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GNBWIB Targets Variety of Funds In recent months, the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board (WIB) has been involved in the development of a variety of grant proposals targeting youth, healthcare, brownfields training, and literacy. Most recently, the WIB partnered with Bristol Community College (BCC) (the lead) and a host of other community partners to submit a $2.1M proposal for a Department of Labor: Community Job Training Grant that if funded, will expand Bristol Community College’s capacity to deliver healthcare training. This includes acquiring more space for a Healthcare Education Center in New Bedford, and the development and delivery of specialized certifications. In another proposal submitted by an Illinois Community College (the lead) and McDonalds Headquarters, BCC and the WIB have partnered to run and evaluate (respectively) a pilot English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program for the local McDonald’s in our area. Targeting McDonald’s employees that need ESOL, the program uses a curriculum designed by McDonald’s (Illinois) and their local community college. Not only will participants receive training on basic McDonald’s terms and procedures, but will also begin learning information that will help them advance into supervisory/management positions. The WIB was also instrumental in the development of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Brownfields Training Grant proposal submitted by the City of New Bedford, which if funded will bring $200,000 to the City to train over 40 local residents in brownfields cleanup. The training will be directly focused toward the City’s current brownfield revitalization projects and will train such topics as hazardous waste/materials handling, confined space maneuvering, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (OSHA HAZWOPER) certification. In partnership with the PACE Family Center (the lead), our LiteracyWorks entrepreneur co-developed two proposals that target ESOL and the Family Center’s abilities to offer early literacy programs. Totaling nearly $90,000, grants from the Barbara Bush Foundation and the Community Foundation would pay for increased capacity and new innovations in bringing adults and their young children together around literacy. The Youth Council has also been active in the pursuit of several lines of grant funding. These pursuits include both the Shared Youth Vision Grant and Bridging the Opportunity Gap: Department of Youth Services (DYS) Job Readiness and Employability Training Grant. The Shared Youth Vision Grant has been awarded to the region in partnership with the Hampden County Regional Employment Board. Both regions will receive $50,000 from the Commonwealth Corporation (CommCorp) for the grant award. The purpose of this grant funding is to develop and then implement policies and procedures that will increase access to workforce, education, and human service systems for DYS, Department of Social Services (DSS), and Department of Mental Health (DMH) involved youth. Successes and outcomes will then be formulated into a best practices presentation that will be shared with regions across the Commonwealth. The Bridging the Opportunity Gap: DYS Job Readiness and Employability Training Grant has been applied for by the WIB, but the proposed program was designed through a collaboration of the Youth Council, DYS, and New Directions Southcoast, Inc. This grant is also being offered by CommCorp and the region has requested $65,808 in funding in order to implement the proposed program. This program is designed to serve 25 youth who are being transitioned into the DYS Community Re-Entry Center and are in need of a way to integrate back into the community. The proposed program will provide participating youth with 25 hours of job readiness and customer service training, followed by 125 hours of subsidized employment. Throughout the course of both the training and employment the youth will work with a Job Coach/Mentor. The ultimate goal of the program is to provide the participating youth with defined employability skills and a job placement that can begin to build their resume. If awarded the grant, this program would begin in December. As we look to the future, we see an RFP for the second round of the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) coming down the pike (hopefully available this month). Earlier this year, the WIB received a WCTF grant to train over 500 incumbent workers and over 80 potential workers in a variety of advanced manufacturing concepts. This year, the grants will focus more heavily on post secondary education and the employers that need these skills. Employers that rely on and/or encourage their employees to have post secondary education can contact Craig Baker at the WIB (508-979-1768 direct) for more information and to discuss opportunities to partner. 227 Union Street, Suite 206, New Bedford, MA 02740-5946 PH 508.979.1504 • FAX 508.979.5680 E-mail: Webmaster@gnbwib.org |