Mission Statement: The Dakota-Scott WDB leads, collaborates and provides linkages that facilitate workforce planning and supports economic development providing individuals, families, employers and the community opportunities to transform lives through optimal employment. Vision: To be the best workforce development system that benefits both employers and job seekers so that: residents have the competencies, employment skills, and education to support themselves and their families; employers will have access to the skilled and educated workforce necessary to remain competitive in a dynamic global economy.

AGENDA

Workforce Development Board

November 15, 2019 7:30-9:00 a.m.

Conference Room 520 Dakota County Northern Service Center

1 Mendota Road West, West St. Paul Board Members: Pam Oeffler, Chair; Vance Boelter, Vice Chair; Mark Lofthus, Cathy Weik; Steve Ditschler; Jenni Faulkner; Mike Yanda;

Rich Wagner; Jack Phillips; Gloria Fatze; Barb Dahl; Steve Buck; Eric Lind; Glenn Starfield; Timothy Grimm; Jennifer Harmening; Jesse Nergard; Barry Davies; Sarah Menke; Darren Kermes; Rachel Resnick; Sally Haack; Michael Berndt; Mike Forbord; Commissioner Gerlach; Commissioner Weckman Brekke

1. Call to Order ........................................................................................................ N 7:30

2. Consent Agenda ................................................................................................ I/A 7:34

• Approval of October 18, 2019 Board Minutes

• AVIVO MFIP Contract (Executive)

• MFIP Transportation Contract Extension (Executive)

• CareerForce Resource Room Materials (CareerForce)

• Legislative and Employer Awards Luncheon (Community Relations)

• Experiential Learning Expenditure (Youth)

• Extreme Sandbox and Target Card Expenditures (Youth)

3. Reports

• Executive Committee – Pam Oeffler .............................................................. I 7:38 o Membership ............................................................................................ I o 5G ............................................................................................................. I

• Evaluation Committee – Steve Ditschler ....................................................... I 7:43

• Community Relations Committee – Jack Phillips ........................................... I 7:44 o Elevator Speech ....................................................................................... I o Legislative and Employer Awards – Dec. 6 .............................................. I

▪ Awards Selection

• Business Services Committee – Mike Yanda ................................................. I 7:47 o Job Fairs/Hiring Events ............................................................................. I o Meeting with Chamber of Commerce Presidents ....................................

• CareerForce Committee – Mike Yanda .......................................................... I 7:50 o New Member ........................................................................................... I

• Youth Committee – Barb Dahl ....................................................................... I 7:53 o Program Updates

• County Commissioner Reports ...................................................................... I 7:56

4. Announcements/Upcoming Events....................................................................... I 7:59

5. Eye on the Future – Insights from High School Career Counselors ...................... I 8:01

6. Adjourn .................................................................................................................. I 9:00

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ATTENDANCE

Present: Pam Oeffler, Chair; Vance Boelter, Vice Chair; Steve Ditschler; Jenni Faulkner; Mike Yanda; Rich Wagner; Jack Phillips; Gloria Fatze; Steve Buck; Timothy Grimm; Barry Davies; Sarah Menke; Rachel

Resnick; Michael Berndt; Commissioner Weckman Brekke Audience: Mark Jacobs, Amber Higgins, Sarah Montgomery, Morris Allen, Sam Peterson-Etem, Tim O’Neill,

Kathy Sullivan, Liz Jennings, Jean Sinell

Call to Order – Pam Oeffler called the meeting to order at 7:33 a.m.

Consent Agenda MOTION to approve the consent agenda made by Rich Wagner; SECOND Jenni Faulkner; (M/S/P).

Abstaining: Mike Yanda.

• Metro Board Dues – To approve paying the full amount of the metro dues for 2019 in the amount of

$10,400 and that will consider the 2020 dues request provided a number of items are clarified.

• CareerForce Signage – To pay up to $300 to purchase hiring event signs.

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – To accept Department of Human Services (DHS) funding for SNAP E&T:

o Accept the 100% funding of $28,828 program funds and $2,699 support services funds and accept the 50% funding of $11,250 administrative; $65,000 program funds; and $10,000 support

services funds for Dakota County.

o Accept the 100% funding of $7,780 program funds and $759 support services funds for Scott County.

• WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs – To accept the additional Program Year 2019 Adult and

WIOA Dislocated Worker funding and approved the following WIOA program splits: o For WIOA Adult – 24.2% (Scott) and75.8% (Dakota) split = $167.71/$524.29

o For WIOA Dislocated Worker a 24.2% (Scott) and 75.8% (Dakota) split = $74.29/$232.71

• Youth Award Funding – To commit $500 of Youth Committee funds for the Scott County award in the circumstance that no other Scott County sponsor is identified prior to the event.

