Workforce 2020 Sends Delegation to Washington D.C.

Ten delegates from the Rochester community attended the U.S. Chamber's Education and Workforce Summit: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the States, in Washington, D.C. last week.

 

The Rochester delegation included: Breanna Bly, Rochester School Board; Randy Nelson, Rochester Public Schools; Dave Weber, RCTC; Dr. Christine Quinn, WSU-Rochester; Mike Mullen, Mayo Clinic; George Thompson, Blandin Foundation; Randy Johnson, Workforce Development, Inc.; Audrey Groteboer, Post-Bulletin; and John Wade and Jess Ihrke, Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce.

 

The summit brought together more than 350 leaders in local, state and national business and education representing 40 states to discuss issues vital to America’s competitiveness. The summit was a part of a national effort to promote effective and sustainable business and education partnerships.

 

The Rochester delegation, comprised of all coalition members of the Rochester Area Chamber’s Workforce 2020 initiative, had the opportunity to learn from leaders in education reform and workforce development and review successful models that reflect innovations in education and workforce training.

 

With these resources, the coalition will work to create a strategic implementation plan that will focus on quality education for all and flexible and effective workplaces. This two-fold focus will guide initiatives and innovative solutions to ensure a strong and capable workforce.

 

To learn more about Workforce 2020 and their efforts, log onto www.rochestermnchamber.com or contact Jess Ihrke at the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce.

Workforce 2020 Receives When Work Works Grant

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce 2020 coalition have been selected as one of 30 regions across the country to promote business excellence in workforce flexibility. This ongoing intitative of the US Chamber’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) and the Twiga Foundation will nationally highlight and acknowledge Rochester area businesses that are finding new ways to create effective and flexible workplaces to enhance their competitive advantage in a global economy.

 

The one-year grant cycle begins in September 2007 and culminates with an awards ceremony recognizing award winners. Look forward to educational and training seminars on the changing workforce including topics such as the aging workforce, intergenerational dynamics in the workplace, ROI for workforce flexibility, talent management, recruiting Generation Y, etc. We will be asking for full membership active participation in the research and recognition component as well as in the educational seminars. This is an outstanding opportunity for our community.

 

Special thanks to Karel Weigel, Tim Geisler, George Thompson, Barbara Porter, Gary Smith, Steve Thornton, Jennifer Ridgeway, Rick Roy, Randy Johnson, Dan McElroy, Jeff Korsmo, Audrey Groteboer, Eric Cleveland and John Wade for their letters of support and hard work in making this opportunity possible for our community.

MN Awarded a $500,000 Grant to Improve Math and Science Education

The National Governors Association awarded the state a $500,000 grant which will be used to improve math and science education in MN schools. As a part of this grant, the Department of Education will also work with local school districts to create Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) schools across the state, which will focus on integrating technology and engineering into science and math curricula.

 

During the 2007 legislative session, Governor Pawlenty proposed and legislature approved funding for the creation of regional Math and Science Teacher Academies to provide professional development and training opportunities for elementary, middle school and secondary teachers in math and science curriculum, standards and instruction.

Along with the Math and Science Teacher Academies and under Governor Pawlenty’s strong leadership, MN has implemented several reforms targeted to better prepare students for the global market:

 

• New graduation requirements, including Alegbra I in eighth grade and Algebra II to graduate- as well as Physics and Chemistry to graduate

• More rigorous MN standards in math, which include a greater emphasis on college and work readiness skills and technology use

• Continued investment in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs- resulted in greater participation in college readiness programs

• Nation-leading Q Comp program- designed to advance the teaching profession by providing structured professional development and evaluation as well as an alternative pay schedule that compensates teachers on performance, not just seniority.

The Changing Workplace: Smashing the Clock

No schedules. No mandatory meetings. Inside Best Buy’s reshaping of the workplace.

 

The nation’s leading electronics retailer has embarked on a radical- if risky- experiment to transform culture once known for killer hours and herd-riding bosses. The endeavor, called ROWE, for “results-only work environment,” seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is judge performance on output instead of hours.

 

There are no schedules. No mandatory meetings. Work is no longer a place where you go, but something you do. It’s OK to take conference calls while you hunt, collaborate from your lakeside cabin or log on after dinner so you can spend the afternoon with your kid.

 

Best Buy did not invent the post-geographic office. Tech companies have been going Bedouin for several years. At IBM, 40% of the workforce has no official office; at AT&T, a third of their managers are untethered. Sun Micorsystems Inc. calculates that its saved $400 million over six years in real estate costs by allowing nearly half of all employees to work anywhere they want. Arguably, no big business has smashed the clock quite so resolutely as Best Buy.

 

Read the full article by Michelle Conlin at http://biz.yahoo.com/special/allbiz120606_article1.html.

Need Workers? Help Pay Their Tuition

UPS shows other employers how it’s done

 

Say you’re an employer whose business depends on a large, stable cadre of smart, motivated employees willing to work part-time at odd hours. How do you get’em and keep’um? Offer them generous help paying college tuition attests the parcel-delivery giant UPS. That’s the perk that has anchored talent…

 

UPS workforce planning manager Rory Hokens said that 73% of the company’s part-time hires this year in MN are taking advantage of Earn and Learn… “That’s good for UPS in two ways” states Hokens. “It doubles the length of their stay with the company and it allows UPS to oversee the education of their future managers.”

 

Read the full article in the September 4, 2007 Star Tribune issue in section A10.

Hiring Veterans

Skills, Attitude Among Top Qualities

 

Looking for a few good men and women for your business? Look no further than the U.S. military. Hundreds of thousands of veterans return every year from deployments and enter the civilian job market.

 

Veterans bring with them a strong work ethic, exceptional training, and proven leadership skills. In 2006, more than 500,000 National Guard personnel came back to the United States from overseas deployments.

 

To read the entire U.S. Chamber article, click here.

Become an Employer of Choice

Strategies for Investing in Frontline Workers

 

The costs associated with the turnover of hourly wage and frontline employees such as medical assistants, food workers, and cashiers can be high. In the hospitality industry, turnover costs are between $3,000 and $13,000 per departed worker.

 

But companies don't have to be completely helpless against the revolving door of hourly wage

earners. "With the right support, these workers are productive, stable, and upwardly mobile and provide maximum benefit to employers," says Arthur Rothkopf, U.S. Chamber senior vice president and head of the Chamber's Education and Workforce Initiative.

 

To read the entire U.S. Chamber article, click here.