Consent Agenda Items for September 2021 Meeting

Minutes: To approve the August Workforce Development Board minutes. Background: Minutes are attached in a separate document.

Minnesota Youth Programming Funds (youth): To reallocate SFY21 MYP retained funding in the amount of $10,000 to Tree Trust. Background: Dakota County retained $10,000 of SFY21 funds for potential youth initiatives. Funds must be expended by September 30, 2021. The full amount remains. Tree Trust confirmed they can full expend the funding from summer 2021 expenses.

One Stop Operator (evaluation): To pursue sole procurement for One Stop Operator in lieu of reissuing RFP. Background: The WDB issued an RFP for One Stop Operator in July 2021 and received no responses. According to the Department of Labor there are two options: reissue the RFP or pursue sole procurement. A draft proposal for sole procurement, including current partners will be drafted for the next meeting for review.

Premier Virtual (careerforce): To recommend a one-year contract with Premier Virtual. Background: Premier Virtual is a hiring event platform that has been used by workforce services for the past year and was paid for using CARES Act funding. Twenty events were held. More than 200 employers and almost 1,000 people participated. New contract would be November 11, 2021 through November 10, 2022. Cost is $13,500.

Regular Agenda Items for September 2021 Meeting

Officers (community relations): To recommend the slate of Vance Boelter for Chair and Mike Forbord for Vice Chair of the WDB. Background: Chair and Vice Chair positions are elected for two-year terms.

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This is a hybrid meeting; some attended in person, others attended via video conference. Meeting materials were posted online and distributed electronically prior to the meeting. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE Present: Pam Oeffler, Chair; Vance Boelter, Vice Chair; Jack Phillips; Barb Dahl; Eric Lind; Barry Davies; Darren Kermes; Sally Haack; Michael Berndt; Mike Forbord; Kristin Oftedahl; Jeffrey Rainey; Cody Wiltgen; Melissa Lutz; Commissioner Hamann-Roland REMOTE ATTENDANCE – Unable to attend in-person due to logistical barriers Jennifer Harmening; Mike Yanda; Anita Drentlaw; Mike Farren; Sarah Menke; Commissioner Weckman Brekke STAFF AND PUBLIC ATTENDANCE – In-person and remote Mark Jacobs, Amber Higgins, Sarah Montgomery, Debbie Terry, Kari Ouimette, Jill Pittelkow, Dee Skeens, Tim O’Neill, Heather Felderman, Ron Wirtz, Nathan Hansen, Adesewa Adesiji, Jim Sloan, Jared Smith, Jeff Hansen Call to Order – Pam Oeffler called the meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. Consent Agenda MOTION to approve the consent agenda made by Pam Oeffler; SECOND Barb Dahl; (M/S/P).

• To approve the June Workforce Development Board minutes. • To accept the SFY 2022 MYP allocation of $168,119 and to contract with Tree Trust in the amount of

$141,308. This amount is less 10% admin and $10,000 for youth initiatives. • To approve payment of annual dues for NAWB for $1,000 and MAWB for $5,673.91.

“Eye on the Future” – A Worker-Centric Approach to Economic and Labor Market Conditions Ron Wirtz, Regional Outreach Director, Federal Reserve Bank of M inneapolis Darren Kermes introduced Ron Wirtz. Disclaimer: The views expressed are the presenter's and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis or the Federal Reserve System. Background

• The Federal Reserve System tracks current economic conditions for the purpose of monetary policy. Information has traditionally been collected via firms.

• Covers a six-state region. • Information is in “real-time”, 6-8 weeks old or less. • Information is firm centric, one-sided especially for the labor market.

Worker Experience Initiative

• A new effort to understand the labor market from labor/worker point of view. The initiative targets workers that are dislocated, underemployed, marginally attached and/or disenfranchised.

Board Members: Pam Oeffler, Chair; Vance Boelter, Vice Chair; Jenni Faulkner; Mike Yanda; Jack Phillips; Barb Dahl; Eric Lind; Timothy Grimm; Jennifer Harmening; Barry Davies; Sarah Menke; Darren Kermes; Rachel Resnick; Sally Haack; Michael Berndt; Mike Forbord; Anita Drentlaw; Kristin Oftedahl; Jeffrey Rainey; Cody Wiltgen; Melissa Lutz; Mike Farren; Commissioner Weckman Brekke; Commissioner Hamann-Roland

MINUTES

Workforce Development Board

Friday, August 20, 2021 7:30-9:00 a.m.

