Governor Haslam has asked the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, along with all other state agencies to conduct a top-to-bottom review of their operations as a first step toward creating a leaner and more efficient, effective, and accountable government.
The ultimate goal of the review is to identify opportunities within the Agency to be more effective, efficient, and flexible across individual functional areas including organizational structures, business processes, and staff competencies.
The Department of Economic and Community Development was the first agency to complete their review which resulted in ECD Commissioner, Bill Hagerty and the Governor to announce the Jobs4TN plan, which lays out the administration’s economic development strategy.
The governor’s Jobs4TN plan focuses on:
*Prioritizing the strategic recruitment of target industries;
*Assisting existing Tennessee businesses in expansions and remaining competitive;
*Supporting regional and rural economic development strategies;
*As well as investing in innovation and reducing business regulation.
Tennessee will focus its recruitment efforts on six target clusters in which the state has a clear competitive advantage: automotive; chemicals and plastics; transportation, logistics and distribution services; business services; healthcare; advanced manufacturing and energy technologies.
The top-to-bottom review also resulted in the restructure of the department which now centers around “jobs base camps” in each of nine regions across the state. Each base camp will work with local partners to develop and/or revise a regional economic develop plan and align existing federal and state resources around that plan.
As Labor begins this extensive process, it is exciting to know that state employees in the local career centers will play a part in the review by completing a survey or questionnaire that was recently distributed. In addition, focus groups are being formed to review the critical programs operated by the Department. Staffs from the local workforce areas are being asked to participate as well. John Watz was tasked to be on the team that reviews Rapid Response, while I will be working with Vicki Crozier and Mike Daniel. This is a wonderful opportunity to provide input on how we can improve the delivery of services in the Career Centers and increase efficiency.
On another note, the Williamson County Career Center was the first Center in LWIA 8 to host Commissioner Davis (on right) and Deputy Commissioner Malone (on left) for a town hall type meeting. Commissioner Davis has undertaken the task of visiting every Career Center in the State of Tennessee to meet staff and see where the “rubber meets the road”. The first event was hosted by Donnie Nolte on Tuesday. Be on the lookout for the Commissioner to visit your center soon! I applaud her efforts to travel the state and see where the hard work is done!