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.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
CMT Core Group Meeting - February 10, 2011
Core Group CMT Meeting
Thursday, February 10
Updates
Lynn – College of Technology
The final numbers are not in yet for spring semester enrollment, but the financial aid office was very busy. Wolf and Lynn discussed career advising services and possible opportunities for partnership. Lynn followed up with Jodie on the Medical Coding programs as discussed at the last Core Group meeting. The hope is that a medical coding certificate could translate into credits at some point, and efforts are being made at various schools around the state to figure out if and how certificates and experience can translate to credits. Lynn and Jodie also discussed the CNA programs, their demand, and their status as non-credit offerings. Clinical placements for medical programs are very limited in Missoula, due to many people coming in from other areas to do clinicals in our medical community. The schools are competing for clinical placements. Larry is working on comprehensive management of statewide clinical placements. The COT just went through their National Nursing Accreditation. They expect to receive national accreditation for their RN program. The LPN program is state accredited.
Jodie – Lifelong Learning Center
The spring catalog will be out on Tuesday. Adult Basic Education is very busy. There are waiting lists for some of the time slots in the ABE managed enrollment system. They are in the process of looking at the full ABE orientation and enrollment process to determine if changes need to be made. Jodie and Saundra discussed partnership possibilities and details for having Job Service attend ABE Orientations. The partnership between LLC and Home Resource is really taking off. Many plumbing and electrical classes have been moved to Home Resource. The LLC is still having trouble getting low income students to enroll in classes at Home Resource. Jodie is thinking about the possibility of using FB to post special offers on certain occasions.
Wolf – Job Service
Wolf is working as the Chair of the newly branded Chamber Workforce Development & Education Committee. They are discussing some “Eggs & Issues” breakfast topics including the MCPS Building Reserve and Health Care. The committee is working to keep the subject matter open and convert their discussions into action. They also hope to help guide the direction of the discussions towards information that will be useful for the COT and the LLC. Wolf and Lynn discussed the work Lynn has done with Leadership High School. Wolf asked what Jodie and Lynn think the LLC and COT could gain from the Chamber committee. Jodie pointed out that the Workforce Development & Education committee could assist businesses with understanding that the LLC can provide low cost and repetitive training to specific industries, if the needs are defined by the business and conveyed to the LLC. The LLC can partner with businesses to make sure they have trained and qualified applicants for jobs. Lynn pointed out that they needed to point out something to tackle, and then take action. She hoped that the organizations and the businesses could be accountable to the committee for making things happen. The agreement is that we all need to collaborate together to get the job done, and come together to make sure that actions are taken to move the community forward.
Next Meeting
The next Core Group meeting is Thursday, March 3rd at 9:00 at Job Service.
Thursday, February 10
Updates
Lynn – College of Technology
The final numbers are not in yet for spring semester enrollment, but the financial aid office was very busy. Wolf and Lynn discussed career advising services and possible opportunities for partnership. Lynn followed up with Jodie on the Medical Coding programs as discussed at the last Core Group meeting. The hope is that a medical coding certificate could translate into credits at some point, and efforts are being made at various schools around the state to figure out if and how certificates and experience can translate to credits. Lynn and Jodie also discussed the CNA programs, their demand, and their status as non-credit offerings. Clinical placements for medical programs are very limited in Missoula, due to many people coming in from other areas to do clinicals in our medical community. The schools are competing for clinical placements. Larry is working on comprehensive management of statewide clinical placements. The COT just went through their National Nursing Accreditation. They expect to receive national accreditation for their RN program. The LPN program is state accredited.
Jodie – Lifelong Learning Center
The spring catalog will be out on Tuesday. Adult Basic Education is very busy. There are waiting lists for some of the time slots in the ABE managed enrollment system. They are in the process of looking at the full ABE orientation and enrollment process to determine if changes need to be made. Jodie and Saundra discussed partnership possibilities and details for having Job Service attend ABE Orientations. The partnership between LLC and Home Resource is really taking off. Many plumbing and electrical classes have been moved to Home Resource. The LLC is still having trouble getting low income students to enroll in classes at Home Resource. Jodie is thinking about the possibility of using FB to post special offers on certain occasions.
Wolf – Job Service
Wolf is working as the Chair of the newly branded Chamber Workforce Development & Education Committee. They are discussing some “Eggs & Issues” breakfast topics including the MCPS Building Reserve and Health Care. The committee is working to keep the subject matter open and convert their discussions into action. They also hope to help guide the direction of the discussions towards information that will be useful for the COT and the LLC. Wolf and Lynn discussed the work Lynn has done with Leadership High School. Wolf asked what Jodie and Lynn think the LLC and COT could gain from the Chamber committee. Jodie pointed out that the Workforce Development & Education committee could assist businesses with understanding that the LLC can provide low cost and repetitive training to specific industries, if the needs are defined by the business and conveyed to the LLC. The LLC can partner with businesses to make sure they have trained and qualified applicants for jobs. Lynn pointed out that they needed to point out something to tackle, and then take action. She hoped that the organizations and the businesses could be accountable to the committee for making things happen. The agreement is that we all need to collaborate together to get the job done, and come together to make sure that actions are taken to move the community forward.
