NoRTEC
AGENDA
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2009
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
CHECKERS RESTAURANT
OROVILLE, CA

1. CALL TO ORDER
   
2. ROLL CALL
   
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES, APRIL 23, 2009 (ACTION)

   The minutes from the April 23, 2009, meeting are attached: Minutes

   Recommended Action:

   WIB approval of the April 23, 2009, minutes, with revisions if needed, as posted.

   Governing Board approval of the April 23, 2009, minutes, with revisions if needed, as posted.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (ACTION)

   Recommended Action:

   WIB approval of the agenda, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

   Governing Board approval of the agenda, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

5. WIB APPOINTMENTS (ACTION)

   There are currently no vacancies on the NoRTEC WIB.

6. PUBLIC COMMENT (INFORMATION)

   Members of the public will be invited to make brief comments regarding any aspect of NoRTEC business.

7. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   M. Piller will present the Program Committee Report.

   1. Program Monitoring

      Betti Austin, NoRTEC Program Services Director, is in the process of completing on-site program monitoring of NoRTEC's WIA Service Providers. Austin is reviewing all of the programs being operated in each of the NoRTEC counties, with a special emphasis on the ARRA Summer Youth Program.
      
      Austin will give a brief update at the meeting. The on-site review schedule is as follows:
      
      May 4: Nevada County
      May 5-6: Butte PIC
      May 7-8: Job Training Center of Tehama County
      May 18-22: Alliance for Workforce Development (Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, and Sierra Counties)
      June 11-12: SMART (Shasta and Trinity Counties)
      June 15-17: Rural Human Services (Del Norte County)
      June 18-19: Siskiyou Training & Employment Program

   2. State Monitoring

      There has been no program monitoring of NoRTEC since the last meeting. The State is in the process of scheduling reviews of the summer youth program. Dates and sites have not yet been confirmed, but the review will likely take place in early August. If additional information is received, an update will be given at the meeting.

   3. Client Numbers

       

      1. One Stop Centers - Job Seekers Accessing One-Stop Centers

          

      2. WIA Enrollments - Job Seekers Enrolled in the WIA Program

       

   4. Contract Performance

      
       WIA Service Provider Contract Performance - Adult Programs
       WIA Service Provider Contract Performance - Youth Programs

      As agreed, NoRTEC has not focused a lot of attention on the details of participant performance since WIA was implemented, choosing instead to focus on meeting local business needs. Staff do, however, monitor service provider performance against objectives written into the contracts (on a quarterly basis), including cost per enrollment, placement rates, and a variety of program quality measures including average wage at placement.

       

   5. Plant Closure Update

      There have been 27 closures/layoffs since April 1, 2009, and more than 750 workers have been laid off in the eleven county area of NoRTEC. The plant closure web site address is updated as additional closures occur. To view the report, click on the link below, and enter ">= " and "04/01/2009" in the "Date Closed" field.
      
      Plant Closure Update

       

   6. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Update

      NoRTEC received a substantial amount of ARRA funding since the last meeting to provide services to youth, adults, and dislocated workers. While all of the funding sources bring additional opportunities for job seekers and employers, there is currently a big emphasis on the development and implementation of a summer youth program. This program runs from May 1-September 30, 2009, and is similar in nature to our summer youth programs under the old Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Economically disadvantaged youth, aged 18-24, are being put to work in a variety of occupations at both public and private worksites. The youth are developing work maturity skills, learning some occupational specific skills that will transfer to other jobs, and most importantly (to them) they are earning a paycheck. Close to 900 youth have been put to work in our 11 county area.
      
      Sewart will provide a brief update. (There is an ARRA link on the NoRTEC home page.)

       

   7. "Headline" Program Reports

      What's Happening? - Each of the Program Directors will take a few minutes to share some aspect of their program (accomplished, current or future) with the WIB and Governing Board members.

      Following are direct links to the Community Coordinator reports received for the quarter ending June 30, 2009:
      
      (Note: If the link does not take you directly to the report for the April-June quarter, look for a menu selection on the web page entitled Community Coordinator or Community Coordinator Reports.)
      
      Butte PIC (Butte County)
      Rural Human Services (Del Norte)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Lassen)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Modoc)
      Butte PIC (Nevada County)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Plumas)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Sierra)
      Smart Business Resource Center (Shasta)
      STEP (Siskiyou)
      Job Training Center of Tehama County
      Smart Business Resource Center (Trinity)
      
      A few highlights from this quarter's reports are:

      • Butte County - The report was not accessible on-line by the posting date of this agenda. Link will be activated when report becomes available.

