The Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board

1. The Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board Annual Meeting October 4th, 2007

2. ValleyWorks Career Center Served: Achievements in Performance

3. Achievements in Performance ValleyWorks Career Center Served:- 316 Youth (95% of Plan) - 74% Hispanic (State Average 33%) - 76% Basic Skills Deficient (State Average 57%) - 70% Entered Employment (State Average 88%) - Average Wage $10.06 (State Average $9.54)

4. National Emergency Grants • 67 Lucent II NEG Workers Served (53.6% of Plan) • 123 Smith & Nephew NEG Workers Served (103% of Plan) • 108 Northeast Flood NEG participants enrolled (100% of Plan) • State NEG Average, 65%

5. Business Services Unit Over the past year, ValleyWorks Career Center’s Business Services Unit has worked hard at developing and sustaining strong relationships with the region’s employers. • 7 Job Fairs were held throughout the region, attracting an average of 17 employers. • 106 on-site job recruitments, providing an opportunity for “featured employers” to conduct interviews and presentations. VWCC reviews job openings and refers qualified job seekers for interviews. • Last month, the BSU (in conjunction with the City of Newburyport and the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry) produced a very successful Job Fair in Newburyport, attracting scores of new customers and employers from the eastern end of our region. All of this is accomplished by five highly dedicated and professional Business Service Reps.

6. Newburyport Job Fair • 21 Employers • 88 New customers • 156 Members • 244 Total Customers • 85 Job Orders Number

7. Youth/Educator Programming • Summer Work Programming • P21 • Connecting Activities • Teacher Externships

8. Summer WorkPrograms—Wages Earned • YouthWorks: $175,395.58(170 youth) • Byrne: $17,672.90 (19 youth) • MassHousing: $10,865.33(12 youth) • Total Wages Earned:$203,933.81 (201 youth)

9. P21 (Pathways to Success by 21) Initiative A:Youth Council is currently working to increase capacity and build functionality to existing Information and Referral website: • Built reporting functions to inform Youth Council of traffic and regional needs • Anticipated marketing launch in the Spring Initiative B: Received 2 sets of additional funding to build capacity to ABE system • Utilize open time slots in VWCC’s Self-Paced Learning Labs • Will better utilize existing resources • Partner with DYS, DSS and DTA; tracking referrals to VWCC

10. Connecting Activities

11. TD Banknorth Grant • Grant challenges students to create community service project that demonstrates financial knowledge and leadership abilities • Provided full set of classroom textbooks and instructional supplies for Triton Regional High School • ValleyWorks Career Center will provide career assessment and leadership development workshops to program participants from 3 schools

12. Teacher Externships • Individual Externships: 12 • Group Externship (Lean Manufacturing): 16 • Number of Participating Schools: 6 • Number of Different Content Areas Represented: 23

13. FY07 Planned Activities

14. High-Performing Workforce Investment Boards The Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development has initiated a plan to raise the overall effectiveness of the Commonwealth’s workforce development system by focusing on the performance of local Workforce Investment Boards. WIBs that demonstrate high performance will become eligible for increased funding.

15. High-Performing Workforce Investment Boards A broad range of performance indicators is being developed with input from all of the state’s 16 WIBs. Some examples include: • Demonstrated success in organizing the resources of its region to address priorities. • Established process to evaluate performance of One-Stop delivery system. • Collaborations developed to maximize use of program funds. • Resources focused on industry sectors that offer greatest potential for individual advancement and wage growth. • Established a requirement of Continuous Quality Improvement for the One-Stop Career Center.

16. Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund Northeast Massachusetts Customized Manufacturing Partnership The MVWIB is the lead agency in a WCTF grant, partnering with 10 private manufacturing companies, two community colleges, area vocational training providers, two One-Stop Career Centers operators, and with the Northshore WIB. The grant seeks to assist area manufacturers, especially those with precision machine shops, in meeting their workforce hiring and training needs and maintaining their competitive advantage in the face of changing business conditions.

17. Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund Health Care Learning Network The MVWIB is partnering with the lead agency, Northshore WIB, and with the Metro-Southwest Regional Employment Board, and the Greater Lowell WIB on the Health Care Learning Network Grant. The HCLN is a new education model designed to prepare participants for post-secondary education programs in the health care industry using the latest in instructional and learning outcomes management technology.

18. Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund Tourism & Hospitality Planning Grant The MVWIB is partnering with the Northshore WIB and Northshore and Northern Essex Community Colleges on a WCTF Planning Grant targeting the Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

19. Workforce Accountability Task Force We are honored to have our Chairman, Pedro Arce, representing us on the state’s Workforce Accountability Task Force. The task force was established by the state legislature under last year’s economic stimulus bill with a goal of maximizing skills gained, number of people served, and quality of outcomes achieved through the workforce development system. The task force will make recommendations to the Governor.

20. Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board The Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board (MWIB) advises the Governor on building a strong workforce development system aligned with state education policies and economic development goals. ABE/ESOL Sub-committee • Bring low-skilled adults into the workforce • Proper apportionment of resources • Capacity gaps Links to Higher Education Sub-committee • Alignment of educational system to needs of employers Sector Initiatives Sub-committee • Identify skills gap • Focus on Healthcare, Bio-tech, and Hospitality & Tourism sectors MWIB Co-Chairs: Governor Deval Patrick MVCC President, Joe Bevilacqua Executive Director: Tamika Correia MVWIB Representatives: Michael Sullivan, Mayor of Lawrence David Hartleb, President, NECC

21. Looking Forward • Office space committee: Develop recommendations for Career Center and MVWIB locations • Continued progress on WCTF Grants • Strengthen private sector participation • Increase collaboration with education providers • Achieve High-performance WIB status • Adding stronger Youth Voice and Private Sector representation to Youth Council

22. MVWIB Meeting Schedule for FY08 • Thursday, October 4, 2007, 8:30AM (Annual Meeting) • Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 8:00AM • Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 8:00AM • Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 8:00AM (Vote: FY09 Integrated Budget & Plan)