Northern Service Center, West St. Paul Conference Rooms 110A and 110B

Video Conference https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84268011069?pwd=SEQ0Wmx5YU4

0eGRUWkg5eXJVc0RGUT09

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Worker Experience Initiative + CareerForce

• Efforts to identify what’s keeping people from working. • Two surveys were conducted to collect information from the workers’ point of view:

1. CareerForce staff survey conducted in April 2021 – received 90 responses out of 150+ sent out 2. Job seekers with CareerForce contact survey conducted in May 2021 – received 650 responses

out of 2,500+ sent out • Most responders were older and/or well educated

Survey Results

• CareerForce survey of job seekers o Obstacles to employment were identified. 7 of 15 of those reached 50% moderate-or-worse of

threshold (on ranking scale). o Obstacles centered on the worker (skills), employers (pay), and broader environment (Covid). o Some believe over-qualified = overlooked. o Respondents were unlikely to relocate or change personal schedule. They were generally willing

to give up government assistance. o Most were interested in training or new line of work. o They prefer not a lot of change and would like to be better compensated. There’s less urgency

than many expected. o Job seekers want more full-time work. Employers have more part-time work than people want.

• CareerForce staff survey o Overall, responses were in agreement/similar compared to the job seeker survey. o Respondents were likely to act and give up government assistance. Respondent composition

(old/educated) may have played a role. o The staff survey identified remote work as the most important factor when looking for

employment. Remote work was not asked about in the job seeker survey. Other

• CareerForce surveys have provided a template for others (i.e., Job Service North Dakota, Workforce Services Division of Montana, Minnesota Unions)

• If interested, the WDB could support efforts through networking, connecting with job seekers, and obtaining data.

Questions and comments followed the presentation.

Reports Executive Committee – Pam Oeffler Membership – there are 3 applicants up for membership.

• MOTION to recommend Heather Felderman, Jim Sloan, and Pratip Goswami be appointed to the Dakota-Scott Workforce Development Board. Motion made by Pam Oeffler; SECOND Barry Davies; (M/S/P). Background: Applications were distributed in the Board packet. Heather Felderman currently works for the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) and would represent the public sector. Jim Sloan currently works as a Business Representative for the Steamfitters-Pipefitters Local 455 Union and would represent labor. Pratip Goswami currently works as a Change Management Specialist for Patterson Companies and would present the private sector. The recommended action will go to the Dakota County Board of Commissioners for formal appointment.

• Oeffler announced her resignation from Smead. She’s stepping down from the WDB as she longer lives or works in Dakota-Scott Counties.

Governor’s Workforce Development Board—Boelter • Joint meeting was held with the Office of Higher Education on July 15th. • Identified common challenges and barriers to opportunities. • Defined alignment and the importance of partnering. • Identified/developed goals and next steps.

National Association of Workforce Boards • Four members/staff attended the national conference. • Attendees will present information during an upcoming meeting.

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Minnesota Association of Workforce Boards • Nine members/staff attended the Minnesota conference.

Evaluation Committee – Sarah Menke The Dislocated Worker program has had more traffic – averaging about 20 new enrollments per month since

May. Continuing to look at diversity data. More to come. RFP for MFIP Employment and Training

• MOTION to delay issuing the RFP for MFIP Employment and Training services for one year. Motion made by Sarah Menke; SECOND Darren Kermes; (M/S/P). Background: The WDB issues an RFP for all program services no less than every five years. Because of the pandemic, the MFIP E&T program has been significantly changed; there would be difficulty for any provider to show outcomes or new approaches.

State Dislocated Worker • MOTION to accept the State Dislocated Worker funding for 2021-22 and approve the program splits of

24.2% Scott County and 75.8% Dakota County. Dakota County will contract with HIRED and DEED to provide these services. Motion made by Sarah Menke; SECOND Darren Kermes; (M/S/P). Abstaining: Barb Dahl and Mike Yanda. Background: Allocations for next year’s funding have been received. The allocation is $967,813 ($234,211 Scott/$733,602 Dakota). This is a 28.9% decrease in funding compared to 2020. Contracts will be executed with HIRED and DEED with a cost per participant amount of $1,000 per person; there will be approximately 100 slots for each provider. The cost per participant amount has increased from $900 to $1,000. This is an increase of 11%. Last change to this participant costs was in 2013.

