Raising the Bar

Agenda

June 18,2008

Workshops Session I (9:15 – 10:30)

Keynote Reprise: The Global Economy and Implications for the Workforce Development Professional

Anirban Basu, CEO, Optimal Solutions Group (OSG)

In this reprise of the conference kick-off keynote presentation, Anirban Basu, renowned economist and founder of The Sage Policy Group, takes you on a journey that looks at the transformation of the global economy and what this means for workforce development requirements, middle class economics, immigration, and other major issues of the day. Specifically, the evolution of the global economy has created new-found opportunities for America’s capitalist class, but also significant challenges for those endeavoring to retain middle class status or emerge from low-income status. As workforce development professionals, we serve as a critical countervailing force in the effort to sustain America’s broadly shared prosperity.

Learn about just how substantial the challenges have become, the central and growing importance of our roles as workforce development professionals in economic and social development, and why the practices of the past may routinely prove insufficient in the new world in which we find ourselves.

Speaker Bio

Creative Strategies to Transition Youth from Foster Care

Ronald Spangler, Regional Director, Arbor Employment & Training

Presentation (pps, 4.88 MB)

Of the 540,000 youth in foster care across the nation, each year 20,000 reach an age when they are emancipated from the child welfare system. To improve outcomes for youth leaving foster care, a new vision and proactive strategy was launched. The model has resulted in a highly successful youth development practice that emphasizes wrap-around services in crucial areas such as education, technology training, employment, housing and life skills for youth leaving foster care. This interactive session will focus on a collaborative, comprehensive service delivery system that ensures youth transitioning from foster care will have access to a range of services that meet their needs. Identify best practices to improve outcomes for youth in six competency areas: self-sufficiency, knowledge and skills, social supports, high-risk behaviors, physical/mental health and self-perceptions. Derive concrete information on how to establish meaningful collaborative efforts at municipal and organizational levels for professionals who create policy and those who implement programs.

Entrepreneurs Alive!: Bringing to Life the Entrepreneurial Potential in Your Customers

Patti Taylor, Co-Owner/Coach/Trainer, Integral Life Solutions

Workforce development professionals in today’s market are challenged to find new and effective tools and techniques to guide individuals for success in the workplace. The 21st century workforce cries out for innovative solutions, alternative income streams, and diverse options for a diverse population. Entrepreneurs have the unique ability to combine resources to provide innovative solutions that meet the needs of everyday people. Bringing to life the entrepreneurial potential in our clients can open up any number of undiscovered possibilities.

Through examining the traits for entrepreneurship, the environment and systems that support the development of entrepreneurs, and the stories of entrepreneurial success, we can discover unique approaches for success in the workplace.

Learn proven training and coaching strategies that will help your customers more effectively navigate challenges and reach new goals in entrepreneurship.

Connecting to Business: Building Relationships and Adding Value

Howard Green, Business Liaison, VCU-CRP-RCEP

Presentation (pps, 103 KB)

Have you ever wished you could expand your business relationships?
Would you like to increase the number of employment opportunities for your job seekers?

With today’s economy and low unemployment rate, the competition for good workers is growing daily. To provide businesses with their labor and diversity needs, while increasing their ability to attract good candidates, workforce development professionals must connect to their business customers by talking the language of business.

Discover how to connect to businesses by building trust and maintaining solid relationships. Understand the issues and concerns faced by employers working with community programs such as one-stops, schools and rehabilitation agencies. Identify your added value and then connect to more businesses with your value services.

From Warrior to Civilian: Successful Reintegration of National Guard and Reservists

Stanley Seidel, Director, Veterans’ Employment and Training, U.S. DOL
Lt. Col. Michael Gafney, Maryland National Guard, Reintegration Coordinator

Presentation 1 (pps, 256 KB)
Presentation 2 (pps, 4.01 MB)

As several thousand National Guard and Reservists return from military duty overseas, they face new challenges as they transition from “Warrior” to civilian.

