Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board

New Bedford – About 40 teens participated in a jewelry making, fashion design, and creative arts summer work and learn program at Keith Middle School this summer. Under the leadership of Paula Benedetti, the Key Entrepreneurial Elements Program (K.E.E.P.) Keith participants mastered design skills, while learning the merchandising and marketing skills necessary to turn the treasures they produced into profitable business ventures. The program culminated in an art show at Keith, where thousands of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, key chains, and other trinkets were available for sale, as were beaded pillows and decorative accessories, candy bouquets, and artistic arrangements.

President Obama signed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act on March 18, 2010. The HIRE Act is aimed at providing hiring incentives to restore some of the jobs lost in the latest economic recession and put Americans back to work as soon as possible.

The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB) is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for FREE Weatherization Training through the Stepping Stone Program at Bristol Community College (BCC) to eligible participants.

New Bedford, MA- Mary Ellen DeFrias recently joined the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB) as a Grant Writer.

She attended the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth where she received her BA in Political Science, and spent the early part of her career writing proposals for the City of New Bedford. Throughout her career, she's had the opportunity to network with many of the agencies the WIB deals with today. She also holds a Masters in Criminal Justice, and a Masters in Public Administration, and has consulted for and written grants for the Town of Dartmouth.

Most recently, she worked at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she had a variety of responsibilities including grant research and grant coordination.

She lives in Dartmouth with her husband Andrew and daughter Angela. Andrew is a paramedic supervisor working for a company based outside of Boston. For fun, they enjoy sailing and remain very involved with the sailing community.

“We’re really excited to have her as part of our team,” noted Craig Baker, Chief Operating Officer at the WIB.

To contact Mary Ellen, please call 508.979.1504 x15 or medefrias@gnbwib.org.

The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB) recently held its 2010 Annual Meeting at the Wamsutta Club. Reflections on the previous fiscal year included the many events, partnerships, and legislative efforts undertaken as well as business development and funding opportunities.

Many are familiar with White’s of Westport, which was founded by the Lafrance family in 1955. Since then, Lafrance Hospitality has expanded, adding additional restaurants and hotels throughout eastern Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and recently breaking ground for their newest hotel location on the New Bedford harbor front.

On June 7th, 2010, New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang, the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB), and the New Bedford Area Chamber gathered at city hall to kick off the “Hire a Youth” campaign.

The fate of summer jobs for thousands of Massachusetts teens through the Disaster Relief and Summer Jobs Act of 2010 (HR 4899) is currently in the hands of the U.S. Senate. The U. S. House of Representatives has approved $600 million slotted for teen summer jobs across America this summer. Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act helped employ 6,807 Massachusetts teens last summer- 430 here in the Greater New Bedford region alone.

The Elevate America program announced today by Governor Patrick provides vouchers for free courses in Microsoft software programs from the local One Stop Career Centers to all MA residents except state employees and public workforce system employees, both state and private. Our Career Centers in partnership with the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board are excited to be able to provide these vouchers. Brenda Francis, Director of the Career Centers, indicated, “What a great opportunity for all citizens but especially our unemployed and our youth who can use this free training to improve their computer skills and better compete for future employment”.

The Career Centers are located in New Bedford at 618 Acushnet Avenue, in Wareham at 48 Marion Road, and for youth in the New Bedford Area at the Youth Annex, 5 Dover Street. Full details on available courses and necessary computer configuration are also available at the Career Centers.

The online courses are accessed via the internet, customers have a full year to complete them, and passing of the course exam results in Microsoft Certification. For those that do not have access to computers, a limited number are available for use at the Career Centers. For more information contact the Career Centers: New Bedford at 508-990-4000 and Wareham at 508-291-7062, and the Youth Annex 508-979-1700.

NEW BEDFORD - After the recent closure of the Eagle/Alliant Company this past summer, the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. applied for and received a $657,572 Rapid Response set-side grant from the Patrick-Murray Administration's Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to help serve those dislocated from the closure of the plant.

Since October 2008, the U.S Census Bureau has been working closely with the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB) and the Greater New Bedford and Wareham Career Centers to fill close to 500 local positions.

The Career Centers continue to help the Census Bureau in recruiting and filling of temporary Census Taker, Field Operations Supervisor and Recruiting Assistant positions.

New Bedford, MA – Five local programs in literacy and energy efficiency are now enrolling. Funded with over $450,000 in Economic Stimulus funds through The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB), these programs are expected to serve over 130 individuals by the end of this year.

Many came out to the North Dartmouth Barnes & Noble on Wednesday, December 16, 2009, to help raise funds to provide access to books for local children. The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB) sponsored the Barnes & Noble Bookfair fundraiser to benefit the Community Foundation’s Greater New Bedford Early Literacy Consortium (ELC).

NEW BEDFORD – The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board (WIB) recently hosted the Harvest Awards to recognize the dozens of local businesses and youth service providers who responded to the rapid influx of $1.5 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars for youth jobs this past summer. The event took place at Normandin Middle School in the city.

New Bedford, MA -- On Wednesday, September 30, 2009 the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB) held its quarterly meeting at Konarka Technologies, Inc.  Mitch Cahn of the recently-opened New Bedford Tactical Gear, LLC, spoke at the event about his recent experience with the WIB.

Employment opportunities for 16-19 year olds in the U.S. have collapsed to record new lows in the past year. Fewer than 30% of the nation’s teens have been working in recent months versus 45% in 2000 and nearly 50% in 1989. The drop in teen employment rates have exceeded those experienced by all working-age persons in the U.S. during the Great Depression. And here in Massachusetts, teen employment rates have also declined considerably over the past eight years. Between January and March of this year, only 28 % of the state’s teens were employed, a new historic low for the state.

