| Gina M. Raimondo, Governor
Constance A. Howes, JD, FACHE, Chair
Rick Brooks, Executive Director
February, 2016
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Governor Raimondo's Jobs Plan:
Skills that matter, jobs that pay
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| Governor Gina M. Raimondo |
Last year, RI created more than 8,000 jobs, the most created in a single year since 2000, and the state's unemployment rate fell more than any other state in the nation.
Governor Raimondo's proposed budget seeks to build on that progress by making significant investments in growth to build a new economy where everyone can "make it in Rhode Island."
- Among the highlights of the Governor's Jobs Plan to create skills that matter and jobs that pay are:
- Invest in workforce development initiatives, like Real Jobs RI and TechHire, to train Rhode Islanders for well-paying 21st century jobs;
- Make college more affordable by freezing college tuition with record investments at URI, RIC and CCRI and continuing need-based Rhode Island's Promise scholarships;
- Stop the brain drain by expanding Wavemaker Fellowship student loan repayments and offering down payment assistance on homes for recent graduates through the Ocean State Grad Grant; and
- Expand the Innovation Voucher program to partner businesses with academic researchers.
"Our economy is making progress, but there is much more work to do to create growth that includes everyone," Raimondo said in her recent State of the State address. "If we remain committed to growing 21st century businesses and attracting high-wage, high-skill jobs, I am confident that we will achieve our shared goal of creating jobs and expanding opportunity for all Rhode Islanders."
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GWB Industry Partnership:
RI Marine Trades
Tapping millennial wisdom to recruit workers and boat-buyers
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| RIMTA Summer Marketing Program graduates Paulina Foley (left) and Rachael Lemmler served as members of a team of "millennial" advisors to the Providence Boat Show. Photo credit: Kate Mouligne |
When it comes to the marine trades workforce and boat-buying consumers, the RI marine industry has demographic challenges on its horizon. Skilled employees are aging out of the workforce without enough young workers to take their places, and the average age of new boat- buyers is early 50s and inching higher each year.
RI Marine Trades Association (RIMTA), with funding from the GWB, trains younger workers in its Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program. But RIMTA knows that the challenge of the industry's shifting demographics requires a broader effort - so they brought in the experts.
In summer 2014, RIMTA and the Workforce Partnership of Greater RI offered a new type of internship. For six weeks, individuals ages 18-24 learned about marketing, public relations, and event planning in the recreational marine industry, which led to the development of a marketing plan to promote marine careers to "millennials."
The program was repeated in summer 2015, and, as a final project, students were asked to create a marketing plan to attract more millennials to this winter's Providence Boat Show to further engage them in boating. READ MORE
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GWB Workforce Innovation Grantee:
Crossroads RI and Nursing Placement, Inc. change lives
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| Recent Crossroads CNA graduates |
In the midst of the holiday rush, another cohort of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) graduates gathered at Crossroads RI to celebrate their completion of the intensive seven-week program. Their sense of accomplishment and possibility filled the room.
Over the course of the program, participants mastered the skills needed to work as a CNA and prepared for the state licensing exam. They also devoted time to work-readiness training, developing soft skills, and financial literacy. They completed a clinical experience at Elmwood Health Center and networked, with résumés in hand, at our Career Day where eight area employers conducted on-the-spot interviews.
Crossroads RI, which assists homeless and at-risk individuals and families to secure financial and housing stability, collaborated with its employer partner, Nursing Placement, to integrate Hospice and Home Care instruction into the curriculum. Nursing Placement CNAs spoke with the students about the opportunities and challenges of working with people in their homes. Crossroads will continue to design and direct curriculum based on their staffing needs and labor market trends.
So far, funding from the GWB has given 17 people who were unemployed and underemployed the opportunity to access a promising career path in one of the fastest-growing industries in the state. By providing the right services, the right training, and continuing to support people after they get a job, graduates are now working at Nursing Placement and other facilities throughout RI.
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Adult Education in RI:
One success story, out of hundreds
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| Doris: from Colombia to Spumoni's |
The
RI Department of Education (RIDE) currently funds 34 adult education programs, from Westerly to Woonsocket. In total, adult education serves more than 5,000 adult learners each year, with about half of all learners studying English as a Second Language (ESL).
RIDE programs receive funding from the GWB, the State of RI, and the U.S. Department of Education. RIDE reports results based on learners' educational gains, employment outcomes, high school credentials, and postsecondary admissions. While the state is meeting or exceeding its federal outcome targets, there are still more than 35,000 Rhode Islanders between 18 and 65 years old who do not speak English well, and more than 77,000 working-age Rhode Islanders who lack a high school diploma or equivalency credential.
One example of a student success story involves Doris, who moved to the U.S. from Colombia in 2012. Doris knew that she needed to learn English in order to get a job. She enrolled at Pawtucket Adult Education and completed more than 400 hours of classes in ESL and basic literacy.
In late 2014, with improved English proficiency, Doris was accepted into the
Genesis Center Culinary Arts class. While in the culinary program, Doris learned classical cooking techniques, continued to develop her English proficiency, and developed work- readiness skills.
She also completed an internship with the Genesis Center's employer partner, Spumoni's restaurant in Pawtucket, where she was subsequently hired as a prep cook. Doris soon began to show her skills in baking and preparing desserts and was quickly promoted to pastry chef, where she has earned additional hours and increased pay. In addition to her work at Spumoni's, she has gained a part-time job at Stop & Shop bakery. Today, Doris continues to improve her English proficiency at RI College.
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Director's Blog
GWB Executive Director Rick Brooks notes that "today's adult education providers are increasingly finding success by integrating workforce training with education."
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Fiscal Year 2015
Annual Report
Read and/or download your own copy of the latest annual report.
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SAVE THE DATE
GWB Annual Meeting
Thursday, May 19
8:00-10:00 AM
Crowne Plaza
Warwick, RI
Details will be announced soon.
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About the Governor's Workforce Board RI
We are the primary policy-making body on workforce development matters for the State of RI. The GWB is also responsible for investing the state Job Development Fund to support education and training initiatives that increase the skills of the RI workers and address the workforce needs of RI businesses.
CONTACT US
1511 Pontiac Ave.
Cranston, RI 02920
phone: (401) 462-8864
fax: (401) 462-8865
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