         

      • Del Norte County - Fueled by a $25 million dollar bond the local school district passed last year, local residents wanted to make sure the money was utilized to hire local contractors and local construction labor to complete the bond project. The Workforce Center (a division of Rural Human Services) in partnership with the Del Norte Builder's Exchange, are busy setting up a labor pool to meet these construction needs. The Workforce Center will collect and screen applications of people seeking work in the construction trade. After checking references, qualified applicants will be added to the labor pool, and it will be accessible to employers looking for qualified people to hire--One Stop Shopping for local contractors!

         

      • Lassen County - There is a nice testimonial from an employer in the report about the Business Bootcamp workshop developed last spring designed to help small business owners manage their business. Check it out!

         

      • Modoc County - In a partnership with the Federal Technology Center, the Modoc Employment Center was the location of a seminar entitled "Federal Contract Administration" on April 22, 2009. This workshop explained contract elements, types of contracts, uniform contract format, roles and authority of government representatives, post-award conferences, managing delivery schedules, quality, inspection and acceptance, packaging and transportation, contract changes, contract modifications, payment issues, contract completion and close-out, contract disputes, and recommended websites.

         

      • Nevada County - The report was not accessible on-line by the posting date of this agenda. Link will be activated when report becomes available.

         

      • Plumas County - May 4, 2009, was the final day of work for 127 Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) employees working in the small log mill in Quincy. The Plumas Work Connection (a division of AFWD) has been working with the laid-off workers, helping them relocate for related work or retrain for careers with a current demand for workers. Some of fields the laid-off workers are retraining for are health care, heavy equipment operation or repair, and business management and/or administration. The closure of a plant this size has been devasting to the local area.

         

      • Sierra County - A three day intensive training for business owners was held in Loyalton on May 26-28, 2009. Twenty-four "enlistees" attending the three day training, some coming from as far away as Grass Valley. This event was co-sponsored by AFWD (through WIRED funding) and the Sierra Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). The "enlistees" were not the only people happy about the event--Loyalton merchants were also happy as the local hotel was full for three nights and the restaurants picked up some extra business. Local business owners are looking forward to the follow-up session and hope AFWD and SEDC continue to hold workshops in the local area.

         

      • Shasta County - As usual, SMART's report is full of information about local happenings. In addition to helping 61 people obtain their GEDs this past program year, there is also a wealth of information about the next Venture Island Events which begin on July 23 at the Enloe Conference Center in Chico. The final event of the series will be held on October 29.

         

      • Siskiyou County - On May 16, 2009, twenty-one students completed the "Step-Up" program at College of the Siskiyous. These students were practicing LVNs who were upgrading their skills in order to obtain their RN license. The three semester program involved attending theory courses on the College of the Siskiyous campus in Weed two days a week, and clinical training at local medical institutions in Redding two days a week. Most of the students in the program had to drop to part-time employment while participating in the training, and this placed quite a strain on their finances. STEP was able to assist the students to reach their goals by providing much needed financial support ranging from assistance with tuition,textbooks, uniforms, lodging and transportation expenses, and exam and licensing fees. This was the second group of students to complete the newly implemented LVN to RN training program at College of the Siskiyous.

         

      • Tehama County - Seeds of Opportunity II: Staying Competitive in Tough Times was held May 5 in Red Bluff. This event focused on the survival of small business and is the second such community event sponsored by the Job Training Center to showcase local challenges and opportunities. The County CAO and the City Manager both gave presentations at the event, and a panel of innovative local entreprenuers also contributed.

         

      • Trinity County - At the end of April, a meeting was held at the Weaverville Smart Center to discuss how to incorporate fuels reduction with Smart's Internship and Work Experience programs. Several agencies attended the planning meeting, including the Weaverville Fire Protection District, the Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression agency, the Trinity County Resource Conservation District, Shasta College, Smart staff, and NoRTEC. As a result of this effort, the Weaverville Fire Protection District and the Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression agency teamed up on a fuels reduction project to train youth, create defensible space around the homes of low-income, elderly, and disabled residents, and keep the firefighters in Trinity County this summer.

      Please take a few minutes to read the reports from all eleven counties. They are informative and fun. Our Community Coordinators are putting a lot of work into keeping you informed. We like to let them know how much we appreciate their effort.