Community Relations Committee – Darren Kermes Eye on the Future

• MN Chamber of Commerce will present in September. • Future potential topics include electric vehicles, American Recover Program (ARP) funding, and

international business industry. WDB Officers

• Thanks to Pam Oeffler for her work and commitment to the WDB! • WDB members may self nominate or nominate another member for the position of Chair or Vice-

chair. Elections will take place at September meeting. Please submit names to a committee member. December Legislative and Employer Awards Event

• Historically the event has taken place in-person. Last year, a virtual breakfast was held (due to Covid).

• Discussing plans for this year, in-person vs virtual. Opinions are split 50/50. Continuing to look at ideas including potential for a hybrid event.

• Hold the date – the event will take place on Friday, December 10th.

Business Services and Youth Committees – Michael Berndt and Barb Dahl The committees held a joint meeting, looking at ways to work together to create stronger pathways to

employment and build stronger connections. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and Minnesota Department of Education presented

information on apprenticeships. Next steps

• Conduct an inventory to identify what’s happening within school districts and where there might be gaps or areas in need of support.

• Identify where apprenticeship opportunities exist/are happening. • Spread the word about apprenticeship opportunities (i.e. partner with local chambers).

CareerForce Committee – Eric Lind Many agencies are slowly transitioning into a hybrid work environment. The West St. Paul and Shakopee Career Labs are open to the public Monday through Friday, no appointment

required. The Burnsville Career Lab remains closed but staff are available by appointment either virtually or in-person 20 hours a week.

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Dakota County Commissioner Report – Commissioner Hamann-Roland Seeing a steady jump in Covid cases. 90% of Minnesota Counties have seen increased transmission rates. Vaccination rates are also up – incentives go until Sunday. There’s lots of discussion about 3rd vaccination doses. Public Health is planning vaccination clinics for October. Deeper discussions regarding ARA funding will begin August 24th. “Eye on the Future” – Scott Caver Dakota Community Action Partnership (CAP) Agency Jeff Hansen, Executive Director Darren Kermes introduced Jeff Hansen. Overview

• Hansen took on his role in February 2020, just as Covid was shutting things down. • Community Informed Programs – services are client centered and trauma informed. A Community Needs

Assessment helps identify needs, gaps in service, and geographic areas. • Key services:

o Housing and Emergency Services o Food/Nutrition (food security) o Education (school readiness – Head Start and Early Head Start Programs) o Prevention and Intervention

• A large percentage of those served are from the BIPOC community. • There are 20+ integrated programs strengthened by community partnerships. • Volunteers support food shelfs, senior food/meal deliver, the thrift store, and education programs.

The Future

• Capacity building – relocating to a new location which will allow for increased capacity. • Save the date – The “Build a Better Future” event is taking place at Mystic Lake on October 9th. • The WDB can help promote and let people know about services. Volunteer opportunities are also

available. Questions and comments followed the presentation. Updates Burnsville Chamber – Jennifer Harmening

• Focused on workforce. Struggling to figure out what to work on and how to help businesses. Some businesses have scaled back because they can’t find staffing.

• MN Chambers 2030 report is now available. Schmitty & Sons – Michael Forbord

• Gearing up for back to school. An Open House event is taking place in Burnsville on August 25th. Hy-Vee – Cody Wiltgen

• Wiltgen accepted a new position with Hy-Vee and moving to Sioux Falls. He is looking for a colleague to apply and continue with the WDB.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:58 a.m.

Executive Committee Minutes September 13, 2021

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Items of Note: • Approved motions brought forward from committees on WDB officers; previous year MYP funding

to Tree Trust; One Stop Operator sole procurement, and a one-year contract with Premier Virtual. • Annual legislative and award event will be held Friday, December 10th from 11:30-1:00 p.m. at Ames

Center in Burnsville. • Hot topic: Challenge of getting people in active job search mode. Employers struggling to find

enough workers.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Present: Vance Boelter, Sarah Menke, Barb Dahl, Eric Lind, Michael Berndt, Darren Kermes

Others: Mark Jacobs, Kari Ouimette, Jill Pittelkow

Boelter called meeting to order at 3:33 p.m. Minutes of previous meeting were approved.

Membership: • There will be two private sector openings (Oeffler and Wiltgen). • Jacobs has connected with three potential candidates from Hastings area. • Will reach out to Tim Grimm to confirm continued interest.