Reports

Executive Committee – Pam Oeffler ➢ Membership

• Jesse Nergard, Uponor, is resigning from the WDB.

• Vance Boelter and Mark Jacobs met with Mike Forbord from Schmitty & Sons Bus Co. He was

recommended by the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce. Forbord’s application and letter of recommendation were distributed for review.

o MOTION to recommend Mike Forbord be appointed to the Dakota-Scott Workforce Development Board representing the private sector. Motion made by Vance Boelter;

SECOND Steve Ditschler; (M/S/P).

➢ John Dukich from Minnesota High Tech Association will be speaking to the Executive Committee about 5G.

➢ Steve Ditschler was reappointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board.

Board Members: Pam Oeffler, Chair; Vance Boelter, Vice Chair; Mark Lofthus, Cathy Weik; Steve Ditschler; Jenni Faulkner; Mike Yanda; Rich Wagner; Jack Phillips; Gloria Fatze; Barb Dahl; Steve Buck; Eric Lind; Glenn Starfield; Timothy Grimm; Jennifer Harmening; Jesse Nergard; Barry Davies; Sarah Menke; Darren Kermes; Rachel Resnick; Sally Haack; Michael Berndt; Commissioner Gerlach; Commissioner Weckman Brekke

MINUTES

Workforce Development Board

Friday, October 18th, 2019

7:30-9:00 a.m. ProAct, Inc.

3195 Neil Armstrong Blvd, Eagan

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Evaluation Committee – Pam Oeffler ➢ Starting in November, Steve Ditschler will chair the Evaluation Committee.

➢ Future WDB packet information will be displayed using a projector/screen. A limited number of printed packets will still be made available.

➢ Future of Work task force

• Tim O’Neill provided workforce data to examine the current labor market and in-demand sectors.

• The committee is seeking volunteers to be a part of a task force to discuss how the data can be

used to present information to the board. Oeffler, O’Neill and Resnick volunteered. ➢ There have been recent layoffs across both Dakota and Scott Counties.

• Companies include Quad Graphics (Shakopee), Molex (Savage) and Refinitiv (Eagan).

• Businesses are required to inform the state when 50 or more employees are laid off. The

Dislocated Worker Program helps employees affected find new jobs.

• Due to the current economy, many employees who have been laid off have been able to new jobs on their own.

• Some companies may qualify for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

Community Relations Committee – Jack Phillips

➢ Legislative and Employer Awards

• Happening December 6th at the Ames Center in Burnsville.

• DEED Commissioner, Steve Grove, will be the speaker.

• Client success stories/speeches will also be presented.

• There are 6 awards. Nominations are due November 1st.

Business Services – Mike Yanda ➢ Job Fairs and Hiring Events

• Jobs HQ held Job Fairs in Lakeville and Burnsville. Turnouts for those events were low.

• Hiring events happening at the three local CareerForce locations have produced higher numbers.

CareerForce Committee – Mike Yanda

➢ Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) Relocation

• VRS is moving from West St. Paul to Woodbury. Their lease expires Dec. 31st, 2019.

• There are concerns about how client/consumer needs will be met while being located offsite.

➢ CareerForce in Burnsville Remodel

• Working with the building landlord and an architect to redesign the space. ▪ The landlord has had a difficult time leasing the space – due in part to the space

configuration - since the colleges vacated in 2018. ▪ All CareerForce staff will be relocated to the first floor.

• The building has been updated with CareerForce signage.

➢ Specialized Hiring Events

• Oct. 30th is the Public Employment Fair.

Youth Committee – Rich Wagner

➢ Youth service providers gave reports.

• Scott County shared a client success story.

• HIRED has 74 WIOA Youth enrolled. ➢ Dakota County conducted internal monitoring of their youth programs. Adjustments/actions are being

made. ➢ Traitify

• In the process of developing a marketing strategy.

• The project was presented to students from the TriDistrict. More to come.

➢ Nominations are being accepted for the Willis Branning Excellence in Youth Employment Services Award.

One award will be presented to an entity in each of the two counties.

Scott County Commissioner Report – Commissioner Wekkman Brekke ➢ The CDA, FAST-TRACK Challenge event is happening Oct. 24th.

➢ Scott County's Live Learn Earn Website Open House event is Oct. 29th.

➢ The county is conducting an intensive housing study to examine local impacts.

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“Eye on the Future” – CareerForce

Employment for People with Disabilities: Steve Ditschler, ProAct

Overview

➢ October is National Disability Employment Awareness month. ➢ ProAct is one of many programs available to support people with disabilities.

➢ ProAct is a non-profit organization, serving people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. ➢ Locations include Eagan, Red Wing, Shakopee, Hudson and Zumbrota.