Studies have shown that at 90-120 days after return, 49% of National Guard Soldiers report psychological symptoms; 10% of returning soldiers are unemployed; and 15% more will become unemployed or underemployed by 60 days.

Workforce professionals must be prepared to meet the formidable task of reintegrating these “Returning Warriors” into the community. In this important workshop session, you will learn about community resources and services available to returning veterans, as well as resources for employers, which may prevent costly human resource issues such as reemployment rights cases, lost staffing hours and retraining new staff.

Professional Certifications: New Opportunities for New Credentials

Sandi Myers, Training Coordinator, The Maryland Institute for Workforce Excellence
Ann Merrifield, DCWP:BES, General Manager, Kaiser Group/Dynamic Works Institute

Presentation (pps, 2.20 MB)

In an effort to provide more training and credentialing opportunities, The Institute has partnered with Dynamic Works Institute to bring to you two new online certification programs.

Dynamic Works Institute is the nation’s largest provider of online certificate training for workforce development professionals, aligned with the standards and competencies of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP).

If you are new to the world of workforce development, want to refresh your basic workforce development skills, or are beginning your quest for credentials to add to your resume, The Core Skills Professional Certification program is what you are looking for. Hear an in-depth description of the program and training modules that have been designed to build a strong foundation of workforce development professional skills and knowledge.

The Business and Employer Services Certification program brings you up-to-speed on business communications, developing business relationships, designing customized services, and enhancing job and career development skills. Review the courses included in this program and learn how you can achieve this valuable credential. Discover how you can use this training package to complete the Business Services Certification program you may have begun, but were unable to complete through The Institute.

Simplified Stress Reduction: A Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence

Dan Eisner, Certified Coach/Occupational Therapist, Living Logically: Getting Smart about Life

Presentation (pps, 746 KB)

It is no secret that stress affects every aspect of our lives. It is also no secret that there is a direct link between emotion, health, disease, and the quality of interpersonal relationships, including those in the workplace. We live in an incredibly fast-paced, “stressed out” society that is essentially running on emotion. The physical, health and financial costs are truly immeasurable. Regardless of the particular numbers, the bottom line is that when people are not happy, they are just not as productive, and that has everything to do with the success of any organization.

This workshop is an inspiring, thought-provoking session that takes all the guess work out of understanding stress. Participants will be encouraged to actively participate throughout the learning process. Complex processes are made easy to understand through the use of personal examples, case studies, visual aids, and work-based exercises. Learn the “nuts and bolts” of cutting-edge, mind-body science in a practical and easy-to-use format that they can immediately apply to their lives.

Regional Economies Driving Transformation in the 21st Century

Beth Brinly, Division Chief Workforce Investment, U.S. DOL/ETA

Presentation (pps, 1.15 MB)

Just like companies need to invest in new technology and research and development to remain leaders in their field, workforce development professionals need to generate innovative ways to transform the workforce delivery system to maximize existing resources. Key to the success of any transformation process is the understanding of how your economy and your talent pool will drive this process. Program planners, management, agency directors, and board members will hear of state, regional, and local plans to transform workforce system structure and governance. The session will focus on strategies to engage key partners in the transformation process and the diversification of workforce funding. Participants will learn of new service strategies for One-Stop Career Centers, how to develop an action plan, and new tools for leadership and managing change.

Take a New Look at CareerOneStop

Beatrice Brown Turner, Workforce Development Manager, U.S. DOL/ETA
Allison Watts, America’s Service Locator Project Manager, U.S. DOL/ETA

With today’s ever-growing budget cuts, most workforce professionals are being asked to do more with less. CareerOneStop provides innovative, easy-to-use, no-fee, electronic tools to help job seekers plan for and find good jobs. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop offers tools such as the certification finder, competency model, and occupational profiles that can propel careers to the next level. Workforce professionals can track relevant information such as wage, outlook, training and local services – in real time – in one suite of web products.

Learning about interactive career tools, career videos, labor market information, maps to local services, and many other career development web-based resources can help you to bring your job seekers and employers together through careers, not just jobs.

