The NEMWI and the National Call to Action, a national multi-sector coalition formed in 2010 to promote a collaborative approach to economic stabilization and recovery, last week co-hosted an informational briefing on proven, cost-effective uses of federal resources and assistance for workforce and economic development at every stage of the business life cycle – startup, expansion, maintenance, and decline. NEMW Congressional Coalition Co-Chairs Congressman Mike Kelly and Congressman Jim McGovern were honorary cosponsors.
Ken Messina from Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development spoke about the model workforce and economic development coordination efforts in his state that resulted in a program called Mass BizWorks and an extensive resource guide for business owners and employees. Jack Mills from the National Network of Sector Partners provided an overview of sector partnerships and their attention to racial, gender and other employment disparities, as well as recent federal attention to sector partnerships. Tom Croft described the layoff aversion work of the Pittsburgh-based Steel Valley Authority and its many success stories. These speakers were followed by Ben Seigel from the Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor and Bryan Borlik from the Economic Development Administration, who discussed their agencies’ workforce and economic development efforts, coordination with other federal agencies, and available resources. Briefing slides are available here.