Washington, DC:  In a recent Technical and Employment Notice (25-09) issues by Assistant Secretary Jane Oates, the Employment and Training Administration released a study by the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education, entitled " Think Entrepreneurs: A Call to Action - Integrating Entrepreneurship into the Public Workforce System Throughout America".  The research analyzed current entrepreneurship operations and policies in the public workforce investment system, and collected information on ways Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stop Career Centers currently provide support for developing entrepreneurs. For a downloadable copy of the report, click here.

Lancaster County and the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board were part of the study and are mentioned prominently within the report (case study on pages 107-111).

Utilizing this information, the Consortium developed an online clearinghouse and this report to broadly share best practices on entrepreneurship activities within the workforce investment system.  Specifically, the report encourages the workforce investment system to make entrepreneurial/self-employment training opportunities available for people interested in self-employment under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The report includes recommendations for dissemination opportunities for clarifying ETA entrepreneurship policies, examples of what the field is doing in the area of entrepreneurship, and provides descriptions of how to implement entrepreneurship training strategies.

Lancaster:  With the economic recession beginning to run its course, local communities now must deal with the anticipated "jobless recovery" that is predicted to keep unemployment high as employers match job growth with revenue growth. Washington and Harrisburg have some of the answers but The Lancaster Chamber, the Economic Development Company of Lancaster, the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board, the Lancaster County Association of Human Resource Management, and the County of Lancaster believe that we can tap the creativity of the business community in the area to identify ways that we facilitate getting Lancaster County residents back to work.

On Friday, March 26, 2010 from 7:30-10:00 am at the Eden Resort Inn, 222 Eden Rd. in Lancaster, join us for breakfast, a short briefing on government supports for business (tax credits, on-the-job training support, workforce readiness, grants and loans for expansion), and, most importantly, for some time to talk with other businesspeople about other ways to grow businesses (joint marketing, supply chain development, entrepreneurial development) and, in turn, grow jobs. Strategies identified will be referred to the stakeholder groups for action.  Click here for a downloadable registration form.

This invitation to this program is limited to persons from the private sector, government, and economic development only.  Folks from education and social services will be briefed at a later time. 

Washington, DC:  In October 2009, the US Economic Development Administration reported the results of a research project entitled, "Crossing the Next Regional Frontier: Information and Analytics Linking Regional Competitiveness to Investment in a Knowledge-Based Economy".  The EDA commissioned this research project to put tools into the hands of local civic leaders and economic development practitioners so that they can more effectively compete in a global context where knowledge and innovation are vital to competitive advantage. The result of the research is a set of practical analytical tools that regional leaders can use to assess their workforce, human capital and capacity to innovate within their region. Click here for a downloadable copy of the report.

The project is the first of its breadth and depth. But this report does more than provide tools to evaluate "where we are." The project also has a strategic component. It presents a framework for regional leaders to collaborate to achieve mutual regional development goals. Using the results of the analytical tools, the framework helps guide the discussions of regional leaders in selecting sound strategies and in identifying the united efforts required to achieve common goals. 

Washington:  Nationwide, the recession is over-at least in the view of most economists in light of third quarter 2009 indicators, according to a recent report from the MetroMonitor of the Brookings Institution . It revealed a real U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increasing at a 2.8 percent annual rate, after four consecutive quarters of contraction. Most economists interpreted that rate of output growth, along with other signals such as increasing housing prices, as indication that the economic recovery is underway.

Yet the recovery seems fragile. The output increase may have resulted largely from the replenishment of manufacturing inventories and from temporary federal policies: the "cash-for-clunkers" program (already over), the first-time homebuyer tax credit (now extended through April 2010), and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's economic stimulus. As the effects of these policies recede, the recovery could slow or give way to yet another recession or a prolonged period of economic stagnation.  To see the entire report, click here.

Harrisburg:  In December, the Team PA Foundation, the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, the PA Chamber of Business and Industry, and the Central Penn Business Journal announced the 50 Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania.  A survey of employees is the primary way that companies qualify for the award.

This year, rankings included Landis Homes in Lititz (8), Fulton Bank in Lancaster (34), and Ephrata Community Hospital (36) as large-sized (more than 251 employees) Best Places from Lancaster County.  Nxtbood Media LLC in Lancaster (3), Cargas Systems in Lancaster (12), LMA Systems in Lancaster (20), Union National Bank in Lancaster (29), Jerome H. Rhoads Inc. in Lancaster (39), and RGS Associates in Brownstown (40) were listed as medium-sized (25-250 employees) Best Places from Lancaster County. 

Congratulations to the Lancaster County winners.