CMT Core Group Meeting - March 3, 2011

Core Group CMT Meeting
Thursday, March 3

Updates

Human Resource Council
The Human Resource Council is waiting to see what 2012 will bring. Many programs are possibly going to be affected on a state and federal level.

Lifelong Learning Center
Even Start is gone; the program was eliminated in a resolution at the Legislature. The program had served about 29 individuals and 19 families in the past year. The elimination of the program will result in 3 people being laid off in July. The LLC is debating adding a Child Care component on location. The intent would be to have child care spots available to families participating in training, or spots open to the public. Renee is in Helena hoping to testify in defense of ABE, all Adult Basic Education funding was eliminated in the budget, instead of being zeroed out. Without the $500,000 of state money, Montana cannot receive the $1.2 million in federal funding match for ABE. If the situation remains the same, more than 15 people could lose their jobs, and funding for the GED programs would be gone.

Vocational Rehabilitation
The general Voc Rehab program remains busy. There are some program cuts on the table. One program that could be cut is the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. The Extended Employment Services program has a 7-10 year waiting list, and this program could also be affected by cuts. One counselor position could be coming open in the near future. On March 16th Michelle Pickell is hosting a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Training. The stimulus money that VR has been using will be gone in September, at that time they could face the loss of some staff. They will be increasingly looking for ways to share costs and programs with other agencies.

Job Service
We are working to partner with the LLC on Adult Basic Education orientations. We have had staff attend the orientations to provide information about how obtaining a GED or progressing in your education will increase job opportunities. Wolf continues to work with the Career Pathways initiative. The team will return to DC in April for another career pathways training meeting. We have continued with our Job Seeker workshops, please let participants know they can call and sign up for our free workshop. Job Service is continuing to explore the possibility of a Career Expo in the fall.

Next Meeting
Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 7th at Job Service.