PROMISING PRACTICES:
Strategic Collaborations for an Effective Youth Program

Callie Greene, Program Manager, Career Academy, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development
Alice Cole, Director of Career Development Services, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development

Interested in how to strategically plan program operations that prepare youth, ages 16 to 21, to take advantage of future opportunities in local high growth industries?

Want to be better equipped to select employment and/or continuing education options that are best suited for the youth in your programs?

Hear about a successful alternative education and workforce development training program for youth, which incorporates 21st century technology and non-traditional jobs from both a practical perspective and an academic point of view.

Identify potential, strategic youth development partners and how to successfully plan collaborative operations that embrace the goals and expectations of those partners. Learn about effective practices and approaches related to the composition, structure and menu of services, as well as suggested benchmarks, will be presented.

Round Table: DHR/DLLR/WIB Collaboration

Workshops Session II (11:00 – 12:15)

Teach Them to S.E.R.V.E.: Helping Youth Customers to Get Ahead

Frank Lengel, Ph.D./CWDP, Program Manager, Lengel Vocational Services

Presentation (pdf, 127 KB)

The secret ingredient in business leadership has always been service. “Servant Leadership” is the concept behind this special session designed especially for youth workers.

In today’s world, many young people do not have a positive role model or example in their lives. The “S-E-R-V-E” leadership model gives them a roadmap they can follow to success when a positive role model or mentor is not available. We live in a “what’s in it for me?” culture, but the real truth is that everybody reaps what they sow. In other words, you get what you give! And that’s the key lesson behind this special workshop. It focuses on youth development and promotes a five-step approach to helping young people get ahead by serving others.

Explore the five elements of youth development, reflect on the “Give-Get” formula, and learn a five-step approach (S-E-R-V-E) that promotes strong leadership and positive achievement as a way of engaging and retaining young people.

Employment and Health and Whiskers on Kittens: Health Insurance Security for Workers with Disabilities

CarLa Bryant, EID Intern Coordinator, Maryland Department of Disabilities

Presentation (pps, 184 KB)

Many people with disabilities are unable to find jobs that offer sufficient health coverage, and those who do are often unable to afford the premiums. The EID Program overcomes this obstacle by providing comprehensive insurance to working Marylanders with disabilities, including many earning solid middle-class wages. In the absence of universal medical insurance, EID provides the best health security for workers with disabilities in the 21st century.

People with disabilities who contemplate work often face a daunting array of public benefit programs with confusing rules. Frightening questions abound. For many, the greatest fear is: How can I get and keep the medical insurance I need if I’m working?

Learn how to encourage individuals with disabilities to try work, or increase their earnings, with the assistance of the most powerful work incentive to reach Maryland in decades. The Employed Individuals with Disabilities (EID) program provides Medicaid health insurance coverage, for only $150 per year, to employed Marylanders with disabilities. The income and asset limits are much higher than for other Medicaid programs, enabling recipients to earn and save significantly without losing health insurance. EID encourages people to begin work or to increase their earnings without fear of losing vital medical benefits.

21st Century Workforce Strategies for Formerly Incarcerated Customers

Ronald Harvey, President, MDC Workforce Training

Presentation (pps, 17.05 MB)

Focusing on recent employment trends, tools and training necessary to obtain livable-wage employment for offenders, this session highlights the B’more Green Environmental Construction Training Program of Civic Works Inc. B’more Green has structured a 92% job placement and 87% employment retention rate for ex-offenders and disadvantaged residents within Baltimore City. Learn about the State’s Reentry Initiative and its ongoing pursuit of removing institutional barriers and promotion of employer incentives. Hear the panelists analyze various elements such as personal development and identifying industry partnerships that generate successful placement activity for the customers of each program.

Although the workshop highlights successful programs, it also acknowledges the challenges that are still relevant, including the need to improve the skill level of the offender through certifications or apprenticeship training. Discover how major employment obstacles, such as transportation, are being remedied by these organizations.