Committee Reports: (please see individual committee minutes for complete information) Community Relations – Kermes • Eye on the Future for September – MN Chamber on 2030 plan and MAWB/NAWB feedback.

October – electric vehicles. • Legislative and Awards event will be held Friday, December 10th from 11:30-1:00 p.m. at the Ames

Center in Burnsville. It will be an in-person event with the option to view the awards and speaker presentations virtually.

• Motion made, seconded, and approved to recommend the slate of Vance Boelter for Chair and Mike Forbord for Vice Chair. Boelter abstained.

• Reviewed social media boost data – 86% of those reached were women. Youth- Dahl • Minnesota Youth Program (Dakota County) - Motion made, seconded, and approved to reallocate

SFY21 MYP retained funding in the amount of $10,000 to Tree Trust. • Considering using social media boosts for Traitify. Had increased usage when done last year. • Working on developing a survey. Will focus on assessing career related programming in each district. • GWDB is considering creating task force to look at youth involvement in the labor force.

Business Services – Berndt • Looking at creating a three-month pilot focused on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) training.

Working on recruiting businesses and creating trainings that would meet CEUs of the HR departments. Will bring more info back to committee once it’s more refined.

• Dakota County hosted two virtual hiring events. Both had a high number of employers and a low number of job seekers. JobsHQ will be holding an in-person event in September.

• Read an article from NACO that looked at the future of work and using ARP funding for recovery efforts.

Eval – Menke • Motion made, seconded, and approved to pursue sole procurement for the One Stop Operator in

lieu of reissuing RFP. The WDB issued an RFP for One Stop Operator in July 2021 and received no responses. According to the Department of Labor there are two options: reissue the RFP or pursue sole procurement. A draft proposal for sole procurement, including current partners will be drafted for the next meeting for review.

• Averaging 20 dislocated worker enrollments per month. • Next level review of MFIP data to occur in October or November. CareerForce – Lind • Motion made, seconded, and approved to recommend a one-year contract with Premier Virtual.

Lisa Odland, Workforce Specialist, provided an overview of the demo showing both the employer and job seeker views.

• Many sites are holding off returning to work due to the delta variant. Organizational Updates: • Compiling info regarding NAWB/MAWB feedback. A slide will be sent to presenters to review prior

to the WDB meeting. Hot Topics: • Challenge of getting people in active job search mode. • Employers struggling to find enough workers. • Colleges have seen a decrease in enrollment. • Sponsorship of people from other countries. Meeting adjourned at 4:11 p.m.

Evaluation Committee Minutes September 2, 2021

_____________________________________________________________________________________ Items of Note: • Approved motion to pursue sole procurement for the One Stop Operator. • Reviewed LMI data. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Present: Jeffrey Rainey, Sarah Menke, Cathy Weik Others: Mark Jacobs, Jill Pittelkow, Brandon Kmety, and Sarah Montgomery Menke called meeting to order at 3:33 p.m. Minutes of previous meeting were approved.

Program updates:

MFIP - • Participation rates are unavailable for May and June due to an internet platform change at DHS and

DEED. State staff are working on an alternate way to pull the data. Dislocated Worker (DW) – • Dakota County is averaging about 20 new enrollments per month. Have seen an uptick in referrals

and attendance at the weekly DW overviews. Diversionary Work Program (DWP) Update – • The DWP program was shut down in May 2020 and will be restarting effective September 1, 2021.

No applications have been received yet. Unsure how busy the first months will be. One Stop Operator – Motion made, seconded, and approved to pursue sole procurement For One Stop Operator in lieu of reissuing RFP. Background: The WDB issued an RFP for One Stop Operator on July 23, 2021 and received no responses. According to the Department of Labor there are two options: reissue the RFP or pursue sole procurement. A draft proposal for sole procurement, including current partners will be drafted for the next meeting for review. Biennial Service Agreement (BSA) – • The 2022-2023 Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) BSA was issued on August 15, 2021. • Both Dakota and Scott County will need to complete the BSA. Only Dakota County is under the

purview of the WDB. • BSA includes: needs statement, service models for MFIP/DWP, services for Family Stabilization

Services and other services, performance measures, program monitoring/compliance, collaboration, crisis services, budget, and others.

• Due October 15, 2021. Labor Market Insights: • O’Neill provided data on Minnesota Industry Employment by Age (specifically those ages 55+) for

2020.

• According to the data, those major industries with the largest shares of workers in Minnesota 55 years+ include Transportation and Warehousing (33.7% of workers 55 years and older); Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing (30.2%); Wholesale Trade (27.3%); Manufacturing (27.3%); and Utilities (27.2%).

