November 5, 2009

Opening Keynote (8:30 – 10:00)

Jane Oates Assistant Secretary US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

Jane Oates was nominated by President Barack Obama to join Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis' leadership team at the Department of Labor in April, 2009. Confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training on June 19, 2009, she now leads the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) in its mission to design and deliver high-quality training and employment programs for our nation's workers.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Oates served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and Senior Advisor to Governor Jon S. Corzine. In that position Oates worked to strengthen the connections among high school, post-secondary education and the workforce.

Ms. Oates served for nearly a decade as Senior Policy Advisor for Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy. She worked closely with the Senator on a variety of education, workforce and national service legislative initiatives, including the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

Ms. Oates began her career as a teacher in the Boston and Philadelphia public schools and later as a field researcher at Temple University's Center for Research in Human Development and Education. She received her BA in Education from Boston College, and an M.Ed in Reading from Arcadia University.

Opening Keynote

More than ever, workforce development is front and center as our country faces significant economic and employment & training challenges. Our new ETA Assistant Secretary Jane Oates will share her perspectives on how workforce development professionals must play a major role in ensuring our workforce system works for today's job seekers and businesses.

Workshops Session I (10:30 – 11:45)

Building Strong Teams to Create Positive Outcomes

Anne Scholl-Fiedler, Director, Career Services, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Presentation (ppt, 248KB)

Is your organization "healthy?" Are you "growing" and retaining your best talent? This workshop addresses some of the factors affecting the quality of work life and the impact of employee well-being, strength-based work teams, and positive psychology on business outcomes; as well as, how organizations can continue to build and develop human potential and teams within their workplaces. Generate possible solutions to developing your own effective and "healthy" work teams. Identify ways that you can help your customers to present their value and potential contributions - in the best possible way - in interviews and on the job, that demonstrate they are a good fit and support the organization's mission.

Improving Service Delivery: A Proven Model for Innovation and Improvement in Workforce Development

David Saunders, CWDP, V.P. and ISO 9001 Management Representative, Arbor-ResCare

Presentation (pdf, 1MB)

Workforce development programs are being required to "do more with less," which means constant and continual innovation. Examine Arbor's simple, seven-step model to foster innovative ideas, test the ideas in the real world, analyze results, and then standardize so that innovations lead to real improvements. Participate in a creativity simulation to enhance your brain-storming skills. Hear about actual projects that illustrate how a One-Stop increased enrollment of dislocated workers; how Job Corps Centers lowered AWOL rates; and how TANF programs increased participation in a worker skills certification program.

Motivating TANF Participants: Meeting Participation Rates

Jodie Sue Kelly, President, Cygnet Associates

Meeting participation rates in the TANF program is critical, yet programs struggle to engage clients and to maintain participation. This lively and interactive session will provide techniques that you can use to engage and maintain the motivation of TANF participants. Develop an explanation of all the financial arguments for working and learn to design motivational upfront activities to engage participants so they want to participate.

Balance - Got Some?

Chris Sopa, Inspirational Speaker/Author/Executive Coach, Chris Sopa International, Inc.

Many individuals in the workforce today struggle with the concept of balance. How much time should I be spending at home vs. work? How can I possibly find enough time in the day to commit the time I need for both? With increased stress, chaos, layoffs, and personal challenges facing everyone today, understanding the concept of how to effectively balance and manage all of the areas of our lives helps us perform better, feel calmer, maintain health, and influence our peers in a positive way.

This thought-provoking session will lead you to defining your priorities, recognizing where you are right now in many areas of your life, identifying how to take action towards your top goals personally and professionally, and most importantly, learning that balance comes from the inside-out.

Universal Design for the Workforce Development System

Sheila Fesko, PhD, Program Manager, Institute for Community Inclusion/University of Massachusetts; Director, National Center on Workforce and Disability(NCWD)
Cori DiBiasi, National Organization on Disability

Workforce development professionals respond to the needs of a diverse range of job seekers and business customers, as well as interact with a variety of state and private agencies and providers. Universal Design provides professional tools to assist in responding strategically to these different stakeholders more efficiently and effectively. Universal design strategies are reflected through the multiple functions performed by public and private workforce development systems: marketing and outreach, orientation, assessment, service coordination, service delivery, and business services.

Rather than creating different initiatives for different populations, discover ideas on how to create programs and services that respond to the broadest audience. Universal Design is a collection of tools that assist in creating an atmosphere of ongoing progress – a proactive approach to establishing simple, flexible, and efficient programs and services. Learn to identify components of your system that can be more responsive to the diverse job seeker and business customer base, and strategic partnerships to address customer needs.

