Government Funded Until December 16th

Last week the House and Senate approved a continuing resolution to keep the government funded until December 16. The legislation, which also included fiscal 2012 appropriations bills for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, is expected to be signed by President Obama.

Once signed by the President, three of the regular nine appropriations bills will be enacted for fiscal 2012 which began October 1. But the other appropriations bills – including funding for the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) remain unfinished, and appropriators in both chambers expect to roll the remaining nine bills into one large omnibus spending package that moves in December.

The effort will be difficult given the lack of consensus, especially on the Labor-Health and Human Services and Education bill which funds the USDOL’s workforce programs and is the largest domestic discretionary spending bill. In particular, there are sharp differences between the House and Senate on funding levels for workforce programs described below.

Difference Between House and Senate on Workforce Programs:

While the Senate appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Labor would fund the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) formula programs at fiscal 2011 levels, the House Committee on Appropriations released a draft bill that would make significant cuts to WIA Adult, Youth and Dislocated Workers programs.

Under the House draft bill, funding for WIA formula programs effectively ends December 31, 2012 and at sharply reduced levels. Given the precarious nature of the appropriations process, this would create considerable uncertainty for states near the end of calendar year 2012 on whether the WIA formula programs will be funded.

Veterans Initiative

On Monday, November 7th, President Obama was joined by leading Veteran Service Organizations to launch new job search tools for Veterans. This initiative is led by the U.S. Department of Labor and includes two job search initiatives, the continuation of “My Next Move” for Veterans and a Veterans’ Job Bank and the issuance of a “Veteran Gold Card.”

The Veteran Gold Card provides post-9/11 veterans with extra support as they transition out of the military. Once a veteran has downloaded the Veteran Gold Card, he or she can access six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling at the roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country.

My Next Move for Veterans is an easy-to-use online tool created by the U.S. Department of Labor allowing veterans to enter information about their experience and skills in the field, and match them with civilian careers that put their experience and skills to use. The site also includes information about salaries, apprenticeships, other related education and training programs, and links to job openings. The job openings in “My Next Move” are provided by the National Labor Exchange and includes state job bank content.

The Veterans’ Job Bank connects unemployed veterans to job openings with companies that want to hire them. A jobs filter allows veteran job seekers to view job listings from DirectEmployers Association’s member companies who take affirmative action to employ veterans in conformance with federal laws and regulations. Employers who would like to participate in the Veterans’ Job Bank initiative can visit the: Instructions for Employer Participation.

Why Everyone Needs a Professional Network

Thanks to La-Tica Watson from the Iowa Chapter for sharing this article from JobDig about Professional Networks.  Jobdig Article

Celebrating Veterans Day 11.11.11

Let's all pause to remember all our veterans and thank them for their service to our country.  My grandfather served in the Army infantry during World War I, my father served in the submarine service during World War II, and I married a Navy corpsman during the Viet Nam War.  I remember everyday that freedom isn't free. Veterans Day 2011

Ready for Awards?

The end of the IAWP award period is quickly approaching.  The major part of the activity to be considered must have occurred during calendar year 2011.  Below is a summary of the Individual and Group Awards

Citation Award - individual & group (nonmember)
Recognizes outstanding contributions to IAWP or workforce development from a private sector or non-governmental nonprofit organization and not employed by a workforce development entity.

Award of Merit - individual & group (member)
Recognizes service or achievement beyond normal expectations or job requirements.

Public Policy Award - Individual (member/nonmember)
Recognizes an individual who performed outstanding service in support of workforce development programs and/or personnel.  Potential nominees include state of federal elected officials, federal administrators, workforce agency directors, etc.

Workforce System Customer Service Award - individual and group (member/nonmember)
Recognizes exceptional service to customers throughout the workforce system in areas including but not limited to job seekers, UI claimants, businesses, schools, vocational rehabilitation clients, veterans, people with disabilities, former felons, co-workers, youths welfare recipients, and job training participants. Chapters can submit chapter-level specific awards (e.g. Veteran, One-Stop, UI, etc.) under this category. Chapters may submit up to 3 individual and 3 group nominations.

Lifetime Achievement Award – individual (member)
Recognizes outstanding, long-term commitment to IAWP's objectives.

Retiree of the Year Award – individual (member)
Recognizes continued outstanding commitment to IAWP's objectives following retirement.

Ealton Nelson International Achievement Award – individual/group & chapter (non-US member)
Rerecognizes outstanding commitments to and achievements of IAWP's international development.