SOUTHERN ALLEGHENIES WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission
Altoona, Pennsylvania
ACTION SUMMARY
Following are the major actions taken by the SAWDB Executive Committee at its regular meeting held on March 14, 2017, via conference call due to a snow storm. The following items will also be ratified at the next meeting of the SAWDB Executive Committee, April 11, 2017.
1.Approved the minutes of the SAWDB Executive Committee meeting held on January 10, 2017, as presented.
2.Motion to approve financial support of the Cambria County Job Fair in the amount of $500. Motion was made by Ms. Sharon Clapper and seconded by Mr. Alex Seltzer. Motion carried.
SOUTHERN ALLEGHENIES WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Conducted via conference call due to inclement weather
Members Participating
Lynn HockerWhispering Creek – via phone
Sharon ClapperClapper Industries– via phone
Bob ParsonsB & B Designed Systems- via phone
Keith BakerBWPO – via phone
Wendy MeliusCCA– via phone
Catherine WalterJLG Industries – via phone
Alex SeltzerManpower of Altoona- via phone
Non-Members in Attendance
Cheryl JohnsonPICCC - via phone
Jim WalkerSAWDB/SAP&DC- via phone
Susan WhislerSAWDB/SAP&DC- via phone
Call to Order
SAWDB Chair, Mr. Lynn Hocker, called the meeting of the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board Executive Committee to order at 10:00 a.m.
Minutes from January 10, 2017
Mr. Hockerasked for a motion to approve the minutes from the January 10, 2017, Executive Committee meeting. There were no questions, concerns, or discussion regarding the minutes.
Ms. Sharon Clapper made a motion to approve the January 10, 2017, Executive Committee meeting minutes as presented. Mr. Bob Parsonsseconded the motion. The motion passed with unanimous approval.
Director’s Report
Fiscal Update
Red/Green Report
Ms. Susan Whisler referred to the 80% expenditure report that reflects that providers should be at 58% of expenditures now to be completely expended by June 30, 2017. She reported that all are on track to meet or exceed the 80% requirement. Given the seasonality of youth services, Ms. Whisler noted that youth expenditures will grow as more work is done in preparation for the summer work experience. On the 20% and 75% YouthExpenditure report, she noted that collectively the providers have met the 20% work experience requirement. It is permissible for providers to charge staff time in support of work experience but the expectation is that the largest share of the expenditures should come from youth participant wages and fringe costs. The SAWDB staff are analyzing expenditures to determine how many youth work experience participants are reflected in these expenditures. Mr. Lynn Hocker asked that staff also calculate cost per client when more detailed information is reported out at the April Executive Committee meeting.
Financial Position
Ms. Whisler said that we are in a strong position to continue support for dislocated worker and youth training but remain out of adult funding for training. It is anticipated that President Trump will release his budget in the very near future and we are prepared for deep cuts in funding. Fortunately, the budget must also be approved by Congress and our hope is that domestic spending is not cut as much as projected as it will greatly affect our ability to provide services, especially training.
Request for Cambria County Job Fair Support
Ms. Whisler reported that she received a request from Jeff Dick, site administrator for the PA CareerLink Cambria County, requesting support for the county’s 21st annual job fair. He noted that the CareerLink has been a key partner in this event, which drew over 500 job seekers and 80 employers last year. The event will take place on May 2nd; the SAWDB has historically supported the fair at the $500 level. Discussion followed regarding the importance of the job fair to the county and its many unemployed.
Ms. Sharon Clapper made a motion to approve sponsorship of the Job Fair at the $500 level. Mr. Alex Seltzer seconded the motion. The motion passed with unanimous approval.
Service Related
Update on RFP for One-Stop Operator and WIOA Title I Services
Ms. Whisler reported that the two RFPs were released on February 15th. Legal ads were placed in the region’s papers of record, over 200 notices were sent to agencies on the bidder’s list, the RFPs were posted on the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association’s and Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission’s websites. The deadline for the One Stop Operator response is March 28th; the deadline for the Title I response is April 3rd. A bidder’s conference was held with 6 agencies in attendance- PICCC, Goodwill, E & T, and Tableland Services, our current providers, and ResCare and Center for Community Action.Seven board members with no conflict of interest have volunteered to serve on the review committee. Ms. Whisler reported that she will hold an orientation for reviewers after the proposals have been received.
Tech Grant Funding
Ms. Whisler reported that the PA Department of Labor and Industry released a notice of grant availability to support equipment purchases for those career and technology centers and PA community colleges and have a strong track record of providing post-secondary education to adults. The workforce boards must serve as the application and fiscal agent. Ms. Whisler reached out to eligible schools and submitted applications from the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center, the Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center, the Somerset County Technology Center, the Huntingdon County Technology Center, the Bedford County Technology Center, and the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. The grants totaled over $290,000. Funding awards are anticipated in April.
Special Populations Committee Update
Ms. Whisler reported that the committee has met twice and its membership represent a diverse group of agencies that service those with significant barriers to employment. The members had been asked to attend CareerLink orientations with an eye on gaining an understanding of those services currently provided and identifying service gaps. Following significant discussion, the committee asked that the PA CareerLink site administrators participate in the June meeting so together they can identify service gaps and new services that will help to address the workforce needs of those with barriers to employment.
One Stop Operator Report
Ms. Cheryl Johnson, OSO Representative, noted the closure of the UC call center continues to create challenges for the CareerLinks but that the long lines and customer wait times have decreased significantly. She reported that staff continue to work on the RSAB and CareerLink scorecard and are making improvements based on feedback received from Mr. Hocker and other board members. She asked Mr. Keith Baker to provide additional information related to the scorecard. Mr. Baker reported that last week he, Jeff Dick and Susan Whisler met to review the existing report and identify possible ways to enhance it. He is proposing to make several changes including noting the universe of individuals who are currently receiving unemployment compensation and showing, by percentage, how many of those individuals are receiving services by CareerLink. Likewise, he is proposing to follow Department of Labor definitions for employer engagement, and showing those receiving a service as a percentage of the total number of employers per county. Mr. Baker said he and other staff, including those outside of our region, are working to identify appropriate reports on CWDS that will give us this information. Mr. Hocker noted that he greatly appreciated these efforts and these figures will better help us to establish performance benchmarks.
Other Business
Ms. Sharon Clapper reported that it is time to draft the ballot for the Executive Committee elections, which will take place at the May SAWDB meeting. She will be emailing existing members to determine if they are still interested in being considered for a position. Ms. Whisler willemail the entire workforce board and draft a ballot.
Ms. Clapper reported that the economic development agency Catalyst Connection is again supporting a video competition focused on ‘What’s Cool about Manufacturing.’ Three manufacturers in Cambria and 3 manufacturers in Somerset being showcased in the videos, include Clapper Industries. The videos are available on line. On March 23rd, students, parents and the manufacturers will participate in a special event at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, where the winner will be announced.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at10:45a.m.
The next meeting of the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board Executive Committee will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 2017, 10:00 a.m. at the Commission’s office, 3 SheratonDrive, Altoona, PA.