Using the Maryland Community Services Locator and 211.com to Make Effective Referrals

Amy Billing, MSSA, Faculty Research Assistant, Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR)/University of Maryland-College Park
Tim Jansen, Director, Community Crisis Services, Inc.

211 Service Snapshot (pdf, 99KB)
211 Presentation (pdf, 965KB)
Community Services Locator Flyer (pdf, 82KB)
CESAR Flyer (pdf, 27KB)
Community Services Presentation (pdf, 859KB)

The Maryland Community Services Locator (MDCSL), funded by the Governor's Office of Crime Control & Prevention (CESAR), was created to help Maryland service providers, and individuals and families struggling with economic hardship more easily access local programs and resources. This tool will allow both providers and individuals to access a wide range of social service, health, and criminal justice resources. Given the current economic climate and funding cuts to the operational budgets of many agencies, staff can work more efficiently to serve customers and clients in need of resources, including those that fall outside the scope of workforce development. Hear an overview of this resource and learn how it can best be used to meet the needs of your customers.

2-1-1 Maryland provides a link to community health and human service resources statewide, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 150 languages. Discover how this valuable resource can provide assistance to those job seekers who need to find food pantries, health care, job training, mortgage, rental, prescription and utility assistance.

Working with Hearing Loss: Deafness Sensitivity and Awareness Training

Lisa Kornberg, Director, Maryland Governor's Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Fact Sheet (pdf, 45KB)
Presentation (pdf, 1.16MB)
Statistics (pdf, 47KB)
Tips for Communicating (pdf, 109KB)

All workforce professionals will, at some time, encounter job seeker and business customers with some degree of hearing loss. According to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, approximately 32.5 million American adults are affected. This sensitivity and awareness training is designed to help agencies and service providers develop an understanding of the demographics and diversity of this population.

Increase your awareness of the needs of people with hearing loss, gain information to ensure accessibility standards that comply with federal laws, and ADA requirements for effective communication. Learn basic etiquette for interacting with individuals who have a diverse range of hearing loss, and the roles and limits of adaptive technologies and interpreters in the workplace.

Beyond Traditional Job Development: The Art of Creating Opportunity

Denise Bissonnette, MS Multicultural Education, Author/Speaker/Trainer, RtB 2009 Closing Keynote

Presentation (pdf, 499KB)

This highly-acclaimed presentation offers a practical, innovative and proactive approach to job development, challenging us to look beyond traditional methods for achieving placement results. This workshop offers tools by which we can create employment opportunities for people based on their individual strengths and interest while simultaneously working to bring new profit or a competitive edge to local businesses. This approach can also greatly enhance the efforts of job seekers who are attempting to find their place in a tough economy! If you are challenged by putting people to work, this workshop is not to be missed!

Quick Steps to Success for Dislocated Workers

Greg Newton, Greg Newton Associates

Presentation (pdf, 93KB)

One of the President's key economic recovery strategies is to reemploy down-sized workers as quickly as possible, with increased "reemployment service" requirements. To meet that objective, local areas can learn from best practice research with proven results; target and improve processes and services to different groups of customers with common needs; and improve implementation of reemployment services, including mandatory services for unemployment insurance (UI) claimants that are profiled as "likely to exhaust."

Get tips for reemployment strategies, learn how to map process improvements and reallocate staff and resources. Join Greg to learn about these dislocated worker solutions: positioning unemployment insurance as "reemployment insurance," overhauling bureaucratic UI "notices" to promote reemployment services, and process improvement strategies between and among customers, one-stop centers and UI call centers or internet sites. Hear how to improve the "rapid response" meeting, presentations, processes and documents, and turn UI claimants into job seekers or training participants ASAP. Discover how to use "high-volume" traffic in centers to once-and-for-all move beyond (just) the "unemployment office" to recognition as a true Career Center…and much, much more.

ROUNDTABLE: GCDF/OWDS Academy

Ellen "Jinx" Jenkins, GCDF-I, M.Ed., Career Development Associates
Diana Bailey, GCDF-I/OWDS-I/Master, Workforce Development Transition Coordinator, Juvenile Services Education/MSDE

Attention all credentialed GCDFs and OWDSs. The Institute recognizes that, having achieved premiere certifications, you have specific needs – namely, higher-level skills training and certifications for your professional development and continuing education contact hours for recertification.

Join Jinx and Diana in a brain-storming session to develop the GCDF/OWDS Academy – an affinity group being created with you, for you. Catch up on the latest news from CCE/NCDA and activities of GCDF Affinity Groups around the country. Share your ideas about topics/courses you'd like to attend, higher level certifications, best practices, technology, and more…

Workshops Session II (1:30 – 2:45)

Stress: Yours, Mine and Theirs 

Leigh Jones, Disability Program Navigator, Way Station, Inc.
Sheila Cuomo, PhD, Disability Program Navigator, St. Luke's House, Inc.