• Overall, 23.8% of workers in Minnesota are 55 years of age and older. 5.9% are 65 years of age and older.

MFIP Diversity Data – • Additional cohort data will be added to original data set. • New data will look at:

o Patterns across time o Potential impact of seasonality o Number of hours worked; activities; type of roles/sector/industry o Look at wage at entrance o Exit reasons o Breakout BIPOC to race categories

• Pittelkow will check with Jaques-Leslie from DHS to see if he would be available to pull and present this data in October or November.

Plan of Work – • Three main areas: monitoring programs, RFPs, and diversity data. • Need to look at data to see where we see differences within potential different industries and or

sectors. Meeting adjourned at 3:58 p.m.

Community Relations Committee Minutes September 7, 2021

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Items of Note: • December Legislative and Awards event will be held on Friday, December 10th from 11:30-1:00

p.m. at the Ames Center in Burnsville. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Present: Darren Kermes, Jenni Faulkner, Jack Phillips, Chaz Johnson, Mike Forbord, Kristin Oftedahl Others: Mark Jacobs, Jill Pittelkow, Kari Ouimette

Kermes called meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. Minutes of previous meeting were approved.

Eye on the Future

August • Feedback – worker’s centered approach; both presentations received good feedback. Three

comments included ideas for future Eye on the Future speakers. September • MN Chambers 2030 report and 10 minutes for NAWB and MAWB attendee feedback. October • Electric vehicle discussion and tie to employment – Forbord to reach out to a couple of potential

speakers (likely Great River Energy). Jacobs to connect with Rainey about potential speakers from Dakota Electric.

November • Potentially Kim Feller, the new Ditchler of ProAct. December Luncheon/Breakfast/Awards • Reviewed venue feedback regarding cancellation policies and costs. • Event will be held Friday, December 10th from 11:30-1:00 p.m. at the Ames Center in Burnsville. • Event will be hybrid with an option for folks to attend in person or view the awards and speaker

presentations via Zoom. • Staff will work on figuring out video options for the event. • Speaker options were discussed. Considering Allison Liuzzi from the Wilder Foundation and MN

Senator Eric Pratt. • CRC has 3 awards – Mark McAfee, Bob Killeen, and Business Champion. Committee members asked

to bring suggestions for nominees to the next meeting. Officers • Motion made, seconded, and approved to recommend Mike Forbord for Vice Chair and Vance

Boelter for Chair of the WDB. Abstain: Mike Forbord. • Jacobs to check on need for election nominees to be posted in advance of meeting.

State and Federal Legislation • State – continuing to work on serving clients. Additional unemployment benefits have ended waiting

to see the impact. • WIOA Reauthorization - Discussions are underway on what it looks like and when. WDB and MAWB

will provide input on what we recommend for changes. The New World Communications • Reviewed one of the August social media boosts. Boost reached 5,246 people but unsure what that

translates too. • Looking at how we are using targeting options. Seems like a disproportionate number of women

(86%) are receiving the boosts. Plan of Work • No changes to make except updating committee members. Meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

Business Services Committee Minutes September 1, 2021

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Items of Note: • An IDE proposal pilot was presented. • Joint initiative with Youth Committee – discussing apprenticeship outreach strategies. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Present: Michael Berndt (Chair), Maggie Dykes, Skip Nienhaus, Claire Giancola-Belmares, Steve Rausch, Krista Jech, Eric Lind, Eric Van Oss, Bob Trewartha, Mike Farren, Brandon Kmety

Others: Mark Jacobs, Amber Higgins

Berndt called meeting to order at 8:01 a.m. June and August minutes were approved.

Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) – Berndt and Trewartha • Efforts tie to the Plan of work. Continuing to explore I-WE which provides resources that

businesses can access to support IDE efforts (i.e. toolkits). • Two pieces/sides of things; how to administer and how to provide training, certifications/CEU’s

and resources. • Where does it make sense to reside – with the county or colleges? • Bob Trewartha presented a potential proposal from the school’s (Inver Hills/DCTC) perspective:

o The idea may or may not involve I-WE. o It involves a 3-month pilot starting with an internal audit of businesses. o 4 trainings would take place 3 weeks apart. Trainings will meet CEU

authorization/requirements (through SHRM). o A coach or mentor would work 1:1 with businesses. o Established costs will relate specifically to training and coaches/mentors. o Questions and things to figure out:

Tool kit resources Are other funding sources available? Issues with administration Badging ideas

• Committee Discussion o The proposal meets I-WE criteria. o CEU’s and lower costs will make it more appealing to businesses. o The colleges may have more “man-power” to operate/administer. o Like the mentor idea – more likely to result in implementation and action. o Larger organizations have more resources and ability to move ideas into action. Smaller

businesses are more limited and don’t know where to start. o Efforts towards piloting vs maintaining may be different. o Could HRCI be considered vs SHRM (for certifications/CEU’s)? o Need to be strategic about getting businesses onboard. Quarterly seminars could help

generate interest. o Who’s the target audience? Smaller companies (fewer resources)? o Many organizations have fixed price points to work with them. o Organizational Assessment – I-WE has resources already created. Could they be

modeled after?

o Ideas

Reach out to businesses that participated in Employers of Excellence. Could there be an award/recognition associated for participating businesses?

• What’s Next? o Flush out the pilot; costs and other logistics before presenting the proposal to others. o WDB involvement – Jacobs

If the college implements the proposal on their own there is no need for WDB action. If there’s a partnership or any financial commitment, then approval from the WDB is required.

Joint Youth Initiative – Berndt

• In August, Business Services held a joint meeting with the Youth Committee. • Concentrating work in 4 areas:

o Providing exposure to non-traditional careers o Leveraging youths’ interest in games/gamification o Supporting school counselors o Marketing information to youth and parents

• The Minnesota Department of Labor and Minnesota Department of Education presented information about apprenticeships. Next steps:

o Conduct an inventory of what schools are doing. In progress.

o Identify ways to help spread the word about apprenticeships. Idea – spotlight area companies, connect with those that offer apprenticeship

programs. Get statements about what they’ve done, how it works, and why it’s worth pursuing. Provides more credibility.

Could tie to Apprenticeship Week – November 8th-12th. Create promotional items.

o Talk with local chambers about hosting events. Some are already promoting information. The Lakeville Chamber had a

manufacturing company reach out after information was distributed. • Other

o Krista Jech – Lakeville Works is working on a lot of the same ideas. Discussing how to do things. Covid is still a barrier; many things are tentative and people are still hesitant.

Plan of Work

• Focus efforts on apprenticeships and I-WE/IDE initiatives. Revisit other goals in 2022. December Legislative and Awards Event

• Discussing whether the event will be held in-person, virtually or hybrid. People are split 50/50. • Target date is December 10th. • Award nominations are being accepted. • Looking for ideas for keynote speakers:

o I-WE o Apprenticeships – needs to be inspirational (businesses or apprentice) o Bridgeworks – cross-generation topics o Jason Averbrook with Leapgen – digital transformation

Program Updates Eric Van Oss – Economic Development

• Two big projects in the works; new distribution center and a new brewery and winery.

Dykes – Economic Development • Environmental Legacy Fund Pilot Program – targeting communities with landfills, Burnsville

received authorization for a Capstone warehouse project. • Still figuring out ARP funds.

Brandon Kmety – Scott County • The building was sold – changing locations/moving in November. • New website launching called Great Scott (https://www.greatscottcounty.org/). • Drop-in slots will be available for the public to meet with employment counselors to talk about

anything job related. Days and times are TBD. Eric Lind – Education

• English Language/GED classes start September 8th. There will be in-person and online options available. Intro to Healthcare begins Sept. 17th.

• District 196 has re-instated a mask mandate. • Partnering with DCTC for online courses.

Bob Trewartha – Education • Waiting on word about funding for the track. • A new Sales Representative will be hired on by the end of the week. • Colleges are represented at the Minnesota State Fair in the Education Building.

Michael Berndt – Education • Implementing the Strategic Plan – focusing on equity.

Krista Jech – Workforce • Workforce shortage – waiting to see if there’s changes in the next few weeks when UI benefits

end. People have learned to live differently. Employers are upping their game to attract people/workers and get them excited. Many businesses are experiencing no-call, no-shows.

Mark Jacobs and Amber Higgins – Workforce • Dakota County has hosted two virtual hiring events each month since November 2020. There

has been a high number of employers and few job seekers. Last month, the first in-person event since the pandemic was held. 7 employers and 20 job seekers attended. Due to reinstated restrictions, the in-person event scheduled for September has been changed to a virtual event.