➢ The traditional model has changed. The new model focuses on getting people with disabilities out and

integrated into the community. ➢ ProAct provides customized services to support employment needs, as well as product assembly and

packaging. Pricing is competitive and quality of work is guaranteed. ➢ Approximately 11% of people living in Minnesota have a disability.

➢ ProAct serves approximately 850-900 people on a daily basis and approximately 1,400 people annually. 98% of those receiving services don’t drive.

➢ Approximately 64-67% of current clients are on the autism spectrum.

➢ The “try it before you buy it” model is a low risk option for businesses. Clients remain on ProAct payroll while working/providing services.

Questions and Comments

➢ If employers are interested in employing people with disabilities, where should they start?

• Contact service providers, schools and the county for connections.

• A common point of entry doesn’t exist, yet there are a lot of support systems available. A

resource directory could help with this.

A tour of ProAct followed the presentation. Meeting was adjourned at 8:45 a.m.

Consent Agenda Items for November 2019 Meeting

Minutes: To approve October Workforce Development Board Minutes. Background: Minutes are attached in separate documents.

Executive:

• Avivo MFIP Contract – To contract with Avivo in an amount not to exceed $983,244 for the period

of January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.

Background: The WDB issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for MFIP services in 2016 and selected

Resource, Inc. (which on October 9,, 2018 changed their name to Avivo) to continue to provide

services. The organization has performed well. Contract is funded by the TANF Consolidated Block

grant. Amount for 2019 is the same as 2018.

• MFIP Transportation Contract Extension – To approve a contract extension with MTM for the

period of January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020.

Background: The WDB issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for MFIP transportation services in 2016

and selected MTM to provide services. Contract is funded by the TANF Consolidated Block grant.

Current cost per trip is $22.44 with a not to exceed cap for the year of $70,000. Through October

2019 MTM has provided 861 total trips at a cost of $17,076.84. The additional three months will

allow both parties adequate time to review and update the work statement and consider changes

which will be presented to the WDB prior to March 31, 2020.

CareerForce:

• CareerForce Resource Room Materials: To pay up to $4,600 to purchase resources for the Resource Rooms. Background: Items may include: LifeSkills booklets, books, flash drives, promotional items, assessments used in workshops, and supplies. Program funding cannot be used to purchase these items. Goal is to have purchases identified by November 15, 2019.

Community Relations:

• Legislative and Employer Awards Luncheon: To approve expending up to $6000 for the Legislative

and Employer luncheon.

Background: This covers costs of facility, I.T. support, meals, awards and printing of materials.

Youth:

• Experiential Learning Expenditure: To provide up to $500 of Youth Committee funds to SouthWest Metro Intermediate District 288 for an experiential learning event at Komatsu.

• Extreme Sandbox and Target Card: To provide up to $1,000 of Youth Committee funds to the Dakota County Career Success Program for an experiential learning at Extreme Sandbox. All remaining funds will be used to purchase Target gift cards. Gift card distribution/allocation amounts will be determined during an upcoming 2020 Youth Committee meeting. Background: This funding for both of these would come from the committee budget.

Dakota-Scott

Workforce Development Board Meeting

Nov. 15, 2019

Packet including:

Committee Meeting Minutes

2

Business Services Committee Minutes

Nov. 6, 2019

___________________________________________________________________________________________ Items of Note:

• Extended discussion about job fairs and their future.

• Lots of economic development activities across the two counties.

• Committee made award selections.

• Productive meeting was held with Chamber of Commerce Presidents and workforce, economic development and post-secondary education.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ Present: Mike Yanda, Skip Nienhaus, Maggie Dykes, Andrea Grossman, Krista Jech

Others: Eric Van Oss, Molly Carter, Virginia Becker, Derek Pederson, Jen Strand, Mark Jacobs

Meeting convened at 8:05 a.m. after most endured a slippery, icy commute. Introductions were made.

Updates:

Economic Development, Dakota – Dykes

• Had a booth at the Minnesota Commercial Real Estate (MNCAR) conference for the first time. o Seemed to be worthwhile. Anticipate participating in future years.

• CEO Next has three employers secured to participate.

• There’s a new Open to Business point of contact.

Scott County, Scott – Carter

• Last week was an open house for people to learn about the new website which is in the works. It’ll be focused on publicizing jobs within the county.

Rosemount – Van Oss

• One of the strip malls is being demolished and will be replaced by luxury housing.

• Ramping up on business visits – most companies have hiring issues. One who doesn’t pays $32/hr. and provides health care at no cost to employee. Also hearing about the lack of affordable housing and its impact on employers.

• Recent housing project at UMORE just fell through.