Presentation (pdf, 337KB)

One of the many challenges currently facing One-Stop Career Center staff is working with customers who are experiencing increased levels of stress due to the high unemployment rates and competitiveness of the job market. Staff are feeling the pressure of providing high-quality services to more job seekers, who require more of their time.

Take away tips and tools for sharing and working with customers who are experiencing increased levels of stress due to unemployment. Learn to recognize the different levels of stress, when jobseekers might be experiencing something more than stress and what to do in this situation. Become equipped with the resources and practical interventions on how to manage stress for yourself and your customers.

Greening of America and the World: Training, Careers, and "Green" Professional Certification

Michael S. Schroder, Ph.D (ABD), Director-Extended Education and Online Learning, Towson University
Gordon Davis, Education Consultant, Towson University

Presentation (pdf, 4.28MB)

"Green" careers are the future for employment. This workshop brings light to a new and dynamic world of employment opportunities for career-seekers who can work in an industry that is virtually saving the planet. Gain a local, national and global perspective on the growing importance and worldwide effect of "green" industries on the current and future environment, employment, and what we can all do to contribute to a healthier world. Develop a better understanding and definition of "green" programs and workforce opportunities in "green" careers. Identify "green" workforce training available in Maryland and bordering states, and online course training options for obtaining online "green" professional certifications.

Coaching Your Customers through the Federal Application Process

Janet Ruck, Partner, Transition Advantage
Karol Taylor, Partner, Transition Advantage

The down-turn in the economy, a new President, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) have converged to make the federal government a very attractive employer. However, the federal application process is often confusing and difficult for job seekers and workforce development professionals. Get an "insider's view" of the federal job search and application process. Explore the features of www.usajobs.gov and strategies for finding and applying for federal government jobs. Learn how to read a federal vacancy announcement and take away a variety of resources that can be used immediately with job seekers.

Making More Successful Decisions at Work

Mark Sachs, Organization Consultant and Executive Coach, Principal, Mark Sachs and Associates

We often make assumptions or draw conclusions about others based on incomplete information or preconceptions. Remember a time when you made an assumption about someone or a situation, and it proved to be wrong? Doing this can have very serious consequences for ourselves and others, at work and in our personal lives. This often limits what we learn and doesn't give others the "benefit of the doubt." This interactive and experiential workshop shares specific techniques that can help us make better use of an individual's skills and abilities, make correct and successful decisions, and be more confident in our decisions.

Education and Workforce Services: Partnering to Empower our Future Workforce

Charlene Gomez, School-to-Career Facilitator, Frederick County Workforce Services/Frederick County Career & Technology Center
Kristen Daly, School Counselor, Frederick County Career & Technology Center

A few of the challenges facing workforce development professionals today are the reported lack of skilled workers by employers, employees lacking the basic life skills to be competitive in today's job market, and the disconnect between education and the employment world.

The dynamic partnership between the Frederick County Career & Technology Center and Workforce Services demonstrates how two agencies work together to enhance youth workforce readiness, giving them the optimum competitive edge in today's and tomorrow's job market. This session provides valuable information, innovative strategies, and tips for using creativity and originality in designing programs to develop and coordinate beneficial relationships between workforce service agencies, the business community, and education. Learn how to coordinate mentoring programs, improve youth critical thinking and evaluative skills, and develop comprehensive career planning activities. Examine an innovative approach to youth career counseling, connecting career choice with personal knowledge, education, technical and employability skills, to become better equipped to help youth build a bridge between school and career.

Simplified Stress Reduction: A Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence, Part I

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

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 you can immediately apply to your life.

Be the Leader You Want to See in the World: Transcending Self-Imposed Limitations, Part I

Marc Scott, Business Services Training Consultant, Frederick County Workforce Services/Frederick Community College

"Leader" is not a title or category, but a state of mind. An inspired and resilient workforce professional will better contribute to a positive environment that inspires customers in these times of economic challenge. Maintaining the inspiration to overcome challenges is hard enough in the best of times and harder yet in this difficult economy.

Get in touch with your own feelings of inspiration and identify the elements in life that inspire you. Discover how we often stifle inspiration in ourselves and others and consider how to improve upon your own approaches to dealing with challenges. Develop specific and personal strategies to engender inspiration in your life and transcend self-imposed limits. By learning to "get out of our own way," we can improve our productivity and our relationships and provide ever-increasing levels of service to our customers.

