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The Chair's Corner Most of us joined the WIB because of some mixture of wanting to have an available source of employees who are well trained for positions within our organization, and wanting to assist people in upgrading their skills for the jobs of the 21st century. In the midst of the volume of reports and acronyms used to explain the public sector funding and regulations, it is easy to lose site of our original motivation, and to find ourselves lost in our meetings. This is particularly true if as a member, our sole connection to the WIB is the quarterly meetings. The key to understanding the functions of the WIB is to understand the committee structure and to get involved in the committee that best suits our talents and interests. So, here is a brief overview of the committees that may help you decide how to get further involved. The Youth Council draws a lot of attention by WIB members as many of us think about assisting youths in making career decisions as part of our workforce. My first involvement in WIB activities goes back several years to a School to Career committee. This committee works with a group of young adults (generally up to age 21, expanded to age 24 under economic stimulus) regarding funding programs via grants and other revenue for training programs targeted for in school youths and youths that no longer attend school. John Fernandes is a long standing consistent presence as the committee chair who brings leadership commitment to this group. John’s staff support is provided by Jean Fox, Youth Council Director. If your interest is in assisting young people in their career choices, lowering school dropout rates, and increasing education levels within our workforce, this may be the committee for you. The Business Development Committee has a two fold mission: to reach out to employers to see if we are meeting their workforce needs and to explore new funding sources for new training programs in our region. Chris O’Neil, the committee chair, has increased our external focus to our membership via outreach, the development of a new logo, and other efforts. He has teamed with Bridget Alexander as she is a catalyst to finding new grants in areas such as Green jobs, Weatherization and other state of the art job growth areas. If you are interested in the marketing and growth activities of the WIB, this may be the committee for you. The Finance & Performance Measurement Committee is engaged to track the funds entering our region ( usually approximately $6 million, plus economic stimulus funds), and to oversee the effectiveness of how this money is spent. The committee is always in need of Board members that have skills in both of these disciplines. Treasurer Peter Muise and Assistant Treasurer Dave Cabral are co-chairs of this committee and have overseen the development of our new Charter for the Career Center. Craig Baker and Steve Grant provide staff support for the Finance & Performance Measurement Committee. The Executive Committee is comprised of the elected officers, the chairs from each committee, two at-large members, and our immediate past chair who oversee the entire operations and Board governance issues. Len Coriaty and Annie Massicotte provide lead staff support. If you have not been involved to date in a committee I hope this brief overview helps you decide where your talents and interests will best contribute to our success. Thank you for volunteering your time with the WIB. 227 Union Street, Suite 206, New Bedford, MA 02740-5946 PH 508.979.1504 • FAX 508.979.5680 E-mail: Webmaster@gnbwib.org |