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Workforce Bulletin April 20, 2011  Visit the Fox Cities Workforce Development Magazine Archives  Printer-friendly newsletter |
Welcome Workforce Bulletin The Workforce Bulletin is a quarterly publication of the Fox Cities Workforce Development Center. The intent of the Bulletin is to keep you informed of the issues and trends in workforce development from a local, regional, and a national perspective, to help your business succeed in a constantly changing marketplace. We welcome your suggestions and feedback. Contact us with your questions or comments. For additional business services and resources please contact the Business Services Team.
What's Happening April 29 & May 11 - 8th Grade Career Fair The Fox Valley Workforce Development Board's Youth Services team will be conducting two 8th Grade Career Fairs. The first will be held at Waupaca Middle School on Friday, April 29, 2011. The second will be at Hilbert High/Middle School on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. Both fairs will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Volunteers are needed to come and answer career related questions. This will give the students more information about a variety of careers so they will be able to make an informed decision when registering for high school classes, as well as help in their career planning. The 8th Grade Career Fair is in its third year, and it has received great comments from students, counselors and volunteers. If you are interested in participating, please email Kathy Rank, or contact her by phone at 920.720.0406. You may also come and see what all the fuss is about!
May 5 - NEW Economy Careers and Regional Job Fair The NEW Economy Careers and Regional Job Fair will be held Thursday, May 5, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The Job Fair will be located in the Multipurpose Room, Lakeshore Building at Lakeshore Technical College. The College is located at 1290 North Ave., Cleveland, WI 53015. REGISTER now for the Job Fair.
May 6 - 2011 Chick-fil-A Leadercast Fox Valley Workforce Development Board and the Fox Valley Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management are partnering to bring you the 2011 Chick-fil-A Leadercast on Friday, May 6. Featuring world-renowned leaders, the event will demonstrate positive leadership and help the audience develop their "leadership voice." It will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Fox Cinema, located on 400 Third Street in Menasha. Registration fee is $100 and you can REGISTER now. Find out more about the Leadercast!
May 17 - Cash Flow Management and Break-even Analysis Seminar The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Priora Cash Flow Management, LLC are sponsoring a seminar that focuses on effective cash flow management, break-even analysis, and other important financial information critical to the success of a business. The Successful Cash Flow Management Strategies and Break-even Analysis Seminar will be held May 17, 2011, at the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry, located at 125 N. Superior Street in Appleton. The Seminar will be in the Octoberfest Seminar Room - Lower Level, and will last from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. The cost for Chamber members is $25, and non-members $35. REGISTER by Sunday, May 15. For questions email the Chamber, or call 920.734.7101.
May 17 - Veterans Job and Benefit Fair The Veterans Job and Benefit Fair will be held Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at the Army National Guard Armory, located on 2801 W. Second Street, Appleton. The event will start at 10:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. For more information about the Fair, please see the FLYER, or contact Kelly Aschebrook, 920.968.6081, or Bill Trombley, 920.968.6306.
May 17 - 2011 Leaders Forum Associated Financial Group is inviting area business leaders to attend the 2011 Leaders Forum. The Forum will be held on Tuesday, May 17, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at Radisson Paper Valley, located on 333 W. College Avenue, Appleton. The event will feature Neil Howe as the Keynote speaker, and will have two breakout sessions:
May 19 - Lean Overview Session Lean Office Training overview session will be held on Thursday, May 19, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The training will be held at the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board office, located at 1401 McMahon Drive in Neenah. Topics to be covered include:
The cost to attend the overview sessions is $35 per person, which includes training materials and refreshments. In addition, each participating company will receive a free four hour Lean assessment (valued at $500), to be scheduled at your worksite. The assesment will determine the strengths and weaknesses of your organization and provide recommendations and action plans for Lean Office implementation.
May 19 - Financial Information Seminar The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be hosting a seminar sponsored by Tradewydes International, LLC, that will discuss the economy, the effect of taxes and inflation on businesses, and investing. The seminar will be held in the Octoberfest Seminar Room at the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, located on 125 N. Superior Street, in Appleton. The seminar will be held from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. The cost to Chamber members is $20 and to non-members $25. REGISTER now, or contact the Fox Cities Chamber for information at 920.734.7101.