Burnsville - Nienhaus

• New 80,000 sq. ft. building being built

• Lots of new housing will be available in the spring.

Lakeville - Jech

• Just held economic development retreat.

• Lakeville Works - will be visiting Tiger Path in Hutchinson.

• School levy passed.

Hiring Events:

3

Burnsville – Becker

• 65 attendees at recent Hiring Event featuring public sector employers

• Next week’s event is full of employers.

• Hy-Vee would like interview rooms.

• Seeing more on the spot hiring or employers working with applicants at CareerForce computers to submit on-line applications.

Shakopee- Pederson

• The three Hiring Event specialists met and compared notes on list of key contacts. Identified larger employers to target.

• Next event – lots of demand for folks to work in senior living facilities.

West St. Paul –

• Next event focuses on employers who will hire people with a criminal background.

Colleges (notes from Johnson)

• Inver is hosting an Open House for perspective students on 11/14 from 5-7pm. everyone is welcome. https://www.inverhills.edu/openhouse/ Johnson’s office will also be spotlighting some employers who offer tuition reimbursement!

• Colleges are continuing to work with MOSSIER and DEED on the LGBTQ Career Fair, which has been officially named Proud to Work MN Career Fair. The event is tentatively scheduled for 6/17/2020 at Metro State University. Parties involved in the planning are doing a site tour on 11/8 and will have more official direction after that time. No support from the Business Services team needed yet!

• Inver hosted their Day of Service on 11/1/2019. The two schools hosted over 150 volunteers across Dakota County in celebration of their shared 50th Anniversary. More 50th Anniversary updates will come in the future.

• Fun note: Thanks to the suggestion from a member of the Business Services group, Inver Engineering students are taking a field trip to the Amazon Fulfillment Center on Friday.

Job Fairs – Jen Strand, Jobs HQ

Lakeville Job Fair

• 35 employers and about 65 job seekers. 1,300 views on the virtual job fair.

Burnsville –

• An estimated 85 job seekers; but hard to tell at the Burnsville Center . 1,400 views on virtual job fair.

• Some employers said they showed up for the exposure.

• Can see views by job in the Virtual job fairs

• People flock to work at home jobs

• First time events – always need time to build and grow.

Future of job fairs discussion –

• Lots of events in metro

• Seeing more on-the-spot hires

• Outcomes – Mystic was at both and in part for the exposure. Both were pretty good.

• Partner on a March Job Fair? Decision for next meeting.

SW Media Job Fair – Nov. 11th.

4

Events: Van Oss and Jech

• Colleges planning a hiring symposium in the spring.

• Part of a continuing series of events the college will hold throughout the academic year.

• WDB staff is also part of planning team.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Chamber Meeting:

• A meeting was recently held with Chamber of Commerce Presidents, workforce development staff and economic development staff from Dakota and Scott counties.

• There’s a lot of interest in how to better connect employers and educators.

• Perhaps a joint meeting with youth and business services committee would make sense.

• Chamber goal: work with anyone to add value to their members

• Lakeville took a lot of time to develop chamber and school relationship.

• Mystic talked to Prior Lake students about economics.

• What does Northfield continue to do connecting students to careers?

• Van Oss noted the mismatch of job opportunities in Rosemount with residents’ aspirations.

Awards:

• Motion made, seconded and approved to present the Bob Klas Sr. Award to Showcraft. o Verify whether it should be Jeryl Beaulieu receiving the award or the company.

• Employment for People with Disabilities Award: There were two nominations – one which was forwarded from the youth committee.

• Motion made, seconded and approved to present the Employer of the Year with Disabilities award to White House Custom Color.

Homework: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment (NY Times)

• People at CareerForce locations see lots of rebound clients.

• In some cases, they need to sell themselves better.

• How many people get kicked out of the on-line system?

• Affordable housing is part of issue - no way for people in St. Paul to get to Rosemount for jobs unless they have a car.

• There’s a message for employers – communicate back to job seekers.

Plan of Work – Committee reviewed and liked the updates.

Other: Yanda now also manages the Bloomington CareerForce location.

Meeting adjourned at 9:30 a.m.

5

CareerForce Committee Minutes November 1, 2019

___________________________________________________________________________________________ Items of Note:

• Jennifer Reichert Simpson, Deputy Director of Dakota County Libraries, joined the CareerForce Committee!

• Recommended expenditures for Resource Rooms. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Present: Eric Lind, Mike, Yanda, Rich Wagner, Jean Sinell, Andrea Grossman, Jennifer Reichert Simpson, Jill Pittelkow. Lind convened meeting at 8:33 a.m. Minutes of previous meeting were approved. Introductions –

• Members of committee introduced themselves.

