July 2008

SPOTLIGHT ON:

"June 18, 2008 Building a Better Workforce Conference"

Over 250 representatives from business, education and workforce development sectors gathered to hear the results of a major new study of labor market trends in Hampden County which were presented at a regional employer conference "Massachusetts In-Demand: Building a Better Workforce" on June 18, 2008 at Western New England College.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno noted as he welcomed the participants, "The large gathering at this forum testifies to the strong commitment that this region has to the collective responsibility of working together to develop our workforce, provide education and training resources to create and maintain stable employment opportunities".

Conference highlights include a keynote presentation delivered by Suzanne M. Bump, Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development; followed by Dr. Paul Harrington, workforce expert and Northeastern University professor who presented job trends in the regional economy, outlining the need for specific job skills for workers and industries. A copy of his presentation can be found on our website by clicking here! They are pictured above to the right of REB Chair Michael Niziolek (far left) and WNEC President Dr. Anthony Caprio.

The conference also brought together a panel of leading workforce development specialists and local business representatives to discuss how companies could draw upon existing skills in the region to advance their businesses. Pictured above, (left to right) are the panel moderator Julie Siciliano, Dean of the School of Business and Professor of Management at Western New England College; Jean Jackson, VP Workforce Planning, Baystate Health; Bill Bither, President, Atalasoft; Victor Woolridge, Chair, Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director, Babson Capital Management; Lauren Aivano, Recruiting Administrator, CT and Western MA Division of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Stacy Gilmour, V.P. Human Resources, Quabbin Wire & Cable.

Preparing young people for today's jobs, the emergence of the millennial generation, recruiting and retaining skilled workers and the role of older workers were some of the topics discussed. Follow up workshops will be scheduled in the fall to address these specific topics and others identified through table discussions.

The conference concluded with an enthusiastic presentation given by Dr. Alan Robinson, author of "Ideas are Free." Robinson is an internationally recognized expert on productivity and excellence. His latest book was distributed as a parting gift to attendees.

The conference was a collective effort on behalf of the following organizations: Commonwealth Corporation, Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc., Western New England College, Employers Association of the Northeast, Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, Economic Development Council of Western MA, Inc., New England Black Chamber of Commerce, and the MA Latino Chamber of Commerce.

 OTHER UPDATES:

The REB Board of Directors met on June 25, 2008 and approved several items:

• John Zimatravich, Regional Director from the MA Division of Career Services was approved as a new member and Director to the Board;
  
  
• FutureWorks and CareerPoint One-Stop Career Centers were approved for the 4^th year of their 5 year Operating Charter based on a review of another successful year of services to thousands of customers in Hampden County (Click on logos below to see their newest web sites!)
  
  
• New Youth Vendors were approved for services to at-risk out-of-school and in-school youth - for a listing of those providers with contact information, click here!
  
  
• A second year of funds was awarded for vocational and educational training for individuals receiving assistance from the Department of Transitional Assistance through a grant provided by DTA to the REB.  For more information, contact George Ryan.
  

Also, David Mackley, Director of the MA Department of Workforce Development, provided an update on the state's priorities and encouraged members to visit the official DWD blog, http://thrivingworkforce.org/ to read more about future efforts to continuously improve our workforce delivery system statewide. 

OTHER NEWS:

• We bid a fond farewell to Brad A. Sperry who, after over 30 years in workforce development, the last of which were with the REB, has decided he'd rather be "gone fishin" ~ we will miss him and his endless capacity to give his all to this community and to his co-workers.  He is pictured above surrounded by his  Youth Department staff (from left, Mike Chechette, Shavon Diaz, Melissa Scibelli and Kathryn Kirby).....Gone (fishin') but not forgotten!
  
  
• Collaborating for the Advancement of Nursing: Developing Opportunities (CAN DO) has secured a total of $150,000 from its memebers to sustain the work of the CAN DO partnership for another year. Matched by a $50,000 challenge grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, the lead partner with the REB, an additional $100,000 was contributed by the partnering schools of nursing and health care providers.

Announcing: Hampden County Business Resource & Services Fair!!

Who Should Attend: Area Businesses

Date: Thursday, July 17th, 2008

Time: 8:30am to 10:30 am                                    

Where: BankNorth Conference Center in the BankNorth Building, 1^st Floor

Address: 1441 Main Street, Springfield, MA

Business Card Required for Entrance

Contact: Larry Martin at 413-755-1361or lmartin@rebhc.org for more information

Click here for Brochure!