Next Meeting
The next Core Group meeting is Thursday, March 3rd at 9:00 at Job Service.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
CMT Core Group Meeting - January 13, 2011
CMT Meeting Minutes - Core Group CMT Meeting
Thursday, January 13
Child Care Resources Tour
Lifelong Learning Center – Monique
The spring schedule/catalog is now in development. The LLC is partnering with the LERN program to begin offering some online classes. This way they can provide their classes online to local or national customers. Lisa Rae Roper is working with the medical courses including CNA and Medical Coding to offer a component of those courses online. The LLC is exploring the ability to offer a certified medical coding program via the College of Technology, with remote sites connected to Montana hospitals. The UM COT currently offers an inpatient medical coding certificate via a two year program. This provides the credentials to work as a coder in a hospital setting. Most coding is outpatient, and the next step would be to offer the outpatient medical coding component. Right now the UM COT will award an AA in Health Information upon completion of their program, but their program is not certified by the CPC (Certified Professional Coder) organization. After achieving the AA, students must study separately to take the CPC Certification Exam.
Home Resource has started their orientations, and have partnered with LLC to enroll people in their classes. They have a nice shop area and showcase area. They currently need more low income participants in their programs to meet grant guidelines.
SB 44 would increase the compulsory attendance age for high school from 16 to 18. If a student chose to transition to another program such as Job Corps, they could still be considered “enrolled.”
There is another GED options initiative on the radar, this initiative would make the GED an equivalent to High School graduation, and allow students who are credit deficient to take the GED to get their HS diploma. Monique reported that statistics show that 60% of high school students would not pass the GED test.
Adult Basic Education classes are very full. The managed enrollment system is working well to keep class size steady with 250-300 people actively enrolled in ABE. Last year over 2,000 people were served through ABE, which was a 25% increase in the number of people service. They attribute this to the layoffs in the community, and the availability of the classes.
The LLC is now fully staffed and they have more than 30 new instructors. On the 25th of January the instructors will begin using Moodle.
Job Service – Wolf
The Job Service has had some staffing changes with a few retirements and 4 new employees coming on board this month. Commissioner of Labor Keith Kelley will be in the office tomorrow to meet with previous Smurfit-Stone employees. Auditors recently completed an audit of over 300 WIA files. Wolf will be meeting with Alan Fugelberg from the COT to discuss training for the faculty at the COT who are working with adult learners. They are hoping to find a professional development resource to teach the faculty more about the services available to displaced workers. There will be no career fair this spring, and the Job Service is looking at the possibility of an Occupational Expo in the fall, highlighting specific occupational clusters that are prominent in our area and the education and training pathways within those clusters. Wolf continues to work with the Chamber of Commerce Business Affairs Committee, which is focusing right now on the health care occupational cluster in our community. In Great Falls the medical community helps fund some of the classes at the college of technology, this way they are able to get the workers they need for their businesses, with the right training. Jodie pointed out that this is exactly how they got their Dental Assisting Program started at the LLC.
Child Care Resources – Michelle
Child Care Resources is now operating out of their new space on Front Street. At their recent fundraiser, the Connoisseur Classic, they doubled their fundraising record from last year, the event was very successful. They are currently in the process of having their programs audited. On January 31st they will lose their referral software, that software is transitioning to Great Falls. They only ended up having to lay off one clerical support worker and are hoping to prevent any other layoffs. The Food Program reauthorization has been approved, but there are many changes that will affect child care providers. Some food items will change, and providers will not be able to serve some of the staples they have been serving for a long time. The food reimbursement rates have also been frozen. The new Food Program focuses on raw foods and food prepared from scratch. Jodie brainstormed the possibility of providing a hands-on low cost class to offer to child care providers, focusing on low cost easy recipes for kids.
Human Resource Council – Maggie
The same changes in the food program that are affecting Child Care Resources are affecting the Mineral County Lunch Program. In Mineral County 98% of high school students eat hot lunch at the school, which attests to the quality of the lunch program there. Human Resource Council is also in the process of having their programs reviewed by state auditors. Some of their files have been checked by three different auditors this week. The Youth Program at HRC is very busy; there are a lot of eligible youth in the community. One issue is that the money they make through the youth program is increasingly considered part of the family income. Maggie also shared feedback regarding changes in high school that have affected many of their participants. The LIEAP program has expenses that are 35% higher than last year.