If you are a workforce professional serving formerly incarcerated customers, an agency director who evaluates and incorporates new programs into your agency, or the policy maker who determines policies and practices for funding and delivery of services, this session provides insight into programs that are working to assist formerly incarcerated customers to achieve success.

Wiring BRAC: A Regional Approach

Sara Muempfer, Workforce ONE Maryland Project Director, DLLR
Susan Baker, Statewide BRAC Project Manager, DLLR
Margaret Wright, Senior Manager and BRAC Projector Coordinator, DLLR

Presentation (pps, 134 KB)

What Maryland installation will receive a transfer of 1200 jobs from Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.? How many jobs will Ft. Belvoir, VA gain due to BRAC? What defense agency is moving from Northern Virginia to Ft. George G. Meade? How can Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. work together as a region to fulfill the workforce needs of BRAC?

Attend this workshop to discover the answers to these and many other BRAC questions. You will find out how Maryland, Virginia and D.C., as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Collaborative (MARC), are currently utilizing a cumulative $10 million U.S. Department of Labor investment to assist with BRAC activity, as well as the future global economy of this region. MARC has adopted the U.S. DOL’s Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) framework to build and sustain a world-class regional workforce development system.

Focusing on the best practices, initiatives, and strategies of the regional collaboration, Economic Development, Education, and Workforce Development agencies and managers will obtain information needed to plan and prepare for the largest single employment growth activity in the tri-state area since World War II.

Creating an Accountable Staff to Compete in the 21st Century Workplace

Christopher Kuselias, CEO, Career T.E.A.M., LLC

What do the top 20% of workforce programs have in common? They mandate staff development and certification!

Operating funding streams and managing programs with limited funding in the 21st century is a major source of frustration, confusion and anxiety. Few understand this better than Chris Kuselias, who is among the nation’s most respected experts in workforce consulting and the Found of Career T.E.A.M.

With increased performance the objective, learn how to analyze and implement staff certification changes necessary to produce a documented increase in performance. Hear about cost-effective options for training front line staff and executives, including classroom, web-based, and video, with emphasis on certifying employer outreach staff who have key responsibility for your “brand”.

Discover unique and compelling strategies for enhanced employer outreach and overcoming employer objections, techniques for uncovering more job openings, and working with difficult clients. Learn proven strategies to improve job placement and retention performance.

In addition, Chris will present three essential changes required for funding sources and program operators to successfully compete and win in the changing 21st century workplace.

Promising Practices:
TANF/WIA/Job Service: What’s Working Now?

Dianne Edwards, Program Supervisor, Tri-County Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program
Elizabeth Edmondson, Asst. Director, Family Investment for Wicomico County
Rick Walker, Asst. Director, Family Investment Programs and Services, Harford County DSS
Linda Siegel, Operations Manager, Susquehanna Workforce Network
Mark Millspaugh, Asst. Director, Family Investment, Anne Arundel County DSS
Crystal Terrel, Director of JobsWork Arundel, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation

All program managers seek more effective and efficient methods to serve their customers. Partnerships can maximize funding and amplify services. Learn about current TANF, WIA, and Job Service partnerships from around Maryland. Hear how local mangers find common ground to enhance customer success and meet program performance goals. Get the practical “how-to” to building a successful collaboration in your jurisdiction.

Attendees will be able to:

begin or continue TANF, WIA, and Job Service program development with practical examples as guides to success.
plan and structure a TANF, WIA, and Job Service program to serve work-eligible TANF customers.
evaluate programs as to the program’s applicability within their local jurisdiction.

Round Table: Marketing to Businesses

Roundtable: Returning Veterans

Workshops Session III (1:45-3:00)

Summer Youth Programs: Using Partnerships to Maximize Opportunities for Youth

Sue Gallagher, Director of Field Operations, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Center

Presentation (pps, 186 KB)

Young people need opportunities to develop good work habits, attitudes and skills to become productive workers. Schools, social programs, and other support groups are tasked with the responsibility to create these opportunities for their own constituencies, but they may lack the expertise, resources and contacts to build a successful program. By partnering with workforce development organizations and each other, these programs can join forces to provide effective services. Hear how one county developed a multi-pronged approach to summer jobs programs by combining the resources, manpower, and customer populations of workforce development, Social Services, schools, community colleges, county government and business. Learn how to utilize the expertise of area partners to enhance and expand your summer youth program.