Request for Purchase –

• Motion made, seconded and approved to pay up to $4,600 to purchase resources for the Resource Rooms. Background: Items may include: LifeSkills booklets, books, flash drives, promotional items, assessments used in workshops, and supplies. Program funding cannot be used to purchase these items. Goal is to have purchases identified by November 15, 2019.

Library Trends Relative to Job Seekers –

• Reichert Simpson shared some observations her staff have recently encountered at Dakota County libraries. These include:

o Job inquiries are high but not like they were during the recession o Questions regarding how to find jobs o Questions on online applications – what do the questions mean; error messages o Questions on resume writing o Pleasant Hills has seen an increase in unemployment inquiries o Barriers with technology; access to internet o Many job seekers are independent – lots we don’t know o Education needs including higher education, GED, and Adult Basic Education (ABE)

• The library charges $0.10 per page for printing; $1.00 per page for faxing. This is lower than compared to other companies that offer these services however still presents a barrier for those who can’t afford to pay.

• Fines are decreasing; digital materials aren’t fined. Print revenue is increasing.

• There are nine libraries in Dakota County. They are located in the most populated areas.

• Have seen very low attendance for Microsoft classes even though it’s been identified as a #1 job requirement in Dakota County.

• The library only tracks name and address and date of birth. No additional demographics are available.

• One quarter of residents in Dakota County have a library card that they have used in the last two years. Many just have one card that they use for the whole family.

• The library gets a lot of feedback from community partners. Recently this has led to a homework help class with volunteer tutors once per week in Burnsville; prayer rugs; a teen internship for low income teens; great relationships with schools; and more.

• Held a teen job fair at the West St. Paul library last year. Transportation was provided for students to attend – which led to great outcomes. Next year the teen job fair will be held in Inver Grove Heights.

• There is some interest in having library staff and CareerForce staff to get together or cross train and share resources.

6

Updates from Sites/Programs: Dakota County Social Services – Grossman

• A reality store was held on October 22nd at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC). About 250 students attended (this is an increase of 60 more students compared to last year). There were also 35 resource tables. Students also got a tour of DCTC. A survey was given to the students; about 100 surveys were returned. Of those surveys returned, 75% students stated they were not employed at the time; 50% had never had a job. Hoping to add a job fair component to the event next year.

• The next Career Success group will begin on Monday, November 4th. Ten students will attend St. Paul College to complete forklift certification training. It’s a two day course; four hours each day.

• Social Services received a grant to expand Career Success to youth aging out of foster care. DEED Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) – Wagner

• VRS will not have a hoteling cube in the West St. Paul location.

• An Open House was held on October 29th for the new VRS location in Shakopee.

• Provided an overview of Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) that included: o What are Pre-ETS services? They include: Job exploration and counseling, Post-secondary

education counseling, Work-based readiness training, Self-advocacy, and Work-based learning. o Pre-ETS services are provided by VRS staff or contracted by the VRS Pre-ETS staff person through

contracts with local providers. o Each school has its own unique features. Staff is exploring what each school needs. o Staff is trying to make connections with students that would benefit from Pre-ETS services. This

is a different population of students than who they would focus on for the VRS intensive program.

o VRS only has one Pre-ETS staff member per VRS team. They are trying to pace this out so their Pre-ETS staff does not get overwhelmed.

DEED Job Service – Yanda

• Now managing the Bloomington team too. No specific schedule has been determined yet. Many local area DEED job service managers are managing two locations.

• Still negotiating with the landlord regarding the remodel and potential move to first floor exclusively. Next meeting is scheduled for November 12th. Since the colleges moved out June 2018 it’s been difficult for the landlord to lease the space because it’s so segmented. If CareerForce moves to just first floor it will require a redesign that will include: a smaller resource room, reduction of one interview room, creation of a breakroom, and addition of a couple of conference rooms.

• Continuing to see a large number of dislocated worker and adult applications. There have been lots of larger layoffs also occurring in Dakota and Scott County and the metro overall.

• Sixty-five people attend the hiring event on October 30th that was focused on public employment. This was a significant increase in attendees; recent hiring events have seen 30-35 job seekers.

Scott County Employment and Training – Sinell • Held a staff recognition event recognizing 20 years since moving into their current location. There have been

many changes; one of which was having several DEED partners on location in the past to having none today.

• Live, Learn, and Earn initiative is looking at developing a website that would promote jobs in Scott County. Several models (including St. Cloud and Mankato) currently exist. They are seeking sponsorship from employers to fund this initiative. About 30-35 employers attended the most recent event on October 29th. Many didn’t know about CareerForce or MN Works. Information was shared about upcoming hiring events and additional resources.

• Continuing outreach for all programs; funding is available. • Senator Draheim visited with staff and job seekers when he visited CareerForce in Shakopee on October

31st. He was interested in the Career Lab and the hiring event. He shared positive feedback from what he observed.

