NoRTEC
AGENDA
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2006
10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.
HOLIDAY INN
REDDING, CA

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES, OCTOBER 28, 2005 (ACTION)

   The minutes from the October 28, 2005 meeting are attached: Minutes

   Recommended Action:

   WIB approval of the October 28, 2005, minutes, with revisions if needed, as posted.

   Governing Board approval of the October 28, 2005, 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)
   1. WIB Vacancies

      In December 2005, WIB member Michael Henriques, representing the Public Employment sector on the NoRTEC WIB, retired from EDD. Charles (Chuck) Braun, Office Manager of the Redding office, has been nominated to fill the vacant seat. A copy of Mr. Braun's WIB application and nomination letter can be viewed:

      WIB Application, Nomination Letter

      Recommended Action:

      Governing Board appointment of Charles Braun to the NoRTEC WIB, to fill the Public Employment seat.

   2. WIB Term Expirations

      Several of the NoRTEC WIB seats will be expiring on June 30, 2006. Following is a link to a website showing which terms will expire: WIB Term Expiration Dates

      If your term is expiring, please contact the Executive Director of your local Service Provider and let them know you wish to continue to serve on the WIB. Service Provider staff will initiate the nomination process, and appropriate nominations will be presented at the April 27 or the July 27 meeting.

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

      There have been no program monitoring visits since the last WIB/Governing Board meeting. The next round of monitoring will take place in April-June 2006.

   2. State Monitoring

      There have been no State programmatic monitoring visits since the last meeting.

   3. Client Numbers
      1. One Stop Centers - Job Seekers Accessing One-Stop Centers
      2. WIA Enrollments - Job Seekers Enrolled in the WIA Program
      3. Client Exits - Outcome Information On Customers Leaving The Programs
      4. Core Service - One Stop Center Utilization Information
         
         
      5. Employer Service - One Stop Center Employer Service Information
   4. Contract Performance
      1. 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 and credential attainment measures. Generally, if a service provider is not meeting contract objectives at the end of a quarter, they are required to submit a corrective action plan.

         The performance report also includes information on MCLAUS II/III, MCLAUS IV (special project funding for Dislocated Workers), and the Northern California Nurse Training Project (NCNTP). These projects began prior to July 1, 2005, and will end March 31, 2006, September 30, 2006, and March 31, 2007, respectively. The performance under these contracts is measured for the full term of the contract, not on an annual basis. There are no areas of concern at this time, and NoRTEC staff will continue to monitor the situation via desk review.

         Next quarter, we will begin reporting on the contract we are currently negotiating with the State to provide RN training in several of our counties.

      2. Final NWI Report - The NWI program (Nurse Workforce Initiative) began in October of 2002, and ended December 31, 2005. A final report will not be available until the next meeting.
      3. WIA Business Services Performance

         This website has training opportunities for local business (Website Initiative, Internet Classroom), and a number of reports on business service usage, events and outcomes (Business Services Usage, Internet Learning Usage, Business Websites, the Community Coordinator Reports, and the most recent Market All showing number of services and market share).

   5. Counties Declared "Disaster Areas" by the Governor

      Six of NoRTEC's nine counties have been declared "disaster areas" by Governor Schwarzenegger: Butte, Del Norte, Lassen, Plumas, Siskiyou, and Trinity. NoRTEC staff are working closely with the programs in these counties to gather data on the damage that will assist with an application to the State for funding for a temporary job creation project to help public agencies clean-up the damage.

      Go to the following website to see some photos of the damage in four of our six counties:

      Storm Damage Photos

   6. Plant Closure Update

      There have been several plant closures in the nine county area of NoRTEC over the past several years. The following web site address is being updated as additional closures occur. Items in red are those additions since the last regularly scheduled WIB and Governing Board meeting.

      Of note is the Lear Siegler layoff of 74 employees in Lassen County. Lear Siegler is a federal contractor for Sierra Army Depot, and the layoffs took place in October and November 2005. To date, 44 employees have been enrolled in the WIA program.

      Plant Closure Update

   7. Community Coordinator 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 December 31, 2005:
      
      (Note: If the link does not take you directly to the report for the October-December quarter, look for a menu selection on the web page entitled Community Coordinator or Community Coordinator Reports.)
      