       

   8. WIRED Update (Information)

      Stewart Knox, NoRTEC WIRED Project Director, will provide a brief update on WIRED activities in the region.
      
      Tim Hoone, Workforce Center Director at Rural Human Services, will give a brief presentation on the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy held in Crescent City in late June 2009.

      Traci Holt, AFWD Executive Director, will give a brief presentation on the Summer Youth Program in AFWD's four county area.

      Sally Martin will give a presentation on the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program for small cities and rural counties.

   9. Staff Training (Information)

      B. Austin, NoRTEC Program Services Director, provided the following training during the fourth quarter of PY 2008/2009:

      • Provided training to Nevada County staff on April 24 and June 26, 2009. These sessions were provided by NoRTEC in a continuing effort to enhance the knowledge base of novice Nevada County staff on key elements of the WIA Youth, Adult, and Dislocated Worker programs.
      • Provided training to AFWD staff on April 21, 2009. This session covered training services and how to write a training plan.
      • NoRTEC sponsored Job & Career Transition Coach Certification training was provided to forty-two (42) service provider staff on May 18-20, 2009. This training, which is designed for career practitioners who must advise, coach, guide, or counsel adults through short or long-term job/career transitions, brings the total number of individuals who have attained Job Coach certification to 156.

         

   10. Youth Council Report (Information)

       The Youth Council continues to foster youth activities in Tehama County. Attached is the latest quarterly report. Kathy Schmitz will give a brief update at the meeting.

        Fourth Quarter Youth Council Report

   Recommended Action:

   The Program Committee recommends approval of the Fourth Quarter Program Committee Report

   WIB approval of the Fourth Quarter Program Committee Report.

   Governing Board approval of the Fourth Quarter Program Committee Report.

    

• VIII. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

  B. Hamby, Finance Committee Chair, will present the Finance Committee report.

  1. PY 2009/2010 Funding (Information)

     Note: PY 2009/2010 funding amounts include unspent carry-forward funding from the 2008/2009 program year. The carry-forward amounts will not be finalized until service providers submit final 2008/2009 expenditure reports on August 14, 2009. Any differences in the final carry-forward amounts should be minor and should not significantly affect the total available funding for PY 2009/2010.
     
     NoRTEC currently has an estimated $24,457,479 in available funds for the PY 2009/2010 Program Year. An additional $713,817 in funding has been requested. If this funding is received, NoRTEC will have $25,171,296 in available funding for the 2009/2010 Program Year. The amount of currently available funding is $9,760,318 more than we had available to start the 2008/2009 program year. This increase is primarily attributable to the ARRA Stimulus funding received in PY 2008/2009.

     Project	PY 2009/2010 Funds Available	Additional Funds Requested	Total
     Adult	$3,492,838	$0	$3,492,838
     Youth	$3,694,789	$0	$3,694,789
     Dislocated Worker	$3,534,558	$0	$3,534,558
     Rapid Response	$0	$713,817	$713,817
     Adult ARRA Stimulus	$1,426,578	$0	$1,426,578
     Youth ARRA Stimulus	$3,191,548	$0	$3,191,548
     Dislocated Worker ARRA Stimulus	$2,997,837	$0	$2,997,837
     Rapid Response ARRA Stimulus	$1,194,131	$0	$1,194,131
     DW State Stimlus	$70,860	$0	$70,860
     MCLAUS VII	$1,933,852	$0	$1,933,852
     Federal WIRED	$1,799,857	$0	$1,799,857
     Green Job Corp	$919,132	$0	$919,132
     CWA Health Care Collaboration	$44,000	$0	$44,000
     Disability Navigator	$38,499	$0	$38,499
     USDA Green Collar Jobs	$99,000	$0	$99,000
     City of Chico Green Collar Jobs	$20,000	$0	$20,000
     TOTAL	$24,457,479	$713,817	$25,171,296

      

  2. PY 2008/2009 Funding (Information)

     For the recently ended 2008/2009 Program Year, NoRTEC had a total of $27,932,873 in available funds. This is a $9,493,272 increase from the amount of funding available in PY 2007/2008. This increase is attributable to the ARRA Stimulus funding.

