Workforce Investment Board



Workforce Development Board

West Central Workforce Investment Area

New Englander Banquet Center

New Castle, PA

February 21, 2019

Minutes

Members present were: Tammy Barbati, Marc Buskirk, Lisa Campbell, Joe Clavelli, John Davidson, Bruce Denniston, Larry Fannie, Denise Grady, Gary Grant, John Greenwood, Nate Hamilla, Jim Hill, Erin Houston, Susan Lautenbacher, Gillian Maule, Tony Miller, Pamela Muras, Linda Nitch, Holly Nogay, Randy Seitz, Gail Steck, Howard Thompson, Debby VanKirk

Members absent were: Harry Grafton, Tim Jablon, Randy Silverman, Frank Telesz, Hope Vaccaro, Dom Vadala

Staff present were: Chris Burger, Gregg Dogan, Eric Karmecy, Rebecca Moder, Cyndi Myers, Michelle Sallmen

Others present were: Commissioner Scott Boyd, Barb Gade – BC3, Jack Hewitt – OVR, Joanie Kennedy, Sheila Lobota, Frank Staszko – PA Dept. of Labor & Industry,

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Bruce Denniston at 6:06 p.m. Roll was taken, a quorum was noted, and the meeting commenced.

Mr. Denniston welcomed new members Larry Fannie from PA Dept. of Labor & Industry, Dr. Erin Houston from Shenango Valley Urban League, and Holly Nogay from Mercer County Housing Authority.

A motion to approve the minutes of the September 20, 2018 meeting was made by Randy Seitz, seconded by Linda Nitch and passed unanimously.

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

Mr. Dogan welcomed Commissioner Boyd and thanked him for attending the meeting.

Mr. Denniston recognized Governor’s Achievement Award winner Joannie Kennedy. Joannie was enrolled in the Adult program at the Mercer County CareerLink®. She is a single mother who recently underwent brain surgery as a result of a domestic violence incident. Joannie completed the Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program and has been hired full-time at a manufacturing facility making $16.62 per hour with benefits.

MANAGEMENT REPORT

• Finance Report – Mr. Dogan referred to the green section of the meeting packet. This report reflects expenses accrued from July 1, 2018 through January 31, 2019.

Page one lists the grants that West Central currently administers. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act grants are listed first, followed by Rapid Response grants, American Apprenticeship Initiative grant, Industry Partnership grants and Welfare Program funds.

Page two reflects WIOA Adult, Youth, Dislocated Worker and Rapid Response funds. As of January 31, 2019, WIOA Adult training funds were budgeted at $483,000 and $398,160 had been obligated/expensed, WIOA Youth was budgeted at $335,000 and $181,022 had been obligated/expensed, WIOA Dislocated Worker was budgeted at $337,000 and $121,584 had been obligated/expensed and Rapid Response funds were budgeted at $129,048 and $0 had been obligated/expensed.

Page three reflects the expenditures for the Mercer and Lawrence County CareerLinks(.

A motion to approve the Finance Report as presented was made by Gary Grant, seconded by Howard Thompson and passed unanimously.

• WIOA Performance through 1st quarter of PY 2018 – Ms. Barbati referred to the handout and advised the Board that this report is from the Department of Labor and shows the results for the 1st quarter of PY 2018. She added that West Central is currently exceeding all the goals.

• WIOA Enrollments – Ms. Barbati referred to the handouts and advised the Board that the first report is an enrollment comparison for the month of January in Program Years 2015 – 2018. The second handout reflects the participants exiting our programs and where they are being employed.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Executive Committee – Lawrence County CareerLink® location – Mr. Dogan reported the Board that the lease for the Lawrence County CareerLink location ends in July 2019. Due to issues with the new business next door, the Commissioners have asked Mr. Dogan to explore new locations in the downtown area. Mr. Dogan and Mr. Karmecy have looked at various locations and also plan to place an advertisement in the New Castle News.

A motion to proceed with advertising for new office space was made by Randy Seitz, seconded by Gary Grant and passed unanimously.

• Future of the EARN grant – Mr. Dogan referred to the copy of a newspaper article included in the meeting packet and advised the Board that WCJP has been operating the EARN program since 1988. Over the years the program has changed and now DHS has decided to RFP those services without any input from any of the local Boards. This could result in WCJP losing approximately $900,000 in funding and 8-9 staff members. Mr. Dogan will be attending a meeting in Harrisburg on March 11 to gain more information on this decision.

• Changes in TABE – Mr. Dogan advised the Board that the TABE (test of adult basic education) test will be changing from TABE 9&10 to TABE 11&12. The cost will increase, and the time allotted to take the test will also increase from 3 hours to 6 hours. Gillian Maule and Barb Gade provided additional information.

• BWDA Monitoring Results – Mr. Dogan included two letters in the meeting packet regarding the BWDA monitoring of WCJP.

• WDB Meeting Schedule for 2019 – A 2019 WDB meeting schedule was included in the meeting packet.

OLD BUSINESS

• One-Stop Operations Update – Mr. Karmecy advised the Board the One-Stop Operations Committee met today and discussed reporting metrics and ways to increase our presence in the community. Chris Burger spoke briefly about upcoming events at the Mercer County CareerLink®.

• American Apprenticeship Initiative Update – Mr. Karmecy referred to the handout and reported to the Board that the American Apprenticeship Initiative is in the fourth year and 186 apprentices and 79 pre-apprenticeships have been registered with 60 employers within the 14-county region.

• Special Grants Update – Mr. Karmecy reported on:

✓ SLIP Internship Grant – WCJP has been awarded $141,000 to support summer youth experiences for 35 youths aged 16-24 at a wage of $10.35 per hour.

✓ Strategic Innovation Grant – This grant will continue the Manufacturing and Healthcare Pre-Apprenticeship classes. WCJP is working with Tri-County WDB to conduct Business and Industry Career Fairs and paid-work experiences.

✓ Next Generation Industry Partnership Grant – WCJP is working with the Northwest Industrial Resource Center on a strategic plan.

✓ Teacher in the Workplace Grant – WCJP is working with Lawrence County School to Work and Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV on this project.

✓ State Apprenticeship Expansion Grant – WCJP was awarded $30,000 to conduct community awareness on apprenticeships and hold information sessions.

NEW BUSINESS

Mr. Dogan asked that anyone who has not returned their Financial Interest Forms to please do so.

There was discussion regarding the closing of Liberty Mutual in New Castle.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2019 at the Park Inn by Radisson in West Middlesex, PA.

Adjournment - A motion to adjourn at 7:35 p.m. was made by Gary Grant, seconded by Larry Fannie and passed unanimously.

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