• Construction is underway for the new building. The building is expected to be completed in May, 2021 and will house all of Health and Human Services.

Dakota County Workforce Services – Pittelkow

7

• Ayub shared that Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) will be holding a Health Care Career Fair on Tuesday, November 19th; a Civil Engineering Career Fair will be held on Monday, December 9th and a Career and College Transfer Fair will be held on Tuesday, April 7th. Additional information and links will be forwarded to the committee from Pittelkow.

• The Legislative Award Event will be held on Friday, December 6th from 11:30-1:00 p.m. at the Ames Center in Burnsville. DEED Commissioner Steve Grove will be the keynote speaker. If anyone has a client who would be interested in sharing their story, please contact Jacobs.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Adult Basic Education (ABE) Program – ISD 196 – Lind

• The ABE diploma session started the week of October 21st.

• The most recent soldering class started October 28th. There are eight students enrolled; diverse in both age and ethnicity.

• The citizenship class started on October 29th.

• General Education Development (GED) tests are still free. Funding is expected to be available until February. People testing need to be MN residents.

• Lind will provide a compiled list of ABE locations to the committee. Plan of Work –

• A draft of a revised plan of work was provided to the committee. Activities supporting the newly developed plan of work were also provided. Members were asked to review and notify Pittelkow will any additions/changes.

Other –

• The CareerForce Committee meeting scheduled for December 6th has been cancelled. Meeting adjourned at 9:57 a.m.

8

Community Relations Minutes

Nov. 5, 2019

Items of Note:

• Elevator speech reviewed.

• Committee made award selections.

• Legislative positions reviewed – will be brought forward at January WDB meeting. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Present: Gloria Fatze, Darren Kermes, Jenni Faulkner

Others: Kari Ouimette, Mark Jacobs

Fatze called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Eye on the Future:

• October – feedback was very positive. People are interested in having more resources about hiring people

with disabilities.

• November – high school career counselors. Kermes has 4 lined up. This portion of the meeting will be after

the business portion of the meeting.

• January – legislators. Email invite went out but no feedback yet. Back-up? LMI or 5G.

Legislative and Employer Awards Luncheon:

Logistics:

• Group prefers a buffet.

• Staff to price out options between Roasted Pear and Chianti and select.

• Motion made, seconded and approved to expend up to $6000 for the Legislative and Employer luncheon.

Awards:

• Motion made, seconded and approved to present the Mark McAfee Friend of Workforce Award to Mark

Lofthus and Corinne Shepherd.

• Motion made, second and approved to present the Bob Killeen Award to Jay Haugen.

• Motion made, seconded and approved to present the Business Champion Award to USIC.

Targeted Marketing – no updates

State and Federal Legislative Positions:

• Committee had minor changes to the draft document.

• However, recommending a simplified “top three “ document for legislators to include: 1) who we are; 2)

what we do; and 3) why it’s important

• As for legislative visits, would it be possible to bring a client?

Kermes noted that both ideas are similar to what some of the groups he belongs to does.

Elevator speech:

Group reviewed an elevator speech. Next step is to run it by exec.

9

The Workforce Development Board (WDB) is established by the Federal Government and administered through

states to carry out workforce needs. In Minnesota, the state has established 16 different WDB’s. There are

nearly 600 WDB’s in the country. These boards are responsible for connecting job seekers to jobs, businesses to

employees, supporting job creation and job training, and serving hard to employ citizens.

This board is where business meets government in our communities every day. There is a strong collaboration

to improve employment opportunities and fill worker gaps.

For example:

• At one of the CareerForce centers someone looking for a job can get help with a resume, interview

coaching, or soft skills training.

• At this same CareerForce site, an employer may host a job fair.

• Another example is that the Board may fund/support certain educational training programs like welding,

nursing, or truck driving to bridge the gap between those seeking jobs and those needing workers.

Other:

• Sen. Rich Draheim recently met with Scott County staff and discussed a number of times including; DHS

restructuring, Opportunities for youth and Re-entry programs. (Ouimette)

• Committee recommends setting up an orientation for legislators.

Meeting adjourned at 4:38 p.m.

10

Executive Committee Minutes

Nov. 12, 2019

Items of Note:

• Approved motions for MFIP 2020 contract with Avivo and contract extension with MTM.

• 5G is coming! _____________________________________________________________________________________ Present: Pam Oeffler, Steve Ditschler, Vance Boelter, Mike Yanda, Barb Dahl, Eric Lind, Gloria Fatze

Others: Kari Ouimette, Mark Jacobs

Oeffler called meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

5G – John Dukich, Minnesota High Tech Association

(background: some WDB committees have 5G on their plan of work and were seeking more information about

this technology and its implications on communities, workforce and training.)

