Washington Workforce Development News
Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
May 13, 2021
“LISTEN & LEARN” SESSION FEATURED AT SPECIAL JUNE BOARD MEETING
Dr. Karen Johnson, director of the newly created Office of Equity, will provide a “listen and learn” session at a special Workforce Board meeting, set for June 2 from 1 to 5 p.m. Board members will also consider extending pandemic-related flexibility provisions and begin to develop their legislative agenda for 2022. Further conversations on the legislative agenda will continue at a following meeting on June 9. More details coming soon at: https://bit.ly/33CbiSq
WORKFORCE INVESTMENT OVERSIGHT BOARD DISCUSSES ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK ON MAY 19
The state’s Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board (WEIAOB), staffed by the Workforce Board, will meet (virtually) from 9 a.m. to noon, May 19. The Board will hear legislative updates, discuss how to operate as a board, and create an accountability framework. More details coming soon at: https://bit.ly/2Qhuvpq
HEALTH SENTINEL NETWORK EXTENDS EMPLOYER FEEDBACK DEADLINE TO MAY 23
Washington’s Health Workforce Sentinel Network is once again ready to hear from employers around the state about their greatest health workforce needs. To ensure feedback is fully captured the deadline to participate has been extended to May 23. Twice a year, the Sentinel Network helps capture key recruitment, retention, and skills issues being confronted, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and make that information available to educators, policymakers, and others. Washington’s Sentinel Network is a collaboration of the state’s Workforce Board, the Health Workforce Council, and the University of Washington’s Center for Health Workforce Studies. More details: https://bit.ly/3sWmx26
SHARED WORK CONFERENCE SET FOR JUNE 8-9
Attend the first-ever virtual conference focused on the SharedWork program, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., June 8 and 9. SharedWork allows employers to reduce employee hours by as much as 50 percent, while employees collect benefits to replace a portion of their lost wages. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, SharedWork benefits won’t affect employers’ experience rating through the week ending Sept. 4. The conference, which is free, includes sessions on the new laws and emergency rules that benefit businesses using SharedWork, along with how to calculate Unemployment Insurance taxes to protect a business experience rating. Participants can also chat one-on-one with local WorkSource business service teams to learn more about business strategies and rebound efforts in their area. Register at: https://bit.ly/2SCUVTd
LGBTQ AND GENDER BIAS WEBINAR SET FOR MAY 18
Faculty, deans, navigators, and counselors, along with others working in K-12, workforce, and higher education, are encouraged to attend a free, one-hour webinar set for 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., May 18. This is the fourth webinar in a series from the Washington Centers of Excellence Implicit Bias Institute and features Morgan Mentzer, a former auto mechanic, who went to law school to fight discrimination in the trades. She co-founded the Reckoning Trades Project to increase the representation and retention of LGBTQ people in the trades. Register at: https://bit.ly/3yb6GAw
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