8:00 – 8:30

Registration and Vendor Exhibits

EXHIBITORS FOYER

8:30 – 10:00

Concurrent Sessions

C1. Developing Cultural Awareness for Customers and Co-Workers from Diverse Cultures (Repeated E4)

Heidi K Schillinger, ReachOut Director, New Futures

Marissa A. Tanimura, Trainer/Consultant, New Futures/ReachOut

Are you looking for concrete skills and fresh ideas to practice cultural awareness in your work? This interactive workshop explores how you can increase professional effectiveness through developing personal cultural competency skills. Participate in a workplace application exercise that explores working effectively with diverse populations. This is an opportunity to take part in a dynamic session with a valuable resource - a ReachOut Cultural Competency Toolbook, which highlights foundational research, skill areas, application tools, and additional resources to support continued development.

C2. Smart Simple Strategies for Older Job Seekers (Repeated G6)

Craig Riggs, Lead Social Worker, King County Dislocated Worker Program

This workshop is about preparing for a positive interview. We will be going over questions older workers are often asked in interviews. Doing some role playing, we will give examples of some answers job seeker will want to avoid and some answers that might be appropriate to difficult age-related questions.

C3. Weatherization Recovery Act Funding and Job Referral

C4. Resiliency and Self-Efficacy: Two Predictors of Success

Cal Crow, Program Director, Center for Learning Connections

Participants in this session will acquire strategies to help customers

1. Tap into their natural resiliency (the ability to rebound from setbacks),            and  
2. Increase their self-efficacy (their beliefs in their ability to perform a task            or manage a situation). 

C5. Aerospace Apprenticeships in the 21st Century

Laura Hopkins, Training Director, Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee

We will be discussing the following points:

• The new aerospace apprenticeship – how it came about, where it is at and where it is going
• What is an apprenticeship? How does it work and why is it important?
• New federal regulations and how they are guiding apprenticeship programs into the 21st century.

C6.

Part 1:  (8:30 - 9:15)
WOIS Top Ten Assessment Resources
Tami Palmer, Deputy Director, WOIS/The Career Information System

The WOIS Career Information System offers four career assessments, plus at least six other ways to help clients with career choices.  If you can name one of the six additional resources while attending this session, you will receive a prize!

Part 2: (9:15 - 10:00)
Moving Towards Employment Through WorkStrides
Richard Reese, WorkStrides Program Manager, DSHS-Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

WorkStrides is a strength-based career development workshop that combines activities of group discussion, personal reflection, story-telling, role-play, and research into local job and training opportunities with the opportunity to develop foundational skills in self-awareness, self-confidence, critical thinking, personal empowerment, decision-making, and career management.

10:00 – 10:30

Break and Exhibits

10:30 – 11:55

Concurrent Sessions

D1. New Summer Youth Program - Stimulus Funding (Repeated G1)

John Chamberlin, Attorney at Law

Come hear about the new design, required outcomes and program options.

D2. Comprehensive Dropout Prevention, Intervention and Retrieval

Brian Humphrey, WorkSource Skagit Administrator, Northwest Workforce Development Council

Gay Neal, Human Resources Planner, Olympic Workforce Development Council

Wes Pruitt, K-12 Policy Analyst, Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board

You will learn about the state's Building Bridges Program, a grant program that calls for school/community partnerships to develop a continuum of programs, interventions and services for at-risk youth and dropouts in their community. Activities of the statewide Building Bridges Workgroup to support the program will be reviewed and Workforce Development Council youth coordinators will describe their role in supporting the program in their local community.

D3. Making the Apprenticeship Connection for Employers: A Proven Effective Talent Development Strategy

Jody Robbins, Technical Specialist, Washington Department of Labor & Industries, Apprenticeship Section

Baby boom retirements, the brain drain and an increasingly competitive global marketplace are just a few of the challenges facing businesses today. This session will focus on how employers can benefit from growing their own workforce through registered apprenticeship.

