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JOTF E-Newsletter The Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) is pleased to bring you the latest edition of its electronic newsletter. The JOTF E-Newsletter includes news, announcements, and information about upcoming events in the Baltimore area that we hope will be of interest to you. If your organization would like to publicize an event, job announcement, or other information, please send e-mail to info@jotf.org. In this issue:
OTHER NEWS:
UPCOMING EVENTS:
NEW PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES:
JOTF NEWS
The Baltimore Healthcare Coalition– a network of area hospitals, workforce development providers, foundations, labor unions, public agencies, and advocacy organizations, including JOTF – presented a symposium on March 2 to examine national and local models for building a skilled healthcare workforce. The symposium highlighted successful financing strategies for training entry-level and incumbent workers for higher paying, skilled jobs in healthcare. National panelists included representatives of Service Employees International Union 1199-C, a union-led training program in Philadelphia; East Metro Health Careers Institute in Saint Paul, a collaborative enterprise involving hospitals, foundations, and the public sector; and Boston Health Care and Research Training Institute, a partnership of community organizations and healthcare institutions. “The healthcare industry is one of the six local growth sectors identified by the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board as having a severe shortage of skilled workers,” said JOTF executive director Deborah Povich. “Our goal is to help create a pipeline between these jobs and low-income Maryland workers and job seekers.” The event was sponsored by JOTF, Open Society Institute-Baltimore, the Abell Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers. A complete summary of the March 2 symposium will
be posted to the JOTF website soon. For more information, contact Deborah
Povich at 410-234-8045.
Over 50 representatives of human service agencies, philanthropic foundations, academics, and public and private educational institutions joined JOTF on February 18 for a discussion of proposed new standards for Maryland high school graduation. Participants welcomed MD State Department of Education officials Katharine Oliver and Ronald Peiffer, who described how the proposed changes to the state’s high school completion policy. Attendees raised questions concerning how the proposed changes might impact the dropout rate and access to future employment; the cost of the tests, the timeliness of obtaining test results and the impact on community programs that work to increase educational attainment for at-risk youth. The new proposal would redesign diploma routes to incorporate the High School Assessments as a requirement to receive a high school diploma in Maryland. Among the elements of the proposal is a track for “Non-Enrolled Student Routes,” which includes “Diploma by Examination” alternatives such as the GED and the Maryland Adult External High School Program. A complete summary of this forum will be posted
to the JOTF website soon.
At its second meeting of 2004, the Baltimore Employment Roundtable discussed education resources for working adults with Dolores Bramer, the Director of Learning Bank of COIL, Todd Elliott, Director of Adult Literacy and ESOL Programs at the Greater Homewood Community Corporation (GHCC), and Louise Flamer, Assistant to the Director of Continuing Studies at Morgan State University. The speakers provided information on their agencies’ respective adult education programs, which offer a variety of resources ranging from adult basic literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to GED-level instruction. They also discussed the challenges facing their programs in light of changing welfare policies and funding streams. The next meeting of the Baltimore Employment Roundtable will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 25. The topic will be 'Foreign-Born Workers in Baltimore.' These meetings are free and open to anyone involved in workforce development in the Baltimore region. For more information contact Kevin Griffin Moreno at (410) 234-8046.
Throughout the 2004 state legislative session (January 14-May 12), JOTF monitors and takes action on a number of bills and budget items related to increasing economic opportuities for low-income workers and job seekers. Visit the Annapolis Watch section of our website to get the latest from the state capital. For more information, contact Deborah Povich at (410) 234-8045.
OTHER NEWS
Spurred by the prospect of their company moving overseas, workers at Hedwin Corporation, a maker of industrial plastic containers, decided to take matters into their own hands, according to a February 21 article by Baltimore Sun staff writer Stacey Hirsh. "Hedwin, which was founded in Baltimore in 1946, was up for sale last year by its parent company, Solvay S.A. of Belgium. A potential buyer signaled that it might move jobs out of the state and cut employee benefits. So the workers bought Hedwin, through an employee stock ownership plan, with the help of a state loan guarantee. The move was considered such a success story, and political coup, that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele attended yesterday's ceremony at the plant, near Hampden..." Read Workers
get the business.
State general fund revenues are expected to be $1 billion less than the cost of providing the law level of services in the upcoming fiscal year, according to the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute. Under the governor's proposed budget, the gap would be filled with only $100 million in ongoing revenue increases and a net of $240 million in ongoing spending cuts. The rest of the gap would be filled with one-time actions, largely in the form of transfers from other funds. The strategy of balancing the budget with one-time fixes might prove unsustainable. The short-term and long-term choices taken have significant implication on the nonprofit sector and the communities and populations that it serves. Read the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute's Overview of the Governor's Budget Proposal.
Self-sufficiency standard for
state workers introduced "Del. Salima Siler Marriott, D-Baltimore City, is sponsoring legislation that would create a financial standard in Maryland, eventually making every state resident able to live without assistance on an estimated $20,000 per year. "The self-sufficiency standard, which seeks hourly wages in excess of $7.50 to more than $12 an hour for an adult depending upon his residence, would be used to determine eligibility for special programs and wage increases..." Read Self-sufficiency
standard for state workers introduced.
