By Corey Nash, USCM Intern
July 14, 2008

Mayor’s workforce development directors from cities across the country came together in Miami for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) Annual/Board meeting held in conjunction with the 76th Annual Conference of Mayors. President of the WDC Robert Sainz, Assistant General Manager for Community Development for Los Angeles, presided over a joint session of WDC Board of Trustees and Council members and National Workforce Association (NWA) members to discuss appropriations for local workforce programs and joint strategies to strengthen workforce development in cities.

WDC Vice President Michael Gritton, Executive Director of Kentuckiana Works; David Bradley, CEO of NWA; and John Colbert, a Partner at Moss, McGee, Bradley and Colbert, conducted the joint strategizing session to discuss ways in which both organizations could combine efforts to collectively draw attention to the need for added investment in job training. Maintaining funding stability and restoring President Bush’s nearly one billion dollars in recommended cuts to workforce programs under the Workforce Investment Act were the focus of the discussion.

"The President’s FY 2009 proposed cuts to workforce programs would continue to seriously weaken our education and training system at a crucial time when it is most needed," said Gritton. "I would like to find a common ground in our advocacy efforts so that we can speak with a collective voice on the need to significantly increase investment in workforce development to adequately reflect its true importance."

Tom Phillips, President and CEO of Hartford’s Capital Workforce Partners, Inc., then lead a discussion on developing a WDC Strategic Communications Plan. Phillips is currently serving as Chair of the WDC Advocacy Committee.

The WDC members also attended the mayors’ session on Digital Literacy and Building a Globally Competitive Workforce, sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. This session, hosted by Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, was a panel discussion on digital literacy, workforce readiness and competitiveness. The challenge of high dropout rates, a workforce in need of digital literacy skills, and a deficient school-to-work pipeline were among topics discussed by the three mayors on the panel whose cities have implemented highly-focused digital inclusion strategies. Diaz, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles and Tulsa Mayor Kathryn L. Taylor provided insights into their successful digital literacy programs, workforce enhancement, and micro-business/small business stimulus programs to help workshop participants develop their own practical approaches to closing the digital divide. Mayors, Chief Information Officers and Workforce Development Directors were all in attendance.

WDC members next heard about Microsoft’s support for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Microsoft Corporation recently announced its support for the Fund, a $50 million, five-year effort to strengthen and expand effective workforce initiatives around the country. Andrea Taylor, Director of North American Community Affairs for Microsoft, provided information on Microsoft’s efforts to infuse technology into training opportunities for low-income workers, and outlined funding opportunities under the initiative to provide services to employers to help them recruit, train and move employees into better paying jobs.

Ray Roske, consulting Engineer for Bentley Professional Systems, Vice President of U.S. Programs for HOPE Worldwide Ltd. Antonio Boyd, and Executive Director of HOPE Worldwide Colorado Suzanne Baity, then outlined their successful partnership to train the homeless for engineering drafting careers to WDC members.

Bentley Systems has partnered with Denver’s Road Home program, Volunteers of America, United Way, HOPE Worldwide Colorado, and community volunteer engineers, to develop BEST, a pilot project designed to create an opportunity for less fortunate individuals to learn a valuable skills and possibly a life-long career. BEST is the work exchange program, a unique concept based on Bentley ProjectWise, that dually provides training and supported workforce to project partners, along with employment and training opportunities for the homeless population, resulting in a fully functional, cost effective model. BEST is working to replicate this program throughout the United States and is in the process of identifying key cities interested in doing so.

The meeting closed with a tour of the Little Havana Career Center. This visit included presentations from Career Center staff and a tour of their state-of-the-art mobile training vehicle.