Triangle South Workforce Development BoardMeeting MinutesAugust 20, 2015

Board Members Present: Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark, Carolyn Blue, Scott Daniel, Nicholas Dula, Russell Hieb, Deanna Jones, Bob Kain, Bruce Ledford, Harry Parker, Eugene Pearsall, Dianne Reid, Jim Roberts, John Ruffin, Edward Timmons, and Jim Womack.

Absent: Max Dolan, Nancy Jackson, Mary Millard, Meg Moss, and Donna Williams.

Others in Attendance: Rosalind Cross, Tiffany Swenson, Mike Peluso, Dottie Cieciorka, Angela Nicholson, Adena Mitchell, Sandra Webster, Leon Jackson, Dr. Pamela Senegal, Faye Hall, Malinda Marsh, Taylor Kirks, Sherwood Sutherland, Harvey Godwin Jr., Paul Maynor, Tori Herring, Mary Warren, Ken Chambers, John Lowry, Patricia Little, Bill Sharek, Anitra Hart, and Assistant Secretary of Workforce Solutions and Executive Director of NCWorks Will Collins.

Meeting was called to order at 4:30 pm by Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark. Quorum was established at 4:39 pm during Board Development.

Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark welcomed everyone and announced the changes to the meeting agenda. She then introduced Assistant Secretary of Workforce Solutions and Executive Director of NCWorks, Will Collins.

Board Development: Will Collins gave the TSWDB members and meeting attendees a state perspective on workforce development and highlighted some of the key components involving the implementation of WIOA. He covered the importance of Employer Engagement, Customized Training, the revitalization of apprenticeship programs, workforce talent identification and development, Work Based Learning, NCWorks Online, and the regional prosperity zones. Mr. Collins also encouraged attendees to promote the new branding of the 70 certified NCWorks Career Centers throughout the state, and discouraged the use of referring to the centers as the “unemployment office”. Mr. Collins also discussed the success of the statewide 1000 in 100 initiative, as North Carolina was the first state to ever collaborate on such a large scale, and the US Department of Labor wants to emulate that model for future WIOA implementation.

Both Jim Womack and Bruce Ledford asked Mr. Collins questions in relation to what the NC Department of Commerce was doing to prepare for auto manufacturing coming to North Carolina. Mr. Collins stated that as a former auto manufacturing human resources professional, he is aware of the need to build a skilled workforce, and through customized training and the collaboration with the community colleges, the NC Department of Commerce is prepared to face these issues. Dr. Pamela Senegal added that the state is shadowing South Carolina in an effort to beef up competitiveness and to attract the auto manufacturers to North Carolina. In addition, Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) has added a new auto manufacturing program, and increased welding to include robotic welding, thus putting the college in a strategic position to increase the skills of the local workforce.

Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark asked Will Collins the following:1) What are the regulations for the core WIOA programs in regards to Employer Services and

can you provide the details regarding expectations and measures that have been

recommended? Answer: Collaboration between employers, career centers, and community colleges are pertinent to proper employer engagement. In Hickory five competing employers who all produced furniture and made it a continued practice to attract skilled workers from each other, joined together to form a furniture academy. This academy produced enough skilled laborers to staff all five of the companies.

2) What are the regulations for the Core WIOA programs in regards to Employer Services? What expectations and measures are recommended? Answer: Statewide and regional summits were recently held (with over 200 attendees) to help create plans on how WIOA Core programs will collaborate on a statewide plan, and the Department of Commerce is still welcoming input.

3) What is the direction of NCWorks as it aligns with the state’s brand, NC-Nothing Compares? Answer: The NCWorks Career Centers will boast the state’s new branding. The department of Commerce has put together a video concerning the new NC logo, it will be emailed out to all of the board members.

4) What are you seeing for the future of Workforce Development? Answer: A change in perception and the implementation of new ideas. WIOA is the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and that is exactly what it means, opportunity, the state of NC has the opportunity to be intentionally better. It is not the old way of doing business.

5) What are the best practices for increasing participation across our region? Answer: Complementing each other to improve.

Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark introduced John Lowry, Regional Operations Director of the Sandhills Prosperity Zone that includes Sampson County. The Regional Operations Director for the North-Central Region that includes Chatham, Lee, and Harnett Counties has not yet been appointed.

Approval of June 18th, 2015 Meeting Minutes: The motion to approve the June 18th, 2015 Board Meeting Minutes was made by Dianne Reid, and was seconded by Jim Roberts. The meeting minutes were approved with no discussion or opposition.

Approval of Financial Reports: Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark discussed the new format of the Board Report to include Year to Date expenditures from the contractors. The PY 2014 closeout report was also included and reflected the amounts carried forward to PY 2015. Jim Womack asked TSWDB Fiscal Coordinator Dottie Cieciorka about the negative amount of $35,652.07 in Administrative costs and asked if it would affect the program overhead, and Dottie answered that it would have no effect. Jim Womack also asked if the funds left from the PY 2014 report would be used for carry forward for PY 2015, and Dottie stated yes. The motion to approve the financial reports was made by Russell Hieb, and was seconded by Jim Womack. The financial reports were approved with no opposition.

