February 2018
Our mission is to develop and advance the workforce of Southeast Minnesota.
Career and Technical Education Month or CTE Month is a public awareness national campaign held each February to celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs and students across the country.
Meet Brian Cashman
Coordinator of Alternative Programs
Goodhue County Education District
SE MN Workforce Development Board Member since 2017
What is Career and Technical Education (CTE)?
CTE refers to learning pathways at the high school and post-secondary levels that allow students to learn academic and technical skills and knowledge and training in six different career fields: (1) Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, (2) Arts, Communication, and Information Systems, (3) Engineering, Manufacturing, and Technology, (4) Health Science Technology, (5) Human Services, and (6) Business, Management, and Administration. Read More of our Interview with Brian



Spotlight on Eh Mwee
Karen Outreach Specialist,
Workforce Development, Inc.
Freeborn County - Albert Lea Office
Building bridges for refugees, their new home; After 22 years in a camp, Mwee helps newcomers find success.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
Making a Positive Impact
"My wife and I were both full-time students. As parents to 3 kids, our financial situation became difficult. As we knew that the only way to better provide for our kids was to keep pushing and graduate, we reached out to our contacts for support."
-Nicholas Bruns
WIOA became law on July 22, 2014. This landmark legislation and its implementing regulations are designed to strengthen and improve the nation’s public workforce development system and to help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers.

Workforce Development, Inc. (WDI) administers the Federal WIOA program to provide a variety of services aimed at helping eligible, low-income job seekers develop a career path for new or better employment.
Since July 1, 2017, WDI has served over 4,800 people, in 25 different programs!
WDI has placed 1,061 people in new, better paying jobs with an average wage of $13.82 per hour!
We see gains in both average wages and hours per week across all programs!
Sector Pathways Committees:
Serving Our Customers in the Most Effective Way Possible
New research and cutting edge practices indicate that a better way to serve customers is based on their employment area of interest. Learn More
February Feature:
Services and Trades Sector
The Services and Trades Taskforce focuses on solving the workforce demands and issues or employees and organizations in the Service and Trades sector. Career examples of this would be carpentry, electrician, mechanic, customer service, hospitality and more. A main focus this year has been starting the Workforce Development, Inc. (WDI) Carpentry Training Program (See More) , a partnership with the Carpenters Union. We are excited that the first cohort is showing great promise, and WDI is hiring a navigator to help facilitate and expand this program in the future.

Look for more information from each committee in future newsletters!

2018 Best Places to Work in Southeast Minnesota

2018 marks the ninth year Workforce Development, Inc. (WDI) has partnered with Personnel Dynamics in Florida to bring the Best Places to Work survey to our regional employers. The survey provides a GREAT opportunity to learn what’s happening not only within your own organization but within other employers across our region. 

Each employer who completes the 41 question online survey receives a FREE report detailing their responses in comparison to the other employers who completed the survey.  Organizations who are identified as the “top scorers” through the analysis provided by Personnel Dynamics will receive a site visit in March from teams made up of our staff and board members. Overall leaders will be recognized at a banquet on Thursday, April 26, 2018 , at the Rochester International Event Center. Learn More

Questions? 
For those wishing to participate or for more information, please contact Jakki Trihey via email at: [email protected] or by phone at: 507.529.2701
Mark Your Calendars

February 19th - Workforce Development, Inc. (WDI) Offices Closed

February 27th - Houston County Economic Summit: Workforce Solutions from 5:00-7:30pm at the Four Seasons Community Center in Caledonia
 
February 28th - Retail/Customer Service Job Fair from 11am-1pm at the RCTC Heintz Center Campus in Rochester

March 1st - Workforce Development Board and Sector Committee Meetings at WDI in Rochester

SE Minnesota Employment Trends See More Employment Trends
Learn More about the Carpentry Trade in the Upcoming March Issue!
Workforce Development, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Program Provider and a proud partner of the American Job Center Network.