May 24 - Fond du Lac High School Job Fair The Fond du Lac High School Job Fair will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 24. The Fair will be located at the Fond du Lac High School, 801 Campus Drive in Fond du Lac. Participating businesses can publicize summer job opportunities at no charge! For more information, please contact Lindsey Haselbarth, 920.906.6776, or Vikki Winkler, 920.906.6700 ext. 3145.
June 6 & 7 - Digital Healthcare Conference 2011 The Digital Healthcare Conference 2011 will be held June 6 and 7 at the Fluno Center in Madison. The Center is located at 601 University Avenue, downtown Madison. The conference brings together healthcare, law, and technology experts to share ideas, network and innovate. REGISTER before April 29, 2011 to receive a $100 discount, or click HERE for more information about the conference.
June 7 & 8 - Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference The 9th annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference is one of Wisconsin's premier networking and hands-on events for business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and others who wish to attend. The conference will be held on June 7 and 8 at the Pfister Hotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Avenue, in Milwaukee. REGISTER now, or visit the event website for SPONSORSHIP information.
Resources A Tool to Help Businesses Export The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration have partnered to develop an online resource for U.S. businesses that want to build an international strategy. The simple website is a tool for companies that want to export and compete globally, but need help doing so. It helps a business asses its readiness to expand into new markets, and provides detailed information on many aspects of exporting. The website includes such things as paperwork and documents needed to export, foreign market information, regulations and standards, trade issues and other helpful information. To learn more about the tool, please go to Export.gov.
Post Job Openings at No Cost The Northeast Wisconsin Chamber Coalition and NationJob, Inc. have developed a platform for chamber members to promote job openings. The NationJob webpage allows any business to post job openings, but chamber members receive significant savings. In fact, members of the chambers listed below can post local positions at no cost!
Hiring Young Workers As summer approaches, businesses start to hire seasonal workers, mostly younger workers. There are several things a business must be aware of in order to comply with the laws and regulations that pertain to employment of minors. Here are some examples:
Spotlight Northeast Wisconsin Business Plan Contest Winners On March 21st, five finalists in the Northeast Wisconsin Business Plan contest presented their business plans. After hearing their presentations, the judging panel awarded the following:
The contest is organized and sponsored by the Northeast Wisconsin Regional Economic Partnership. Other sponsors include: The New North, Inc., Fox Valley Workforce Development Board, WE Energies, Dominion, Oconto County Economic Development Corporation, East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Goodwill Industries of Northcentral Wisconsin, ADVOCAP, Ripon College Creative Enterprise Center, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh - College of Business, Lakeshore Technical College, Moraine Park Technical College, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, and Fox Valley Technical College.
Scholarships and Grants to Attend BIO International Convention 2011 BIO International Convention, the largest Biotechnology event, will be held June 27-30, 2011, in Washington D.C. It features keynote speakers from the world's leading scientists, CEOs, and even former presidents of the United States. This year, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, as well as a clinic called BioForward, are each offering grants and scholarships for Wisconsin businesses to attend the convention. The Trade Show Grant Program of the Department of Commerce offers grants to Wisconsin companies with sales less than $25 million, to attend the event. For more information about the Trade Show Grant Program, please visit the WI Department of Commerce website. BioForward is sponsoring the Small Business Scholarship Program for BIO 2011, which awards scholarships to small Wisconsin biotechnology companies. For details about the Small Business Scholarship Program for BIO 2011, please visit the BioForward website.
Woman Manager of the Year Award Every year, the Fond du Lac Chapter of Women in Management, Inc. presents the Woman Manager of the Year Award. It is awarded to an area businesswoman in a management-related position, or a business owner, who has made exemplary contributions to her company, fellow employees, clients and the community. Candidates can be nominated by supervisors, co-workers, clients, colleagues, family or friends. The deadline for nominations is April 29, and the winner will be announced on June 8. For nomination forms or questions, email Donna Klanderman or call at 920.922.3410.
