Secretary Hilda L. Solis joined nearly 1,000 participants for the final plenary of the Road to Recovery: Strategies for ReEmployment summit on Wednesday afternoon. She urged the workforce system to keep building partnerships among employers and service providers and to reach out to dislocated workers.
“If we leave one person behind then we leave a family behind and then a community,” said Solis. “This is our chance to stand up and show we are a part of their community.”
Part of the challenge is that not everyone knows about the programs and services available to them. People who are unemployed have the skills needed to get jobs, and are focused on providing for their families, but need help navigating the workforce system. The workforce development community in cooperation with the department can make a difference by helping the unemployed familiarize themselves with the array of services that are available. There are many ways to reach those in need of assistance. For instance, when the career matching website www.mySkillsmyFuture.org was launched earlier this year, it had hundreds of thousands of hits within days.
While there are still many challenges, there have been opportunities to help a great many workers in recent months.
Programs such as National Emergency Grants and Trade Adjusmtent Assistance experienced expansions and infusions of millions of dollars in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In addition, through Recovery Act funded grants, community colleges and other organizations have created partnerships that are helping job seekers upgrade their skills and prepare for jobs. It is important that individuals facing layoffs are aware of these services and all those available to them. It is equally important that businesses are aware of the quality job candidates that are taking part in workforce system programs.
There are also programs that need to be extended to ensure that job seekers have the support they need to take care of their families while seeking reemployment. The fight will continue for the extension of unemployment benefits said Solis. “It is an insurance plan and not a welfare plan.” Every dollar paid in unemployment benefits generates two dollars in economic activity. Solis also keyed in on the importance of the extension of the expanded Trade Adjustment Assistance program that has allowed more workers to receive needed assistance following trade-related layoffs.
“We want to create good jobs that stay here…and I especially want to help the middle class,” said Solis. She stressed that when we talk about unemployment statistics, we are not talking about numbers, but real people. “We have got to put people back to work,” said Solis.
Prairie Gateway re-branded to Victory Crossing {Commerce City}
Commerce City "We need to be sure that we are not left behind in ED..."
Will we ever see Development @ the Prairie Gateway site in Commerce City, CO??? It has been years since the Commerce City Civic Center and Rapids stadium have been built and still no economic development. I guess patience is really a virtue.
