National Survey Shows Gaps in Employable Skills Among American Workers

A new study conducted by The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and The Society for Human Resource Management further validates a local WIB strategic priority in boosting the skills and employability of job seekers and incumbent workers.

Are They Really Ready to Work is an in-depth study of the corporate perspective on the readiness of new entrants into the U.S. workforce by level of educational attainment. The study includes results from both an in-depth survey conducted during April and May 2006 and interviews with a sampling of a dozen HR and other senior executives.

Among the most important skills cited by the more than 400 employers that participated in the research include: Professionalism/Work Ethic, Oral and Written Communications, Teamwork/Collaboration, and Critical Thinking/Problem Solving. A workforce readiness report card is included which provides a summary of the basic knowledge and applied skills that are either "deficient" or "excellent" in those areas that employer respondents rate as "very important".

Research like this is helpful to the Workforce Investment Board by affirming local strategy efforts in improving the soft and basic skills of Southwest Missouri's workforce. Local initiatives, such as the Opportunity Outlook report, and the Work Readiness Credential demonstrate the WIB's direction in answering the market demands of businesses in our region.

Career Morning Planned for Joplin October 30th

A “Career Morning” will be held at the Missouri Career Center in Joplin at 9:00 a.m. on October 30, 2006 to assist local businesses in recruiting qualified employees.

The Center is located at 730 S. Wall in Joplin. This is an opportunity for people looking for employment to meet and visit with local employers. Interested persons are encouraged to bring resumes.

The following area employers are scheduled to attend: Eagle picher Technologies, Hampshire Pet products, Freeman Health Systems, Oxford Health Care, Experience Works, Pen Mac Personnel, Web Co and St. John’s Regional Medical Center.

As a service provided by the Missouri Career Center, no fee or prior registration is required for the event. For more information, contact the Missouri Career Center at 417-629-3000.

WIB Selected for National Business Learning Partnership Project

The Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Missouri was one of 39 groups selected nationwide to participate in the National Business Learning Partnership (NBLP) through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. NBLP is a breakthrough opportunity for the WIB that will enhance its position through protege-mentor consulting and open doors for high profile federal grants and projects.

NBLP pairs WIBs that have proven track records with areas seeking assistance on particular issues. Through this peer-to-peer learning structure, workforce practitioners learn from one another and replicate best practices across the system. This peer-to-peer learning approach helps transform workforce investment boards so they are truly a player in developing and implementing regional economic growth strategies.

Southwest Missouri’s proposal to participate in NBLP leverages powerful regional initiatives and affiliations such as the Four State Health Professions Consortium and the Missouri-Arkansas Partnership. The true labor market comprises the crossroads of four state corners with both challenges and opportunities. The WIB desires to replicate its impact beyond political borders to become a more effective workforce intermediary. As the WIB builds on its successful economic development foundation, the integration of economic development and workforce partners in neighboring Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma together with Southwest Missouri will provide strategic synergies and positioning to leverage local resources and collaborate on future projects utilizing an innovative, cross-state regional approach.

The National Business Learning Partnership (NBLP) presents the ideal learning and development venue for Workforce Boards and other economic development collaborations that are truly on the verge of greatness. As a prospective protégé, the Southwest Missouri Workforce Investment Board has embraced the next round of the NBLP opportunity to be paired with mentor organizations of similar size, geographic scope, and like-minded drive to innovate and succeed.

For the NBLP, the WIB has identified the Strong and Sustained Strategic Regional Partnerships and the Talent Development Strategies Driving Regional Economic Competitiveness categories as the two with the most synergistic alignment with the WIB’s current position and future prospects for regional impact. While these are separate and unique categories, they closely share the regional development focus to create the impact desired by the WIB.

WIB Executive Director, Jasen Jones, and Career Center Business Representative, Tracy Lemmons, will represent Southwest Missouri in a kick-off training event and match meeting set for November 1-3 in Denver, CO. For more information on NBLP and how it fits with the WIB, visit our website. Frequent updates on the NBLP project will be posted to the WIB’s blog. Information on previous NBLP projects may be found online at Workforce 3_1.

WIB Welcomes New Members

The WIB is pleased to welcome three new members to the Board. These individuals and others to be named soon are coming to the Board as part of its 2006 membership campaign to expand the leadership capacity and regional impact for the WIB.

As the Human Resources officer for Able Manufacturing and Assembly, LLC, Susan Adams, represents the targeted sector interests of Advanced Manufacturing for the WIB. She is active in the local Industrial Management Consortium and also chairs the Youth Outreach Workforce Partnership for the Joplin Chamber of Commerce.

Adolfo Castillo is a consultant in the Joplin area where he works with local leaders to promote Hispanic involvement in government issues and regularly consults and speaks on education, workforce, health, and welfare impacts of the Hispanic community. For the WIB, he’ll represent the private-sector with the Board’s Global Workforce Relations strategy.

Steve Borders of UMOS, Inc. represents the Migrant/Seasonal Farm Worker public sector for the WIB. UMOS operates this workforce program in Southwest Missouri through the Monett Career Center. As Steve is based at UMOS headquarters in Wisconsin, Anita Franson of the local UMOS staff will sit in for Steve in an ex-officio manner for the WIB.

The "Facts About Modern Manufacturing" Profiled in New Report

The WIB has long held the position that manufacturing in Southwest Missouri is a dynamic, growth-oriented sector. For the most part, the opportunities in local manufacturing have promising wages in high-quality work environments. Like any business sector though, manufacturing has its strengths and weaknesses. A new report from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) highlights the role that manufacturing serves in the U.S. economy and the challenges that go with such an evolving sector.