• Dakota County is hosting a virtual hiring event on September 2nd. • Jen Strand with JobsHQ is driving a larger hiring event on September 22nd.

Homework Discussion

• Young people are losing connections to work. • Is there a way to use ARP funding for a marketing campaign – marketing the lifestyle, diversity,

etc. vs the jobs? • There is a lot of employer competition to attract workers. • Need to focus on root issues – people need training and education to achieve a sustainable job. • Pine County is using ARP funding to support free education. • There’s been a loss of women in the workforce. • People got a taste of working from home. Now, if a position doesn’t offer the ability to work

from home at least 3 days a week, people don’t want the job. • There’s isn’t as much daycare available. • How do we enable people to get back into the workforce?

America’s Rescue Plan

• Waiting on guidelines for the funding.

Meeting adjourned at 9:29 a.m.

CareerForce Committee Minutes September 10, 2021

_____________________________________________________________________________________ Items of Note: • Viewed a demo of Premier Virtual – a virtual hiring event platform – and recommended

purchasing a one-year contract. • Discussed COVID-19 impacts and approaches across agencies/departments/non-profits. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Present: Eric Lind, Mike Yanda, Rich Wagner, Leah McNamee, Jennifer Reichert Simpson, Erin Kampa, Linda Olson, Brandon Kmety, Lisa Odland, and Jill Pittelkow. Lind convened meeting at 8:30 a.m. Minutes of previous meeting were approved. Introductions – • Members of the committee and guest introduced themselves. Premier Virtual Demo – • Lisa Odland, Workforce Specialist with Dakota County, provided a demo of Premier Virtual from the

employer and job seeker perspective. • Specialized events have been held for teens, transportation, health care, and others. • Employers participating in a hiring event have ranged from 7 to 61. • Options are available to export lists of participants and resumes. • Motion made, seconded, and approved to recommend a one-year contract with Premier Virtual.

Background: Premier Virtual is a hiring event platform that has been used by workforce services for the past year and was paid for using CARES Act funding. Twenty events were held. More than 200 employers and almost 1,000 people participated. New contract would be November 11, 2021 through November 10, 2022. Cost is $13,500.

COVID 19 and Program Updates – DEED Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) – Kampa and Wagner • Currently in a holding pattern regarding meeting with consumers in person. • Working on a vaccination policy. • Pre-Employment Transition Services (ETS) is a priority. • Purchasing assistive technology with Pre-ETS funding. • Hiring Rehabilitation Representatives (entry level positions on counseling track). They will be

focusing on Pre-ETS and partnering with transition counselors at schools. They will be working with youth with less complex issues and at a younger age (ages 14 or 15). Eligibility is not as rigorous as other programs.

• E1 MN initiative added new requirements on September 1, 2021. This is a big change with case management with regards to VRS, Social Services, and Dakota County. Additional information about the initiative can be found here: https://disabilityhubmn.org/for-professionals/work/e1mn-partnership/.

Scott County Employment and Training (E&T) – Kmety • Staff will be moving to the new government center soon. No specifics have been figured out yet.

• Great Scott, a new Scott County initiative, is a website that will allow people to connect with E&T staff virtually. Great option for those not connected to a program. On hold until website is completely developed.

HIRED – McNamee • New, permanent counselor (Flo) has been hired to work out of the Burnsville office. • August had the highest enrollment (21) since before the pandemic. Shepherd of the Valley (SOTV) – Olson • The food shelf is allowing clients to come in person or drive up to pick up food. • Masking is required. Working on how to do events in person, but currently these are on hold. Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Job Service – Yanda • Continuing to connect with unemployment insurance applicants via phone. • The Burnsville office is currently not open to the public yet however staff are available for 20 hours

per week by appointment only. Registration is on MN Works and appointments are 30 minutes in length. Not many have made appointments thus far. With the end of federal UI benefits are anticipating higher interest.

Dakota County Workforce Services – Pittelkow • The annual Legislative and Award Event is scheduled for Friday, December 10th from 11:30-1:00 p.m. Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Adult Basic Education (ABE) Program – ISD 196 – Lind • Classes opened for in-person services this summer. Enrollment was higher than the summer before

COVID. • Fall semester started last week – both in-person and online options are available. • There is a mask mandate in the district. Plan of Work (POW) –

• Document will be updated and reviewed at next meeting. Meeting adjourned at 9:17 a.m.