Cultivating the Spirit to Work: Motivating Change and Inspiring Action

Denise Bissonnette, MS Multicultural Education, Author/Speaker/Trainer, RtB 2009 Closing Keynote

Presentation (pdf, 1.82MB)

In this dynamic and thought-provoking workshop Denise presents a unique and inspiring framework around the critical and often elusive issues of motivation and self-esteem as they relate to preparing people for the work of the world. Rethinking the concept of "motivation", this workshop offer tools for increasing a person's ability to take action towards their dreams, move through fear, and successfully survive the rocky terrain of transition. You can apply the concepts offered in this workshop to assist anyone in overcoming the resistance to change - be it your clientele, your staff, your teenage children, or yourself!

The ADA Amendments Act: Understanding Its Impact on Workforce Development

Marian Vessels, Director, DBTAC: Mid-Atlantic ADA Center

The definition of "disability" has changed, as well as the need for accommodations! Effective January 2009, the ADA Amendments Act dramatically affected workforce development for individuals with disabilities and their employers.

Gain a better understanding of this new law, how it impacts employment issues, and how to apply it to situations you face regularly. Get your questions answered and interact with the ADAAA. Learn about important resources, where to get more information, how to assist employers in understanding the significant changes in the law and accessing the tax credits and deductions available for hiring job seekers with disabilities.

PROMISING PRACTICES: Rapid Response A to Z: A Lifeline to the Career Transition Pipeline

Steve Connolly, Business Services Specialist, Baltimore County Office of Workforce Development

Presentation (pdf, 514KB)

The economy has created increased demand for Rapid Response services that must be delivered concisely, comprehensively, and in a timely manner. While it is crucial that we act "Rapidly," it is far more essential for the "Response" to be customized efficiently to meet the needs of both the employer and the impacted workforce. Examine a holistic approach to outplacement assistance. Come away with new ideas, a better understanding of UI, how to network businesses to displaced employees, and how to present consistent comprehensive information to departing employees.

Workshops Session III (3:00 – 4:15)

Virtual Recruiting: Reaching More People, in More Places, for More Jobs

Cynthia Gurne, President, Career Central On-Line

Summary (pdf, 9.18MB)

Workforce professionals are becoming more aware of technologies that help deliver, measure, and manage services to customers. Increased One-Stop traffic and demand for services requires a new look at innovative approaches to workforce development. Virtual events are cutting-edge in providing workforce information and services to all people who have access to a computer.

Take a close-up look at the success of a virtual job and career fair, targeted to military, veterans, wounded warriors, and their spouses - participating from around the world. Explore the challenges and benefits of virtual events and how to determine if they are a value-added tool for your organization. Learn how you can apply technology to expand services to job seeker and business customers, without incurring additional costs – more people, in more places, for more jobs.

Re-entry Secret:  Prison Industries, MCE, and C.A.R.E.S.

Rhonda Gaines, Workforce Development Specialist, Maryland Correctional Enterprises (MCE)
David Jenkins, Ph.D, Director of Re-entry Services, MCE
Thomas Lane, Graphic Designer, original member of MCE’s Re-entry Team

Employing former offenders has always been a difficult proposition. Maryland Correctional Enterprises is a premier rehabilitative tool within the Division of Corrections that provides structured employment and training activities for offenders, in order to improve employability upon release. MCE inmate employees develop job skills and a consistent work ethic that enables them to become productive members of society.

Learn how the C.A.R.E.S. (Continuing Allocation of Re-entry Services) program, implemented in July 2008, works to diminish barriers, improve outcomes, further reduce recidivism, and improve the well-being and safety of the State. Hear about the strategies, collaborations, and the program successes.

Women and Work: Considering Non-Traditional Options

Beth Lengel, M.Ed/CDFI/CWDP, Director of Services, Lengel Vocational Services
Frank Lengel, Ph.D/CWDP, Program Manager, Lengel Vocational Services

Presentation (pdf, 247KB)

Women make up a large percentage of the customers we serve and many are single parents trying to support families. Career fields not normally chosen by women offer the opportunity to earn wages that will result in financial independence. As we consider how to expand employment alternatives for women, focusing on growth occupations, filling skills gaps, and expanding our assessment techniques are critical to the process.

Explore non-traditional occupations in the 21st century that address high-demand employment options and increased wages. Identify non-traditional employment recruitment and retention challenges and learn assessment techniques that will identify non-traditional candidates.

Business Services: Don't Work Outside the Box – Stand On It!