On Wednesday, June 24, 2009, Bristol Community College will be hosting a closing ceremony for participants successfully completing the Total Preventative Maintenance (TPM) and Work Readiness programs. These participants have earned one college credit. This event will take place at Bristol Community College’s New Bedford Campus (BCC) from 4:30pm to 6pm in room 161, where President John J. Sbrega, Ph.D., will honor the partner companies and participants with a college credit presentation.

Mayor Scott Lang and the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB), have announced $2.9 Million in Economic Stimulus funds coming to the region for employment, education and training needs for Youth, Adults & Dislocated Workers (laid-off) eligible under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Of these funds, approximately $1 Million is going to the Youth Summer Jobs program and $700k to Adults & Dislocated Workers, and your opinion is critical to developing a regional strategy for spending these dollars.

Mayor Scott Lang and the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc., have announced $1Million in Economic Stimulus dollars coming to the region for this summer’s Youth Summer Jobs Program. This funding will pay the wages of 500 additional youth to be placed in summer jobs in the City of New Bedford and the towns of Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Marion, Wareham, Acushnet, Freetown, and Lakeville. Last year’s Youth Summer Jobs program provided for approximately 300 youth positions. With stimulus funds, the region is anticipating at least 800 youth hires this summer.

Greater New Bedford - The GNB Youth Council, a subcommittee of the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board (WIB) has just released a Request for Responses (RFR) for youth summer jobs.

Reach Out and Read-Massachusetts (ROR) will be hosting a Continuing Medical Education (CME) event at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center on Tuesday, February 24 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Pediatricians, Family Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners are encouraged to attend this new National Reach Out and Read Training Course presented by Marilyn Augustyn, MD, Director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Boston University Medical Center.  A light dinner will be served courtesy of the Green Bean.

The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB), in partnership with the UMass Dartmouth Office of Campus and Community Sustainability, the Greater New Bedford Career Center (GNBCC), and Bristol Community College’s Center for Business and Industry, received a collaborative award for just over $40,000 to implement the Southcoast Massachusetts Weatherization Technician Training Program (WTTP).

New Bedford – The LiteracyWorks Cabinet had an excellent showing of almost 30 Cabinet members and guests at its first meeting of the new fiscal year. Held at the Wamsutta Club in New Bedford, the group discussed LiteracyWorks’ currently supported programming, challenges and successes of the past year, and strategies for the future of this ambitious program.

New Bedford – The Adult Learning Center held its annual Open House and Family Literacy Day on Monday, November 3, 2008. The 2-hour event provided opportunities for the children of adult students and the general public to meet students and staff, tour the facility, and participate in family literacy activities. The date was chosen to coincide with the New Bedford Public Schools Professional Development Day for K-12 teachers in an effort to provide their children with the opportunity to visit their parents’ classrooms without missing school. Additionally, the Open House was a celebration of "Family Literacy Month" in Massachusetts. Governor Deval Patrick declared November “Family Literacy Month” in Massachusetts to recognize and celebrate the importance of education as a family endeavor and support efforts to expand family learning opportunities. The goal of activities such as the Open House and Family Literacy Day is to promote greater engagement by parents and community partnerships, and to celebrate lifelong learning and family wellbeing.

WALTHAM – GNB WIB Youth Council Director, Jean Fox, was recently appointed to serve on the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Interdisciplinary Health Education and Human Services Advisory Council; one of 17 Advisory Councils established by the Education Reform Act of 1993. During her three-year term, Fox will share information on health education, psycho-social, and human services in the Greater New Bedford school districts.

Early-September of this year, Secretary Bump, of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, released a request for proposal (RFP) for the Ex-Offender Re-entry Partnership Initiative. The RFP was by invitation only, and the Greater New Bedford and Bristol WIB regions were invited to apply together, under one proposal. Three additional regions were invited to apply: Boston, Hampden, and Central Mass & Metro SouthWest (also as a team).

Members of the Mayor’s Youth Council will be participating in the November GNBWIB Youth Council (YC) meeting and sharing information on issues pertaining to youth in the area from their perspective. Pam Pollock approached WIB Youth Council Director, Jean Fox, last spring, urging the two councils to work in tandem with a renewed focus. Fox asked the youth group last summer if they would be willing to join the WIB’s YC meeting to conduct a “Youth Speaks” segment. A subcommittee met with Fox later and hammered out some ideas for the meeting.

Over this past month, the WIB has organized a working group that will establish critical benchmarks that the WIB hopes will be used as key indicators to measure the WIB’s success as it implements its newly developed strategic plan. As a logical “next step” from its development, the WIB now looks to implement the 12 key objectives from its plan.

NEW BEDFORD - The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc., in partnership with the UMass Dartmouth Office of Campus and Community Sustainability, the Greater New Bedford Career Center, and Bristol Community College’s Center for Business and Industry, received a collaborative award for just over $40,000 to implement the Southcoast Massachusetts Weatherization Technician Training Program (WTTP).

New Bedford - The Adult Learning Center is hosting its annual Open House and Family Literacy Day on Monday, November 3, 2008 from 9:45 am – 11:30 am.  The event will be held at 181 Hillman Street, Building #2, is open to the public and will provide opportunities to meet students and staff, tour the facility, and participate in family literacy activities.  A highlight of the event will be guest speaker, Michael Poitras, retired Chief of the Acushnet Police Department. Poitras will discuss “the role of police in the community.”