Planning
We will pull the full group together in March for Compassion Fatigue training. We will set quarterly meetings for the full group, and send out the schedule by early February. A possible location for the summer meetings is Home Resource.
The next Core Group meeting is Thursday, February 10th at 9:00 at Job Service.
Thursday, January 13
Child Care Resources Tour
Lifelong Learning Center – Monique
The spring schedule/catalog is now in development. The LLC is partnering with the LERN program to begin offering some online classes. This way they can provide their classes online to local or national customers. Lisa Rae Roper is working with the medical courses including CNA and Medical Coding to offer a component of those courses online. The LLC is exploring the ability to offer a certified medical coding program via the College of Technology, with remote sites connected to Montana hospitals. The UM COT currently offers an inpatient medical coding certificate via a two year program. This provides the credentials to work as a coder in a hospital setting. Most coding is outpatient, and the next step would be to offer the outpatient medical coding component. Right now the UM COT will award an AA in Health Information upon completion of their program, but their program is not certified by the CPC (Certified Professional Coder) organization. After achieving the AA, students must study separately to take the CPC Certification Exam.
Home Resource has started their orientations, and have partnered with LLC to enroll people in their classes. They have a nice shop area and showcase area. They currently need more low income participants in their programs to meet grant guidelines.
SB 44 would increase the compulsory attendance age for high school from 16 to 18. If a student chose to transition to another program such as Job Corps, they could still be considered “enrolled.”
There is another GED options initiative on the radar, this initiative would make the GED an equivalent to High School graduation, and allow students who are credit deficient to take the GED to get their HS diploma. Monique reported that statistics show that 60% of high school students would not pass the GED test.
Adult Basic Education classes are very full. The managed enrollment system is working well to keep class size steady with 250-300 people actively enrolled in ABE. Last year over 2,000 people were served through ABE, which was a 25% increase in the number of people service. They attribute this to the layoffs in the community, and the availability of the classes.
The LLC is now fully staffed and they have more than 30 new instructors. On the 25th of January the instructors will begin using Moodle.
Job Service – Wolf
The Job Service has had some staffing changes with a few retirements and 4 new employees coming on board this month. Commissioner of Labor Keith Kelley will be in the office tomorrow to meet with previous Smurfit-Stone employees. Auditors recently completed an audit of over 300 WIA files. Wolf will be meeting with Alan Fugelberg from the COT to discuss training for the faculty at the COT who are working with adult learners. They are hoping to find a professional development resource to teach the faculty more about the services available to displaced workers. There will be no career fair this spring, and the Job Service is looking at the possibility of an Occupational Expo in the fall, highlighting specific occupational clusters that are prominent in our area and the education and training pathways within those clusters. Wolf continues to work with the Chamber of Commerce Business Affairs Committee, which is focusing right now on the health care occupational cluster in our community. In Great Falls the medical community helps fund some of the classes at the college of technology, this way they are able to get the workers they need for their businesses, with the right training. Jodie pointed out that this is exactly how they got their Dental Assisting Program started at the LLC.
Child Care Resources – Michelle
Child Care Resources is now operating out of their new space on Front Street. At their recent fundraiser, the Connoisseur Classic, they doubled their fundraising record from last year, the event was very successful. They are currently in the process of having their programs audited. On January 31st they will lose their referral software, that software is transitioning to Great Falls. They only ended up having to lay off one clerical support worker and are hoping to prevent any other layoffs. The Food Program reauthorization has been approved, but there are many changes that will affect child care providers. Some food items will change, and providers will not be able to serve some of the staples they have been serving for a long time. The food reimbursement rates have also been frozen. The new Food Program focuses on raw foods and food prepared from scratch. Jodie brainstormed the possibility of providing a hands-on low cost class to offer to child care providers, focusing on low cost easy recipes for kids.
Human Resource Council – Maggie
The same changes in the food program that are affecting Child Care Resources are affecting the Mineral County Lunch Program. In Mineral County 98% of high school students eat hot lunch at the school, which attests to the quality of the lunch program there. Human Resource Council is also in the process of having their programs reviewed by state auditors. Some of their files have been checked by three different auditors this week. The Youth Program at HRC is very busy; there are a lot of eligible youth in the community. One issue is that the money they make through the youth program is increasingly considered part of the family income. Maggie also shared feedback regarding changes in high school that have affected many of their participants. The LIEAP program has expenses that are 35% higher than last year.
Planning
We will pull the full group together in March for Compassion Fatigue training. We will set quarterly meetings for the full group, and send out the schedule by early February. A possible location for the summer meetings is Home Resource.
