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Issues 2 & 3, November 2015
Online with Americas Job Link Alliance

Workforce Transformation Strategies

Welcome Maine Transforming U.S. Workforce Development Policies for the 21st Century—the product of collaboration between the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University and the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Kansas City—is a collection of studies that consider what strategies and policies will be most effective in developing the future workforce on local, state, and federal levels. The report is broken into four parts:

1. Transforming the U.S. Workforce Development System
2. Redesigning Workforce Development Strategies
3. Building Evidence-Based Policy and Practice
4. Targeted Strategies
To meet the demand for a skilled, educated, productive workforce, strategies address innovations in higher education, employer training programs, and career navigation for job seekers. Many studies focus on the importance of creating stronger partnerships between educators and employers, emphasizing the importance of collecting and sharing data, which is in part achieved through defining measurable outcomes of the relationship between education and career success. One-Stop Career Centers are encouraged to develop more robust career navigation tools that are self-service, similar to the software AJLA offers, but also to invest in skilled staff who assist job seekers in attaining desired careers through training and education. Looking to the future of the workforce industry, AJLA is excited to be on the cutting edge of workforce center software and support and to be a part of a consortium that is invested in improving the economy and maximizing the return on investment for our customers.

Welcome Maine

Welcome Maine We’re excited to announce that the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) recently contracted with AJLA–TS to implement Maine JobLink as their workforce case management and reporting system. AJLA–TS will host Maine JobLink for MDOL, with implementation scheduled for June 30, 2016. Maine is now the 16th AJLA member agency and the 10th state workforce agency to use America’s JobLink. The project is being managed on the AJLA–TS side by Project Manager, James Stewart. MDOL will be represented on the Steering Committee by Judy Pelletier, Program Manager, Rapid Response & Trade Adjustment Assistance. Please give Judy and the rest of MDOL a warm AJLA welcome!

Annual Meeting Recap

Welcome Maine
Crystal Caison, AJLA Chair, and Lori Crockett Harris, Chief, Division of Workforce Investment, Office of State Systems, USDOL/ETA.
The AJLA Steering Committee convened in Chicago, Illinois, for the 27th Annual AJLA Conference in July. Jeff Mays, Director of Illinois Department of Employment Security, greeted the conference attendees on behalf of Illinois, encouraging state workforce agencies to keep their momentum as the go-to resources for workforce development. Keynote speaker Lori Crockett Harris—Chief, Division of Workforce Investment, Office of State Systems, USDOL/ETA—reviewed WIOA legislation on its one-year anniversary, discussing the transition year ahead. Additional topics covered on the diverse agenda included training frontline staff, the Chicago Transit Authority Second Change program for ex-offenders, WIOA youth, developing strong work ethic, protection and advocacy for people with disabilities, the role of the labor market data in the federal imperative on workforce outcomes, results from the 2015 U.S. Talent Shortage Survey, selling advertising on AJL to generate income for your workforce development agency, Trade Adjustment Assistance, and VETS, NASWA, and Washington updates. A WIOA state roundtable was also held, providing a forum for states to share their activities around WIOA implementation.

Meeting presentations are available on the About page at ajla.net, under AJLA Events. Thank you to all of the presenters, Steering Committee members, and attendees for making this conference a success.

Winter Meeting

Welcome Maine
AJLA–TS and the AJLA Steering Committee look forward to hosting the 2015 AJLA Winter Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. The event details are as follows:

When: December 9–11, 2015. For a detailed meeting schedule, please see the draft agenda.

Where: Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 50 East Adams Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Hotel Reservations: The AJLA room block deadline has passed. You may still be able to reserve a room at the prevailing (non-discounted) rate by calling (800) 468-3571. If you need assistance securing accommodations, please contact Brooke Patterson, bpatterson@ajla.net.

Registration: Please complete the online registration form at the same time you make your room reservation. Registration is $450 and should be made payable to America's Job Link Alliance; FEIN 48-1124839, 1430 SW Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612, Attn: Brooke Patterson.

Please check the Events page on ajla.net for additional information.

Meet the New Employees

The AJLA–TS team has gained ten new members since the publication of the last newsletter. Please welcome:
Stacia Fosnot, Business Systems Analyst, who comes from legislative affairs and campaigning, along with a sales and business background and a B.A. in Communication, is an artist and a Jedi-master of watching Netflix.
Ezra Rush, Applications Developer, has two B.S. degrees in Math and Computer Information Science and an M.B.A., with previous experience as the Department Chair of Information Technology at Bryan University. When not programming at work, he enjoys more math and programming in his free time.
Brett Sanders, Business Systems Analyst, was previously a programmer at the Kansas Department of Revenue and has his A.S. in Computer Information Science. Outside of work he enjoys golfing, fishing, and watching Royals, Chiefs, and K-State games.
Andre Negrete, Web Designer, was a multimedia designer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas. He is also a competitive video gamer who enjoys watching anime, lifting heavy things, and working on his own animations.
Joy Bancroft, Multimedia Instructional Designer, who comes from eight years of college writing center work and instruction, has her M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition and boasts passions for reading, writing, and editing.
Gary Bergman, Database Administrator, who was an IT Specialist / Programmer / Analyst for a Topeka-based financial services company, brings over 30 years of experience from the IT industry to his position. Gary spends his spare time outside, golfing, fishing, and doing yardwork.
Carrie Doud, Office Manager, who comes to us from the Kansas State Board of Emergency Medical Services, is completing her bachelor’s in organizational leadership and keeps busy with her daughters who are involved in competitive dance. She also enjoys being outdoors and camping.
Anna Hailey, Business Systems Analyst, was a marketing coordinator and has her master’s in business administration. She enjoys indie and film festivals and is passionate about animal rights and welfare.
James Stewart, Project Manager, who worked as a Project Manager for the Kansas Information Consortium, has his B.A. in Geography and enjoys writing, performing and recording music, and playing board or strategy games.
Matt Stormer, Business Systems Analyst, who was a research analyst at Kansas Department of Transportation Traffic Safety and has a B.A. in Political Science, spends his spare time watching football, fishing, and following international relations.