Youth Committee Minutes

September 2, 2021

Items of Note: • Summer youth programs have ended. • Motion approved to reallocate $10,000 of SFY21 MYP funding to Tree Trust. • Nominations for the 2021 Willis Branning Excellence in Youth Employment Services Awards are being accepted. • Joint initiative with Business Services Committee – reviewed/discussed the program inventory survey.

Present: Barb Dahl, Anita Drentlaw, Melissa Lutz, Barry Davies Others: Amber Higgins, Meg Grove, Ben Kusch, Rachel Grossman, Brandon Kmety, Lou Powers, Bill Barnd, Jolene Rotich, Marissa Klein Dahl called the meeting to order at 8:02 a.m.

Introductions

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Program Updates – written reports which included enrollment and demographic information were distributed Scott County – Kmety (MYP and WIOA Youth)

• Outreach is ongoing. The youth counselor is meeting with alternative schools to connect with students. • In conjunction with SW Metro – summer programming started June 8th. 5 students participated in the

YouthBuild program. It ended on 7/29. • Success story – 1 out-of-school youth (OSY) completed an associate degree at Normandale Community College

and is working FT as an autobody technician earning $16.00/hr. HIRED – Grosskurth (WIOA Youth for Dakota)

• HIRED brought on a new youth counselor for Dakota County – welcome Lou Powers. The other youth counselor, Marissa Klein, is training her.

• In August, there were 5 new enrollments and 2 exits. There are currently 73 enrolled. Referrals are steadily coming in from probation, social services, and CORE.

• 3 youth secured jobs and received support services for transportation. 1 youth secured housing through donations.

• Counselors are assisting youth with applying for FAFSA, signing up for classes, applying for housing, medical benefits, WIC, etc.

• Training for Tomorrow Program – A cohort is starting in October. Participants receive training and paid internship opportunities. The interest form is available on the HIRED website (https://www.hired.org/training-tomorrow).

Tree Trust – Rotich (MYP for Dakota)

• Rotich is new to her position– started in June. • The summer youth program ended on August 13th. The end of summer celebration was held and awards were

presented. • Tree Trust completed the first cohort of their new Branches Program (for ages 18-25). The second cohort begins

in October. Information is available on Tree Trust website (https://treetrust.org/non-profit/career-pathways/branches). /

Staff Updates Dakota County – Higgins

• Dakota County Minnesota Youth Program (MYP) – State Fiscal Year 2021 Reserve Funds o Dakota County retained $10,000 of SFY21 funds for potential youth initiatives. Funds must be expended

by September 30, 2021. The full amount remains. Tree Trust confirmed they can fully expend the funding from summer 2021 expenses.

o Motion made, seconded, and approved to reallocate SFY21 MYP retained funding in the amount of $10,000 to Tree Trust.

o Dakota County is exploring potential initiatives to expend SFY22 MYP retained funds ($10,000). • Traitify

o User data spanning across 3 subscription periods was reviewed. o The Dakota-Scott WDB voted to renew the Traitify subscription through July 2022. o Idea – push out another boost on social media as the school year begins.

• Dakota and Scott County are scheduling state monitoring visits for youth employment programs. • Dakota and Scott County are working on updating the Youth Committee Guide.

Legislative and Employers Awards

• Award nominations are being accepted for the Willis Branning Excellence in Youth Employment Services (YES) Award. Two awards are made: one for Dakota and one for Scott County.

• Dakota Electric Association will sponsor the 2021 award of $500 for Dakota County. Scott County sponsorship is to be determined.

• The nomination deadline is November 1st. Nominations will be reviewed and selected during the November Youth Committee meeting.

Joint Meeting with Business Services Committee

• Next steps stemming from the August joint meeting with Business Services – develop and distribute an inventory survey to see what schools/organizations are already doing and what’s needed (gaps).

• The committee reviewed a draft inventory survey and discussed modifications/additions. • Other ideas:

o Could ARP funds be leveraged to support efforts? o Who is the target for the survey? Superintendents, principals, career counselors, non-profits, and other

organizations? Suggestion – start with principals. o Conduct a virtual session to introduce educators and organizations to the WDB (30-45 minutes), then

lead up to completing the survey. o Conduct a similar survey for businesses. Loop in the Business Services Committee to coordinate. o Include community organizations AND schools in the inventory survey.

• Higgins will incorporate the modifications/additions and ideas into the inventory survey draft and redistribute to Youth Committee members for review.

Meeting adjourned at 8:50 a.m.