State Workforce Investment Board Meeting - 2/20/06

Workforce Investment Board (WIB) Meeting

Capitol Education Building
Carl E. Sanders Fireplace Room
Monday, February 20, 2006
11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

MEETING MINUTES

I. Welcome and Introductions

Mark Musick, Chairman of the Workforce Investment Board, called the meeting to order and welcomed attendees.

Debra Lyons, Program Manager of the Workforce Investment Board introduced herself, and also welcomed attendees. Attending board members then introduced themselves.

II. Opening Remarks and Acknowledgement of Special Guests

Mark Musick noted the breadth of expertise among board members. He also acknowledged the attendance of state government agency heads and the chair of the Commission for a New Georgia’s Workforce Development Task Force, Ann Cramer, director of corporate community relations and public affairs for IBM North America.

Ann Cramer expressed her excitement about the board’s emergence and encouraged board members to actively serve.

III. Lunch

IV. Workforce Investment Board Background Briefing

Debra Lyons briefed board members on the background of the Workforce Investment Board. A copy of her presentation was included in each board member’s meeting materials folder.

Highlights of Debra’s speech included:

• Governor Perdue’s vision for workforce development (WFD) in the state of Georgia
• Findings and recommendations from the report of the Commission for A New Georgia’s Workforce Development Taskforce
• The charge to improve the existing WFD system and to broadly communicate those efforts to all shareholders (citizens, employers, academic institutions, etc.)
• Barriers to and recommendations for WFD as determined by the National Governor’s Association.
• The charge from the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 requiring each state to action submit a five year strategic plan, create a WIB, and meet specifications of the legislation.
• Governor Perdue’s executive order to collaboratively develop a statewide WFD strategic plan with a Workforce Investment Board and to begin a related 501(c)(3) corporation.
• Next steps to create a state WIB website and identify a date for the next WIB meeting.

Debra Lyons informed board members that resource references and travel reimbursement information was located in their meeting folders.

V. Next Steps

Chairman Musick noted that a state workforce development strategic plan was approved in 2005 and would require updating every two years. The next update, thus, would be in 2007.

Musick also emphasized that no one particular group is held responsible for the condition of Georgia’s workforce. He furthered that either enough things are not being done or enough of the “right” things are not being done to improve our workforce.

Musick gave board members an assignment to read the Workforce Development Task Force Report by the next WIB meeting. The report can be found in each board member’s meeting folder and online at www.newgeorgia.org.taskforces/workforcedev.shtml.

Musick brought to the attention of board members his concern with a finding that Georgia seems to be lacking a sense of urgency about the current state of the workforce. He also shared the following startling figures:

1. Three out of four million occupations in Georgia requiring only a high school level of proficiency although the need for high-tech jobs is growing at a faster rate.
2. A dropout rate of 40% among 16 to 19 year-olds in Georgia.

According to Musick, these numbers indicated a need for a fairly extensive review of the strategic plan and the executive summary of the Workforce Development Task Force.

In the near future, board members will be receiving an email soliciting dates of availability for the next WIB meeting in April.

VI. Other Business

Musick opened up the floor for discussion. Lonice Barrett, the Governor’s Director of Implementation, thanked Anne Cramer and members of the Workforce Development Task force for their efforts. He also acknowledged Debra Lyon’s diligent contribution to the Workforce Investment Board. Lonice further noted the magnitude of importance of the Workforce Investment Board to the state. Members of the former WIB— Tony Calloway, Doc Eldridge, Jim Hardegree—were also acknowledged.

Jim Hardegree, WIB Board member and corporate human resources manager for Oliver Rubber Company, encouraged board members to visit and support local workforce improvement boards. Chairman Musick agreed.

V. Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12:35PM.

WIB ATTENDEES

Staff

Debra Lyons, Workforce Investment Board Program Manager

Lonice Barrett, Office of Implementation

 

Coordinating Committee

Mike Beatty, Commissioner of Community Affairs

            (Phil Foil attended with Commissioner Beatty)

Tim Connell, Director of the Georgia Student Finance Commission

Debbie Dlugolenski, Representing Shelley Nickel, Director of Office of Planning and Budget

Andrea Harper, Representing Michael Thurmond, Commissioner of Labor

Joy Hymel, Representing Chancellor Erroll Davis

Craig Lesser, Commissioner of Economic Development

Marsha Moore, Director of Early Care and Learning

Albert Murray, Commissioner of Juvenile Justice

Mike Vollmer, Commissioner of Technical and Adult Education

James Woodard, Representing Kathy Cox, Superintendent of Schools

 

Business Community

Mark Musick, Workforce Investment Board Chairman

Valencia Adams, BellSouth Corporation

Frank Barron, Coca-Cola Companies (retired)

Joyce Blevins, East Central Georgia Workforce Development

Tony Calloway, Primerica Financial Services

Kenneth Cannestra, Private consultant

Ann Cramer, IBM

Oliver “Wendell” Dallas, Atlanta Gas Light 

Doc Eldridge, Eldridge and Associates Insurance

Jim Hardegree, Oliver Rubber Company

Mike Harrison, Technical Associates

Timothy S. Mescon, Kennesaw State University

Robert “Rob” C. Mitchell, Reynolds Plantation

Carlisle Bix Rathburn III, Ph.D., Savannah Technical College

Allen C. Rice, Savannah Luggage Works

Charlene P. Sizemore, Sizemore Inc.

Danny D. Sparks, Ford Atlanta Assembly Plant

Gus Whalen, Jr., Warren Featherbone Company

 

Local Government Members

Susan D. Holmes, Mayor of Monticello

John Fretti, Mayor of Valdosta

G. Melvin Davis, Oconee County Commission Chairman

Bebe Heiskell, Walker County Sole Commissioner

 

Youth activities, Service Delivery, and Labor

Bo Ryles, Ed.D., 4-H,   UGA

Jackie Rohosky, Georgia Quick Start

Richard A. Ray, AFL-CIO

Noah V. Savant, Communications Workers of America

 

Legislature

Senator James “Jim” L. Whitehead, Sr., Senate District 24

Senator Ronnie Chance, Senate District 16

Representative Terry England, House District 108

Representative Clay Cox, House District 102

 

Invited Guests

Lloyd E. "Pete" Fleming, Director of Office of System Performance, ETA Regional Office, U.S.     Department of Labor

Larry Weatherford, Administrative Consultant, W.J. Usery Center for the Workplace, Georgia       State University

 

State Workforce Investment Board Background Briefing

"'Workforce' encompasses the entire spectrum of the state's human resource base for employment - from entry level, low skilled labor to professional and high tech fields requiring advanced degrees and training."

Click Image for Presentation
(PDF, 31 pages, 116KB)

Associated Document(s):

	Background Briefing.pdf
	PDF, 31 pages, 116 KB