[Mwa] Welcome & Update on New State Funding

[MassWorkForce@aol.com]

Welcome:   We want to welcome the 70 people who have joined the MWA listserv 
over the past three months.   There are now 320 members, and we invite you to 
invite others to join!   Anyone can join by sending an email to 
massworkforce at aol.com and typing in the word “yes.”   (We send no more than 8 or 9 emails 
out each year on this listserv.)

The State Budget Process:   We continue to monitor the state budget process.  
 The Governor has presented his budget, and now the House of Representatives 
has proposed its budget.   There are far fewer changes so far in the area of 
workforce development than in the past two years.  The remaining steps – which 
are supposed to be completed by July 1 – include (1) the Senate drafts a budge
t, (2) the Senate and House agree on a budget to submit to the Governor, (3) 
the Governor approves or vetoes parts of the budget, and (4) the Senate and 
House support or override the Governor’s vetoes.

MWA will keep you informed of any key budget changes – and issues on which 
you may want to have your voice heard – over the next two months.

Emerging Technology Funding for Workforce Development:   Many people on the 
MWA listserv contributed to passage of the Emerging Technology Bill – and then 
an override of the Governor’s veto.   This bill contains new workforce 
development funds from the state for the first time in years.

Recently, several people have wondered aloud about the status of this new 
legislation.   MWA has checked in with state agency staff and wants to share this 
update.   Please be aware that what we say below is the best information we 
have at this time; certainly plans could change!

We are sharing this update through our listserv because we believe there is 
an opportunity for potential bidders to start working on this opportunity now – 
before the RFP is issued – and develop a stronger program model and bid.   
Certainly employer relationships and relationships with other collaborators take 
a long time to develop successfully.

The Emerging Technology Bill (also called the Economic Stimulus Bill) is on 
the web.   You can find it at www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/seslaw03/sl030141.htm. 
 The actual text about workforce development is in Chapter 141 of the Acts of 
2003: Sections 6 and 54.   The RFP will reflect this text.

As best we know right now:

There is $4,500,000 available through this new source, and the state is 
trying to find additional funds to pool with and increase that amount.

One RFP will be issued – hopefully by June.   The best way to keep updated is 
to check the Commonwealth Corporation website (www.commcorp.org) which is 
where we are told the RFP will be posted.

The RFP will include funding for low income/low wage workers; older workers; 
health professions training; and non-profit community based providers.   There 
may be an option for a planning grant or workplace needs assessment grant, 
with later application for an operational grant.

There are two key components for bidders: (1) a strong employer partnership 
(what are employee training needs? how can you identify those needs? how do you 
identify/develop relevant curriculum?); (2) connection with the public system 
(especially the WIBs. The exact approach vis-à-vis the WIB role is still 
being developed).

The state is anticipating that there will be a priority (or a requirement) 
for: (1) lower skill/lower wage workers; (2) career ladders; (3) collaborative 
bids among employer(s) and service providers; and (4) bids that provide 
matching funds.

It is unlikely MWA will have additional information to share before the RFP 
is issued – but we do think that there is an opportunity for potential bidders 
to start developing program models and partnerships now.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.literacytent.org/pipermail/mwa/attachments/20040508/74148ac4/attachment.htm