D4. Assistive Technology: Helping People with Disabilities Perform and Produce in the Workplace

Bill Youngman, Assistive Technology Specialist, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Washington State

See and touch the latest and greatest in Assistive Technology – devices that help people with disabilities overcome their limitations. From low tech to the hottest in computer and robotics, Assisted Technology can level the playing field for people with limitations. Learn what is available and how you can help your customers access this life changing technology.

D5. Understanding Labor Market Trends   

Tim Norris, Washington State Employment Security Department, Labor Market and Economic Analysis Branch

Making informed decisions requires having access to and understanding information to support your needs. In response to this, To help understand the labor market and current economic trends, the Employment Security Department has created a suite of products that help visualize key economic and workforce information and allow for integration into other reports. These tools, called “Numbers and Trends”, will help provide data inputs into local planning and grant applications as well as help understand what is going on around us today. These tools will be demonstrated and show how you can use them in your daily work activities. This session will also provide an overview of key data sources available to help identify growing and declining industries and occupations.

D6. Assessment Lab

Part 1: (10:30 - 11:10)

CareerTrees.org: Planting Seeds in Growth Industries

Curtis Takahashi, Manager of Service Delivery - Careers

Workforce Development Council Snohomish County has launched CareerTrees.org! This is an exciting, interactive online tool is designed to help job seekers map career pathways towards success. Job seekers can explore occupations in growth industry sectors along with education and training levels, salaries and much more.

Part 2: (11:10 - 11:55)

CareerBridge.wa.gov and "Where Are You Going?" - Tools for Connecting Students to Career Planning and Training Information

Karen Pyle, IT Specialist, Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board

The new CareerBridge website provides timely employment data, educational program information and career planning tools, and works hand-in-hand with the popular "Where Are You Going?"career guide. CareerBridge is also the new home of the Eligible Training Provider List.

1:30 – 2:55

Concurrent Sessions

E1. Adult and Dislocated Workers - Creative and Best Uses For New Adult and Dislocated Worker Stimulus Funds

John Chamberlin, Attorney at Law

How to connect to other programs and funding streams included in the new stimulus package.

E2. Worker Retraining Resources at the Community and Technical College: When and How to Access Them

Facilitator: Dave Cunningham, President, Workforce Training Council, Washington State Community and Technical Colleges

Susan Cable, Director Workforce Development, Pierce Community College District

Jim Crabbe, Director of Workforce Education, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Sandra Davidson, Workforce Coordinator, Green River Community College

Joanne Murcar, Dean of Instruction, Institute for Extended Learning, Community Colleges for Spokane

As the economy continues to deteriorate and laid-off workers look to upgrade their skills or train for a new career, community and technical colleges are serving more students than ever expected. Enrollment in the Worker Retraining program—which helps pay for tuition, books and other fees for people who have lost their jobs to train in approved, high demand careers—is up and expected to increase this academic year. Enrollments at Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges have reached historic levels. “In our toughest economic crisis since the Great Depression, tens of thousands of Washingtonians are seeking help,” said Charlie Earl, executive director for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Learn what this unexpected demand on training has placed on the community and technical college system from the state level, as well, as various local levels. Presenters will include successful partnerships, new and improve programs and various ‘best practices’ statewide.

E3. Health Care Careers for Youth

Janet Ditter, Case Manager, Northwest Community Action Center, Toppenish

Seanna Melchior Ruvkun, Planner, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County

This session will provide an overview of two Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Programs which assist underrepresented youth in accessing healthcare careers:

Health Careers for Youth (HCY) - Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and The Healthcare Academy (HCA) – Northwest Community Action Center (Toppenish, WA). WIA eligible high-school students have the opportunity to earn both high school and college credits. Students take the basic high school curriculum and also certified nursing assistant (CNA) coursework. The CNA certification serves as a gateway to a wide range of healthcare professions. Students go on from the CNA to nursing/allied health prerequisite coursework. Upon completion, participants can start working right away while they pursue a variety of certificate, associates degree, or baccalaureate degree programs in nursing and/or allied health fields.