      

     Project	PY 2008/2009 Funds Available
     Adult	$3,206,459
     Youth	$3,446,370
     Dislocated Worker	$2,738,493
     Rapid Response	$713,817
     Adult ARRA Stimulus	$1,815,642
     Youth ARRA Stimulus	$4,311,949
     Dislocated Worker ARRA Stimulus	$3,376,394
     Rapid Response ARRA Stimulus	$1,269,835
     MCLAUS VI	$1,618,187
     State WIRED	$250,000
     Federal WIRED	$4,140,232
     LVN to RN Step-UP	$448,598
     DW Stimulus	$317,306
     MCLAUS VII	$200,000
     Disability Navigator	$55,590
     Butte College Green Technology	$24,000
     TOTAL	$27,932,873

  3. Approval of PY 2008/2009 Fourth Quarter Financial Reports (Action)

      

     1. PY 2008/2009 Contracts Summary (Information)

        This report shows the total amount of funding in contracts with the State, the source of that funding and its allocation within NoRTEC for the 2008/2009 program year. As of June 30, 2009, NoRTEC had a total of $27,932,873 available in State contracts for the 2008/2009 program year. This report includes only amounts available in the current year. Amounts expended in prior years are not included.

     2. PY 2008/2009 Service Provider Contract Modifications

        This report shows the changes between March 31, 2009, and June 30, 2009, in the service provider contract amounts available for expenditure in the current program year. This report shows only contract amounts available in the current year. Contract amounts expended in prior years are not included.
        
        The primary contract modification in the fourth quarter (1) The allocation of WIRED funding to Service Provider contracts for WIRED Special Project applications, and (2) the addition of $100,000 of MCLAUS VII funding to Lassen, Modoc, Plumas and Sierra.
        
        The contract modifications are detailed in the attached report. There are no items of concern.

     3.  PY 2008/2009 Program Expenditure Report

        Note: This report is preliminary, but is not expected to vary significantly from the final report.
        
        This report shows each subcontractor's total available balance for the program year (July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009), the cumulative expenditures for the year ended June 30, 2009, and the remaining balance at June 30, 2009, for each specific funding title and program type. This report shows only contract amounts available in the current year. Contract amounts expended in a prior year are not included.
        
        All Service Providers met all the NoRTEC required expenditure rates for allocated funds at June 30, 2009. There are no items of concern at this time.
        
        Background: NoRTEC service providers are generally required to spend 80% of each year's allocation by the end of the program year. For the convenience of monitoring, NoRTEC uses a 20% per quarter expenditure rate as a guide for assessing expenditures throughout the fiscal year (20% first quarter, 40% second quarter, 60% third quarter and 80% final quarter). A corrective action plan (an explanation from the service provider of how they intend to utilize the funds by the end of the funding period) is automatically required from a service provider if quarterly expenditures vary by more than 10% from the quarterly target rate. The required expenditure rates apply to regular funding titles only and do not apply to special projects.
        
        "Excess" funds may be voluntarily returned by a service provider or recaptured by NoRTEC if it appears that a service provider will not be able to effectively utilize them by the end of the funding period. These funds are then redistributed to other NoRTEC service providers demonstrating a greater need, or returned to the State if they cannot be effectively utilized within the consortium. Early detection and correction of expenditure problems is important because it allows time for the funds to be put to good use by service providers in other consortium counties. In addition, the effective use of funds directly affects NoRTEC's ability to secure additional funding in future years.

     4.  PY 2008/2009 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report

        NOTE: This report is preliminary, but is not expected to vary significantly from the final report.
        
        This report shows the Administrative Entity (AE) expenditures against the annual line item budget for the year ended June 30, 2009. At June 30, 2009, the NoRTEC Administrative Entity had expended 100% of its Operating Budget, and 95% of its Other Projects Budget.
        
        The budget expenditures are detailed in the attached line item report.
        
        There are no items of concern at this time.

     5.  PY 2008/2009 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board Expenditure Report

        NOTE: This report is preliminary, but is not expected to vary significantly from the final report.
        
        This report shows the WIB and Governing Board expenditures against the annual line item budget for the year ended June 30, 2009. At June 30, 2009, the WIB/Governing Board expended 90% of its total budget.
        
        There are no items of concern at this time.

     Recommended Action:

     The Finance Committee recommends approval of the PY 2008/2009 Fourth Quarter Preliminary Finance Reports.
     
     WIB approval of the PY 2008/2009 Fourth Quarter Preliminary Finance Reports.
     
     Governing Board approval of the PY 2008/2009 Fourth Quarter Preliminary Finance Reports.