Nearly Half of Black Men Found Jobless "A new study examining trends in joblessness in the city [New York City] since 2000 suggests that by 2003, nearly one of every two black men between 16 and 64 was not working. "Researchers who have studied joblessness said...findings were consistent with trends among disadvantaged men, both black and white, in other Northern and Midwestern cities where manufacturing jobs have disappeared in recent decades. Some said factors that might have made the problem worse since 2000 could include welfare reform, high rates of incarceration producing gaps in job histories, and competition with immigrants for low-skill jobs..." Read Nearly Half of Black Men Found Jobless.
Housed within the Maryland Department of Human Resources, the Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP) assists needy Maryland households afford their home energy bills. OHEP offers a comprehensive energy assistance package. The Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) provides hearing assistance grants to fuel suppliers and utility companies on behalf of eligible applicants. The second option is the Electric Universal Service (EUSP) which provides assistance with electric bills. For information contact the Local Home Energy Programs Office in your area, or call 1-800-352-1446. (For the hearing impaired, 1-800-925-4434). An application for assistance and brochures can be downloaded from OHEP's website.
Open Society Institute-Baltimore will host a Criminal Justice Forum featuring Dr. John Laub, a professor in the University of Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice on Wednesday, March 10 between 10:00 A.M.-11:30 A.M. Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives will offer data on crime and social development for 500 men who were originally remanded to reform school in the 1940s. Representing what is arguably the longest longitudinal study of age, crime, and development in the world, the goal is to understand the lives of troubled boys as they progress from childhood and adolescence to adulthood and old age. RSVP to Justin Schaberg at jschaberg@sorosny.org or call (410) 234-1092, ext. 213 by March 3, 2004
The next monthly Baltimore
Employment Roundtable will focus on 'Foreign-Born Workers in Baltimore.'
The meeting will take place at 8:30 on March 25. The tentative location
is the Goldseker Conference Room, Latrobe Building, 8th floor, These meetings are free and open to anyone involved in workforce development in the Baltimore region. For more information contact Kevin Griffin Moreno at (410) 234-8046.
OPPORTUNITIES If
your organization would like to publicize a service, job announcement,
grant, or other opportunity, send e-mail to info@jotf.org.
The Community Mediation Program is offering a 50-hour basic mediator certification course starting April 17th, 2004. The same certification training will be offered for free starting June 5th for those who make a 120-hour commitment to volunteer as community mediators with the program. For more information, download brochure and registration form.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has partnered with the Baltimore Community Foundation's Youth As Resources, which provides grants for youth-designed and directed community organizing projects, to present the “Baltimore Fun-D!”. This grant opportunity aims to enrich the lives of Baltimore City families living in challenged neighborhoods by funding fun-filled activities. The “Baltimore Fun-D!” seeks to nurture and foster stronger relationships between children and their families by supporting connections to a variety of cultural, educational, recreational and social opportunities. Grants will range in the size of $250-$500 and will be awarded to 20-40 organizations depending on the strength of the applications received. Organizations will serve as a sponsor for participating families to help them plan their proposed activities. To provide further information, a grant
seeker information session will be held at 6:00pm, February 24th, 2004
at the Annie E. Casey Foundation (701 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21202).
A light dinner will be provided.
Youth As Resources, Baltimore’s youth-led grant making organization, invites Baltimore City and County youth (up to age 21) who want to address critical community needs to apply for grants targeted for community improvement and organizing projects. The projects are entirely designed and carried out by young people. Grants range from $500 - $3,500. Grant seeker workshops are being offered on Wednesday, March 3, 2004 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, March 6, 2004 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of the two workshops. To sign up for a workshop and/or for more information, please call (410) 332-4172, extension 149.
The Community Health Consortium of Baltimore, a network of health and social service "safety net" providers, is currently seeking a part-time Executive Director mainly responsible for coordinating and liaison efforts, outreach, planning, and resource development. Read the full job description.
NEW PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
According to a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report, 23 states reported using employer tax revenues in 2002 to fund their own employment placement and training programs, and providing job-specific training for workers. States used various types of employer taxes and reported spending a total of $278 million to address state-specific workforce issues. Most states reported some coordination with federal workforce programs in 2002.
The Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance released the updated Vital Signs report, which contains outcome indicators of Baltimore's neighborhoods and measures the progress toward strong neighborhoods and a thriving city over time. Vital Signs enables all residents and stakeholders to have a common yardstick from which to measure progress toward common results, make decisions strategically and effectively, understand the impact of these decisions on neighborhood conditions, and hold one another accountable for making these indicators continue in the right direction. Data are available for years 2000, 2001, and 2002. Download Vital Signs II.
The Center for Law and Social Policy released an analysis of the legal issues presented by integrating the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), as everal states and localities expressed the need to promote improved coordination and integration of workforce development efforts under both federal programs. Download Integrating TANF and WIA Into a Single Workforce System: An Analysis of Legal Issues in PDF format.
The Urban Institute conducted a national scan of reentry programs that address the needs and risks facing returning prisoners, their families, and communities. Outside the Walls: A National Snapshot of Community-Based Prisoner Reentry Programs provides descriptions of a broad array of prisoner reentry activity across the country, as well as briefing papers that discuss what is known about reentry as it pertains to employment, health, housing, family, faith, and public safety. Download Outside the Walls: A National Snapshot of Community-Based Prisoner Reentry Programs in PDF format. E-Newsletter Co-Editors:
Kevin Griffin Moreno
and Doha Melhem |
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