Well, today I'm back in the saddle of leading a regional workforce for an Tallahassee Florida as the Chief Executive Officer. I have a wonderful staff of 19 very talented folks and I'm happy to be engaged again what I found to be my passion as a public administrator.
The workforce system in Florida is a bit different than Indiana and Illinois – in Florida we are covered by an open meetings law that is quite restrictive and prevents board members from talking to each other about workforce issues outside a posted meeting. This presents some challenges in ensuring that the board has open communications. In an open and transparent government, our governance body needs to be fully aware of workforce issues as they arise in the region that they serve. They are also serving as representatives of the community. Therefore, it is important for their individual concerns and insights be shared with the entire board. This law restricts communications so that small groups of board members cannot plan to promote hidden agenda's.
I have found that the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) in Florida has been helpful and I believe I have good working relationship with them at this time and hope to keep it that way. I know in public policy we can have different opinions of how policy should be carried out and I have learned in the end whatever the governor is focused on and whatever the governor decides is what's going to carry the day.
In this state the focus is on job placement which is an extremely good thing for our system. Our challenge every day is to meet the business employers needs by providing a competent talent pool from which they can choose to hire. That is a difficult balance that most of us try hard every day to achieve.
I will be sharing with you some of my thoughts in relationship to a new book that will be due out around Labor Day by Dr. Edward Gordon on the workforce system. I've come to know and become friends with Ed over the years because he is one voice that clearly reviews the data and understands the potential impacts that are workforce situation in the United States is experiencing. And as a former teacher, he also understands the educational system and its structural failures to provide a ready and able workforce.
I will try and keep the Blog short so that you can read this in a few minutes. I intend to carry a single point each time to make it easy to understand some of the challenges to our system today. I will also be active at the national level with the US Conference of Mayors and share with you some of the insights I bring back from Washington at the end of September. Until next time...Jim McShane
No comments:
Post a Comment