Title
CareerSource North Central Florida Update (NB)
This item is a request for the City Commission to receive a brief update from CareerSource North Central Florida on the local labor market, job creation activities and a proposal to relocate the Career Center.
Explanation
CareerSource North Central Florida (CSNCFL) is the local workforce investment board for Alachua and Bradford Counties. The 37 member Board is comprised of over 50% business owners and also includes economic development, education (public and private), Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Children and Families, Veteran representation, Housing Authority, County Commissioners from both Alachua and Bradford County and other representing various populations, many with significant barriers to employment. Workforce Boards are created by federal law. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act was passed in 2014, which replaced the prior law knows as the Workforce Investment Act. This new law now requires local boards to include plans for entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise services in our state approved plan. The new law will go into effect in 2016 after implementation regulations are established. Boards all over the country (including ours) are weighing in now with comment on the DOL implementation planning process.
CSNCFL has enjoyed great success in the past few years at bringing in additional funding to our community, beyond the $3 to $4 million dollar federally funded (state pass through) annual formula funds our region is allocated from the state's roughly $350 million, which goes to all 24 regional workforce boards. Since 2011 we have been awarded almost $27 million in additional grants directly from the Department of Labor Education and Training Administration. Our regional workforce board (RWB 9) is the sixth smallest in the state of Florida, yet we enjoy more jobs per person than all others. This past November we have 6,910 people in our system showing as unemployed with 9936 jobs showing as available. This is the first year since before the recession we have had more jobs than unemployed people in our system (including those receiving re-employment assistance dollars and those who are not). Additionally we have many others that are under-employed also looking for better jobs to achieve a livable wage. Workforce development is a counter cyclical industry. When the economy improves, our funding decreases as the unemployment rate declines. For this reason we work hard to bring in these extra grant funds and appreciate the community's volunteer Board Members that guide the expenditure to meet the needs of our employers. The model in place focuses on business owners and employers as our customer and the job seeker is the resource we develop to meet the need of those customers. This (and many specific activities we will present) helps to create more jobs of higher salaries for our job-seekers.
Last year the CSNCFL system served over 36,000 people in Alachua and Bradford Counties. Between 3000 and 4000 visits take place at the Career Center at 4800 SW 13th Street each month. While this location has been long-standing, the Board has always wished to move it closer into town and be more accessible to those needing services. CSNCFL will provide a presentation on the local labor market, its job creating activities and a proposal to relocate its Career Center between UF and downtown Gainesville in Alachua County. CSNCFL would like to partner more closely with the City of Gainesville in many ways, which will be discussed.
The CSNCFL vision is "Everybody Works. Growing Business and Jobs through a Skilled Workforce."
Fiscal Note
None
..Recommendation
The City Commission receive a brief update from CareerSource North Central Florida on the local labor market, job creation activities and a proposal to relocate the Career Center.