Workplace List subscribers,
We have a rather long list of resources this week, but there is quite a
variety.  Something for everyone, I hope!
Donna

Donna Brian
Moderator, LINCS Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Off-list contact djgbrian at utk.edu 

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>From Workforce3One  http://www.workforce3one.org/ (Note: You must

register with Workforce3One in order to access these materials.
Registration is free.)

Providing Business Services: A "How To" Manual. This manual identifies
how employer intermediaries can be positioned to provide business
services through the local workforce system. This new position can be
leveraged as a tool to grow association membership, as well as the
number of employees who use and benefit from the system.
http://www.workforce3one.org/ 

Partnering with One-Stop Career Centers - Strategies for Recruiting and
Training Employees. This manual provides advice for business on working
in partnership with One-Stop Career Centers to train both incumbent and
entry-level workers. http://www.workforce3one.org/ 

Organizing and Supporting the Employer Role in Workforce Development: A
Guide for Employer Organizations. This guide serves to help employer
organizations understand why it is important to organize and support
employers and effectively engage them in workforce development. It also
serves to show the leaders of employer and employer-serving
organizations why and how they should become workforce development
intermediaries.
http://www.workforce3one.org/ 

Creating Community Advancement Initiatives: A "How To" Manual. This
manual identifies a model that can be implemented to enable employers to
advance entry-level, low-skilled workers while creating vacancies for
new workers entering the job market. http://www.workforce3one.org/ 

Building Employer-Responsive Workforce Systems at the State Level: A
"How To" Manual. This manual identifies why state-level employer
associations should take the lead in improving a state's workforce
development system because they can connect with the most relevant
stakeholders, have the resources and power to implement change, and have
staying power that surpasses political leadership.
http://www.workforce3one.org/ 


Webinar invitations from Workforce3One
"The National Fund for Workforce Solutions: An Innovative Public/Private
Funding Collaborative"
The National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS) is a $50 million
public/private funding collaborative that aims to strengthen and expand
regional sectoral workforce partnerships. This webinar will provide an
overview of the NFWS, examples of how the public workforce system has
been a leader in two regional collaboratives, as well as discuss future
opportunities to become involved in this initiative. 
Date:  03/11/2008 
Time:  2:00pm Eastern (1:00pm/Central, 12:00pm/Mountain,
11:00am/Pacific) 
Length:  90 minutes
http://www.workforce3one.org/public/webinars/details.cfm?id=299 
 

"Building a Skilled and Educated Workforce - Exploring Multiple Pathways
to Community College for Out-of-School Youth"
	According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2012, over 40
percent of the factory jobs will require post secondary education and 90
percent of the fastest growing jobs require post-secondary education and
training. Whether it is community college; a vocational program; the
military; an apprenticeship; or a 4-year university, post-secondary
education is becoming less an option than a necessity in order to
compete in this 21st century global economy. There is more than one way
to get to college; however, many young people, and those who are working
with them, are not informed of these options. This 90 minute webinar
will focus on established pathways that programs can utilize to connect
out-of-school youth, and those youth at-risk of dropping out of school,
to post-secondary educational opportunities. Though there are many
paths, we will hear from experts that will address Dual Enrollment; GED
programs; the Early College Model; and the Ability-to-Benefit test. This
webinar will discuss the benefits and challenges of connecting youth to
education and the workforce through these models and where to find these
models in your local system. Join us as we learn how to strengthen
pathways to college for young people.
Date:  03/12/2008 
Time:  11:00am Eastern (10:00am/Central, 9:00am/Mountain,
8:00am/Pacific) 
Length:  90 minutes
http://www.workforce3one.org/public/webinars/details.cfm?id=295 

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>From Workforce Management http://www.workforce.com/ 

"The Hard Case for Soft Skills"
	Research on emotional intelligence shows that investing in
"soft-skills" development has big payoffs.
http://www.workforce.com/archive/feature/22/20/84/index.php 

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>From the U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/ 

"USA Counties"
	State directors conducting needs assessment for state planning
have a newly updated online resource for county census data featuring
more than 5,900 data items for the United States, the 50 states (plus
the District of Columbia), and all of the nation's 3,141 counties or
county equivalents.  Data are available on county residents' ages,
ancestries, education, employment, and income, as well as poverty, the
labor force, available social programs, and more.  The Census Bureau
manages this source for data on U.S. counties.
http://censtats.census.gov/usa/usa.shtml 

"More Education Pays Off, As Do Certain Fields of Training"
     The field of training can sometimes have as dramatic an effect on
earnings as the level of education, according to a series of data tables
the U.S. Census Bureau.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/0113
92.html
 
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>From Economic Policy Institute (EPI) http://www.epi.org/ 

"Focus on Manufacturing" 
	With layoffs and cutbacks becoming routine, it is tempting to
write off U.S. manufacturing as an anachronism. However, a new set of
EPI reports shows that actually making things remains an essential part
of the economy, and can continue to be a source of good jobs.  
	The manufacturing sector supported 14 million jobs in 2007, or
about 10.1% of total employment.  A Snapshot, "The importance of
manufacturing,"
http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20080212 developed
by EPI economist Robert Scott shows the sector's importance varies from
state to state. California leads the country in sheer output value,
producing $169 billion worth of goods in 2006, followed by Texas with
$140 billion. However, the relative importance is greatest in Indiana,
where manufacturing accounts for 28% of the state's gross domestic
product.
	The right policies will not only keep manufacturing jobs in the
country, but they can also ensure that they are of high-quality and
offer adequate wages and benefits. In her report, "Renewing U.S.
Manufacturing: Promoting a High-Road Strategy",
http://www.sharedprosperity.org/bp212/bp212.pdf economist Susan Helper
called for adopting policies "to create a highly productive, high-wage
economy" that would contribute to other critical national goals, such as
environmental sustainability, energy independence, modernizing
infrastructure, and maintaining a defense industrial base. Meanwhile,
George Sterzinger of the "Renewable Energy Policy Project: Key to
recovery in the states and the nation"
http://www.sharedprosperity.org/bp211/bp211.pdf argued for building a
strong domestic manufacturing sector in green energy projects. These
papers, along with a background piece by EPI economist Robert Scott on
the continued importance of U.S. manufacturing, were presented at a Feb.
13 EPI forum that drew more than 100 spectators. Senator Sherrod Brown
(D-Ohio) was the keynote speaker.