for employers to benefit from an individual's skills while accommodating disabilities. The group also stressed mentoring individuals on how to serve as their own advocates and suggested the creation of a toolkit or training to educate employers. We thank them for their time and incredible insight.

For more information on the TRWIB Inclusion Committee, please contact Yvette Yescas at yyescas@trwib.org.

The Niagara Workforce Planning Board (NWPB) in Ontario, Canada has recruited TRWIB to assist them in organizing a vast knowledge base of labor market information. TRWIB will work with NWPB to support and strengthen a regional strategic workforce action plan for the Niagara region. TRWIB views the labor market through a human capital development model that has three phases: prepare/educate/train, match, and retain. This model was the basis for the TRWIB report, "Seeing in 3D: The Dynamics, Diversity, and Density of Southwestern PA's labor market".

TRWIB will work through the human capital development model with NWPB by sharing tested research methodology, providing recommendations on data analysis, communicating the results of the data analysis, and in presenting the final results to Niagara stakeholders.

To view TRWIB's report, "Seeing in 3D: The Dynamics, Diversity, and Density of Southwestern PA's labor market", please visit:  http://www.trwib.org/3D2009/index_flash.php

On October 9th, 2009, Governor Rendell signed budget legislation clearing the way for the disbursement of billions of dollars in long-awaited payments to schools, counties and non-profit organizations. That bill contained funding for Industry Partnerships, Training Activities and a number of other workforce-related programs. A summary of the budget amounts are:

Customized Job Training (DCED) - $9,000,000
Dual Enrollment (PDE)- $8,000,000
Adult and Family Literacy (PDE)- $17,687,000
Community Colleges (PDE) - $235,741,000
High School Reform (PDE) - $3,700,000
Career and Technical Education (PDE) - $62,000,000
Pennsylvania Conservation Corps (L&I) - $5,194,000
Training Activities (L&I) - $7,200,000
Industry Partnerships (L&I) - $2,000,000
Nursing Shortage Initiative (PHEAA)- $1,000,000