November 8, 2022

CASPER – The Wyoming Workforce Development Council approved a policy change regarding use of its discretionary reserves and continued work on updating its strategic plan during its quarterly meeting in Casper last week.

The amendment to Policy 1 ensures requests for funding from the Council will flow through a grant application process. The Council can reserve up to 15% of the federal funds Wyoming receives for youth, adults, and dislocated workers to carry out statewide activities. With this policy change, the Council has added a Workforce System Support Grant to complement the Next Generation Sector Partnership Grant, which was developed several years ago. Both grant applications are available on the Council’s website.

The Council is working on its strategic plan in preparation for the required rewrite of Wyoming’s Unified State Plan under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. During work sessions, the Council solidified its practical vision and had discussions regarding blocks to that vision, which led in brainstorming solutions. The solutions were grouped together into four strategic directions for the Council to focus on:

– Invent an Image – Drive Collaboration with Partnerships – Create User-Friendly Technology – Engage in Community Outreach

Action was taken by the Council on several funding requests and contract amendments:

– A Next Generation Sector Partnership grant was approved for $10,000 to create a guide for the construction sector to partner with schools as has been successfully done in Laramie County. – A request for $100,000 was approved for the Department of Workforce Services to provide training for the One-Stop staff. – A request for $15,000 was approved for the Next Gen Academy to be hosted on March 23, 2023 in Lander. – An amendment to the contract with Collaborative Economics was approved for the use and facilitation of the Next Generation Sector Partnership Model. The amendment extends the date of the contract to January 31, 2024 and adds $115,000. – An amendment to the contract with Warehouse 21 was approved for support and maintenance of the Council’s website. The amendment extends the date of the contract to January 31, 2024 and adds $3,000. – An amendment to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Wyoming Department of Education was approved for the Computer Science microcredentialing program for teachers. The amendment extends the MOU to August 30, 2024.

The next meeting of the Wyoming Workforce Development Council will be held in Cheyenne on February 22-23, 2023. Meeting information is available at wyowdc.wyo.gov.

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Contact: Kari Eakins at 307-777-5287, or kari.eakins1@wyo.gov.

October 25, 2022

October 25, 2022

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Workforce Development Council will hold its quarterly meeting in Casper from 1-5 p.m. on November 2 and 8 a.m.-noon on November 3, 2022. The Council will continue strategic planning and take action on grant funding and policy updates.

The Council will be taking action on its spending plan and expenditures, an amendment to Policy 1 regarding discretionary reserves, contract amendments, funding requests for staff training, a Next Generation Sector Partnership grant, and the 2023 Next Gen Academy. Additionally, the Council will receive a presentation on the 2022 Wyoming Workforce Annual Report from the Department of Workforce Services’ Research and Planning team and tour the workforce center in the Thyra Thomson State Office Building, which opened earlier this year.

Anyone wishing to attend the meeting may do so in person at the Casper College Gateway Center or virtually via Zoom. Information about joining the meeting as well as the full agenda is available at wyowdc.wyo.gov.

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Agenda

Contact: Ty Stockton at 307-777-6911 or tyler.stockton@wyo.gov.

September 1, 2022

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Workforce Development Council will hold its quarterly meeting in Dubois from 1-5 p.m. on September 7 and 8 a.m.-noon on September 8, 2022. The Council will begin strategic planning and take action on several policy updates. The Council will be taking action on its spending plan and expenditures, an amendment to the Eligible Training Provider List policy, the funding model for Adult and Dislocated Workers, and funding for board software. Additionally, the Council will receive updates on the Postsecondary Education Readiness Research Report, the Wind River Job Corps Center, and the National Museum of the Military Vehicle. Anyone wishing to attend the meeting may do so in person at the Headwaters Arts and Conference Center or virtually via Zoom. Information about joining the meeting as well as the full agenda is available at wyowdc.wyo.gov. ###

Agenda

Media Contact: Kari Eakins at 307-777-8229 or kari.eakins1@wyo.gov