3-31-11 Update

Greetings OWC members and supporters:

CRP is undergoing some staff transitions. Rebecca Kusner, our Workforce Policy Manager, has left CRP to live and work full-time in Cleveland after commuting to Columbus for the past year. She has been a great champion of policies to advance the Ohio adult workforce and we will miss her skills and energy. Our workforce policy activities have made great strides as a result of her efforts. Rebecca can be reached at rkkusner@gmail.com.

Over the next few months, I will assume the lead role for CRP's workforce policy and advocacy activities, with support from Max Laird, who joined CRP as a Research Associate in February. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Best,

Roberta Garber

Executive Director

Community Research Partners

rgarber@researchpartners.org

Action Items

1. Please be sure to complete the OWC Stakeholder Survey as the deadline has been extended to Monday, April 4th. We appreciate your feedback!

Legislative Corner

1. HB 153: The text of the executive budget was released Tuesday. The document can be viewed or downloaded from the legislature's website. CRP will review the budget language and provide a summary of items relevant to workforce development, education, and training soon.
2. HB 168: HB 168 sponsored by Rep. Carey has just been introduced to the House Small Business and Economic Development committee. It would establish the Career Training Workforce Development Grant Program through casino fees. Take a look at the full bill here.

The Coalition is able to share legislative information with you thanks to a partnership we have with Gongwer. Email mlaird@researchpartners.org for more information.

Funding Opportunities

1. Dollars for community colleges announced...read more online.
2. Click here for a direct link to the Education, Labor, and Training grants available at grants.gov.
3. If you have a funding opportunity you would like to share with Ohio's workforce development community, please email Max Laird.

Articles, News, and Other Tools

1. White House announces new council on jobs and comptetitiveness. Read more online.
2. A new toolkit from CLASP helps locals entities identify federal funds for integrated service delivery of employment, career advancement, work support, and financial literacy and asset building services.
3. High and low skills jobs may grow, but 47% of all jobs will be in the middle. Read more online.
4. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce has launched a Jobs Campaign. Read more online.
5. Recently some for-profit colleges are converting to non-profit status...most recently, Remington College in Cleveland. Read more online.
6. Your info here...if you have a news story you'd like to share, email it to Max Laird

The Ohio Workforce Coalition is a project of Community Research Partners with financial support from The Joyce Foundation, Working Poor Families Project, and The United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Technical Assistance is provided by the National Skills Coalition.