Workforce Bulletin - May 2, 2014

This edition of Workforce Bulletin contains articles including:

National Labor Exchange Provides Over 1.5 Million Job Listings on Federal Veterans Employment Center
On Tuesday, April 22, First lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of the new Veterans Employment Center at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during a special veterans' jobs summit organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor.

NASWA Sends Letter to Vice President Providing Recommendations on Review of Federal Workforce Programs
NASWA President Mark Henry (MS) sent a letter last week on Thursday, April 24 to Vice President Joe Biden providing recommendations regarding his review of Federal workforce programs.

USDOL ETA Assistant Secretary Portia Wu Officially Sworn into Office
On Monday, April 28, Portia Wu was officially sworn in as Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez.

Lawmakers Work on Potential WIA Reauthorization Agreement
As Congress returned from its two-week Easter recess, media reports indicate lawmakers and their staffs in the House and Senate are renewing their efforts to draft bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) that could clear both chambers.

USDOL Announces Availability of $150 million from WIA Dislocated Worker National Emergency Grants to States to Implement Job Training Programs
On Monday, April 28, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) announced the availability of up to $150 million in funding through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Dislocated Worker National Reserve fund, providing grants to states ranging from $500,000 to $6 million in a new Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program intended to train workers, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, for jobs in high-demand industries.

USDOL Releases Final Installment of TAACCCT Grants
On Wednesday, April 16, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) announced the availability of the final $450 million in grants under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative.

U.S. Unemployment Rate Fell to 6.3 Percent in April, Nonfarm Jobs Rose by 288,000
The nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in April, 4-tenths of one percentage point lower than in March and comparable to jobless rates in the fall of 2008. At 9.8 million, the number of unemployed persons has declined by 1.9 million (or 16.5 percent) since April 2013.

Unemployment Insurance Initial Claims Increase, Continued Claims Increase
The U.S. Department of Labor reported for the week ending April 26, 2014 seasonally adjusted unemployment insurance initial claims increased from the previous week’s revised figure.

NASWA Labor Market Information Committee Meets in Washington, DC
Members of the NASWA Labor Market Information (LMI) Committee met in Washington, DC on April 23-24.

Military-State Data Exchange System for Military UI Claims
On Wednesday, April 9, the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI), the Department of Defense, and the Federal Claims Control Center hosted a webinar to announce and promote the Military-State Data Exchange System (MSDES) for the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service members (UCX) program.

USDOL, Departments of Education and Health and Human Services Seek Information on Career Pathways
The U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services issued a Request for Information (RFI) on Wednesday, April 23 in the Federal Register soliciting feedback from stakeholders on ways federal job-training grants and services across the three agencies could be better aligned in order to develop career pathways programs for program participants.

NASWA Staff Presents at USDOL Program Evaluation Seminar
NASWA’s Director for Employment and Training, Yvette Chocolaad, spoke last week at a U.S. Department of Labor workshop supported by the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy on “Practical Evaluation Strategies for Building a Body of Proven-Effective Employment and Training Programs.”

WELCOME HOME and THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE, AMANDA SMITH
After serving a year in Afghanistan, Amanda Smith, Executive Administrative Assistant at NASWA, returned home and resumed work at the Association on March 18, 2014. First Lieutenant Smith serves in the 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion of the Delaware Army National Guard.

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