Updates Congress Avoids a Government Shutdown Thursday, April 14, both Chambers of the U.S. Congress voted to pass a budget bill, therefore avoiding a government shutdown. The bill was passed after several extensions to legislation that was to initially expire in March. The budget bill funds the government through September 30, 2011, while cutting $38 billion in non-defense discretionary government spending. However, some members of Congress say that the bill did not go far enough in reducing the nation's deficit. After reaching the agreement, the House almost immediately began the debate on the 2012 budget proposals that contain even more drastic reductions in government spending. For detailed information and a summary of the budget bill, please visit The Library of Congress web page.
President Obama Issues Executive Order to Improve Rule Review On January 18, President Obama signed Executive Order 13563, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.” The Executive Order instructs federal agencies to review regulations frequently to identify and revise those that have become “outmoded, insufficient, ineffective, or excessively burdensome.” The Order included two memoranda that emphasized the importance of well-tailored regulations to small business job creation and economic recovery, and streamlining of regulation among agencies. This will largely help small businesses that unnecessarily spend time and resources attempting to comply with regulations that are not pertinent to them.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) The final regulations under Title II of Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) went into effect in January 2011. The Act prohibits gathering, using and disclosing information about applicants and employees by employers, unions and employment agencies. Under GINA, genetic information includes an individual's family medical history and results of an individual's or a family member's genetic tests, among other genetic information. An employee's current health, however, is not genetic information. The prohibitions extend to the individual's fourth degree relatives. To avoid inadvertent receipt of genetic information, employers can use a disclaimer with specific language that discourages the provision of genetic information. For more details on how to prevent violating GINA II, you can download a document from the Boardman Law Firm.
Delayed Effective Date for New Fee Disclosure Rules There has been a delayed effective date for new fee disclosure rules that affect employer retirement plans like 401(k) plans. The new rules were originally effective July 16, 2011, but the Department of Labor is delaying the effective date until January 1, 2012. To read the government announcement, please click HERE. The government expects to get final regulations out before the effective date. As reported in the Workforce Bulletin last fall, the mandatory disclosures are intended to make needed information available to employers in a cost-effective manner, enhance service value, and discourage harmful conflicts of interest. Under the regulations, employers may need to report non-compliant service providers to the Department of Labor. Click to view The Factsheet.
EEOC Letter of Comment on Record Keeping The EEOC Office of Legal Counsel staff members issued a letter of comment on the issue of third party record keeping. Today, many companies use third party IT vendors to store their electronic information such as applications, resumes, video interviews, and other employee information. In this letter, the EEOC has advised that the employer is responsible for preserving any personnel records. The employer must also have free access to these records, especially in the case that the EEOC requests the records to investigate a discrimination complaint. In order to avoid loss or impairment of personnel records, the employer should have a clear contract with the third party vendor. The contract should address the issues of access and preservation of personnel information. For more information, please see the EEOC Letter.
Discrimination Charges Filed With EEOC Hit a Record U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that in 2010, a record of 99,922 private sector workplace discrimination charges were filed. The high numbers are attributed to the economic recession which has resulted in more layoffs and discharges than in previous years. Even with increasing numbers of claims, the EEOC has decreased its backlog and has processed the cases with more efficiency and effectiveness. For more details and data on the complaints and process, please see the EEOC News Release.
EPA Issues New Rules In the past several weeks, The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a number of new rules that will affect businesses and the economy. The EPA published the final boiler and incinerator rules in the Federal Register on March 21, imposing new emissions standards and work practice requirements on industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers, and solid waste incinerators. The Agency also issued proposed emission standards for coal and oil fired electric utilities, and for cooling water intake structures. The Small Business Association Office of Advocacy will be hosting environmental roundtables to discuss the new regulations and the effects they may have on businesses. To participate, please email Assistant Chief Counsel David Rostker.
