Ready to Work report debuts with WIOA signing

As President Obama signed the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act into law Tuesday, Vice-President Biden’s task force also released Ready to Work:  Job Driving Training and American Opportunity. The report reflects an across-the-board review of  America’s job training programs to ensure they share a single mission: providing workers with the skills they need to secure good jobs that
Read More

Diving in to WIOA

Excited to embrace and implement the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA), five local WIBs in Missouri are pleased to co-sponsor a workshop July 30-31 titled Diving In to WIOA. Featured presenter is the ever-popular workforce guru, Rochelle Daniels. The day-and-a-half workshop in Branson covers the following. The implementation schedule for WIOA The Governor’s new and expanded
Read More

Smarter location investments made easier with CWRC

Workforce quality and availability routinely rank in the top five factors when surveying decision-makers and investors on which communities will provide the strongest return on investment. Often, workforce tops the list.  The elusive search for skills within the ideal locations to invest can be made easier by starting with Certified Work Ready Communities (CWRC) and
Read More

Congress passes workforce reform in WIOA

Overhaul of America’s Job Training Programs Headed to President’s Desk Following Strong Bipartisan Support from Congress Press release from the Education and Workforce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation to update the Workforce Investment Act, overdue for reauthorization for more than a decade, is headed to the president’s desk following
Read More

Joplin Region gains new economic cluster intel

Digging deeper into the clusters that power the economy of the greater Joplin region just got easier. The U.S. Cluster Mapping Project provides open, interactive data to understand regional clusters and support business, innovation and policy. In beta form now with a full release planned for August, the project empowers local decision-makers with strategy to improve competitiveness.
Read More

Employer Spotlight helps connect the dots

A new monthly workshop at the Joplin Job Center shines the spotlight on local employers to provide helpful tips on what it takes to successfully land that new job.  Launching July 14th, the first Employer Spotlight features Susan Adams from Able Manufacturing and Assembly. The Employer Spotlight workshop happens 8:30 to 9:30 on Monday, July
Read More

Barton County close to Work Ready certification

KODE/Action 12 News profiled the progress of Barton County toward the goal of becoming a Certified Work Ready Community. KODE’s Rae Pattison interviewed employers and community leaders on the progress and how CWRC can help turn around the economy for Barton County. Action 12 News published the video feature online. Barton County’s progress on CWRC
Read More

Fox14 profiles WIOA and local impact

The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) passed the U.S. Senate Wednesday afternoon as another important in re-authorizing and funding workforce programs at work in Joplin/Four-States region and around the nation as well.  Fox14′s Lisa Olliges produced a news feature that aired Thursday on the impact of workforce programs locally.  The interviews included Jasen Jones from the
Read More