      

  4. PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Budget Increase (Action)

     The Finance Committee is recommending an increase in the PY 2009/2010 Administrative Entity Operating Budget of $120,000 to fund the salary and benefits of an additional NoRTEC staff member. The additional staff member has been requested by NoRTEC staff to assist with the recent increases in NoRTEC funding, as well as to help NoRTEC access potential grant funding opportunites. Here is a link to the proposed job description: Proposed NoRTEC Grants Manager
     
     The NoRTEC Executive Director has full authority to hire and fire staff without board action, however a budget increase is necessary to fund the extra position. There is sufficient funding to cover this budget increase.
     
     Recommended Action:
     
     The WIB Finance Committee is recommending:
     
     WIB approval to increase the PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Operating Budget by $120,000 to fund the salary and benefits of an additional NoRTEC staff member.
     
     Governing Board approval to increase the PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Operating Budget by $120,000 to fund the salary and benefits of an additional NoRTEC staff member.

  5. NoRTEC Fiscal Monitoring (Information)

     NoRTEC staff conducted fiscal monitoring of most of NoRTEC service providers in May-June 2009. There were no findings as a result of those monitorings. The fiscal monitoring of Lassen, Modoc, Plumas and Sierra is scheduled for August. The results of that monitoring will be reported at the next WIB/Governing Board meeting.

  6. State Fiscal and Procurement Monitoring of NoRTEC (Information)

     The State conducted a fiscal and procurement monitoring of NoRTEC's WIA programs during the week of May 18, 2009, at the NoRTEC Administrative office. No official report has been received.

  Recommended Action:

  The Finance Committee recommends approval of the Fourth Quarter Finance Committee Report.

  WIB approval of the Fourth Quarter Finance Committee Report.

  Governing Board approval of the Fourth Quarter Finance Committee Report.

   

• XI. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS (UPDATE/ACTION)

   

  1. Prior Approval

      

     1. WalMart Grant- This application was not funded for $245,000 to conduct outreach to businesses in the region through multiple sources to create awareness of a Northstate Green Jobs Initiative and services/resources available to help businesses.

         

     2. Butte College- This application was funded for $24,000 to develop a team of CEOs to meet quarterly with NoRTEC and Butte College staff to design and articulate courses around green jobs/renewable energy programs.

         

     3. USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant - This application was funded for $99,000 (reduced from the $150,000 requested) to use roundtables, workshops, and outreach to identify 10-15 small and emerging businesses that are creating new green technologies or products. These identified businesses will be provided in-depth assistance with business plans and marketing, and information on accessing financing for their business.

         

  2. New Applications

      

     1. City of Chico - The City provided funding of $20,000 to be included in a project being developed with the USDA to provide direct services to local manufacturers to create 20-25 new green collar jobs with the goals of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the businesses served and the development of a Sustainability Cerificate program with Butte College.

         

     2. Increased Collaboration in Health Care - California Workforce Association - $44,000 to develop a career pathway to allied health occupations. The initial focus will be on the development of a program to train Surgical Technologists. Currently this a demand for surgical techs in our region, but no training program north of Sacramento. The purpose of this grant will be to investigate the possible development of a regional Surgical Tech training program for our area through a hybrid distance education approach.

         

     3. Green Jobs Corp - An application for 15% State funding for $919,312 to prepare 100 students for work in the environmental resources field through participation in an internship program sponsored by industry, community colleges, and NoRTEC's One Stops. The three main areas of focus with respect to training will be: (1) Agriculture and Natural Resources, (2) Building Trades and Construction, and (3) Energy and Utilities. The training will be a combination of coursework at the community college and internships with local employers.

     Recommended Action:
     
     WIB approval for NoRTEC staff to submit an application to the City of Chico for $20,000, to the California Workforce Association for $44,000, and to the Governor's 15% Green Jobs Corp grant for $919,132 for the purposes described herein.
     
     Governing Board approval for NoRTEC staff to submit an application to the City of Chico for $20,000, to the California Workforce Association for $44,000, and to the Governor's 15% Green Jobs Corp grant for $919,132 for the purposes described herein.

      

• X. SMALL BUSINESS UPDATE (INFORMATION)

  Ginne Mistal will provide a brief update on items of interest to Small Business.

   

• XI. OLD BUSINESS (INFORMATION)

  Old Business items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/Governing Board members.

   

• XII. NEW BUSINESS (DISCUSSION)

   

  1. The next WIB and Governing Board meeting will be the annual retreat on October 29-30, 2009, in Grass Valley.

      

  2. Additional New Business items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/Governing Board members.

   

• XIII. ADJOURNMENT