      Butte PIC
      Rural Human Services (Del Norte)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Lassen)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Modoc)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Plumas)
      Shasta PIC
      STEP (Siskiyou)
      Job Training Center of Tehama County
      Trinity Occupational Training (Trinity)
      
      A few highlights from this quarter's reports are:

      • Butte County - No report has been posted.
      • Del Norte County - The Del Norte Workforce Center and the North Coast Small Business Development Center assisted a new small business owner get started in Crescent City. The owner of the business (Del Norte Travel Agency) had this to say about the assistance she received, "I was excited to be given the chance to own my own business, but I didn't quite know where to start...I swear if it had not been for their [DNWC and the SBDC] help I wouldn't have been able to do it..."

        The Community Coordinator from Del Norte also reported on his trip to Louisiana to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. He was a part of a select group of volunteers. There are lots of photos. Check them out!

      • Lassen County - In response to the Lear Siegler layoff and the increased dislocated worker enrollments in Herlong, AFWD opened a satellite office. The office is staffed Tuesday-Thursday for four hours. AFWD is also dealing with 179 potential layoffs at the Sierra Army Depot.
      • Modoc County - Four new businesses have opened in Alturas since the last meeting. Rite Aid, two restaurants, and a home interior store. Read about them in this report, along with a story about a dislocated worker that upgraded her skills through the Modoc Employment Center and was able to go to work at Rite Aid.
      • Plumas County - AFWD staff have begun the process of providing WIA services to the residents of Sierra County. Staff will be available in Loyalton at least twice a month, beginning in January 2006.

        AFWD also received a letter from a former participant who completed the nursing training. She writes, "Every time I look at my pay stub I think of you! At $17.00 an hour I think of you frequently! I cried when I got my first full pay check. I grossed $2,601.08, double what I made monthly before!"

      • Shasta County - The SMART Business Resource Center surveyed several local businesses, asking them what they thought it took to be successful in the workplace. The responses they received led to the creation of new on-line tutorials available on http://shastasmart.com. These tutorials address nine specific areas:

        Time Management Mathematics Customer Service

        Active Listening Problem Solving Basic Computer Skills

        Reading Comprehension Decision Making Safety on the Job

        These tutorials are available to both job seekers and those who are employed and want to improve their skills.

      • Siskiyou County - The Workforce Connection business services team assisted the City of Weed with several services this last quarter, including job description revisions, labor law information, and staff recruitment. They also provided some customized (fee for service) training for the City's administrative staff, scheduling the training sessions around the employee's work schedules.
      • Tehama County - There are several new and exciting products offered at the Job Training Center and Business One Stop Services. "Put Me In Coach," a session that focuses on the concept of "coaching" versus the traditional style of "bossing" debuted in October during Customer Service week. It offers practical ideas for coaching both new employees and seasoned veterans. Since its debut in October, the Department of Education and the California Association of School Business Professionals have asked to have this training presented to their organizations.
      • Trinity County - Business 1st of Trinity Occupational Training successfully launched their new "Providing Excellent Customer Service" workshop. Two sessions have been offered to the Mountain Community Medical Services staff, and both management and the attendees gave the workshop positive reviews. The workshop was customized to MCMS, and covered telephone etiquette, how to build relationships, and how to deal with irate customers.

      Please take a few minutes to read the reports from all nine 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 efforts.

   8. Web Site Technology Initiative (Update)

      We have a total of 193 websites on the North State Directory ; 23 for Del Norte, 4 for Lassen, 7 for Modoc, 4 for Plumas, 82 for Shasta, 8 for Siskiyou, and 65 for Trinity. All these websites were developed by local business personnel, with the help of our local programs. www.northstatedirectory.com

   9. One Stop Business Services
      1. Business Service Web Sites - NoRTEC has a number of websites addressing business services:

         NoRTEC Business Services - An overview of the NoRTEC Business Services program.

         All the NoRTEC counties have developed local business services websites that present their local business services program:

         Butte	Modoc	Siskiyou
         Del Norte	Plumas	Tehama
         Lassen	Shasta	Trinity

      2. NoRTEC Business Service Presentations - A number of local businesses have agreed to briefly discuss the service they received from one of the NoRTEC programs.
         1. Anna Bengtsson, Smart Business Resource Center, Shasta County, will introduce Diane Guhy from Shasta Creations, a full-service custom screen printer and embroiderer for the textile garment industry.
         2. Anna Bengtsson, Smart Business Resource Center, Shasta County, will introduce Roxanne Wade from Dr. Vogus's office, a medical practice specializing in family practice (birth to nursing homes). They've hired from our Work Study Program that places Shasta College students in jobs aligned with their classes.
         3. Kathryn Schmitz, Job Training Center and Business One Stop Services, Tehama County, will introduce Scott Kelly, Manager, Hampton Inn & Suites.
   10. Staff Training (Information)

       There have been no NoRTEC sponsored staff training sessions since the last meeting. An update on future planned training will be provided at the meeting.