E4. Developing Cultural Awareness for Customers and Co-Workers from Diverse Cultures (Repeated C1)

Heidi K Schillinger, ReachOut Director, New Futures

Marissa A. Tanimura, Trainer/Consultant, New Futures/ReachOut

Are you looking for concrete skills and fresh ideas to practice cultural awareness in your work? This interactive workshop explores how you can increase professional effectiveness through developing personal cultural competency skills. Participate in a workplace application exercise that explores working effectively with diverse populations. This is an opportunity to take part in a dynamic session with a valuable resource - a ReachOut Cultural Competency Toolbook, which highlights foundational research, skill areas, application tools, and additional resources to support continued development.

E5. Motivational Interviewing and Customer Engagement

Cal Crow, Program Director, Center for Learning Connections

For many organizations who are “building skills” in others, participation and retention are troublesome issues. Many customers disappear after the first visit, and others attend only sporadically. They never develop the relationships necessary to become fully engaged in their own growth and success. Motivational Interviewing is about relationships and engagement. Participants in this workshop will learn how the principles of Motivational Interviewing can be used to engage customers so they stay with and complete their programs.

E6. Assessment Lab

Part 1: (1:30 - 2:15)

Employment Readiness Scale: Helping Clients Become Employment Ready

Morgan Zantua, ERC Program Consultant, Employment Readiness Center

This session will introduce the Employment Readiness Scale (ERS), a validated, on-line instrument that can predict with 80% accuracy whether a person is employment ready. Workshop participants will use ERS profiles to develop action plans and strategies for increasing employment readiness.

Part 2: (2:15 - 2:55)

CASAS eTests™: Using Technology to Streamline Assessment and Reporting

Dawn Montgomery, Technical Specialist

Use CASAS in your WorkSource or WIA program to improve basic skills for workplace success.

• Place clients into training programs or jobs
• Measure literacy and numeracy learning gains
• Measure, document, and certify work readiness skills
• Track outcomes quickly and cost effectively
• Inform program and policy planning

3:20 – 4:50

Concurrent Sessions

F1. Partnership Systems Integration (Spokane Model) or, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

Judy Cash, WIA Program Supervisor, WorkSource Spokane, Washington State Employment Security Department

Cami Hanson, Chief Operations Officer, Career Path Services

Heidi Peterson, Youth Services Manager, WorkSource Next Generation Zone, Educational Service District 101

Peg Waldron, Assistant Director, Spokane Area Workforce Development Council

The Spokane WorkSource Center is undergoing a transformation from operating stand alone services in multiple locations, to co-location and integration. The changes resulted in multiple awards for the One Stop, including the International Association of Workforce Professional’s 2008 Best One Stop of the Year and the 2008 Chase Youth Commission’s Asset Builder of the Year. A panel of leaders from partner organizations will tell the story, with an emphasis on partnership building, mutual accountability and performance, and customer service.

F2. Working Effectively with Clients who have Criminal Histories

Rich Coleman, Program Coordinator, Washington State Employment Security Department/Offender Employment Services

Dave Richardson, Corrections Education Coordinator, Clark County Corrections

Beth Robinson, Probation Officer, Clark County Corrections

This session includes an open panel discussion in how to work with clients who have criminal history backgrounds.

F3. Dependable Strengths and Coaching

Allen Boivin-Brown, MA, President-Center for Dependable Strengths

Katie Hearn-Zang, Dependable Strengths Master Trainer, Center for Dependable Strengths

As a coach/counselor/helper you are much better equipped to assist your clients/customers when they know their most significant strengths and you know their strengths! The traditional approach to helping others is focused on fixing problems, improving weaknesses and/or overcoming barriers and challenges. This can be discouraging to both helper and client/customer alike. Gain strategies and a rationale for a positive approach that focuses instead on identifying and building upon strengths.