Contractor Updates: Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark addressed the contractors that were in attendance and stated that the Board will no longer require contractors to report out. She asked the Board Members to review the reports and ask any questions. Jim Roberts asked Director Rosalind Cross if she or any other staff member noticed any “red flags” on the Contractor Reports. Rosalind stated that there were some new contractors that were having an issue meeting the Board’s 40% participant cost allocations in their budgets, but the contractor did not have a problem with rectifying the situation. John Ruffin asked if the Contractors had anything they wanted to share. Representatives from Two Hawk Workforce Services stated that they were appreciative of the

support they received from the Board Staff, especially in regards to the WIOA Boot Camp. Two Hawk also mentioned their plans to increase outreach.

Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark then asked Board members to review the Career Center reports. Jim Womack asked if the NCWorks Career Center of Sanford had heard anything about ownership changes with Static Control Components being bought by Apex Micro Electronics and the possible sale of Central Carolina Hospital, and suggested that the Board inquire into both of these things. Bob Kain asked Sanford staff if there were any issues regarding homelessness and lack of transportation. Leon Jackson (Vet Rep for Lee County) stated that a lot of Veterans have those issues and the center makes numerous referrals to resources that can assist these individuals.

CCCC Updates: Dr. Pamela Senegal gave the TSWDB the following updates concerning Central Carolina Community College:

CCCC is ranked ninth among the two-year schools in the Best Colleges in North Carolina rankings and is ranked ninth among the online associate degree programs in the Most Affordable Online Colleges in the United States rankings.

Harnett county has begun a Tool and Die Pre-apprenticeship program Central Carolina Works increased from 50 students to 694. 88% of the graduates earned a

grade of A, B, or C. 900 students are expected to participate this fall. Nancy Blackmon of the CCCC Small Business Center is retiring The college received a grant to advise high school students to enroll in Career Pathways and

address their barriers to education. The WIOA certified Career Pathways include healthcare and manufacturing.

John Ruffin voiced his concern with the lack of diversity in past Pre-apprenticeship programs. Dr. Senegal stated that the high schools are responsible for recruitment and have been encouraged to reach out to other communities. Youth Services Coordinator Angela Nicholson stated that with Pre-Apprenticeship being a requirement under WIOA, more diverse students will be given opportunities, and have the appropriate support system in place to sustain them in the program. John Ruffin asked if there will be a measurement of diversity within the program. Angela responded that WIOA requires that these programs are offered to specific populations. Deanna Jones that Vocational Rehabilitation is exploring and expanding Work Based Learning and will work on aligning their procedures with WIOA Contractors. The Board Chair informed the members that the Board can decide to set additional measures to ensure those with significant needs are served appropriately.

Board Member Compliance: Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark stated that the Board was still seeking membership from all counties for two representatives from the Labor/Community Based Organization/Apprenticeship sector. In addition, one representative from the Adult Education and Literacy sector is needed. Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark stated that she would like to ask back former Board Member Alonza Royal. Alonza stepped down from the Board once his agency obtained the Adult and Dislocated Worker WIA contracts in Sampson County. As the WIOA Contract is now with Two Hawk Workforce Services, Alonza could resume his role on the Board. Jim Womack asked if Meg Moss could resume her membership on the Board even though she is no longer a private sector member. Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark stated that she would review the membership with Director Rosalind Cross to determine if that would be possible. She also asked the Board to spread the word about the vacancies so new members could be recruited quickly.

Bylaw Changes: Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark stated that the TSWDB Bylaws are out of compliance. The Board staff will draft the initial changes to the bylaws for compliance with WIOA regulations and discuss the changes with the Chair and/or Executive Committee. The final draft of the bylaws will be available for discussion and approval by the full board at the next meeting. Deanna Jones asked Will Collins why the local boards were required to submit Regional plans before the state has developed a state plan under WIOA. Mr. Collins stated that the proposed rules and changes under WIOA will not go into effect until January 2016, even though the law was signed in July 2014 and implemented in July 2015. The law requires the formation of regional plans and statewide plans, but everything is subject to change. Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark stated that the Board should formulate their basic plan under WIOA and tweak the plan to align with the state as needed.

Committee Recommendations under WIOA: Board Chair Faythe Canson Clark stated that WIOA law recommends that Boards have a One Stop Committee, a Special Needs/Disabilities committee, and a Youth Standing committee as the Youth Council is no longer required. The TSWDB already has a standing One Stop Committee and asked if the Board feels the need for a committee concerning the provision of Special Needs/Disabilities services. Scott Daniel stated that he thought the committee was a good idea. As the Youth Council provides oversight to Youth Services, thus fulfilling WIOA requirements, a separate Youth Standing Committee is not needed.

Committee Reports: Youth Council – Scott Daniel let the Board know that highlights from the Youth Rally were

available in the Board Packet and in the Newsletter. As a whole, the event was a great success and Scott stated that the event only gets better every year. 74 youth attended the Rally and the skill building and interaction were great. Scott stated that Youth Services Coordinator Angela Nicholson did an excellent job in her planning and implementation.

IWDP Committee – Business Services Coordinator Mike Peluso stated that the final reports for PY2014 were submitted. Neither Harnett Health nor Piedmont Biofuels used any of their available funds. Strata Solar has completed their training, and the funds delegated to International Vault can still be utilized. Mike encouraged the Board to spread the word for the new Incumbent Worker funding round in October.

Staff Updates: Director Rosalind Cross stated that WIOA Boot Camp training went well, and that two additional Boot Camps will be held sometime during the Program Year. She stated that she is excited about the roster of service providers and is looking forward to a great Program Year. She also reminded the Board about the upcoming SETA and NCWorks Conferences.

The meeting adjourned at 6:07 pm; Minutes respectfully submitted by Adena Mitchell