The next Core Group meeting is Thursday, February 10th at 9:00 at Job Service.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
CMT Core Group Meeting - November 4
Community Management Team Core Group Meeting
November 4, 2010
Michelle-Child Care Resources
Service centralization has continued in Child Care Resource offices statewide, and service contracts have been awarded statewide. Missoula obtained the statewide contract for Distance Learning, but Great Falls received both of the other contracts, one for the Referral Program and one for the Legally Unregistered Provider Program. Great Falls CCR will end up hiring about 6 more staff, Missoula may end up losing some staff. Child Care Resources is working with other statewide Child Care organizations to migrate services and figure out how the centralized services will be delivered when the service transition is complete in January. CCR will be closed on for three days from November 17-21, the day they are scheduled to move to their new location in the Whitman Building downtown on Pine and Higgins at 105 East Pine. They will reopen on November 22. They will be renting the basement space in that building. There has been a huge increase recently in the legally unregistered child care providers, as people who are out of work are increasingly taking care of family or friends children rather than those children being in a registered child care establishment. A Development Director has been hired to help CCR diversify funds. There will be a Child Care Resources Fundraiser, the Connoisseur Classic, at the Loyola Center on Friday, November 12th.
Maggie-Human Resource Council
Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) has started for the year, and HRC has hired an additional 5 seasonal employees for that program. LIEAP already has 1/3 of the applications that they had for the full season last year, so the program is starting out very busy. The WIA Youth program budget came out, and only had a 5% decrease, which was a smaller decrease than expected. Although budgets have not been cut as severely, the reporting expectations are much higher, with different requirements for the county, state, and federal levels of funding. The ARRA Weatherization program is probably going to wrap up by the end of December due to the funding being used. The Rapid Re-Housing project is wrapping up also. The Sapphire Clinic is busy, they are seeing an average of 200 people each month. HRC is in the process of hiring a Manager for the Sapphire Clinic.
Monique-Lifelong Learning Center
The LLC has been struggling to fill two positions, both are part-time positions. One is for a Secretary and the other is for a Para-Educator. More information is available from the Lifelong Learning Center or the Job Service. LLC is hiring a new Language Arts Instructor, that process should be complete in the near future. Monique is on two committees looking at education and responsibilities. One is the PK20 committee, and Monique is on the Responsibilities Subcommittee. The other is the 21st Century Workforce Initiative. The new parking lot at the LLC has been completed, and the available parking has doubled, with lighting for safety.
Wolf-Missoula Job Service
Wolf has checked in with some possible presenters on Compassion Fatigue, and CMT training possibilities were discussed. Wolf hopes to have additional information about cost by our next meeting. Monique suggested using something like this training as a reward for staff, incorporating some other positive incentives with the training. We could try to have this training in the first part of February. At Job Service, the NEG OJT Grant is off to a slow start. It is difficult to find employers, employees, and jobs that all fit the criteria of the grant. Wolf reported on some of the community economic development efforts and the committees he participates in locally. The Job Service is in the process of trying to convert three temporary positions to permanent positions.
Next Meeting
The next CMT Core Group Meeting is scheduled for December 2 at 9:00 am at Job Service.
November 4, 2010
Michelle-Child Care Resources
Service centralization has continued in Child Care Resource offices statewide, and service contracts have been awarded statewide. Missoula obtained the statewide contract for Distance Learning, but Great Falls received both of the other contracts, one for the Referral Program and one for the Legally Unregistered Provider Program. Great Falls CCR will end up hiring about 6 more staff, Missoula may end up losing some staff. Child Care Resources is working with other statewide Child Care organizations to migrate services and figure out how the centralized services will be delivered when the service transition is complete in January. CCR will be closed on for three days from November 17-21, the day they are scheduled to move to their new location in the Whitman Building downtown on Pine and Higgins at 105 East Pine. They will reopen on November 22. They will be renting the basement space in that building. There has been a huge increase recently in the legally unregistered child care providers, as people who are out of work are increasingly taking care of family or friends children rather than those children being in a registered child care establishment. A Development Director has been hired to help CCR diversify funds. There will be a Child Care Resources Fundraiser, the Connoisseur Classic, at the Loyola Center on Friday, November 12th.
Maggie-Human Resource Council
Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) has started for the year, and HRC has hired an additional 5 seasonal employees for that program. LIEAP already has 1/3 of the applications that they had for the full season last year, so the program is starting out very busy. The WIA Youth program budget came out, and only had a 5% decrease, which was a smaller decrease than expected. Although budgets have not been cut as severely, the reporting expectations are much higher, with different requirements for the county, state, and federal levels of funding. The ARRA Weatherization program is probably going to wrap up by the end of December due to the funding being used. The Rapid Re-Housing project is wrapping up also. The Sapphire Clinic is busy, they are seeing an average of 200 people each month. HRC is in the process of hiring a Manager for the Sapphire Clinic.