• 5G overview: Next generation of wireless technology.

• Accenture Study has lots of information

• 100 to 1,000 times faster than 4G.

• Relies on broadband infrastructure.

• Could be a factor in attracting people to move to an area (e.g. Thomson Reuters)

• Could result in costs savings relative to time, labor costs, and/or energy

• What’s next? 6G

• Minnesota is in top 10-15 states. Deployment is evolving. Downtown Minneapolis got it with Super Bowl

and Final Four. How will this work in rural area?

• Faster speeds enabled by different technology – relies on small cells attached to utility poles, buildings, etc.

o Applications: allows the “internet of things,” autonomous vehicles, smart cities, drones, ag

industry, Telemedicine

o Also allows for more data to be transported.

o The technology will impact education with on-line learning, overall connectivity, distance

learning

• There are public policy components - legislation passed regarding deployment

o MN Legislature passed a low for small cell technology, feeds, timelines for reviews, etc.

o Providers used to have to go city by city which resulted in discrepancy in rates by areas.

• Economic impact: by 2020, 50 billion devices worldwide

• Jobs:

o Initial construction phase including fiber in ground jobs

o Jobs for data scientists

o Needed skills: electrical engineering, cyber security

o Apprenticeships available in 5G

o Some existing professionals will require folks to learn new skills

• This is opportunity to work hand in hand with providers.

• Samsung has 56 phones – but much more expensive.

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• Scott County looking at expanding broadband and preparing for 5G

Awards List:

• The slate of recommendations for awards was approved.

Committee Reports (see committee minutes for complete set of information):

Business Services – Yanda

• Economic Development

• Job Fair – Fatze noted they’re doing more with virtual job fairs.

CareerForce - Lind

• Motion made, seconded and approved to pay up to $4,600 to purchase resources for the Resource Rooms.

Community Relations - Fatze

• Motion made, seconded and approved to expend up to $6000 for the Legislative and Employer luncheon.

• Eye on Future

• Elevator speech

Youth- Dahl

• Motion made, seconded and approved to provide up to $500 of Youth Committee funds to SouthWest Metro Intermediate District 288 for an experiential learning event at Komatsu.

• Motion made, seconded and approved to provide up to $1,000 of Youth Committee funds to the Dakota County Career Success Program for an experiential learning at Extreme Sandbox. All remaining funds will be used to purchase Target gift cards. Gift card distribution/allocation amounts will be determined during an upcoming 2020 Youth Committee meeting.

• Chamber Presidents meeting

• Joint meeting with Business Services

• File Monitoring

Motions for Exec:

• MFIP Contract – Motion made, seconded and approved to contract with Avivo in an amount not to exceed

$983,244 for the period of January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.

Background: The WDIB issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for MFIP services in 2016 and selected Resource, Inc. (which on October 9,, 2018 changed their name to Avivo) to continue to provide services. The organization has performed well. Contract is funded by the TANF Consolidated Block grant. Amount for 2019 is the same as 2018.

• MFIP Transportation Contract – Motion made, seconded and approved for a contract extension with MTM

for the period of January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020.

Background: The WDB issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for MFIP transportation services in 2016 and selected MTM to provide services. Contract is funded by the TANF Consolidated Block grant. Current cost per trip is $22.44 with a not to exceed cap for the year of $70,000. Through October 2019 MTM has provided 861 total trips at a cost of $17,076.84. The additional three months will allow both parties adequate time to review and update the work statement and consider changes which will be presented to the WDB prior to March 31, 2020.

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Draft Letter to Metro Board:

• Please review the letter and let Pam or Mark know if there are any suggested changes.

Organizational Reports:

Governors Workforce Development Board – Ditschler

• Combined meeting with Minnesota Association of Workforce Boards is Dec. 11 in Burnsville.

• New appointments to be announced this Friday.

National Association of Workforce Boards – Ditschler

• Determining ow to best add value to local boards.

• Forum planning. Challenge is the rising expenses to hold event in Washington DC as only three venues are

large enough to handle conference.

Meeting adjourned at 5:07 p.m.

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Youth Committee Minutes

November 7, 2019

Items of Note:

• Dakota/Scott County nominees were reviewed and selected for the 2019 Willis Branning Excellence in Youth Employment Services Awards.

• Motions approved to utilize YC funding for experiential learning events and Target gift cards.

• Looking ahead to 2020 Youth Programming.

Present: Barb Dahl, Steve Buck, Sally Haack, Mary Jo Gardner, Joyce Eissinger Others: Amber Higgins, Mark Jacobs, Ben Kusch, Andrea Grossman, Jean Sinell, John Christiansen, Kathy Sullivan, Jared Smith, Eric Van Brocklin, Rachel Grosskurth Dahl called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Minutes of previous meeting were approved.

