More than $7 million in regional workforce grants announced by Missouri Governor Matt Blunt are on the way to WIBs across the state as part of Missouri's Skilled Workforce Initiative. In two rounds of grant funding over the past year from the Division of Workforce Development, the Southwest Missouri WIB netted three grants to help with specific initiatives."Missouri has the best workforce in the world, and this effort will make Missouri workers even more attractive", Blunt said. "Our actions will match the skills and training that potential and existing businesses need to grow, with the Missouri workers who need additional skills and services to be more successful in the workforce."
Gov. Blunt praised the strategic alliances that were developed through the initiative, noting that representatives from business and industry, labor, education, social services and workforce and economic development officials all worked together to develop projects. Community partners have joined in supporting this initiative and are contributing over $7.2 million in local resources.
The Skilled Workforce Initiative consists of seven components: One Stop Career Center Enhancements; Regional Skills Gap; Incumbent Worker Skill Shortages; Youth Skill Shortages and Capacity Building; Business Retention Services; Micro Enterprise Training and Support and Community Workforce Solutions for Low Income Populations. Proposals were competitively solicited from LWIB and scored based on specific criteria: project design and innovation; strategic partnerships; planned performance outcomes and budget sustainability.
For Southwest Missouri, the WIB obtained a Regional Skills Gap grant that was announced in late 2005. In the most recent round announced in June 2006, the WIB received a Business Retention grant along with a One-Stop Enhancement grant.
The Regional Skills Gap project will develop a standardized Work Readiness Credential for the region. The local credential, to be developed in partnership through pilot projects with WorKeys, addresses soft skill gaps as a priority oflocal businesses while aligning with a statewide Career Readiness Credential for basic skills. The grant also provides training opportunities to upgrade worker skills. The WIB has already launched SISTEM, a multi-media training and assessment product in the Missouri Career Centers at Joplin and Monett.
The Business Retention Services grant builds upon the local WIB's strong connection to Economic Development and expands the reach of the Career Centers as an extension of local Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Organizations across Southwest Missouri. Through the implementation of a full-time Business Retention Coordinator at the WIB office, the WIB will be working with local economic development professionals on retention and expansion campaigns in local communities. While collecting valuable research on local business trends, the communities and the Career Centers will engage key businesses with recognition and appreciation of the companies' investments in the communities. The grant builds a valuable package of economic development and workforce development resources that can be extended to businesses throughout the region. The project also includes provisions for an Early Warning Network to gague economic indicators and provide advance insight into projects that can retain jobs to the region.
The third grant secured by the WIB helps position the region's Career Centers in synergy with several WIB Strategic Priorities. The One-Stop Enhancement grant provides for new services and facility improvements at the Joplin Career Center and guides the region through the upcoming One-Stop Chartering requirements that are emerging statewide. An impressive array of pre-screening functions for businesses are among the services to be added. A new computer lab/classroom in Joplin will provide job seeker customers with basic computer literacy that is in high-demand with local employers.
The competitive grants awarded to the WIB in 2006 mark the start of a major push by the WIB to expand its reach as a prominent workforce intermediary for the economy of Southwest Missouri. Future resource development efforts by the WIB will focus on the Four-State labor market as a whole with the capability of creating impact beyond the traditional seven-county workforce region. Future resources targeted by the WIB include fee-for-service opportunities and grants from state, federal, and foundation sources that will diversify the WIB's funding and provide greater flexibility in achieving the WIB's strategic goals.
