GWB update

Gina M. Raimondo, Governor   

Constance A. Howes, JD, FACHE, Chair 

Rick Brooks, Executive Director                                  

January, 2016 

GWB Industry Partnership 
Tech Collective's STEM Career Expo connects 125 middle school girls with technology companies
  
Students from Sophia Academy in Providence participate in Amgen workshop
to extract DNA from strawberries
T his past November, 125 middle school students and 13 educators attended the Tech Collective's annual STEM-in-the-Middle girls' career expo, hosted by the RI College STEM Center. 
  
STEM-in-the-Middle aims to raise awareness and participation in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields at the middle school level. Students attended hands-on workshops throughout the day on such topics as: biotechnology, environmental science, engineering, physics, computer technology, digital media and programming, robotics, and arts. In addition, the Expo featured remarks from Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the RI Department of Health.
  
Expo workshops were designed and facilitated by 31 female industry professionals and faculty. Companies and organizations bringing real-world insight and experience to STEM-in-the-Middle were: Amgen, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, NASA, the Ocean Exploration Trust at URI, Dassault Systemès Simulia Corporation, Rhode Island College, Leidtke Design, Fab Newport, Ahlers Designs, and the US Navy.
  
Now in its fifth year, STEM-in-the-Middle has reached a total of 520 middle school girls with support from an annual GWB Industry Partnership grant for biosciences, as well as from industry sponsors. 
  
Read more about the Stem-in-the-Middle Expo HERE.
  
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GWB Workforce Innovation Grantee
Health Care Training Collaborative prepares workers for careers in health care
  
The GWB, through its Workforce Innovation grants, h as supported Saint Antoine Residence' s Health Care Training Collaborative (HCTC) for the past three y ears. In late November, 18 students gradu ated fro m the program to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA). This was the 28th graduating class in the program's nine-year history.

Student speaker Johnnisha Johnson addresses her fellow CNA graduates
 
HCTC operates three CNA classes per year and enjoys a 100% employment placement rate for its graduates. In addition, HCTC's career ladder program offers participants opportunities to att end nursing school or become Certified Medication Technicians (CMT). Currently, HCTC has nine enrollees in the nursing  program at CCRI, with more than 40 others taking pre-requisite classes.
  
HCTC's goal is to prepare students for successful careers in health care. Its curriculum adheres to RI's strict CNA licensure requirements, but also incorporates other essential skills, including a financial stability workshop and training in the professional and "people skills" needed to succeed in the workplace.

HCTC was recently awarded a Real Jobs Implementation grant to expand its program into Providence with the potential of doubling the number of classes it offers per year.   HCTC is currently interviewing applicants for its next class beginning in January (2016) and recruiting for its April 2016 class. To learn more, visit HCTC's Facebook page.
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Follow the money
GWB produces new on-line interactive data "maps"
  
As part of its efforts to produce the Comprehensive System Improvement Plan, the GWB partnered with the RI Foundation to produce on-line, interactive data "maps" of RI's workforce development programs and expenditures.
  
New interactive data maps describe how public workforce development funds are spent in RI
These new data tools will
enable policy-makers, elected officials, and others to more easily access, understand, and analyze public workforce development expenditures and outcomes.  The maps are available on the GWB website and will be updated and improved upon on a going-forward basis. 

Just published...

Check out the GWB's new Comprehensive System Improvement Plan for workforce development in RI.

In the news...

GWB Workforce Innovation grantee Open Doors was recently featured on NBC 10 News.

 

Read more about the Open Doors 9 Yards program HERE.

 

 

 


Director's Blog
 
 
Read Executive Director Rick Brooks' latest post
entitled "Follow the Money".


 
 

 

 

 


About the Governor's Workforce Board RI

 

  
The Governor's Workforce Board is 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. 

 

  

 

GOVERNOR'S WORKFORCE BOARD

1511 Pontiac Ave.

Cranston, RI 02920

ph: (401) 462-8864

fx:  (401) 462-8865

www.gwb.ri.gov

  

 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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