Plan of Work
2007
Operations
Submitted by: Jim McShane
Executive Director
Purpose: To describe the operational goals that are part of the strategic goals the Board has adopted at the annual retreat in September 2006.
Background: In hiring Dr. Ed Gordon to keynote the Board retreat, he helped the Board become aware that we are entering a time of change in the labor market and that the WIB's can play an important role in addressing what will become a pressing business need: a skilled workforce. Our role in the 14 county region is to work collaboratively with economic development entities, planning agencies, federal partners, and neighboring WIB's to address the unique issues that confront our businesses and job seekers in the region. The following table from the US Census Bureau from wage records in the 3rd quarter in 2005 showed in LWA 23 the following:
What this shows is a negative job flow for the third quarter of last year and not much gain from the prior three quarters average. There is job creation going on in the 14 county region (this is LWA23 data), but there are almost an equal number of separations to new hires and new jobs created. In other words, this region is stagnant on jobs, not increasing but slightly decreasing year to year, and the average new hire earnings is at poverty level. This nets out to an average of $8.60 per hour. The State of Illinois AVERAGE is $13.53 per hour for this same quarter. That puts us at 63% less than the state average. This does not generate wealth and creates a depressed economic environment that will not attract the types of businesses that are growing to the region. It also restricts the cash flowing and cycling through the local economies. This spiral can only be mitigated by a unified effort by all of us to turn this around, attract new business, and improve the business climate in the region.
The Board Retreat concluded that we needed to begin to increase the awareness of the region to its steady decline, the positive work ethic here, and what might be in our future that we as a regional community wish to create. To that end, the following strategic actions were proposed:
Board Strategies
Strategy 1
Create a "convergence" of workforce, education, and regional planning cutting edge speakers to come to four centers in the 14 county region. The sessions would start with Kaskaskia College in Vandalia on Day 1, Olney or Lawrenceville on Day 2, Effingham on Day 3 and Mattoon-Charleston on Day 4. Invitees would include but not be limited to: Chief Elected Officials, State Legislators, Mayors, Economic Developers, Educators, Parents, Business Leaders, Labor Leaders, Community Leaders, and Job Seekers. These are our stakeholders and we need an engaged dialogue to begin to address the underlying skill deficiencies' that block our region from growth and better employment opportunities. The goal would be for the middle of June to pull this off. Dr. Ed Gordon is already scheduled to be one of the speakers. We are talking with Bill Dodge on regionalism from Bethesda MD, and looking for a cutting edge education speaker to spark some innovation in the educational field.
Goal: To raise awareness in the LWA23 region and inspire in-depth conversation with the various community components that makeup a successful and vibrant region.
Measure: Number of people attending, depth of discussions, stakeholder feedback for the board retreat in September, successful procurement of keynote speakers.
Strategy 2
Create a collaborative environment where opportunities to leverage more federal funds to serve the region are procured. Operate out of a mindset of abundance and asking for support and investment where the return is measured and will improve the skills of the workers, enlarge the labor pool for the employers, and face the future with an attractive skilled workforce. True collaboration requires each party at the table to bring something that will contribute to the whole. Key entities we will develop strong relationships with will be:
Goal: To set up regular monthly meetings to share information and assist each other in grants and programs aimed at helping our region grow.
Measure: Meetings set regularly, sharing information, number of grants sought in collaboration.
Strategy 3
Communication with regional partners, local school boards, parents, education professionals, labor, business and elected leaders on a regular basis. Create the quarterly flier distributed through local chambers and Illinois workNet © sites to reach the business leadership, job seekers, and elected officials. Include would be a mailing to superintendents of schools for the region. The newsletter would share stories of success, data, and other information to promote better skilled workers in our region.
Goal: To create a regional awareness of the CWIB board and the activities it sponsors. By creating a quarterly newsletter, the regional awareness will be enhanced and businesses will become more aware of the services the One-Stop can provide to them.
Measure: Meeting the quarterly printing deadlines, deciding on themes for each quarter related to the workforce and/or youth, distribution grows as the year progresses with more chambers and community entities requesting copies to be mailed to their constituency.
Strategy 4
To add to wealth creation in the LWA23 region, we need to have a business incubator that will create the new businesses of the future. In speaking with the State of Illinois SBDC director, we are the ONLY LWA in the state with no SBDC Center. As part of Eastern Illinois University Entrepreneurship and Innovation work group, I participated in the discussion of a clear lack regionally of a risk taking innovative mindset with members of the exploratory team. We talked about this "spirit" of innovation and creativity needs to be embedded in the middle school and high school curriculum. Then at the post-secondary level, encouraged and mentored to fruition. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) can provide the needed support, training in QuickBooks, and marketing help to foster young entrepreneurs to success.
Goal: To procure a SBDC grant to start a center in co-location with the WIB staff and begin to leverage additional federal dollars to enhance the economic development that the SBDC will bring to the region.
Measure: Grant applied for in March in collaboration with Lake Land and EIU. Raise the needed match in the first quarter of the year to achieve match. Plan to move within the current building if Lake Land decided to stay and own. Plan shared conference space, phone system, computer network and web support.
Internal Strategies
Strategy 1
To address the loose and often undefined processes internally with the staff. To begin, we will embark on a Baldrige model with the seven assessments of the processes the WIB staff use to achieve their assigned tasks and the goals of the Board. The staff have been formally introduced to Baldrige and taken a Baldrige survey on-line. After the first of the year and some re-structuring is in place, we will begin the process analysis and determine changes appropriate to improve. The leadership will encourage a learning environment where failure is not punished necessarily, but innovation and creative approaches are encouraged in solving the day to day issues that pop up and need addressing.
Goal: To take two processes this year and reconfigure with input from staff and allocate responsibility clearly and in the job descriptions along with a flow chart that everyone is made aware and understands.
Measure: Job Descriptions align, processes are defined and in a standards book, Improvement measures are tracked.
Strategy 2
Improve internal communications and create an environment of teamwork. Since the staff is small and composed of technicians in concentrated fields, this year we will endeavor to cross train each person to be a back-up to another persons tasks. This insures that sudden illness or other calamity will not adversely affect the overall capacity to serve. There will also be a fostering of improving relationships and inter-office communications to keep the work flowing and the responsiveness of the staff as nimble as possible.
Goal: Cross-train each employee by the end of the year.
Measure: Observable improved inter-office communication, more spirited and positive interactions among staff, and certified cross training after a staff person has proven that they can fill in for a fellow employee.
Strategy 3
Structural changes in reporting and a reduction-in-force went into effect on January 9th 2007. The Chief Financial Officer (Gerry Schlechte) is now better defined in his job description; there is an operations manager as added responsibility to Tony Louge. I have assigned staff that will support the board standing committees: Andrea Applegate- Youth Council, Bob Stephenson - Marketing, Communications and the Workforce, Gerry Schlechte - Claims and Audit, Tony Logue will support the Certification and Oversight Committee.
Goal: Distribute the responsibilities across the senior staff. This will help them work with the Board leadership and better understand the Boards desires and goals. It will also allow the board to develop relationships with them.
Measure: Committee chairs will fill out a short review at 6 months and 12 months via SurveyMonkey.com on staff support and rate the communications and interaction as well as reporting, timeliness, clarity and concise minutes, punctuality, and overall ability to perform.
This is an aggressive set of strategies and goals for the year. I will keep the board informed as we progress in the e-newsletter at least once a month. I will graph the percentage of completion on a chart for the board to review.
This has been vetted with the senior staff.
