NEWSLETTER | October 2021 | Volume 6 | Issue 9
Driving the national workforce agenda and providing value-added member services
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UPCOMING MEETINGS & WEBINARS |
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October 14
October 28 - 29
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Join us in Austin, Texas, December 6-10, 2021 for a week of committee meetings and a one-day Summit.
The NASWA Summit will include an array of important information and practices surrounding workforce, unemployment insurance, labor market information, IT, and other issues.
Your health and safety Is our priority. In an effort to provide an engaging and participatory experience while keeping the health and safety of attendees as our priority, we are instituting new COVID-19 Protocols, which include completing a Participation Agreement as part of registration. Click the button below to learn more.
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Registration Information:
Member Registration: $450.00
- A member is a state workforce agency employee
Nonprofit Member Registration: $550.00
- An employee of a nonprofit organization
Non-member Registration: $700.00
- A non-member is a non-state agency employee. This includes federal partners, vendors, sponsors, and affiliates.
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Hotel Information:
Hilton Austin | 500 E. 4th Street, Austin, TX 78701
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Austin at a (per diem) group rate of $140.00 per night (plus tax).
Complimentary guest room WIFI and access to the Skyline Health Club is included with every room reservation.
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REGISTRATION WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ONSITE |
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THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT AND
TO RESERVE A HOTEL ROOM IS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2021.
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What's Happening in the States
Content from states, for states
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MAINE
NEBRASKA
SOUTH DAKOTA
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NASWA Announces 2021-2022 Board of Directors |
NASWA announced the election of its 2021-2022 association year board of directors. NASWA membership, which represents state and U.S. territory workforce agencies nationwide, selected 15 new board members and 10 alternate members to represent its regions, including a five-member executive committee. The board’s duties are to direct the business of the association. |
SANDERS NAMED TO JAG BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) announced the election of Scott B. Sanders, President and CEO of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), to the Board of Directors.
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Real-Time Labor Market Information Available Through National Labor Exchange (NLx) |
The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) announced the launch of the National Labor Exchange Research Hub, giving labor market researchers a trusted and transparent source of job vacancy data.
The Research Hub is the result of an earlier Data Trust Agreement between NASWA and DirectEmployers Association to share labor market data with state workforce agencies, researchers, policymakers, job seekers, and employers. Approved data users can now access the millions of million real-time and historical job postings collected through the National Labor Exchange (NLx), using new data access points and technical background documents.
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COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING |
On September 30th, NASWA's Communications Committee met virtually with over 50 attendees representing 30 states. Guests Julie Squire and Hillary Hewko, NASWA's Unemployment Insurance (UI) Committee and State Attorney Workgroup policy staff, discussed employer-mandated COVID-19 vaccines and unemployment insurance eligibility. 2022 Chair, Chris Cannon (TN), then led the committee in a roundtable discussion where states shared topics that included reemployment activities and outreach, UI overpayments, and other state practices.
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EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING |
The Equal Opportunity Committee met virtually in September with over 60 participants. Staff from USDOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the LEAD Center joined the meeting to present on a range of topics: updated Section 188 guidelines; new online financial and WIOA visualization tools; and how states can... Read more
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UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE COMMITTEE MEETING |
The Unemployment Insurance Committee met on September 24th for a virtual meeting with 60 members representing 40 states in attendance. The meeting marked the transition to a new association year as Beth Townsend (IA) officially passed the gavel to the new Chair, Jamie Suber (SC). Committee members heard presentations from Ryan Nunn, Assistant Vice President of the Community Development and Engagement Division of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve on the distinctive features of the pandemic recession, and from... Read more
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NEW NASWA WORKGROUP FOCUSES ON PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE |
With paid family and medical leave (PFML) back on top of the national legislative agenda, NASWA members with PFML programs requested a new workgroup.
The NASWA PFML Workgroup connects our members who work with PFML programs: CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, MA, NJ, NY, OR, RI, and WA. PFML resources, including federal legislative tracking, overview of state programs, IT information and more is available on the NASWA website (after log-in) under the “Policy and Advocacy” tab PFML Workgroup “Resources” area. This information is also available to NASWA members working with their state legislators on PFML legislation.