Monique-Lifelong Learning Center
The LLC has been struggling to fill two positions, both are part-time positions. One is for a Secretary and the other is for a Para-Educator. More information is available from the Lifelong Learning Center or the Job Service. LLC is hiring a new Language Arts Instructor, that process should be complete in the near future. Monique is on two committees looking at education and responsibilities. One is the PK20 committee, and Monique is on the Responsibilities Subcommittee. The other is the 21st Century Workforce Initiative. The new parking lot at the LLC has been completed, and the available parking has doubled, with lighting for safety.
Wolf-Missoula Job Service
Wolf has checked in with some possible presenters on Compassion Fatigue, and CMT training possibilities were discussed. Wolf hopes to have additional information about cost by our next meeting. Monique suggested using something like this training as a reward for staff, incorporating some other positive incentives with the training. We could try to have this training in the first part of February. At Job Service, the NEG OJT Grant is off to a slow start. It is difficult to find employers, employees, and jobs that all fit the criteria of the grant. Wolf reported on some of the community economic development efforts and the committees he participates in locally. The Job Service is in the process of trying to convert three temporary positions to permanent positions.
Next Meeting
The next CMT Core Group Meeting is scheduled for December 2 at 9:00 am at Job Service.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Full CMT Meeting Minutes - September 23
Community Management Team Full Group Meeting
September 23, 2010
Welcome and Introductions
Nina Cramer – Missoula Forum for Children and Youth
Nina spoke about the Family Connections event coming up on October 19, 2010 from 4:00 to 7:30 pm in the Home Arts Building at the fairgrounds. Forty-five agencies from around the state have been invited to participate. Donations are needed for door prizes. Please visit their website www.MissoulaForum.org for more information. Saundra will email the announcement out to all CMT members who may wish to participate. If you have staff that may be interested in learning more about other community organizations, this would be a great event to have them attend. Tables will be set up, providing the opportunity for staff to interact with, and learn about, many different organizations. Donations are needed for door prizes.
Fall Training
Fall CMT cross-training options were discussed. We try to have a cross-training about every six months, targeted at helping staff at our respective agencies learn more about other agencies in Missoula, and provide an opportunity to network at these events. A bus tour of agencies was discussed. The general feeling was that it would be difficult to plan, and difficult for staff to attend a full day or even half day event. An easier approach was suggested: each participating agency would set aside one day to host a “tour day.” Thursdays were put forth as a good day for these tours, with 15 or so people from each agency visiting the host organization. Jodie from the Lifelong Learning Center said she could handle the registration for this. Another popular option for a cross training event was centered on the subjects of self-care and compassion fatigue. Possible presenters were discussed. The discussion involved the stress being felt in the service arena by workers of whom much is expected in the way of services, but who are being given less and less in terms of resources. Everyone is doing more with less, and expectations are higher to do more, which results in staff feeling “squeezed from both ends.” A compassion fatigue and self-care training could be timely moving in to the winter months.
Agency Updates
Saundra – Missoula Job Service
Saundra talked about the JSEC/SHRM Disability workshop scheduled for October 13th. Anyone interested in attending can contact Deb Gass at the Job Service. The workshop is in partnership with the 2010 Montana Association for Rehabilitation Conference. Saundra brought up the question of the feasibility of a fall Job Fair. The new On-the-Job Training (OJT) program at Job Service was discussed, with the need of referrals mentioned. The Job Service is partnering with the Missoula Public Library for the Job Search Skills Workshops and Job Search Etiquette classes.
Jodie – Lifelong Learning Center
Jodie announced that fall classes at the LLC were full and there is a need for teachers for the winter quarter. Adult Basic Education classes got funding again this year at the same level as last year. Even Start was funded again this year. This is a program which provides child care while the parents are in class. The program will accept infants this year.
Melissa – YWCA
Melissa stated that their emergency and transitional housing are all full at this time.
Bonnie – WORD
Bonnie shared information about the Futures Program being cited by the National Organization for Women (NOW) for age discrimination. They had different age levels for participants in the program, based on their gender. The program needed to lower the age cap of participants to 21 years for both men and women. They have served 64 families and there has been a drop in funding.
Shannon – Vocational Rehabilitation
Shannon talked about the new intake procedures. Please call for information about the group intake sessions. New participants who are interested in Vocational Rehabilitation are required to attend an initial meeting of 20 to 30 people. It can take up to 4 weeks to get your initial appointment with a VR counselor. They are soon to be fully staffed. Shannon provided additional information about the 2010 Montana Association for Rehabilitation Conference which will be emailed out to the full CMT.
