Jobs and Entrepreneurship – Page 13

Impact Intergenerational Poverty

Problem

Nebraska is still struggling from a slow recovery after the recession, with high poverty and unemployment rates across the state. A state-wide strategic policy blueprint is needed for the legislature to increase the accountability and efficiency of state efforts to mitigate poverty.

Solution

Senator Mello has proposed establishing a bipartisan, interbranch task force to evaluate and identify programs to enable the state government to invest in initiatives that are working to reduce poverty across the state. By using data to fund what works, the legislature will be able to improve the effectiveness of its impact on intergenerational poverty and boost economic growth across the state that benefits everyone.

Careers Gateway Program

Problem

Many low-income individuals who do not speak English as their first language face several challenges from obtaining meaningful full-time positions with stable wages in key industry sectors or to excel in their careers.

Solution

Mayor Kim Driscoll helped create an occupational skills training program in Salem, Massachusetts aimed at low-income, unemployed or underemployed non-native English speakers that focuses first on key career skills (i.e. Microsoft Office and general computer skills) and then on specific emerging industry sectors. The City partnered with the regional Workforce Investment Board and Career Center, the community college system, local major healthcare employers (two major hospitals), and other community level stakeholders to help make this program a success . The program has already successfully matched many of these individuals to full-time employment in its first year and Mayor Driscoll is hopeful for expanding the program to reach more participants.

Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Program

Problem

Over the next 10 years, more than 44,000 jobs in the precision manufacturing sector will go unfilled in Massachusetts, due to a lack of qualified workers, despite the fact that the average salary in this industry can approach $75,000. Historically, Western Massachusetts has been left out of the red-hot economy in the eastern part of the state. Part of that problem is a gap between the number of well-paying, stable manufacturing jobs and the number of local residents who can fill them.

Solution

Senator Eric Lesser has proposed an idea to provide advanced manufacturing training to unemployed and underemployed individuals, including veterans, to build a locally based, highly qualified manufacturing workforce across Massachusetts, particularly in the western Massachusetts where manufacturing was the key employer for 10 generations. The precision manufacturing pilot program is already operating in Western Massachusetts and has resulted in an exciting partnership between the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc. and the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association. Together these organizations are working with local community colleges, vocational schools and advanced manufacturing companies to train unemployed and underemployed individuals, career changers and youth across the region.

Beech Technologies

Problem

Too often teens growing up in poorer neighborhoods in Louisville lack the access to the skills and training they need to fill competitive job openings in the local tech industry. Additionally, businesses in this community need to increase their web presence and better connect to online tools to grow their business.

Solution

This year, Mayor Greg Fischer expanded the Code Louisville program to target teens living in public housing and help them develop 21st century technology and business skills. Students from the new “Coding at the Beech” program have already transformed their skills into a new business venture, called Beech Technologies, which helps neighborhood and community business leaders establish and maintain a web presence to drive economic growth. Through this initiative, Mayor Fischer has helped prepare students for jobs in the tech industry and helped revitalize the communities where these students live.

Mayor’s Internship Challenge

Problem

The shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. Labor Market threatens business productivity, international competitiveness, and economic opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Americans. According to economic forecasts, the skill gap will dramatically affect the manufacturing, trade and transport, and energy and utilities industries, a key source of revenue for the city of Long Beach, California. Internships have been well-documented as opportunities for developing skilled workers who become central asset to businesses and their local communities and increasing job placement and income for workers, yet the number of businesses offering internship opportunities has steadily declined in the last decade.

Solution

To remain economically competitive, Long Beach aims to strengthen its talent pipeline so today’s youth are prepared for tomorrow’s economy. Mayor Robert Garcia launched the “Mayor’s Internship Challenge” in June 2015 to help double the number of available internships to students in the local economy, to increase the quality of current internship programming, and to align opportunities to the needs of the changing economy. The Internship Challenge gains its strength from a collaborative team of business, community, education and government leaders who are focused on creating sustainable slots (not one time expansion investments), strengthening institutional coordination, and emphasizing placements linked to learning and future career goals. By working together, this effort will enrich student learning through meaningful internship and other career-building opportunities, increase operational capacity for businesses, and add a competitive edge for communities and the local economy via investments in its future employees.

Assistive Technology Helps Disabled Students in School, Community and Workplace

Problem

Children with disabilities in the public school system often require assistive technology devices to provide them with the opportunity to fully integrate into the learning process and successfully navigate through school, the community and the workplace. Examples of assistive technology devices include tablets which help non-verbal students speak or help visually impaired students access materials, voice activated wheelchairs, voice activated readers, voice-synthesized computer modules, optical scanners, and talking software. These devices are created and programmed to meet the needs of individual students. However, due to a lack of cooperation, collaboration and bureaucratic red tape these life-changing technologies did not follow a student through their educational progress and instead reverted back to the school system.