John Kraczkowski, Development Director, Workforce Solutions

Presentation (ppt, 5MB)

A major function of the workforce system is providing good jobs to job seekers. In today's environment, that is not an easy task.  Career Centers develop the product (job seekers) – business services staff “sell” that product to employers.  It takes innovation, relationship-building, plus the knowledge of sales to create and obtain employment opportunities from employers when jobs are few in number.

Explore the philosophy, attitude, relationship-building, and professionalism of your role as a Business Services/Resource Representative. Learn how to become the face of your organization, maintain a "world-class" business climate, be a liaison for economic development and education, provide high-quality value-added services, become a community facilitator, and provide quality recruitment. Leave this session with the knowledge of how to stand on the box!

Simplified Stress Reduction: A Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence, Part II

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

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 you can immediately apply to your life.

Be the Leader You Want to See in the World: Transcending Self-Imposed Limitations, Part II

Marc Scott, Business Services Training Consultant, Frederick County Workforce Services/Frederick Community College

"Leader" is not a title or category, but a state of mind. An inspired and resilient workforce professional will better contribute to a positive environment that inspires customers in these times of economic challenge. Maintaining the inspiration to overcome challenges is hard enough in the best of times and harder yet in this difficult economy.

Get in touch with your own feelings of inspiration and identify the elements in life that inspire you. Discover how we often stifle inspiration in ourselves and others and consider how to improve upon your own approaches to dealing with challenges. Develop specific and personal strategies to engender inspiration in your life and transcend self-imposed limits. By learning to "get out of our own way," we can improve our productivity and our relationships and provide ever-increasing levels of service to our customers.

Just Desserts for Workers with Disabilities: The Employed Individuals with Disabilities Program (EID)//Never Work Without a Net: SSDI/SSI Work Incentives

Michael Dalton, Work Incentives Project Director, Maryland Department of Disabilities

Pamphlet (pdf, 288KB)
Presentation (ppt, 246KB)

Too many disability benefits appear to penalize people for working. Odds are one of the biggest fears your customers have about going to work is the possibility of losing cash and medical benefits. Five of Maryland's Medicaid Waiver programs, which serve individuals with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries, will soon be amended to make them compatible with EID. This means they will be able to qualify for Medical Assistance through EID and retain their Medicaid Waiver services. SSDI/SSI Work Incentives encourage people with disabilities to work by reducing the impact of wages on their benefits. Learn about EID benefits especially how they can save workers thousands of dollars in medical bills, or enable them to increase earnings without jeopardizing essential health coverage.

Hear how "work incentives" enable individuals to work and keep Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income, Medicare and/or Medical Assistance. And, discover how these programs offer a potential revenue source for workforce development agencies, allowing them to bill customers for services using work incentives; and, customers are able to pay for services with benefit dollars without reducing their net income.

Improving Center Processes to Increase Training Access and Enrollments

Greg Newton, Greg Newton Associates

Presentation (pdf, 113KB)

The ARRA funds' emphasis on increasing the number of customers (including UI Claimants) in training, the reality of job-finding in a tough economy, and the emerging training focus of WIA reauthorization, means that one-stop career centers must begin to move more customers from the front desk, the resource area, and Reemployment Services into a vibrant, skills development service track. Move to a new skills and jobs organizational culture is imperative – work first doesn't work very well when there aren't many jobs!

Workforce Boards and Centers throughout the country are reinventing their customer flow to respond to these current and emerging expectations by integrating service delivery, giving staff the skills they need to promote skill-development services, and increasing training options that respond to regional economies and customer needs. Let Greg help you to reinvent your flow, respond better to the demands of today, and position for even greater success tomorrow.

Customers with Limited English Proficiency: Effective Strategies for Lowering Cultural and Language Barriers

Charlotte van Londen, MATESOL, ESL Specialist, DLLR/Dept. of Workforce Development and Adult Learning

Presentation (ppt, 2MB)

Immigrants are a rapidly growing component of Maryland's population and an increasingly integral part of the State's workforce. Although language is commonly considered the primary means of communication between individuals, it actually represents only 7% of what we convey. The remaining 93% is non-verbal communication. Today's workforce professional serves larger numbers of immigrant customers and needs tools to bridge cultural and language barriers. This session will assist in overcoming those barriers through identification and exploration of cross-cultural differences.

Increase your understanding of cultural differences between American and non-American cultures and how they can break down communication. Learn effective strategies to help get your message across when there is little or no common language, including non-verbal communication strategies to overcome language barriers.

SPONSORED BY : 

THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT NETWORK FOR MARYLAND
THE MARYLAND INSTITUTE FOR WORKFORCE EXCELLENCE
THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, LICENSING AND REGULATION