Jim, Maggie – Human Resource Council
Jim provided information about the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. Applications will be mailed out after October 1 to people who have previously been enrolled in LIAP. They also talked about the fall/winter Youth Employment and Work Readiness workshops. Their Sapphire Clinic in the Bitterroot is recruiting for a nurse.
Nina – Missoula Forum for Children and Youth
Nina provided additional information about upcoming trainings presented by the Forum. More information can be found online at http://www.missoulaforum.org/. Community events can be added to the calendar on the Forum website.
Meeting adjourned
September 23, 2010
Welcome and Introductions
Nina Cramer – Missoula Forum for Children and Youth
Nina spoke about the Family Connections event coming up on October 19, 2010 from 4:00 to 7:30 pm in the Home Arts Building at the fairgrounds. Forty-five agencies from around the state have been invited to participate. Donations are needed for door prizes. Please visit their website www.MissoulaForum.org for more information. Saundra will email the announcement out to all CMT members who may wish to participate. If you have staff that may be interested in learning more about other community organizations, this would be a great event to have them attend. Tables will be set up, providing the opportunity for staff to interact with, and learn about, many different organizations. Donations are needed for door prizes.
Fall Training
Fall CMT cross-training options were discussed. We try to have a cross-training about every six months, targeted at helping staff at our respective agencies learn more about other agencies in Missoula, and provide an opportunity to network at these events. A bus tour of agencies was discussed. The general feeling was that it would be difficult to plan, and difficult for staff to attend a full day or even half day event. An easier approach was suggested: each participating agency would set aside one day to host a “tour day.” Thursdays were put forth as a good day for these tours, with 15 or so people from each agency visiting the host organization. Jodie from the Lifelong Learning Center said she could handle the registration for this. Another popular option for a cross training event was centered on the subjects of self-care and compassion fatigue. Possible presenters were discussed. The discussion involved the stress being felt in the service arena by workers of whom much is expected in the way of services, but who are being given less and less in terms of resources. Everyone is doing more with less, and expectations are higher to do more, which results in staff feeling “squeezed from both ends.” A compassion fatigue and self-care training could be timely moving in to the winter months.
Agency Updates
Saundra – Missoula Job Service
Saundra talked about the JSEC/SHRM Disability workshop scheduled for October 13th. Anyone interested in attending can contact Deb Gass at the Job Service. The workshop is in partnership with the 2010 Montana Association for Rehabilitation Conference. Saundra brought up the question of the feasibility of a fall Job Fair. The new On-the-Job Training (OJT) program at Job Service was discussed, with the need of referrals mentioned. The Job Service is partnering with the Missoula Public Library for the Job Search Skills Workshops and Job Search Etiquette classes.
Jodie – Lifelong Learning Center
Jodie announced that fall classes at the LLC were full and there is a need for teachers for the winter quarter. Adult Basic Education classes got funding again this year at the same level as last year. Even Start was funded again this year. This is a program which provides child care while the parents are in class. The program will accept infants this year.
Melissa – YWCA
Melissa stated that their emergency and transitional housing are all full at this time.
Bonnie – WORD
Bonnie shared information about the Futures Program being cited by the National Organization for Women (NOW) for age discrimination. They had different age levels for participants in the program, based on their gender. The program needed to lower the age cap of participants to 21 years for both men and women. They have served 64 families and there has been a drop in funding.
Shannon – Vocational Rehabilitation
Shannon talked about the new intake procedures. Please call for information about the group intake sessions. New participants who are interested in Vocational Rehabilitation are required to attend an initial meeting of 20 to 30 people. It can take up to 4 weeks to get your initial appointment with a VR counselor. They are soon to be fully staffed. Shannon provided additional information about the 2010 Montana Association for Rehabilitation Conference which will be emailed out to the full CMT.
Jim, Maggie – Human Resource Council
Jim provided information about the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. Applications will be mailed out after October 1 to people who have previously been enrolled in LIAP. They also talked about the fall/winter Youth Employment and Work Readiness workshops. Their Sapphire Clinic in the Bitterroot is recruiting for a nurse.
Nina – Missoula Forum for Children and Youth
Nina provided additional information about upcoming trainings presented by the Forum. More information can be found online at http://www.missoulaforum.org/. Community events can be added to the calendar on the Forum website.
Meeting adjourned
Friday, September 10, 2010
Next Meetings
The next full CMT meeting will be on Thursday, September 23rd from 3-5 pm at Mountain West Bank next to Costco.
The next Core Group CMT meeting will be on Thursday, October 7th at 9:00 am at the Job Service.
The next Core Group CMT meeting will be on Thursday, October 7th at 9:00 am at the Job Service.