Advisory Groups: A New Model for the 21st Century

Trenton Hightower, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Virginia Community College System (VCCS)

Few would argue with the concept that “two heads are better than one.”
Forward-thinking managers and organizations often seek the recommendations of a group of individuals to complement the knowledge of staff members and their boards of directors. Called an Advisory Group, this cadre of professionals is selected for their experience and skills in a given subject area. In some cases, the existence of an advisory group is sometimes mandated by the terms and conditions of a grant. Other times, however, their creation is driven purely by the organization’s desire to learn more about an issue from the perspective of community and industry leaders. In this era of doing more with less, a well-chosen advisory group brings a fresh, informed perspective to an organization as it attempts to shape programs, solve problems or determine a direction. Learn about a new model to run a better advisory meeting and three easy steps to implement better advisory groups.

The Aging Workforce: Challenge or Opportunity?

Ilene Rosenthal, Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Aging
Arnold Eppel, Director, Baltimore County Department of Aging
Donna Wilson, Vice President, Strategic Planning Communications and Customer Service, Injured Workers Insurance Fund

Presentation (pps, 2.32 MB)

Nationally, about 64 million baby boomers (over 40% of the U.S. labor force) are expected to begin to retire by the end of this decade and there are not enough younger workers to replace them. Adding to this challenge is the growth of Maryland’s older population and the projected strong demand for workers in the health and long-term care industries. However, a growing number of older workers are choosing to remain in the workforce. If properly engaged, older workers have the potential to provide significant contributions to a shrinking workforce and cost savings to employers.

This workshop will help workforce development professionals view older adults as a way to address some of the State’s workforce needs, recognize the positive qualities of an older workforce, and understand how to ensure older worker safety in the workplace.

Explore the impact of the aging of the State’s population on workforce development through an overview of the demographics and trends shaping the workforce of the future. Examples of actions to increase opportunities for older workers to remain in the workforce are described, featuring Baltimore County’s efforts to prepare for the coming transitions through the work of its “Silver Tsunami” subcommittee.

The Time of Your Life: Using Time Management to Achieve Your Goals

Frank Lengel, Ph.D./CWDP, Program Manager, Lengel Vocational Services

Presentation (pdf, 123 KB)

Procrastination can be a friend, but multi-tasking is a myth. That’s part of the light-hearted message in this special session that makes the most of time. Participants will see time through the prism of history, learn the power of priorities, and review tips to change how they experience life each day. Learn important secrets about how success is connected to time. This workshop is for anyone who has ever felt there was more work than time, but it’s also the foundation for a personal success plan that can be shared with customers!

Based on time management, the session is actually a motivational workshop that promotes a whole new vision of success that participants can enjoy every day of their lives. It is important for workforce professionals, and the people they serve, to have a clear vision of success and to know how to use time to achieve their goals.

And best of all—the information from this workshop can be taught and shared with customers to help promote success in their lives too!

Effective Communications for Foreign-Nationals: Ingredients for Business Success

Margo Stein, Owner, MS Associates

Within the context of our global workforce, effective communication is critical. Cultural barriers and communication breakdowns cause considerable challenges to the American business employing foreign nationals. The potential for miscommunication is significant and can cause considerable challenges for both the employer and the individual. With the influx of foreign nationals living and working in Maryland, many are underutilized because of their poor communication skills. Individuals with heavy accents are often discredited when they are not easily understood. As a result, they are often working in positions well below their education, training, and experience.

Explore some barriers to effective communications that exist within the workplace. Learn strategies for creating a more productive workforce, improving client/customer/staff relationships, and building a more effective team. Hear about communication programs targeted to specific industries, including the Latino Health Care Initiative.