2019 Willis Branning Excellence in Youth Employment Services Award Nominations

• 4 nominations were received; DC=3, SC= 1

• The committee reviewed and evaluated each nomination. o Motion made, seconded and approved to select the American Red Cross Nursing Assistant

Training Program for the 2019 Youth Employment Service Award (Scott County). o Motion made, seconded and approved to select Jack Kolb-Williams with The GARAGE for the

2019 Youth Employment Service Award (Dakota County). Budget/ Plan of Work

• Approximately $2,500 of YC funds remain. Funds must be expended by 12/31/2019. o Motion made, seconded and approved to provide up to $500 of Youth Committee funds to

SouthWest Metro Intermediate District 288 for an experiential learning event at Komatsu. o Motion made, seconded and approved to provide up to $1,000 of Youth Committee funds to the

Dakota County Career Success Program for an experiential learning at Extreme Sandbox. All remaining funds will be used to purchase Target gift cards. Gift card distribution/allocation amounts will be determined during an upcoming 2020 Youth Committee meeting.

Program Updates Scott County – Sinell (MYP and WIOA Youth)

• A written report of participant enrollments, exits and demographics was provided.

• Outreach is ongoing.

• The Youth Counselor did presentations at Tokata Learning Center and SouthWest Metro Intermediate School District 288 in the past month. Several applications are pending as a result.

Tree Trust – Smith (MYP for Dakota)

• MYP program services occur during the summer.

• Staff transitions are taking place. Kathy Sullivan was hired to help improve program operation and delivery.

• Tree Trust is working with other organizations to develop ways to engage youth in construction trades.

• The YouthBuild pre-apprentice construction training program is now running.

• A Construction Plus Arborist Program has been piloted. HIRED – Grosskurth (WIOA Youth for Dakota)

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• A written report of participant enrollments, exits and demographics was provided.

• 62 youth are enrolled; 51 out-of-school, 11 in-school

• 9 youth are currently participating in internships.

• 13 current participants are parents (25% of case load)—of those, 3 have more than one child.

• Working on cleaning up data and files.

• A new counselor will be starting in December.

Other – Jacobs (Dakota-Scott WDB)

• The Chamber Presidents met to discuss workforce, economic development and education.

• Finding ways to develop stronger connections with K-12 was a hot topic. Ideas included bringing CareerForce into schools, hiring a coordinator to focus on junior and senior high, externships, bus tours, events for school counselors, etc.

• Further discussion is needed to identify roles and ways to better connect employers and schools.

• Looking ahead, the Business Services Committee and Youth Committee may hold a joint meeting to discuss further.

• A Nashville model called Academies of Nashville promotes career exploration through business engagement. –Kusch

• A recent CTE Conference focused heavily on parent involvement and outreach. –Gardner

• School counselors are often consumed with other issues—academics, student/family affairs, etc. –Essinger

• On November 15th, the WDB Eye on the Future presentation will feature school counselors and the realities of their roles.

Dakota County Workforce Services/Youth Programs – Higgins

• Traitify o In Oct. 2019, 517 people accessed Traitify. Of those, 497 completed the assessment (96%).

o A breakdown of user demographics was provided.

o TriDistrict students discontinued the marketing project. Their suggestions:

▪ Increase the number of users to at least 10,000 in order to increase the financial value.

▪ Find more users at alternative learning centers and general education centers.

o Committee discussion:

▪ Is there a way to get feedback from MDE to support use within schools?

▪ Could Traitify be tied into Junior Achievement lessons?

▪ Could school district PTO’s review Traitify and provide feedback?

• Dakota County MYP (Tree Trust) Internal File Monitoring o 16 files are monitored in the categories of eligibility and enrollment documentation, and

individualized case management/case notes. o Findings included unexecuted documentation, missing documentation and date/name

discrepancies. o 2019 summer programming has ended. Actions taken by Tree Trust to correct findings include:

▪ Adding case notes ▪ Adding participant exit dates ▪ Obtaining signatures (where possible)

o Staff who oversaw Dakota County MYP services are no longer employed with Tree Trust. o Dakota County staff are meeting with Tree Trust to develop and action plan.

2020 Youth Programming

• Dakota County contracted service providers, HIRED and Tree Trust, were excused from the meeting.

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• The committee discussed 2020 youth programming as well as the upcoming RFP (Dakota County only). RFPs are typically issued every 5 years. The last RFP was issued in 2015.

• During upcoming meetings, the committee will identify service expectations in which to add/include to the RFP.

Meeting adjourned at 9:36 a.m.