Aug

28

The shuttered, spray-painted home on Buffalo’s West Side stood as a symbol Tuesday of the blight plaguing the city. But community leaders believe it will soon stand as a symbol of progress.

The Winter Street home is the first of its kind slated for renovation at the hands of 60 at-risk youth being recruited for a federally funded YouthBuild program by Western New York Americorps and PUSH Buffalo.

Read the full article..

Aug

27

We have known engineering and technical talents are getting harder to come by. Well one engineering firm seems to have found the answer — hire “fresh outs” – these are fresh graduates out of college.

Partly for new talent and also for ability to transform certain stale organizational cultures.

“Efficiencies gained
Schlumberger’s fresh-outs-only policy is part of a longstanding recruiting strategy.

“The idea is that our industry is unique and the company has its own culture,” Hood says. “We develop new hires and they progress into other responsibilities. We give employees the opportunity to have a diverse career without leaving the company.”

New hires undergo a three- to five-year field engineer training program, with three promotions typically occurring during that time. The training program represents a substantial investment for the company.”

Read more from Workforce Management

Aug

26

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in an effort to crack down on fraudulent trainers, is continuing to strengthen the integrity of its 36-year-old Outreach Training Program by publishing an “Outreach Trainer Watch List” of those who have had their trainer authorizations either revoked or suspended.

For more info: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/osha20090917.htm

Aug

12

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded $10 million in funding to organizations that connect older Americans to career opportunities. The Aging Worker Initiative: Strategies for Regional Talent Development, is designed to train workers 55 and older for jobs in high-growth, high-demand industries, and increase the public workforce system’s capacity to effectively serve an aging worker population. The Department has also launched a private-public partnership with the Atlantic Philanthropies, which will invest an additional $3.6 million in this effort

“This grant provides opportunities for older Americans who face challenges reentering or remaining in the workforce,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. “With expanded education and skills training, these workers can broaden their own career opportunities and contribute to the growth of industries throughout the United States.”

Ten awards of approximately $1 million each were made to organizations in Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The grants awarded target older individuals who have been laid off and are seeking re-employment; need to stay in the workforce beyond the traditional retirement age, but need training to increase their skills; and who face other barriers to employment such as disabilities or low levels of English proficiency.

As part of its investment in the Aging Worker Initiative, The Atlantic Philanthropies has funded the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and the Council on Competitiveness to provide assistance to the grantees, and document and disseminate effective strategies to promote career opportunities for older workers.

The ability to develop, attract and retain a well-educated and skilled workforce is a key factor in economic growth. Successful applicants recognized that older workers are a valuable, though often underutilized, labor pool that can meet the workforce needs of regional economies. Currently, 22.6 percent of the U.S. population is over the age of 55. Between 2006 and 2016, the number of workers 55 and over is projected to increase by 36.5 percent.

“In the wake of the economic downturn, the impact of The Aging Worker Initiative is all the more important,” said Marcia Smith, Senior Vice President of The Atlantic Philanthropies. “This effort will create opportunities for older adults to work, support themselves and their families, and contribute to the reinvigoration of their local economies.”
For more info: http://www.doleta.gov

For more info on training solutions: http://www.eleapsoftware.com

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