By Shannon Holmes
June 23, 2003

Mayor's workforce directors from cities across the country gathered in Denver for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) Board meeting held in conjunction with the 71st Annual Conference of Mayors. Larry Fitch, President and CEO of San Diego Partnership Inc. and President of the WDC welcomed board of trustees and council members from cities across the country including Baltimore, Boston, Carson (CA), Chattanooga, Chicago, Columbus (GA), Detroit, Denver, Fort Wayne, Gary, Hawthorne (CA), Houston, Kansas City (MO), Long Beach, Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, San Antonio, San Diego, and Seattle.

The primary focus of the meeting was the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. The WDC members also went on a site visit to a local One'stop Center, the Stapleton Redevelopment Area and the local community college to see how the workforce system operates in Denver. WDC members also joined the mayor at the Standing Committee on Workforce Development.

Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization

The reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 has been the focus of the Workforce Development Council the past several months. The proposal that the Administration had put forward would have taken a good portion of control over the local workforce system and place it with the governors. Under the leadership of Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon (CA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness of the House Education and Workforce Committee, there were no major governance changes away from the chief local elected officials in HR 1261, Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act of 2003, passed by the House on May 8, 2003.

The issues of most concern to mayors are increased authority for chief local elected officials and their WIBs, no lessening of funding at the local level, addressing the youth employment and skills crisis, increasing investment in skills training, improving the One'stop system and enhancing services to business. For more detailed information on mayors' positions on WIA Reauthorization please visit usmayors.org.

Shawn Fremstad, Deputy Director of Welfare Reform at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, informed the members of the WDC that the impact of the proposed combined block grant for the Adult, Dislocated Workers, and Employment Services funding streams. Fremstad stressed that once program funding is combined into block grants it is easier for Congress to cut funding for a "system that needs investment not cuts and cities will be on the losing end side."

Additionally under the reauthorization the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Department of Labor (DOL) is proposing to incorporate the Common Measures that the Office of Management and Budget has come up with to measure all job-training programs across the six agencies with relevant programs. Amanda Ahlstrand, Management Analyst of the Performance and Results Office (PRO) at ETA, clarified for the Board Members what the common measures and data validation will mean for the entire workforce system for the coming program year.

Promising Practices Shared

WDC members also shared stories of integration of education and economic development with workforce development initiatives. The economic and workforce development promising practice panel consisted of WDC Board Trustee Wanza Lee, Executive Director of the Workforce Development Office of Southeast Tennessee in Chattanooga; Clyde McQueen, President and CEO of the Full Employment Council, Inc. in Kansas City (MO); and Board Member Shepard Nevel Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development in Denver.

All three panelists stressed the importance of engaging business, both small and Fortune 500, and showing them the benefits of using the One'stop Centers to hire staff and becoming active in the community. McQueen noted that prior to using one of the One'stop Centers in Kansas City, several businesses had never hired a minority, but that has changed. Nevel stated that by working together it is easier to determine the needs for the different occupations within the city and county, which is so important to do in order to revitalize the economy and provide the opportunity for people to become self sufficient.

"Workforce and economic development are intertwined within any city in this country, emphasized Lee, " we need to do a better job locally at tapping into this."

Site Visit at Local One'stop

Members of the WDC had an extended visit to the Stapleton Workforce Center and the Stapleton Redevelopment Site, which is located on the property of the former Denver Airport. Nevel was able to show first hand the coordination between the workforce and economic development in Denver, while building the suffering economy.

"By linking workforce and economic development, more is achieved for everyone within Denver," said Nevel.

During a breakfast at the Stapleton Workforce Center (Center), the WDC Members were able to hear first hand accounts from employers, new and established, on the enormous benefits to using the Center to find and hire employees. Some of the employers included Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Wingz Etc., SLC Landscaping Company, Iron Woman Construction and Environmental Services. Because of the success of using the services offered by the Center have had these businesses encouraging others to utilize the Centers and have gone back to hire more employees.

"If it weren't for the help of the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (MOWD) and the Center I would not have been able to open my doors," stated Wingz Etc. owner Byron Johnson. "I was able to hire an excellent staff and am going to be going back to hire at least six more. The experience has been invaluable, not only to me, but my staff as well."

At the Stapleton Redevelopment Site Tom Gleason, Vice President of Public Relations for Forest City Stapleton, Inc. told the Board Members about the plan to redevelop the area of the old Denver Airport into viable neighborhoods that will remain part of the city and represent the existing rich diversity Denver has to offer. The entire redevelopment has had input from citizens of Denver and local business and citizens are being used to make these plans "a beautiful reality."

The final stop for the WDC Members was at the QuickStart Careers Office on the Community College of Denver Auraria Campus. Here the Community College of Denver works with MOWD to determine what courses are needed to fill the demand for fields needed in the Denver area. QuickStart also guides people to other resources available to obtain training that is available. At this Auraria Campus, students not only have access to the Community College of Denver but also may utilize the University of Colorado at Denver, Auraria Higher Education Center and the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

"Community colleges need to be flexible to change to meet high demand needs of the workforce," stated James McDonough, Manager of the QuickStart Careers Office, "and that is what we are able to achieve here."

Workforce and Education Link Needed

WDC Board Trustee Steve Corona, President of Job Works in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Fritz Edelstein, Senior Education Advisor at The U.S. Conference of Mayors stressed the importance of connecting education with the workforce system and strengthening this connection.

"Something has to be done to reform middle and high schools in this country," stated Edelstein, "little has been done on all levels and that needs to change."

Corona informed the Board Members that Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) are eligible for the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants, which establish After-School programs, and that WIBs need to understand and begin to engage superintendents and school board members.

"Public education and the [workforce] system need to start thinking of breaking the mold and being creative to work together to leverage funds to start addressing the issue facing both systems," declared Corona. "We need to work together, period."

Standing Committee on Workforce Development

The members of the WDC joined mayor at the Standing Committee on Workforce Development chaired by Acting Chair Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill. Mason Bishop, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor address the committee members on the status of the reauthorization of the WIA and what was likely to happen when the Senate Committee begins to consider the legislation later this month. Andy Van Kleunen, Executive Director of The Workforce Alliance presented the mayors with the possible outcomes that the proposed reauthorization of WIA would have on cities across the country.

Mayors attending the Standing Committee meeting engaged Bishop in a lengthy question and answer period about concerns over the block grant that is proposed for the Adult programs within DOL, which will end up cutting almost $55 million for FY 2004 if passed, to a system that needs more resources, not less. Several mayors also voiced serious concerns over the proposed total elimination of the H 1-B technical grants, Youth Opportunity Grants, and the Reintegration of Youth Offenders programs that are vital to those cities that have them.

Executive Mayor Simon Piet Dollman Skhosana of the Nkangala District Municipality in South Africa, attending the International Mayors 2nd Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the 71st Annual Meeting, presented to his United States counterparts workforce and job creation initiatives for South Africa.