Core Group Meeting Minutes-September 2
CMT Core Group Meeting Minutes
September 2, 2010
Deverie-Job Corps Update
Marie Garrison has taken over admissions for Job Corps in Missoula. Deverie will focus more on placement, and will continue to manage placement and admissions for Job Corps in Ravalli County. Job Corps is starting to focus more on the soft skills of their participants, and now begin the admissions process with an interview session focusing on soft skills. The participants will fill out a job application and be evaluated on their interview skills. This will happen before they begin the program. Job Corps has an 80% placement rate after graduation. Job Corps will also begin piloting Industry Sector Centers, where centers focus more on specific industries and there is less duplication between centers. For example, Kicking Horse may focus more on Mechanics and Health Professions. They are going to cut their culinary and carpentry programs.
Wolf-Job Service
This was the first week of school for many past Smurfit employees. Thanks to the LLC and the COT for all the work they did to prepare participants for their schooling. Wolf will talk with Diana to better streamline the process for participants getting the books and tools they need for their programs and courses. There is a new OJT (On the Job Training) grant that will be distributed throughout the state by population. This grant starts in early October and ends on June 30th. If you know employers who are interested in training new employees, have them contact the Job Service. The OJT Grant targets dislocated workers, workers who have been laid off from their previous jobs. The Job Service is seeing a downturn in mass layoffs, but many job seekers are long-term unemployed. Job Service has started up some new workshops, one on Basic Job Search Skills and one on Online Applications and Email accounts. Call Job Service for more information. The UI (Unemployment) Phone call workshop on Wednesdays is still busy. It is still taking many people weeks to get their UI benefits. The Disability Navigator grant has been moved to DPHHS and extended through June 2011. The Department of Labor is applying for a grant that would continue to fund the Navigators and make the Job Service part of the Ticket to Work Program.
Monique and Jodie-Lifelong Learning Center
The LLC only got four applicants for their recent job opening. There seem to be some issues with the new online application for MCPS. Testing certificates are required for many MCPS openings, and when those are not attached the application can be flagged as incomplete. Monique is on several committees right now, examining education in Montana. ABE (Adult Basic Education) funding actually increased this year, which was surprising. They were expecting a decrease in funds. The LLC is changing their ABE schedule; they will not offer classes on Thursday afternoons. They are also moving to a managed enrollment system for ABE, regulating the number of people who will attend classes at certain times. The managed enrollment will likely increase demand on ABE. The Even Start program has also had some changes. The program starts in October, and the LLC has opened up evenings three nights each week from October to March. The new partnership between LLC and Home Resource is working out great. There is a tool library at Home Resource and people can rent time in the Home Resource wood shop. Scholarships are available for classes at Home Resource through LLC. In September the LLC starts putting together their winter schedule, and they are always on the lookout for good instructors. If you meet people with interesting work history and skills please tell them about the opportunity to teach at LLC. The LLC will double their parking lot in October, and install lights in the new parking lot.
Michelle-Child Care Resources
Child Care Resources is going through many transitions. Right now statewide they are streamlining and centralizing services. They are currently waiting on grants and budgets. They will be moving to 105 East Pine off Pine and Higgins, to a first floor space. They are interviewing candidates for a new Development Director position.
Jim and Maggie-Human Resource Council
Many of the youth that work with the HRC through their youth programs have difficulties with employment and enrolling in programs, because after two requests for a social security card, drivers license, or birth certificate the requests are held up for a long time. This is due to Homeland Security. A small summer youth program at HRC just finished up. The program did not allow for any supportive services, so many youth could not be served by the program. The summer lunch program in Mineral County was very successful. In October the LIEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program) will be starting up. The Rapid ReHousing program will wrap up in October, and will not be renewed. HRC found that many landlords were carrying renters for up to three months when they fell behind on rent due to job loss.
Diana-College of Technology
The COT just wrapped up their largest orientation ever, over 500 students attended. Enrollment is up 40% at the COT this fall. They are adding classes, but having trouble recruiting and retaining instructors, as the main campus offers better pay and many instructors leave the COT for the main campus. Veterans Upward Bound has started, and there is a new Personal Finance program for Veterans. The COT will be starting a Veterans Upward Bound program in Hamilton this fall.
Future Planning
The group discussed the possibility of a resource fair in the late fall or early winter. We also discussed cross training, and the possibility of some stress reduction and compassion fatigue cross training. We will hold a full CMT meeting on the 22nd or 23rd of this month at Mountain West Bank. Saundra will check availability and send out an announcement.
Next Meeting
The next full CMT meeting will be on September 23rd from 3-5 pm at Mountain West Bank next to Costco. The next Core Group CMT meeting will be on October 7th at 9:00 am at the Job Service.