“The Facts book sets the record straight about manufacturing’s central role in the U.S. economy,” said NAM President John Engler in an announcement of the new report, The Facts About Modern Manufacturing. “It is an essential resource for anyone interested in the future of manufacturing in America – from policymakers and the media to educators and political candidates who need to know how manufacturing supports their state’s economy and how they can support manufacturing.

“Some mistakenly believe manufacturing in the United States is in decline because of the continuing evolution of global sourcing and competition. In fact, U.S. manufacturing is vibrant, robust and contributes greatly to the dynamic American economy,” added Dennis Cuneo, Senior Vice President at Toyota Motor North America, a sponsor of the report project.

The Facts book highlights six manufacturing pillars that support today’s U.S. economy:

• Manufacturing made the highest contribution (15 percent) of all sectors to real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth between 2001 and today.
• Manufacturing is the engine of American technology development and innovation, responsible for more than 70 percent of private sector R&D
• Manufacturing’s high productivity rate – which determines real wage and benefit compensation – increased by more than 50 percent over the past decade and was far higher than for services.
• Manufactured goods make up more than 60 percent of U.S. exports, helping to pay for U.S. imports. While agricultural exports amount to about $50 billion a year, manufacturers export that much each month.
• Manufacturing wages and benefits are approximately 25 percent higher than in non-manufacturing jobs.
• Manufacturing has a greater multiplier effect on the rest of the economy than does any other sector; each manufacturing dollar generates an additional $1.37 in economic activity.

The report is available online for download at NAM's website.

Workgroup Advances One-Stop Chartering Project

Missouri’s Training and Employment Council, functioning at the state WIB, has officially adopted the standards of One-Stop Chartering at its October meeting. This means full speed ahead for a local One-Stop Workgroup of the WIB that is preparing Southwest Missouri to excel as one of the leading region’s in the state for One-Stop Chartering.

The Workgroup is leveraging local resources and energies with a One-Stop Enhancement Grant from the Missouri Division of Workforce Development (DWD) to make facility improvements and service upgrades at the Joplin Career Center, develop a policy framework for integrated management through a One-Stop Operator, and design an innovative business plan that meets and exceeds chartering guidelines.

Helping to consult the workgroup and steer the process in a strategic manner is Nina Babich and Donna Cruder from the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. The consultants provide technical assistance to the workgroup and represents the workgroup in seeking ongoing policy guidance and clarification from DWD to successfully implement the group’s business plan.

Several members of the workgroup will participate in upcoming Business Plan training. The workshops by the Small Business Development Center at Missouri Southern State University is set for December 6th.

Southwest Missouri Highlights from State Workforce Conference

The 2006 Governors Conference on Workforce Development was held October 11-13 in Osage Beach. One of the Super Sessions for the conference profiled the WIB Benchmarking Project. Southwest Missouri was one of our leading edge WIBs in the Show-Me State selected for this research project, which is gaining national attention. WIB member Gary Little and WIB Executive Director Jasen Jones participated as panel speakers for the event.


The recent state workforce conference honored Individual Achievement Award nominees from each of Missouri’s fourteen workforce regions. The award recognizes a Missouri Career Center customer that successfully reaches employment and training goals while overcoming significant obstacles through extreme determination and use of the Center’s resources. The WIB’s One-Stop Workgroup nominated Peter Cowles of the youth program. Peter overcame underemployment, homelessness, and extreme family medical issues and now earns $12-$17/hour (based on output) at La-Z-Boy Manufacturing in Neosho. Peter noted, “They reached out their hands to me when I was in a desperate time of need. All I can say is thank you for all the people who believed in me.”

Joplin Chamber, WIB, & School Project Wins State Award

The Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce netted two "Awards of Excellence" from the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri (CCEM). One of the awards in the category of "Outstanding Programs" was presented to the Chamber for the Youth Outreach Workforce Partnership, developed last year by the Chamber in conjunction with the WIB and Joplin High School through a grant program administered by the WIB.

The initiative targets at-risk youth unable to acess adequate skill resources and who are in need of vocational direction to adapt to today's ever-changing job market. Students selected for this program participate in job readiness components such as job applications, resume development, job interview practice, customer service skills, and job retention/survival skills.

Congrats to the Chamber for this and its "Outstanding Website" award for joplincc.com. Chamber officials plan to submit profiles on both the youth program and the website for consideration in a nationwide competition later this year with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives association.

The 2006-2007 youth outreach project is already underway. Youth will tour the Joplin Career and participate in career readiness training October 25th. This year’s project builds upon last year’s WIB grant funds and is now completely funded by sponsorships from Joplin Chamber members.

WorkforceZone.Net Website

The new website for the WIB is coming along. All news items will be placed in this weblog to get the news out quicker and make it easier for our constituents to access. Check out our progress at www.workforcezone.net.

Fast Forward to the Future of Training Success

Grants developed through the WIB and funded through the Missouri Division of Workforce Development have brought a new realm of training possibilities to Southwest Missouri. In partnership with Alchemy Training Systems, the Missouri Career Centers of Joplin and Monett are proud to introduce SISTEM, a dynamic training solution that boasts savings in time and money with positive results. The One-Stop Career Centers in Southwest Missouri are leading the state in rolling out SISTEM, the Standard Industry Skills and Education Media product. SISTEM incorporates competency-based applications into an interactive training format that provides a rich and enjoyable learning experience for the job seekers and incumbent worker students. Check out SISTEM in Southwest Missouri online at www.workforcezone.com/SISTEM.html.