Solution

In 2005 I sponsored and passed legislation ensuring that individuals with disabilities who are provided with assistive technology devices may retain the devices as they transition through the education system, employment and independent living. Upon returning to the Legislature in 2016, I learned that some students were not able to access their individualized devices outside of school, so we filed a bill to correct this. This legislative change makes sure that assistive technology can help students with disabilities fully integrate into the learning process, and successfully navigate through school, the community and the workplace by giving them access to this life-changing technology at school, at home and in the community.

Code Louisville – Free Training for Web Development Careers

Problem

Every ninety days, there are about one hundred unfilled junior software development opportunities open in the greater Louisville area, and those numbers are growing fast. However, the region lacks the number of qualified applicants to fill these positions. The community needed a quick, entry-ramp approach that makes these good jobs possible for a broad and diverse range of people.

Solution

Code Louisville, developed by KentuckianaWorks (the region’s workforce development board) offers a series of 12-week software development tracks to adults who want to pursue a career in the software development industry at no cost to the student. The program is designed to provide accountability, guidance, and support to people using online tools to learn. Students learn web development using the latest technology and practices. Aided by expert volunteer mentors and online software, students complete coding projects and build portfolios of their work. This community-supported program organized by a public entity is able to train people for a challenging career at a large scale for a fraction of the cost of an in-person school or boot camp. More than 90 companies have hired from Code Louisville with many of those serving in an advisory capacity to make sure the program is responsive to their ever-evolving needs. The program also has a community college partnership to help more people earn Computer and IT certification.

Career Calculator

Problem

All too often, people make decisions about their education or careers with little or no labor market information. People decide on careers without knowing how much money they might earn or how many jobs are available. People decide on college majors without knowing the earnings implications or what jobs people with that major end up doing. And the few available tools are difficult to use, difficult to understand, and prone to leading history majors into being historians or philosophy majors into being philosophers–which is generally not what people with those majors end up doing.

Solution

Career Calculator is a web application that helps students, parents and job seekers plan for careers and chart the education needed for good jobs. The app puts all information needed to make informed education and career decisions in one place. Information is gathered from six different sources–the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US Census Bureau PUMS data, EMSI Analyst, Burning Glass, Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics, and O*NET Online. The platform is incredibly intuitive and easy-to-use, with simple searching, clean design, and only the most important information necessary for making good education and career decisions.

Occupational Licensing Reform

Problem

State rules for licensure and registration for certain occupations has become burdensome and created barriers to entry for workers through unnecessary fess and other requirements.

Solution

By reexamining our occupational licensing and limiting it to those positions where it is necessary because of higher levels of training, health or safety considerations we are removing regulations and opening up employment to people who might not otherwise be able to enter these fields. This also cuts down on the costs to consumers and businesses, while maintaining safety for consumers by keeping licensing where it’s needed. First, we passed a law to phase out occupational licenses for jobs that don’t have educational or professional prerequisites, including for Wholesaler Salesmen, Residential Flat Glass or Automotive Glazier, and Real Estate Intern. The next step will be to continue to work with the relevant state agencies and across the aisle to examine all of the occupations and determine whether they are being properly regulated by state government or not.

Rural Economic Advancement of Colorado Towns – REACT

Problem

Small communities are impacted by job loss more significantly that urban areas because families often leave town in search of new jobs. This puts stress on schools, Main Street small businesses, and health care providers. Slowly, the town begins to struggle to even exist. Small towns also do not have the resources to search for and coordinate the many state and federal programs that may be able to help them solve the problem.

Solution

REACT is targeted at helping towns experiencing substantial job loss. REACT would coordinate non-monetary assistance and award grant money to assist rural communities with job creation or retention. This helps towns take advantage of existing state programs with the state’s help, rather than requiring new sources of funding for new projects that may still not reach towns in need.

Impact Intergenerational Poverty

Problem

Solution

Careers Gateway Program

Problem

Solution

Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Program

Problem

Solution

Beech Technologies

Problem

Solution

Mayor’s Internship Challenge

Problem

Solution

Assistive Technology Helps Disabled Students in School, Community and Workplace

Problem

Solution

Code Louisville – Free Training for Web Development Careers

Problem

Solution

Career Calculator

Problem

Solution

Occupational Licensing Reform

Problem

Solution

Rural Economic Advancement of Colorado Towns – REACT

Problem

Solution

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