By Megan Cardiff
July 2, 2012

City workforce directors from across the nation gathered in Orlando June 13-14 for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) Annual Meeting, held in conjunction with the 80th Annual Conference of Mayors Meeting. WDC President and CEO of the Full Employment Council, Inc. in Kansas City (MO) Clyde McQueen presided over the two-day conference, which focused on job creation, developing and implementing successful Summer Jobs programs for youth, and Department of Labor initiatives focused on returning veterans and the workforce.

With an increased focus on job creation during this election year, the federal government and its agencies have a renewed focus on developing federal legislation and initiatives that will help generate jobs. Mayors and local city workforce development officials will see the impact first-hand of any FY13 funding cuts and federal legislation such as the 2012 Workforce Investment Improvement Act. At the Orlando conference, WDC members talked about the importance of Congress passing federal legislation that supports and improves upon the nation's workforce system. The members heard from keynote speaker Congresswoman Corrine Brown (FL) on the importance of developing programs and initiatives that supports our workers, specifically focusing on returning veterans.

"We owe a great debt of gratitude to all the people who have served. We need to retrain our veterans to make sure they have the skills to return to the civilian workforce" said Brown. She also urged the members to ask their congressional representatives to support workforce legislation saying, "You need to go back to your members and tell them how important it is to put politics aside and put people back to work."

Department of Labor Regional Administrator Helen Parker addressed the Department's collaboration with the Veteran's Administration to serve the returning soldiers, such as the Vow to Higher Heroes Act, and discussed its new American Job Center network. She outlined important legislation such as the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, which targets vulnerable populations between the ages of 35-60 that are hard to serve, and the ways to credential military coming out with clear life experience and occupation skills that need to be transferred into applicable civilian credit.

Parker also discussed branding and the Department's newly released American Job Center network. "One of the biggest problems we have always had as a system is that we have a network that has 3,352 identities. The premise behind the voluntary branding initiative is to identify One'stop career centers as American Job Centers and brand them with something that is consistent." Parker continued, "The time has never been better to move in this direction. We are asking you to step out with your governor, mayor, workforce board, and say this is who we are, this is what we're doing, this is important and we're committed to making it work."

Deputy Mayor of Miami-Dade County Russell Benford, joined by Executive Director of the South Florida Workforce Investment Board and Chair of the WDC Policy/Advocacy Committee Rick Beasley and CEO of the Workforce Develop Council of Seattle-King County and WDC Vice President Marlena Sessions, discussed the 2012 Summer Jobs programs in his area. "For a lot of politician our focus is jobs," said Benford. "We recently went through a process with CDBG funding where we have to consolidate community workshops. The number one request by far we got was jobs — job training, businesses, resources. We need to have our workforce trained and ready to go and investing in the youth is how we ensure a future trained workforce."

Benford specifically highlighted the success of Miami-Dade county's "earn while you learn" Career Pathway Compact Summer Employment program, developed in conjunction with the South Florida Investment Workforce Board. The eight to ten week program focuses on 18-24 year olds, who apply online and are chosen by lottery, and provides participants with entry-level positions in government agencies, local businesses and community-based organizations.