A smaller, streamlined structure and a stronger private-sector presence are helping to make Rhode Island’s work force investment board more effective and responsive to the needs of businesses, people involved with the board say.
Last September, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri reorganized the former Human Resources Investment Council, cut it back from 27 to 17 members, gave private-sector representatives the majority, and renamed the group the Governor’s Workforce Board – Rhode Island.
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The change was meant, in part, to reduce duplication. To comply with federal and state laws, Rhode Island had formed two work force boards with similar missions – the federal one as a sub-committee of the state-mandated HRIC. But Carcieri also wanted a more nimble board.
“It’s harder to work with bigger boards and get things done,” said R.I. Department of Labor and Training Director Adelita Orefice, who is also executive director of the work force board.
Since being restructured, the board has set out to develop industry-specific training programs, particularly in growing sectors such as biotechnology and health care, Orefice said. She added that board members want to identify industries where training is most needed.
Brandon Melton, senior vice president of human resources at Lifespan and newly appointed member of the work force board, said the group’s focus isn’t just on immediate needs.
“Part of our role in the work force board is to prepare the next generation of workers in the state,” said Melton, who serves on the board’s youth strategies sub-committee. “We want to create opportunities for employment and training in those areas where there will be not just jobs, but good-paying jobs.”
The board recently initiated adult literacy and youth job training programs, a reflection of its goal to take on major work force issues in the state.
Nonprofit organizations such as Progreso Latino and the United Way of Rhode Island represent the voice of communities on the board. Mario Bueno, director of adult education at Progreso Latino, said he focuses on community issues involving the interests of Latinos and immigrants in the state. Immigrants make up about 11 percent of the state’s population, and the Latino population has grown tenfold in 10 years, he said.
“Adult education is important because a lot of people we serve have very low literacy skills,” he said, referring to Progreso Latino, which served 11,000 people in 2004 (the agency is still tabulating 2005 numbers, but estimates they are roughly the same). “Many have not gotten a high school diploma. That issue needs to be addressed.”
The board also administers a new work force improvement grant program responsible for allocating $2 million in grants to companies looking to train existing workers or expand their work force. The deadline for applications is May 16.
In addition, the board oversees a total of $80 million in state and federal money administered by several agencies for work force development in the state.
A major function of the board is making sure that the money is not going to duplicated services, said J. Michael Koback, spokesman for the Governor’s Workforce Board. Since the money is in the hands of different state agencies and community-based organizations, one of the challenges is “finding out where these pools of funds are and how they can work together better,” he said.
That goes back to the original goal of streamlining services and providing better, more strategic training and programs.
Koback said the board created an inter-agency work force council called the Workforce Cabinet, which consists of directors from nine state agencies, including the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the R.I. Office of Higher Education and the R.I. Economic Development Corporation.
“Their role is to be implementers of policies coming out of the work force board,” he said.
The Cabinet is an example of how the board is trying to create conversations about economy, education and employment among the agencies involved with work force issues, Koback said, because the “three E’s” are interconnected.
Focusing on economy, education and employment involves a discussion about how to train the work force to meet the demands of employers, which grows the economy, he said, “but you need an educated work force to do that.” Thus all related agencies should be at the table for the discussion.