September 2, 2010
Deverie-Job Corps Update
Marie Garrison has taken over admissions for Job Corps in Missoula. Deverie will focus more on placement, and will continue to manage placement and admissions for Job Corps in Ravalli County. Job Corps is starting to focus more on the soft skills of their participants, and now begin the admissions process with an interview session focusing on soft skills. The participants will fill out a job application and be evaluated on their interview skills. This will happen before they begin the program. Job Corps has an 80% placement rate after graduation. Job Corps will also begin piloting Industry Sector Centers, where centers focus more on specific industries and there is less duplication between centers. For example, Kicking Horse may focus more on Mechanics and Health Professions. They are going to cut their culinary and carpentry programs.
Wolf-Job Service
This was the first week of school for many past Smurfit employees. Thanks to the LLC and the COT for all the work they did to prepare participants for their schooling. Wolf will talk with Diana to better streamline the process for participants getting the books and tools they need for their programs and courses. There is a new OJT (On the Job Training) grant that will be distributed throughout the state by population. This grant starts in early October and ends on June 30th. If you know employers who are interested in training new employees, have them contact the Job Service. The OJT Grant targets dislocated workers, workers who have been laid off from their previous jobs. The Job Service is seeing a downturn in mass layoffs, but many job seekers are long-term unemployed. Job Service has started up some new workshops, one on Basic Job Search Skills and one on Online Applications and Email accounts. Call Job Service for more information. The UI (Unemployment) Phone call workshop on Wednesdays is still busy. It is still taking many people weeks to get their UI benefits. The Disability Navigator grant has been moved to DPHHS and extended through June 2011. The Department of Labor is applying for a grant that would continue to fund the Navigators and make the Job Service part of the Ticket to Work Program.
Monique and Jodie-Lifelong Learning Center
The LLC only got four applicants for their recent job opening. There seem to be some issues with the new online application for MCPS. Testing certificates are required for many MCPS openings, and when those are not attached the application can be flagged as incomplete. Monique is on several committees right now, examining education in Montana. ABE (Adult Basic Education) funding actually increased this year, which was surprising. They were expecting a decrease in funds. The LLC is changing their ABE schedule; they will not offer classes on Thursday afternoons. They are also moving to a managed enrollment system for ABE, regulating the number of people who will attend classes at certain times. The managed enrollment will likely increase demand on ABE. The Even Start program has also had some changes. The program starts in October, and the LLC has opened up evenings three nights each week from October to March. The new partnership between LLC and Home Resource is working out great. There is a tool library at Home Resource and people can rent time in the Home Resource wood shop. Scholarships are available for classes at Home Resource through LLC. In September the LLC starts putting together their winter schedule, and they are always on the lookout for good instructors. If you meet people with interesting work history and skills please tell them about the opportunity to teach at LLC. The LLC will double their parking lot in October, and install lights in the new parking lot.
Michelle-Child Care Resources
Child Care Resources is going through many transitions. Right now statewide they are streamlining and centralizing services. They are currently waiting on grants and budgets. They will be moving to 105 East Pine off Pine and Higgins, to a first floor space. They are interviewing candidates for a new Development Director position.
Jim and Maggie-Human Resource Council
Many of the youth that work with the HRC through their youth programs have difficulties with employment and enrolling in programs, because after two requests for a social security card, drivers license, or birth certificate the requests are held up for a long time. This is due to Homeland Security. A small summer youth program at HRC just finished up. The program did not allow for any supportive services, so many youth could not be served by the program. The summer lunch program in Mineral County was very successful. In October the LIEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program) will be starting up. The Rapid ReHousing program will wrap up in October, and will not be renewed. HRC found that many landlords were carrying renters for up to three months when they fell behind on rent due to job loss.
Diana-College of Technology
The COT just wrapped up their largest orientation ever, over 500 students attended. Enrollment is up 40% at the COT this fall. They are adding classes, but having trouble recruiting and retaining instructors, as the main campus offers better pay and many instructors leave the COT for the main campus. Veterans Upward Bound has started, and there is a new Personal Finance program for Veterans. The COT will be starting a Veterans Upward Bound program in Hamilton this fall.
Future Planning
The group discussed the possibility of a resource fair in the late fall or early winter. We also discussed cross training, and the possibility of some stress reduction and compassion fatigue cross training. We will hold a full CMT meeting on the 22nd or 23rd of this month at Mountain West Bank. Saundra will check availability and send out an announcement.
Next Meeting
The next full CMT meeting will be on September 23rd from 3-5 pm at Mountain West Bank next to Costco. The next Core Group CMT meeting will be on October 7th at 9:00 am at the Job Service.
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