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The North Tennessee Workforce Board conducted their first meeting of 2015 last week at Highland Crest College in Springfield, Tennessee.  The event was highlighted by Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner, Burns Phillips who served as guest speaker.  Commissioner Phillips began by stating, “What a great story I have to tell”.  His story revolved around the efficiencies and effectiveness that have been created in the department over the last 18 months.  The Commissioner led the journey toward excellence by creating a culture of teamwork, innovation and problem-solving focused on identifying the cause of problem rather than treating its symptoms.  [...]

2015 Starts with an Honor! Last Monday, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced 17 public members who will serve on the new Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities, a key provision of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.  Congratulations to Workforce Essentials’ own, Sharyn Hancock for being selected from hundreds of nominations.  Sharyn is the Director of the Disability Employment Initiative and the Ticket to Work Program for WEI.   She is an outstanding leader in the State of Tennessee regarding employment opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities. I congratulate Sharyn on this recognition and know [...]

Wow….Can you believe that 2014 is coming to a close? I blinked once, and the year has gone.  Reflecting back over the last 12 months, it has been one of anticipation, excitement, and change for Workforce Essentials.  I commemorate the successful year by highlighting some of the memorable events: LWIA 8 was honored again as one of the highest performing Workforce Areas by earning the most incentive dollars in the State. Economic Development in the region captured attention with the announcements of Hankook Tire, Dal-Tile, and Beretta.  The Tennessee Department of Labor awarded WEI a grant to hire a Regional Workforce Development [...]

After 10 years of continuing resolutions on the Workforce Investment Act, it finally looks like reauthorization is going to happen!  They said that the devil is in the details–Well, the full text of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is 811 pages worth of details! I’m just excited to see that a focus has been placed on workforce development in Washington. The bipartisan, bicameral deal should be voted on in June and enacted in 2015.  The following summary was prepared by the US Conference of Mayors and highlights the significant changes:  Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Bill Details: Overall, the [...]

Out with 2013 and in with 2014; it is time to wipe the slate clean and set priorities for the New Year!  Two goals immediately rise to the top for me... Company Growth and Employee Satisfaction. Growth is important for the long term sustainability of the company.  With the uncertainty in DC regarding WIA funding and volatility within the State Department of Human Services, it is time to start looking for new and innovative programs and grants to sustain the company. That is why I recently visited Johnson City, TN to explore the possibility of a Youthbuild Grant.  Growth can take [...]

October ended with a hectic two weeks of activity including nine customer and employer appreciation events in nine days! What a great turnout we had! Over 550 customers, employers and staff attended the festivities.   The support from our Board, County Mayors & Executives, and the community was phenomenal.  The newspaper in Clarksville and Dover has already run fabulous stories on the winners.  Please be on the lookout for you your event in the paper too!   A highlight of the events happened in Dickson where the President of AT&T, Joelle Phillips presented a check for $50,000 in support of the [...]

Have you ever felt like you are under a microscope?  Well, Workforce Essentials lives under one.  Compliance is a primary component of operating state and federal grants, which brings me to the point of the recent WIA monitoring conducted by the Program Accountability Review (PAR) team of the Tennessee Department of Labor. The PAR unit was on-site in Clarksville for a week to review 16 contracts and over $9.9 million dollars in grant funding.  I'm happy to report that after the intensive review, the PAR unit issued a "zero finding", clean report.  This is a compliment to the entire staff.  The Par team [...]

The State Workforce Board met on June 13 & 14 to review WIA plans for 2013-2014.  I'm happy to report that LWIA 8's plan was approved unanimously.  The approval comes two weeks after the State Board Planning Committee heard every local area present their plan of action for the upcoming year.  I had the opportunity to present the plan for Area 8. During the plan presentation, I highlighted the upcoming changes in the Career Center System, including the withdrawal of State Staff in Dickson, Franklin and Springfield.  I was able to reiterate that Workforce Essentials would be maintaining a WIA presence [...]

It seems that everything is happening at one time.  The last quarter has not been particularly pleasing for Workforce Essentials.  It started with the Department of Education’s notification that they were eliminating their share of funding for the JTG program next year.  It has continued to go downhill from there.  USDOL issued draft allocations in March indicating that our WIA allocations may see as much as a $350,000 decrease.  The change of leadership at the Department of Labor, along with the release of the State Audit, seemed to bring a barrage of questions that the press has been focusing on.  However, [...]

The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development recently hosted a conference which promoted the new concept of functional alignment in the workforce development system. The event, which was held at the Opryland Hotel, was designed to bring statewide job service and workforce development professionals together to learn about and discuss workforce innovation and promising practices. The concept of functional alignment was introduced in December when the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development merged its Job Service and Workforce Development programs to form the new Workforce Services Division.  According to Commissioner Karla Davis, the vision behind this alignment is to create [...]