F4. An Update on Washington’s WorkFirst Program

Kelly Lindseth, WorkFirst Programs Manager, Washington State Employment Security Department

This session will provide an overview of the WorkFirst program including updates on the 2009 Legislative Session, program enhancements, initiatives to increase participation, and overall program performance. There will be a tour of the WorkFirst website and time for participants to share ideas and discuss local challenges. This session would be a good fit for program staff, managers and partners.

F5. Should I Dye My Hair? Job Search Strategies for Older Workers (Repeated A3)

Alana McIalwain, Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens, Age 55+ Employment Supervisor

Nora Norminton, Project Director, AARP Foundation WorkSearch

Richard Peth,Employment Specialist, AARP Foundation WorkSearch

At this interactive session we'll discuss job search strategies for mature workers, present ideas about future, flexible workplaces that will benefit both mature workers and employers, and share successful stories that will tug at your heart. Please come and be part of the conversation.

4:50

Dinner on Your Own

7:45 – 8:30

Breakfast

8:30 – 9:55

Concurrent Sessions

G1. New Summer Youth Program - Stimulus Funding (Repeated D1)

John Chamberlin, Attorney at Law

Come hear about the new design, required outcomes and program options.

G2. Humor, a Self-Help Tool (Repeated H1)

Sandi Meggert, Owner, Unfinished Business Business

Humor can be a useful tool to combat stress if people can learn to look at potentially stressful situations from a humor perspective. This experiential workshop introduces humor skills and techniques, creativity and group discussion to create an atmosphere for participants to personally experience some of the benefits of humor and to create their own unique Humor Plan. Thinking caps and smiles are useful.  

G3. Secondary Trauma (Repeated H2)

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, Presenter

As human beings, we are affected by our surroundings. When exposed to hardship, crises, stressful circumstances, and/or trauma we attempt to make sense of what we see, hear and experience the best we can. In this session we explore how we are impacted by our society, work and/or careers. Through a larger backdrop of systematic oppression and liberation theory we come to understand the shifts that occur in us personally and professionally and why we adapt the way we do. The discussion focuses on how to reconcile what we experience in our work and the world around us in a way that is both compassionate and honest as well as accountable and sustainable. Whether one may be experiencing fatigue, cynicism, guilt, a sense of not doing enough or any other number of consequences of demanding work, we come to understand how we can make choices that will allow us to interact with our work and our lives in such a way as to remain true to ourselves and those we serve. While respecting the seriousness of the issues at hand, this path incorporates much humor and a profound sense of hopefulness by drawing on broad base of clinical approaches, social justice theory and spiritual traditions. traumastewardship.com

G4. Veterans Resource Panel

James Lapsley, LVER, Employment Security Department

Ron Magdaleno, Veterans Program Specialist – Department of Labor

Mike Schulte, Data Analyst Manager, Employment Security Department

WorkSource Centers have staff who work specifically with veterans and eligible relatives to address the unique needs of veterans such as transferring military skills to civilian employment. In addition to providing employment assistance, WorkSource markets the advantages of hiring veterans to local businesses and connects veterans to services that help with health care, food, clothing or housing. Our panel will discuss the latest programs that help the men and women who have served our country.  

G5. Preventing Violence in the Workplace (Repeated H3)

Michael O. Magno, Faculty Management & Employment Development, Clover Park Technical College

This session will help people become aware of the potential for violence in the workplace and provide tools to increase ability to recognize the warning signs of potentially violent people.

G6. Smart Simple Strategies for Older Job Seekers (Repeated C2)

Craig Riggs, Lead Social Worker, King County Dislocated Worker Program

This workshop is about preparing for a positive interview. We will be going over questions older workers are often asked in interviews. Doing some role playing, we will give examples of some answers job seeker will want to avoid and some answers that might be appropriate to difficult age-related questions.

