Washington Update

Department of Labor
Oates Nominated as Assistant Secretary for ETA

On Wednesday, April 8, President Obama nominated Jane Oates, New Jersey's top higher education official and former top aide to U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration.

Oates is currently the executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and a senior adviser to Governor Jon S. Corzine. Upon confirmation by the Senate, Oates would oversee the agency's work on spending the additional billions in federal stimulus money for job training, and work with Congress to renew WIA, among other things.

New Jobless Claims Fell Below Projections

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment compensation claims fell more than expected last week but remain at elevated levels. First-time jobless claims fell by 20,000 to 654,000 in the week ended April 4, from a revised 674,000 a week earlier that was the highest rate since 1982. The number of people continuing to receive unemployment compensation insurance approached nearly 6 million, setting a record for the 10th straight week.

The four-week average - which aims to smooth volatility - fell slightly to 657,250, the first drop after 11 straight increases, according to the Labor Department. A year ago, claims stood at 358,000.

USCM/Wal-Mart Foundation Green Jobs Training Grants Initiative

The proposal for a Wal-Mart Foundation Green Jobs Training “Best Practice” grant is due on April 17, 2009. Workforce Development Council members have received a separate announcement via email. The grants will be awarded to non-profit [501(c)(3)] organizations in partnership with a member mayor of The United States Conference of Mayors who have representation on Workforce Development Council. The announcement and RFP can be accessed below. An RFP was also sent to member Mayors with representation on the WDC.

Click here to access the Memo.

Click here to access the RFP.

Upcoming Meetings

Workforce Development Council (WDC) Annual Meeting at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Conference

Providence, RI
June 12-13, 2009

Please mark your calendar for the WDC Board meeting in Providence! The WDC Board meeting will be held at the Westin Providence Hotel from June 12-13, 2009, as part of The U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Conference. All WDC members are welcome to attend!

Attached is a draft agenda for your information. To access the WDC draft agenda click here.

You may now register and request hotel accommodations online at http://usmayors.org/registration/. Please scroll down the screen to select the Workforce Development Council link to access the WDC registration form.

Be sure to have a method of payment ready for the hotel reservation when you register online. You must complete both forms at the same time. Once the registration is submitted, the online system does not accept revisions.

If you prefer, you can still complete your registration form manually. To access the registration and hotel reservation forms please click here. Please complete the form and fax it to our meetings department at (202) 467-4276. The deadline for guaranteed hotel accommodations is May 5, 2009.

Mayors will meet on June 12-16, 2009. Below are links containing Tom Cochran’s memo to member mayors on the resolutions submission deadline, the resolution procedures and the mayors draft agenda for your information.

Reports, Announcements, and Articles

New From the Aspen Institute

Announcing the Sector Skills Academy

Applications are being accepted now through May 20, 2009 for the next class of Sector Skills Academy Marano Fellows. The Academy consists of Webinars and three, three-day workshops during which participants are exposed to best practices, innovative thinkers and experienced leaders in the sectoral employment development field. The new class of fellows will meet from Fall 2009 through Summer 2010.

To learn more about the Academy, visit: www.sectorskillsacademy.org.

New From Brookings

Job Sprawl Persists

Rising unemployment may slow the decentralization of jobs but is unlikely to stop the trend. A new Brookings report analyzes "job sprawl" in the 98 largest metropolitan areas across the country.

The full report can be accessed below:
http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/0406_job_sprawl_kneebone.aspx

New From CLASP

New Website Highlights Ways Policymakers/Advocates Can Help Prepare Nation’s Workforce for 21st Century Jobs

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) announces the launch of a new website (www.shifting-gears.org) designed to help states increase the number of low-income working adults who have the skills and credentials they need to compete for 21st Century jobs. Shifting Gears is a Joyce Foundation-sponsored initiative that aims to promote regional economic growth by aligning adult education, workforce development and postsecondary education in five Midwestern states – Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The website is intended to shine a spotlight on innovative approaches in these states and provide information about promising policies and practices that work across the nation.

Visit www.shifting-gears.org to learn more about this exciting initiative.

New From Green for All

Going Green: The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a Sustainable Future and a Green Workforce

This report details the ways in which community colleges are becoming living-learning classrooms to prepare workers for new or altered jobs in the clean-energy economy and to make campuses themselves more environmentally friendly.

As America’s economy transforms itself into a green economy, community colleges – with their ability to turn on a dime to meet changing market conditions – will become increasingly important. America will need educated technicians whose skills can cross industry lines; those are community college graduates. We will need technicians who are able to learn new skills as technologies evolve; these are community college graduates. With the support of their local business partners, as well as state and federal governments, America’s community colleges will meet the demands of the green economy.

http://www.greenforall.org/resources/going-green-the-vital-role-of-community-colleges-in-building-a-sustainable-future-and-a-green-workforce

ETA Releases

• ETA Publishes Lower Living Standard Income Levels for 2009
  April 8, 2009

• Department Releases New Disability Employment Resource for Employers
  April 6, 2009

• Recovery Act: HHS Announces $5 Billion in Emergency Funding for the TANF Program
  April 6, 2009

• Recovery Act: OMB Publishes Updated Guidance to Agencies for Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
  April 6, 2009

• VETS Announces Funding Opportunity under Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act
  April 3, 2009