Region 13 of Worksource Oregon
Telecom Plan

Region 13 of Worksource Oregon service Baker, Union and Wallowa Counties. The board, composed of representatives of agencies that serve the emerging, incumbent, and transitional workforce and private sector representatives appointed by the county commissions, is responsible for creating a collaborative plan to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of workforce development activities in the three county area. The vision and goals and strategies for the 2000-2005 planning period are detailed below.

Worksource agency partners include Oregon Employment Department, Department of Human Services, Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, K-12 Education, Professional/Technical education, Training and Employment Consortium, Northeast Oregon Housing Authority, Eastern Oregon University, and Blue Mountain Community  College.

Vision

Region 13 will involve employers, employees, and service providers in the development and coordination of workforce investment activities that increase the employment, retention, and earnings and increase occupational skill attainment of workers. This will result in a higher quality workforce, reduced welfare dependency and enhanced productivity in the region. This will be accomplished by enlarging the vision from narrowly focused job training programs to a broad system that coordinates programs that prepare people for jobs. The program will be enhanced through cooperation with economic development activities that determine what jobs exist in the community, transportation systems that determine how people get to those jobs, and social and health services that help people maintain jobs.

Mission

To enhance the economic vitality of Region 13 by partnering to provide outstanding workforce development.

Goals and Strategies

Region 13 of Worksource Oregon Five Year Plan

YEAR ONE
Goal 1: Provide universal access to core services throughout Region 13 of Worksource Oregon
Strategies:
  1. Ensure the Worksource system has the capacity to provide information for access to core services: Accomplished
  2. Ensure all partners are providing the required core services to meet the needs of our universal customers. Accomplished
  3. Conduct an ongoing marketing and public relations campaign to inform all Region 13 residents of the services available. Ongoing
  4. Obtain continuous feedback from customers and the community at large regarding the Worksource system: Ongoing  
  5. Partners meet regularly to assess evaluations: Ongoing
 
 
 
 
 
Goal 2: Provide effective and quality service that builds on a continuous improvement model
Strategies:
  1. Improve coordination among partner organizations to reduce gaps and duplication in services which reduces costs and provides seamless service. Accomplished
  2. Continue cross training for partner staff members to increase cost effectiveness of services provided. Ongoing
  3. Build additional partnerships and alliances and continue to nurture existing partnerships to expand upon the existing Worksource system. Ongoing
  4. Provide follow-up services to ensure customer feedback. Ongoing
Goal 3: Meet or exceed performance measures
Strategies:
  1. Improve the quality of education and employment services by priority staff development. Ongoing
  2. Cross train partner staff members to understand all performance measures Goals and Strategies, Continued. Accomplished
  3. Focus program development efforts toward strategies which move participants toward obtaining and retaining employment and/or finding better employment which pays a family wage. Ongoing
  4. Provide and/or coordinate training that promotes employability through enhancement of skills in occupational areas of demand. Ongoing
  5. Provide consistent follow-up services. Ongoing
  6. Monitor performance measure system and use outcome information to design successful programs. Ongoing
Goal 4: Customize services to meet the ongoing needs of our diverse population
Strategies:
  1. Assess each partner's ability to provide services. Accomplished
  2. Coordinate strategies to develop a model which best meets the customers' needs. Accomplished
  3. Ensure that Worksource facilities meet ADA requirements:  Accomplished.
  4. Obtain and analyze continuous feedback to strengthen service delivery to our diverse population. Ongoing
YEAR THREE
Goal 5: Expand and simplify access to employers and jobseekers
Strategies:
  1. Enhance an aggressive public education campaign
  2. Conduct focus groups which consist of employers and jobseekers to continue customer input
  3. Involve employers and jobseekers in the evaluation of customer feedback and system improvement
  4. Encourage partners to continue to build relationships with private industry
  5. Provide ongoing support to employers to enable them to hire and retain qualified employees
  6. Encourage customer choice by educating jobseekers about availability of services and providers
Goal 6: Become more responsive to workforce demands and changing markets
Strategies:
  1. Strengthen relationship with economic development to promote an understanding of the link between the two and the cooperation necessary to insure employers' needs are being met
  2. Develop strong relationships with employer organizations like Chambers of Commerce, Downtown organizations, and/or Commercial organizations
YEAR FIVE
Goal 7: Become a seamless customer-focused system of service delivery
Strategies: Strategies are still in development stage

 

Workforce Response Team Training Fund

On October 30, 2003 Governor Ted Kulongoski announced the availability of additional workforce training funds totaling $6 million statewide.  The Region 13 Workforce Response Team is the local contact for the project. To be eligible for the funds businesses must be located in Baker, Union, or Wallowa County and have been in business for more than 120 days.

Additional consideration will be given to companies who sell goods or services outside the local area, have skill shortages which affect growth or retention, need employee training which will lead to enhanced technological capabilities or increased productivity or have identified shill shortages which can be remedied by employee training.

Employees receiving training must be currently employed.  The fund cannot be used to train new employees, public sector employees to recruit employees, to relocate employees from on area to another, proprietary training, or any other expenditure strictly prohibited in the OMB circular establishing cost principles.

The maximum award to any one employer will be $40,000.  The grant award must be matched 1:1 by the employer through in-kind or cash contributions.  All expenditures must be documented to receive reimbursement of costs incurred and also must provide evidence of successful completion of the training by specified employees.  Additional obligations will include some upfront information about employees and compliance with necessary follow-up and reporting activities. 

All funding decisions will be made by the Region 13 Workforce Response Team comprised of representatives of:

Blue Mountain  Community College, Oregon Employment Department, Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, Northeast Oregon Economic Development District, Training and Employment Consortium, US Forest Service, Eastern Oregon University, County Commissions from the three counties, and one private sector business representative from each of the three counties.

Plan Document

Download (UNIFIEDD.pdf)

 

Training Fund Application and Attachments
PDF Format
MS Word Format
Download (Workforce_app.2006.pdf)
Download (Workforce_app.2006.doc)