G7. Johnny Bunko & Career Trees.org

Curtis Takahashi, Manager of Service Delivery – Careers, Workforce Development Council Snohomish County

“The Adventures of Johnny Bunko” by Daniel Pink is America’s first business book in manga (Japanese-style graphic novel) and the last career guide you’ll ever need. Learn the six essential career lessons for thriving in the world of work. "Irresistible . . . An illustrated career guide that blows away all the rest with its clarity, simplicity, and intelligence. . . . Any career consultant - - or high-school guidance counselor -- who doesn't immediately order copies of this book in bulk is missing the boat -- big time." – Miami Herald

9:55 – 10:05

Break

10:05 – 11:35

Concurrent Sessions

H1. Humor, a Self-Help Tool (Repeated G2)

Sandi Meggert, Owner, Unfinished Business Business

Humor can be a useful tool to combat stress if people can learn to look at potentially stressful situations from a humor perspective. This experiential workshop introduces humor skills and techniques, creativity and group discussion to create an atmosphere for participants to personally experience some of the benefits of humor and to create their own unique Humor Plan. Thinking caps and smiles are useful.  

H2. Secondary Trauma (Repeated G3)

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, Trainer

As human beings, we are affected by our surroundings. When exposed to hardship, crises, stressful circumstances, and/or trauma we attempt to make sense of what we see, hear and experience the best we can. In this session we explore how we are impacted by our society, work and/or careers. Through a larger backdrop of systematic oppression and liberation theory we come to understand the shifts that occur in us personally and professionally and why we adapt the way we do. The discussion focuses on how to reconcile what we experience in our work and the world around us in a way that is both compassionate and honest as well as accountable and sustainable. Whether one may be experiencing fatigue, cynicism, guilt, a sense of not doing enough or any other number of consequences of demanding work, we come to understand how we can make choices that will allow us to interact with our work and our lives in such a way as to remain true to ourselves and those we serve. While respecting the seriousness of the issues at hand, this path incorporates much humor and a profound sense of hopefulness by drawing on a broad base of clinical approaches, social justice theory and spiritual traditions. traumastewardship.com

H3. What Color is Your Parachute? A Session Based on the Work of Richard Bolles

Samantha Spitzer, Manager of Research and Evaluation, Workforce Development Council Snohomish County

Richard (Dick) Bolles is considered one of the greatest career planning experts in the world. His book, What Color is your Parachute?, is recognized by the Library of Congress as one of the 25 most influential books of all time. During this session you will learn the keys to finding a job you love (or transforming one you don’t love into one you do). This will be an interactive session and you will be expected to complete individual activities – so come prepared to have fun and learn about yourself. You will leave the session with tools you can start using right away.

H4. Preventing Violence in the Workplace (Repeated G5)

Michael O. Magno, Faculty Management & Employment Development, Clover Park Technical College

This session will help people become aware of the potential for violence in the workplace and provide tools to increase ability to recognize the warning signs of potentially violent people.

H5. Common Measures – What’s It Look Like Ahead?

Phil Degon, Employment Security Program Coordinator, Washington State Employment Security Department

This workshop will provide an overview of the Adult and Youth Department of Labor common performance measures and what changes in reporting performance outcomes may lay ahead.Information regarding DOL’s Workforce Investment Streamlined Performance Reporting (WISPR) system as it relates to WIA, Wagner-Peyser, VETS, and Trade Act programs will also be shared.

H6. Sidewalk Economist

Jane Field, LMI Training Coordinator, Washington State Employment Security Department

Jobs for the Sidwalk Economist offers a new process that walks those new to the workplace through ten steps including learning about the labor market, finding employers, identifying interests and work values, exploring targetted jobs, documenting your accomplishments, entering training programs, and applying for financial aid and real jobs. 

Closing Session

How to be Happy, Healthy, and Motivated in These Stressful Times

Dr. Kenford Nedd, M.D.

Take time out from the challenges of your daily tasks and inject more balance and personal power into your life. You will leave laughing and uplifted with new skills that enable you to live a happier life with more energy and usefulness.

Snacks for the Road