Archives for Workforce & Government

KRA Corporation looks at sector-based employment and training as a much-needed  approach for some local workforce and economic development systems… Ten years ago, then President George W. Bush laid out what his administration considered a “groundbreaking approach for closing employment skills gaps.”  In his address, he stated “The High Growth Job Training Initiative…is aiming to give workers the skills they need to realize their dreams. It’s a collaborative effort to help team up people with the jobs that are needed, to make sure that the changes in our economy don’t leave people behind.” Subsequently, the Department of Labor (DOL) Employment
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KRA Corporation explores the new Obama Administration initiative designed to create projects that aid in accelerated job creation and increased business investment in the manufacturing sector. The winners of the Make it in America Challenge were announced recently with the 10 grantees receiving a combined total of $20,533,409 for “projects supporting regional economic development, advanced skills training, greater supply chain access and other enhancements.” The grant winners submitted applications for projects that “help distressed regions build on existing assets, promote a competitive environment for foreign-owned and domestic firms to establish and grow their U.S. operations, create jobs and develop a
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After 16 days of being shut down, it only took the Department of Labor (DOL) a week to hit the ground running, announcing grants and measures furthering workforce development in many sectors and addressing worker safety. Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez, was critical of the government shutdown dubbing it “a divisive struggle that inflicted unnecessary wounds on the economy.” In a news release regarding the September employment figures, one which boasted the 43rd consecutive month of growth and one in which average hourly wage increased 3 cents, Secretary Perez made his feelings known. In the release, he spoke of a
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There is a segment of the American population with massive, untapped potential (and one that KRA Corporation has long championed) that is approaching Depression Era-levels of unemployment—America’s disconnected youth. An interesting report from January 2012, The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth, published by researchers from University of New York and Columbia University estimated that as many as 7 million young Americans between the ages of 16-24 were out of school and unemployed in 2011. Dubbed “Opportunity Youth,” the researchers divide the disconnected youth into two categories: chronic (unemployed and out of school or work after the age of 16) which
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After 16 days of a tense stand off, a 252-144 House of Representatives and 81-18 Senate vote ended the government shutdown with President Obama signing a bill last week that reopened the government until the middle of January and effectively raised the debt ceiling until early February. As an organization dedicated for 3 decades to employment and workforce development—preparing job seekers for tomorrow’s global economy and supplying employers with a trained and reliable workforce—KRA Corporation is pleased that those furloughed workers have returned to work. Regarding the bill signing, and the end of the shutdown, President Obama said, “I’ve said
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The recent Federal government hiatus gave us at KRA Corporation pause to reflect on and highlight some of the recent positive and innovative actions of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) related to workforce development. After being sworn in as the newest Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez described the DOL as the “quarterback in a workforce-development system” in an interview with the Washington Post. Even though his tenure has been short, the new Secretary has had a busy period at the helm for the DOL. A staunch advocate of workers’ rights, he has dubbed the DOL as the “department of opportunity,” speaking frequently of
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Much has been written about the recent shutdown by the U.S. Government, including the financial plight and implications of those most affected, but the psychological impact of this action is one that does not prompt the attention it deserves. This reduced employment cost-saving technique—increasingly popular since the recession’s effects became fully understood—has been utilized in both the public and private sector; and though the effects of furlough might have subtle differences to actual job loss, it still has serious and negative implications. A recent 2013 Journal of Applied Psychology article, The impact of furloughs on emotional exhaustion, self-rated performance, and
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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Themed “Because We Are EQUAL to the Task” by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the object of the campaign is to acknowledge the abilities—the experience and expertise—that workers with challenging mental and/or physical conditions can contribute to our workforce. In a September 30, 2013, White House Press Release, President Obama’s Proclamation read, “Our Nation has always drawn its strength from the differences of our people, from a vast range of thought, experience, and ability.  Every day, Americans with disabilities enrich our communities and businesses.  They are leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators, each with unique talents to contribute and points
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The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the award of almost $24 million dollars in Pay For Success (PFS) grants through the Workforce Investment Fund (WIF).  The initial solicitation for $20 million in PFS funds was increased to include fiscal years 2012 and 2013 funds due to the quality of the applications. This is in addition to the $147 million of WIF grants that were awarded earlier this year ”to develop and expand innovative strategies to help Americans return to work.” In a recent post, Paying For Success: A Potential Future Funding Model for Workforce Development, KRA Corporation highlighted
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The “Living Wage” bill, (as discussed by KRA Corporation in a previous post) has been the subject of heated debate in the nation’s capital. It was recently defeated when Washington D.C. Mayor, Vincent C. Gray vetoed the bill. In detailing the reason for the veto, Mayor Gray described it as a “job killer”.  The subsequent D.C. council vote to try and override the veto failed when only seven of nine Council members voted against the measure. Opponents to the bill—known as the Large Retailer Accountability Act—felt the criteria placed on particular larger corporations was unfair and likely to keep businesses out
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