Meet the New Steering Committee Members

Felicia Gibbs, representing Kansas, is currently a Reemployment Connections Manager with eight years of experience in the workforce industry. She states, “I greatly appreciate the wealth of knowledge that comes together to create and continuously improve AJL products. The combination of our diverse experiences is a terrific asset in providing better products to our employers and job seekers.”
Judy Pelletier, representing Maine, is currently a Policy Development Specialist with 30 years of experience in the workforce industry. As a new state member, she states that she is “looking forward to working with other workforce professionals and gaining knowledge from their experience and expertise.”
David Hughes, representing Arizona, is currently a Business Analyst Supervisor for the Workforce Development Unit. He states, "I really enjoy participating in groups that include the other States that are part of the alliance. The ideas that come out of those meetings are great. People are so knowledgeable and willing to help each other. Recently we were asked to answer questions from another State that had just joined. It was a fantastic experience as we shared our experience with them."
The 2015–2016 AJLA Steering Committee Membership List is available on the About page on ajla.net. Please help keep AJLA in the loop by sending Steering Committee announcements (such as retirements, promotions, or awards) to Brooke Patterson, bpatterson@ajla.net.

What’s New at AJLA–TS

Website

We’re excited to reveal our newly redesigned website representing AJLA/AJLA–TS. You’ll find us at the same URL (ajla.net), but with a totally new look and content. Our new website is more agile and interactive, and is easier to scan, read, and navigate, helping visitors find what they need quickly. With updated responsive design, you’ll see the same website optimized for your smart phone, tablet, and desktop. We encourage you to explore the site to learn more about our full range of products and services for workforce development agencies. Please share ajla.net on social media and with anyone who might be interested. Thanks for your support of the Alliance!

Social Media

To support staff and clients on social media, AJLA–TS is now actively using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest to share high-quality resources and contribute to meaningful conversations about employment, workforce solutions, and workplace success. The goal of our enhanced social media presence is to broaden awareness of AJLA–TS as a workforce solution competitor and to enrich the bond between AJLA–TS staff, current and future clients, and job seekers and employers. Please visit our social media profiles and follow us to receive updates on AJLA–TS software and services, workforce development news and resources, and other relevant topics.

America’s JobLink

AJL 13.1.10 has been rolled out to all hosted states. As part of the upcoming major release, AJL 13.2, upgrades to SQL Server 2014 are successfully proceeding in our internal development and testing environments. 13.2 is targeted for initial release in mid to late December and will also include redesigned resume and job order searches; the upgrade of all O*NET content to O*NET 19; the ability to tag job orders to improve searchability for special initiatives, events, or partnerships; several ProviderLink (ETP) improvements; and many more enhancements, mandates, and issue resolutions. 13.2 release training webinars will be scheduled by email for early to mid December. Please stay tuned.

DART

We will be releasing a new executable in December to extend the DART licensing period. Calculation changes have been made to the 9002 EUC and Migrant Report. Minor changes have also been made, such as adding extended properties to tables and columns. Support for DART will cease July 1, 2016. Please contact bpatterson@ajla.net for information about transitioning to ReportLink.

ReportLink

Changes to ReportLink for WIOA are underway and will be released prior to the June 30, 2016 deadline. Minor changes, such as adding extended properties to tables and columns, have been made in ReportLink.

CertLink

Version 4.0.1 of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) application was released to Kansas production June 22, 2015, and to Arizona production July 6, 2015. This version brings increased stability. Formerly WOTC LiveFile, the application is being rebranded to CertLink. The name change will be reflected in a future release along with a redesign of Power of Attorney (POA) functionality and a change to the ETA Form 9058. The enhanced 9058 form will display a count of new applications in hiatus for the quarter. AJLA–TS currently hosts the WOTC system for the Kansas Department of Commerce and Arizona Department of Economic Security. For more information or to request a demonstration, contact bpatterson@ajla.net.

Hosting Services Update

Work continues as we prepare for the 13.2 JobLink release. New Windows 2012 servers with SQL 2104 have been provisioned in our DEV, QA, and Production environments, and the database and IT teams are working to ensure stability with the upcoming release. AJLA–TS recently completed a network vulnerability scan and remediation. We are in the planning stage for several infrastructure upgrade projects for the upcoming quarter. System uptime for hosted states during the second and third calendar quarters of 2015 was 99.5%.

America's Job Link Alliance–Technical Support
1430 SW Topeka Blvd. 2nd Floor
Topeka, KS 66612
Phone: (800) 255-2458 | Fax: (785) 296-2119 | E-mail: ajladesk@ajla.net

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