Succession Planning

Avoiding the Traffic Jam: Case Managing Multiple Populations

Beth Lengel, M.Ed./CDFI/CWDP, Director of Services, Lengel Vocational Services

Presentation (pdf, 160 KB)

How does a case manager provide world class service to a large case load of customers with very different situations and requirements? Trade vs. ex-offenders? Displaced homemakers vs. under-employed? What happens when? How to get it all done? Most workforce professionals are challenged to serve multiple populations and their diverse needs. Being able to change directions while avoiding oncoming traffic is a basic requirement of case management today. That’s the point of this session. Discuss tips and tools that will better enable you to quickly negotiate around the potholes, shift the focus, identify the needs of every customer, detour to varied resources, “multi-task” through group case management rush hours, and much, much more!

Learn new ideas on how to meet the needs of diverse populations and manage time more effectively while do so.

PROMISING PRACTICES:

Latino Health Care Initiative: Addressing the Nursing Shortage by Tapping into Existing Community Resources

Eric Seleznow, Executive Director, Governor’s Workforce Investment Board
Sonia Mora, Manager, Latino Health Initiative, Montgomery County DHHS

The Nurses Pilot Program, coordinated by the Latino Health Initiative (LHI) of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, is a unique and innovative approach to addressing the current nursing shortage. This model of public-private collaboration assists foreign-trained nurses to obtain the Registered Nurse (RN) license in Maryland. County government, post-secondary education, and private area hospitals are partnering to contribute their unique areas of expertise, to ensure that program participants are able to meet the requirements of the Maryland Board of Nursing to obtain the RN license.

Learn how this innovative, collaborative approach is currently being implemented to diversify the nursing workforce by building on community assets, and its impact in addressing the nursing shortage, while enhancing cultural competence in the health care system. Hear how the currently under-utilized immigrant community is being tapped into to address critical needs.

Directors, managers, policy makers, and program planners will take with them key elements necessary to effectively plan and implement a program for foreign-trained professionals

Roundtable: Making Apprenticeships Work for Your Organization

Roger Lash, Director, Apprenticeship and Training, DLLR
Ron DeJuliis, Commissioner of labor & Industry for the State of Maryland
Al FitzSimons, Apprenticeship Specialist, DLLR

Presentation (pps, 123 KB)

To address the critical shortage of qualified staffing in the 21st century, the Apprenticeship model will experience a higher level of integration in the Workforce Development System. Labor, Business, and Education are the tools to respond to the demand for a highly qualified workforce, now and in the future.

Hear how traditional and new, innovative processes are being used in the training component of Apprenticeship. Learn how BRAC and long-term, changing industry manpower trends are impacting apprenticeships. This panel of Apprenticeship experts will discuss the subject of newly devised preparatory programs designed to insure successful completion of Apprenticeship Programs.

Discover how the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Program can be a catalyst for employment success for your job-seeker customers and a skilled labor force for your business customers.

Round Table: Ex-offenders

Closing Keynote (3:15-4:30):

Engineering America's Renaissance

Umar Hameed, Master Trainer/Practitioner/Author CEO, Productivity3

RTB ’08 closes with a thought-provoking look at what's at stake in the global economy game of the 21st century. While we were watching American Idol the world changed. With globalization, a weakening middle class, and a ballooning national debt, is it any wonder that confidence in America's ability to maintain a dominant role in the world's economy has been shaken?

So, are America’s best years behind it, or is there hope for us that the best is yet to come? Absolutely there is hope! But we have a choice to make: become a casualty, or redefine the game and start engineering the next American Renaissance.

At the heart of the American Renaissance is the American Worker. We need to create an environment where workers drive hard for excellence. Where Americans use innovation to redefine the game and “obsolete the competition.” In essence, our workers need to harness the Human Element and learn how to take charge of their most valuable commodity, the human mind. Mastering the Human Element will allow us to tap into passion, creativity, and determination. Learn what we can do as workforce development professionals to unleash the full potential of our workers so they can become the catalyst that drives the new American Renaissance.

Speaker Bio