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INTERNATIONAL FRAUD AWARENESS WEEK |
NASWA is proud to be an Official Supporter of International Fraud Awareness Week, Nov. 14-20, 2021. Fraud Week is the global effort to minimize the impact of fraud by promoting anti-fraud awareness and education. Be sure to check NASWA’s website and social media accounts next month for resources and information as we help the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners promote anti-fraud activities. Visit the International Fraud Awareness Week website for more information.
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STEERING COMMITTEE - NEW MEMBER |
UI ITSC added its newest Steering Committee member, Raju Gadiraju, CIO, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security. Mr. Gadiraju will fill one of the three IT Director positions on the committee. |
UI ITSC released its annual report in September. The UI ITSC fosters partnerships to advance modernization of unemployment insurance and workforce programs, facilitates the exchange of ideas and practices among states, and provides products, services and training that help states leverage technology to meet evolving needs. |
The SIDES Separation Information Rewrite project may be the perfect opportunity to streamline your processes and create new functionality. Check out the SIDES Interactive Toolkit to explore quick wins and promising practices that other states have implemented.
In addition, review the comments in the new SIDES Standard Format to determine where potential issues and claim reviews can be implemented to improve integrity. This document can be found in the members’ section of the SIDES website.
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Workforce IT Support Center |
As the number of unemployment claims continues to decline, workforce agencies are beginning to prioritize reemployment. To help, Workforce ITSC has partnered with a variety of vendors, non-profit organizations and consultants to aid workforce agencies with all facets of reemployment services including digitizing current processes, implementing career exploration tools and reengineering business practices.
Curious how these resources can be applied in your agency? For more information on all of our available products and services, visit the Solutions Marketplace.
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HAVE YOU SEEN EVERYTHING NASWA LEARNING HAS TO OFFER? |
Learning offers courses in Executive Management, tracks for UI and Workforce Professionals, and more!
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NASWA Affiliates enjoy exclusive benefits.
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BEHAVIORAL INSIGHTS TOOLKIT Q&A |
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NASWA’s UI Integrity Center will launch a new product soon: the Behavioral Insights Toolkit! We sat down with the Project Manager overseeing the Toolkit to learn more.
Q: Remind me again – what is Behavioral Insights?
A: Behavioral Insights is the study of how people make choices and behave in the real world. Behavioral scientists know that people don’t always make perfect, rational choices – their research has shown that people in general are influenced by their environments, and they can be swayed by temptations, distractions, and concerns about what other people are doing.
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INTEGRITY CENTER RESOURCES |
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The following resources have been recently added to the Knowledge Exchange Library. Click a title to access the resource (Note: NASWA login required; access to materials may be limited to State Workforce Agency personnel). |
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A list of all Integrity Center resources published in the library and PDFs of the documents can be accessed via SharePoint (login required)
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Interstate Connection Network |
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VIRTUAL TRAINING
NASWA’s ICON Team will host a virtual Interstate Program Coordinator (IPC)/Federal Programs Coordinator (FPC) training Thursday, October 21 at 2 PM ET, with a duplicate session Thursday, October 28 at 11 AM ET. To register, email ICON@naswa.org.
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DID YOU KNOW?
NASWA ICON offers a multitude of virtual and in-person services. Some of these services include:
- ICON Training
- Technology Resources
- Web Resources
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To request services or more information, please contact the NASWA ICON team at ICON@naswa.org.
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REGISTRATION OPEN FOR ENERGYCAREERS 2021: FREE CAREER FAIR |
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Check out the event schedule to learn more about the sessions we have in store, with program tracks for high school students, college students, and work-ready adults. This year, we are covering topics about careers in renewables, electric vehicle infrastructure, cyber-security, engineering, entrepreneurship, and a whole lot more. Ask the Expert sessions will offer suggestions on resumes, networking, and support for veterans looking to transition to energy careers.
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COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR REEMPLOYMENT AND RECOVERY AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE |
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Members-only resources and solutions are available to assist states with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. State workforce agency personnel can access information on Reemployment and Recovery as well as Unemployment Insurance.
NOTE: Materials are for internal use only and access requires a NASWA Member login.
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A tool for NASWA members (state workforce agency personnel), the COVID-19 Playbook is a compilation of resources on MEUC implementation and PUA Overpayment Waiver information for state workforce agencies.
NOTE: NASWA Member login is required to access.
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Have a job to fill? State workforce agencies and Affiliates may email webmaster@naswa.org to submit an open position.
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Please send relevant content for the newsletter to Brooke Higdon.
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