Workforce Trends A Look at Net Job Gains and Losses Tip Strategies, an economic development consulting firm, has developed an animated map to show the net job gains and losses in the top 100 metropolitan areas. The job change is shown over a rolling 12-month period for 2004 through today. The animation very simply demonstrates the change in the nation's economy and just how extreme the changes in employment were during the recession. Although there are still areas that are losing jobs, 2011 seems to be showing improvement overall. See the Net Job Change Animated Map.
Slow Money: A Revolutionary Trend A group of Southeastern Wisconsin agricultural innovators is beginning an initiative that economic theory would usually call inefficient. Slow Money is an innovative business model for building local employment, reducing carbon footprints and enhancing the nutritional value of locally available food. Since it is estimated that an average American meal travels 1500 miles before reaching the dinner table, the group wants to develop local infrastructure to reduce this travel time and promote locally grown and processed food. When looking only at what is considered the cost of producing food, it may seem cheaper to have milk from Wisconsin be shipped to other states for bottling and shipped back. This, however, does not include the carbon footprint of the transportation and the potential jobs in processing that are elsewhere and not in Wisconsin. Developing some local infrastructure to process the milk locally would add value to the community and decrease the environmental impact of transportation. For more about this initiative, please visit Slow Money.
Wisconsin Exports on the Rise In 2006, Wisconsin was 21st largest exporter among the 50 states. In 2010, it ranked 18th, with an increase in exports of 18.28%. Wisconsin exports to Canada increased by 24.87%, to Mexico by 26.76%, to China by 21.45%, to Germany by 16.28%, and to Japan by 6.37%. These countries are the top five export markets for Wisconsin. Industrial machinery, including computer equipment, as well as electrical machinery, medical and scientific instruments, and agricultural exports, all saw large increases. The Wisconsin trade climate has improved just in time for the Governor to present his Annual Export Achievement Award. This award is given to organizations that have achieved extraordinary results in global markets or have contributed to Wisconsin's ability to compete globally. For more details about Wisconsin exports or Award criteria, please see the Department of Commerce Press Release.
Workforce Publications 2011 Economic Outlook Report In February of 2011, Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry released its annual report showing the results of a local economic survey. The Chamber randomly sampled 200 of its members to determine their perceptions on the local, state, and national economies in the coming year. Also included in the report are company prospects for sales, profits, employment, expansion and other business indicators. Here are some key figures from the report for 2011:
End of the Recession for Small Businesses The Small Business Economy, 2010 edition, reviews the overall economy for small businesses in 2009. The report shows how difficult the first part of 2009 was for small businesses, but also suggests that at the end of 2009, the outlook is much more positive. The data in the report discusses that in the first three quarters of 2009, 60% of the job losses came from small businesses. In the last quarter of the year, the losses were substantially smaller, about one third of the losses in the first quarter. The tight lending climate also harmed the small businesses for the first part of 2009. However, in the second part of the year, the interest rates stabilized and even declined on variable-rate loans. Download the Full Report.
Businesses in the News Area Business Expansions Gusmer Enterprises, Inc., Waupaca, will receive $37,000 in Economic Development Tax Credits from the Department of Commerce for an expansion project. The project is expected to create 16 and retain 82 jobs. The investment is estimated to be a total of $1,450,500. Gusmer Enterprises, Inc. manufactures specialty, non-woven products, including filtration systems, roll-milling materials and absorbent products. Due to high demand for its products, the company is upgrading its facility and purchasing new equipment. Skana Aluminum Company, Manitowoc, will receive a $650,000 Blight Elimination and Brownfield Redevelopment (BEBR) grant from the Department of Commerce to help redevelop the former Koeing & Vits manufacturing site. Skana Aluminum Company has initiated aluminum rolling mill production that converts raw material into finished coil products. The BEBR funds will be used for site clearance, building rehabilitation, and environmental remediation. The initiative is expected to create 110 jobs within five years and represents a total investment of $13.8 million. The BEBR grant provides funds to local development corporations, municipalities and the private sector, to assist in returning contaminated lands to productive use. For more information about the BEBR Program, contact Al Rabin at the Department of Commerce, 608.267.8926.
Labor Market Data Local and State Unemployment Data
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