Workforce directors seek to create Pacific jobs corps

The Pacific Workforce Directors from the CNMI, Guam, American Samoa, and Palau recently concluded their meetings in Hawaii the week of Feb. 3-5, 2009.

Organized and facilitated by their granting agency, the USDOL Employment and Training Administration Region 6 San Francisco Office, discussions and presentations were focused on ETA’s Strategic Approach for talent development, program performance report revisions aligned with expenditures, Registered Apprenticeship Programs presented by Alfred Valles, State Director-Hawaii Pacific; Hawaii Job Corps presentations by Lauree Nakata, OAA Supervisor and Wendy Sakata, OA/CTS Manager; and on-site visit of the Waimanalo Campus, USDOL updates and presentation on Veterans Employment/Training Services in the Outer Pacific.

Regional partners from the College of Micronesia, Grilly Jack, Vocational Training Coordinator, and other federal officials in Hawaii from the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs working closely with the Pacific jurisdiction were also present at the meeting.

The Pacific Workforce Directors also adopted at the conclusion of the meeting Resolution 09-001 with four actionable strategies to include specific recommendations for all collaborators, federal partners, local, state and regional organizations to consider:

* To request that the Pacific Directors and the Micronesian Chief’s Regional Workforce Development Council endorse the establishment of a Regional Job Corps Working Committee to establish a proposed plan of work to initialize the phases for a regional Job Corps within the next 3-6 months

* Pacific Directors meeting discussed options for providing technical assistance to develop a data action plan that evolves the Pacific Workforce Investment Streamlined Performance Reporting framework for data capacity development

* Develop a Regional Workforce Pre-Pipeline Development Initiative and consider the funding option for the economic stimulus opportunity for financing pre-proposal framework.

* Continue sharing and networking exemplary and programming successes through a structured Pacific jurisdiction report
The resolution was attested by Rosemary Cowan, Division Chief, USDOL ETA; John Jacobs, Federal Projects Officer USDOL ETA; and by Steve Sanders, Legislative Director, DOI.
The resolution is in line with the following Pacific Workforce Investment Workgroup’s seven action plan framework strategies recently adopted at the 10th Micronesian Chief Executive’s Summit held on Nov. 18-19, 2008 in the FSM State of Pohnpei:

* Implement the RWDC Pilot Data Initiative

* Regional Entrepreneurship/Enterprise Initiative

* Implement Pilot Workforce Readiness Credentialing System

* Develop a Regional Workforce Pipeline Development Initiative

* Regional Communications RWDC/PWIW Plan

* Computer and Financial Literacy Initiative

* Succession Planning Initiative (replacement of key staff and mentoring of junior staff, Incumbent Worker Training) [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]