   11. Youth Council Report (Information)

       There is no Youth Council meeting this quarter.

   Recommended Action:

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

   WIB approval of the Second Quarter Program Committee Report.

   Governing Board approval of the Second Quarter Program Committee Report.

8. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

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

   1. PY 2005/2006 Funding (Information)

      NoRTEC currently has $13,489,418 in available funds for the PY 2005/2006 Program Year. Another $2,400,000 has been requested. If all the requested funds are received, NoRTEC will have $15,889,418 available for the 2005/2006 program year. This would be a $521,510 increase from the total amount of funding available during the 2004/2005 program year.

       

      Project	Funds Available from July 1, 2005	Additional Funds Requested	Total
      Adult	$2,926,667	$0	$2,926,667
      Youth	$3,126,503	$0	$3,126,503
      Dislocated Worker	$1,899,616	$0	$1,899,616
      Rapid Response	$612,225	$0	$612,225
      MCLAUS II/III	$1,671,195	$0	$1,671,195
      MCLAUS IV	$1,347,131	$0	$1,347,131
      Nurse Workforce Initiative	$246,544	$0	$246,544
      NCNTP	$766,304	$0	$766,304
      RN Training	$800,000	$0	$800,000
      Wired Grant	$0	$2,400,000	$2,400,000
      Disability Navigator	$75,870	$0	$75,870
      Incentive Funds	$17,363	$0	$17,363
      TOTAL	$13,489,418	$2,400,000	$15,889,418

   2.  Approval of PY 2005/2006 Second Quarter Financial Reports (Action)
      1. PY 2005/2006 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 2005/2006 program year. As of December 31, 2005, NoRTEC had a total of $12,689,418 available in State contracts for the 2005/2006 program year. This report includes only amounts available in the 2005/2006 program year. Amounts expended in prior years are not included.

      2. PY 2005/2006 Service Provider Contract Modifications

         This report shows the changes between September 30, 2005, and December 31, 2005, 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 contract modifications during this period were (1) the addition of $200,000 MCLAUS IV funding for both Butte and Tehama, and (2) the voluntary transfer of $51,000 MCLAUS II/III funding from Trinity to Tehama.
         
         These amounts include any unspent funds carried forward from the prior year. See report for detail.

      3. PY 2005/2006 Program Expenditure Report

         This report shows each subcontractor's total available balance for the program year (July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006), the cumulative expenditures for the six months ended December 31, 2005, and the remaining balance at December 31, 2005, 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.
         
         RHS is underspent in the Youth and Dislocated Worker titles. Staff is working with the new RHS Director to bring RHS's expenditures into compliance by the end of the third quarter. Otherwise, all Service Provider expenditure levels are within required levels.

         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 2005/2006 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report

         This report shows the Administrative Entity (AE) expenditures against the annual line item budget for the six months ended December 31, 2005. At December 31, 2005, the NoRTEC Administrative Entity had expended 45% of its Operating budget, 33% of its Special Projects budget, and 38% of its Capacity Building budget. The expenditures are detailed in the attached line item report.
         
         There are no items of concern.

      5. PY 2005/2006 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board Expenditure Report

         This report shows the WIB and Governing Board expenditures against the annual line item budget for the six months ended December 31, 2005. At December 31, 2005, the WIB/Governing Board expended 44% of its total budget.
         
         There are no items of concern.

      Recommended Action:

      The Finance Committee recommends approval of the PY 2005/2006 Second Quarter Finance Reports.

      WIB approval of the PY 2005/2006 Second Quarter Finance Reports.

      Governing Board approval of the PY 2005/2006 Second Quarter Finance Reports.

   Recommended Action:

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

   WIB approval of the Second Quarter Finance Committee Report.

   Governing Board approval of the Second Quarter Finance Committee Report.

9. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS (UPDATE)
   1. Prior Approval

      The application for $800,000 of State Special Project funds to provide LVN to RN upgrade training in Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties was funded

   2. New Applications
      1. WIRED - The Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development initiative will fund eight-to-ten sites in the United States where universities, companies, government, and workforce and economic development organizations partner to transform and rebuild their regional economy. Each State is allowed to submit three applications. California submitted the San Joaquin Valley Project, the California Space Authority, and the NoRTEC Venture Capital proposal. The funding for the selected proposals will be up to $5,000,000 a year for each of the three years of the project. If selected, NoRTEC will provide project administration, including dissemination of information, executing and coordinating grants and contracts, preparing and submitting reports, cash disbursement to individual entities, coordinating and arranging staff development conferences and workshops, and planning meetings, and providing project monitoring and oversight. Copy of the Abstract
      2. Incentive - The State is awarding small grants ($75,000) for regional or local coordination projects. NoRTEC submitted the "Customer Service Week" project implemented in Tehama County. The Executive Summary reads: "In a region with a high proportion of small companies in the retail, tourism and hospitality business, NoRTEC identified a need for a workforce with exemplary customer service skills. In partnership with the local media, chambers of commerce, and a dozen businesses, the one-stop organized a community-wide campaign for Customer Service Week including customer service training, customer service awards, secret shopping, and a public awareness campaign. In this innovative initiative, NoRTEC put the needs of their business customer first, exercised flexibility in addressing the training needs of the existing workforce, and won full support from the business community."
      3. EDD Compensation - EDD no longer has a presence in Modoc, Siskiyou, Tehama or Trinity Counties. With the recent resignation of Gary Leal, Del Norte County is soon to follow. There is an EDD staff person in Plumas County, but she is located in a private office and is not available to the public. Both Butte and Shasta Counties have an EDD office, but no presence in the county One Stops.So, EDD only has a presence in one county one Stop, in Lassen County. Without EDD's assistance (which appears to be required by both State and Federal law) the local programs are having to pick up the work load and expense. Specifically, the programs now have to provide UI, Job Service and Veterans assistance, customer service to the walk-in and telephone calling public (the full range of Core Services), and operate without the needed income for facility costs. Staff is seeking permission to work with the NoRTEC programs to determine a dollar value/cost for the lack of EDD support, and submit an application to the State for fair compensation.
      4. Temporary Job Creation - Heavy rain, wind, and snow in late December/early January has caused a lot of damage throughout the State of California. Six of the counties in the NoRTEC Consortium (Butte, Del Norte, Lassen, Plumas, Siskiyou, and Trinity) have been declared "disaster areas" by the Governor. NoRTEC staff are working with Service Provider staff in these six counties gathering information for an application to the State for State and/or Federal funding to assist local public agencies with repair and clean-up. At this point, we are unsure of the total amount to be requested, but are looking for WIB and Governing Board approval to submit an application for an appropriate amount of funding, when all information has been collected. Photos of damage in four of the six counties is available via a link in the Program Committee portion of this agenda.

         Recommended Action:
         
         WIB approval for NoRTEC to submit four applications for funding, as described herein for the WIRED project, Incentive funds, EDD Compensation and Temporary Job Creation.
         
         Governing Board approval for NoRTEC to submit four applications for funding, as described herein for the WIRED project, Incentive funds, EDD Compensation and Temporary Job Creation.

10. NoRTEC APPLICATION FOR REDESIGNATION TO INCLUDE SIERRA COUNTY (DISCUSSION)

    The NoRTEC application to the State for redesignation to include Sierra County is on the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) agenda for March 30, 2006. It will be on the agenda of the CWIB's Administrative Subcommittee for their March 7, 2006, meeting. No problems are anticipated.
    
    Internally, the revision of the NoRTEC Joint Powers Agreement to include Sierra County is before each of the NoRTEC County's Board of Supervisors. An update will be provided at the meeting. Again, no problems are anticipated.

11. REPORT OF THE EDUCATIONAL/LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE (INFORMATION)

    The Committee has not met since the last WIB/Governing Board meeting. G. Mistal will be asked to provide a brief update of what is happening with Small Business California.

12. OLD BUSINESS (INFORMATION)

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

13. NEW BUSINESS (DISCUSSION)
    1. The next WIB and Governing Board meeting will be held on Thursday, April 27, 2006, in Chico.
    2. Additional New Business items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/Governing Board members.
14. ADJOURNMENT