Minutes

• Chair Susan Ryan presided over the meeting. The meeting was called to order at 7:35am and a membership quorum was present.

• There was no public comment.

Chair Ryan thanked Member Rotondo and Jel-Sert for hosting the last WIB meeting. The meeting and tour of the facility were both interesting and informative. Chair Ryan informed the group that September is Workforce Development Month and will be celebrated across the state. The DuPage County Board issued a proclamation declaring September as Workforce Development month this past Tuesday.

• Motion to approve by Member Bedalov
• Seconded by Member Szczepaniak
• All ayes, MOTION APPROVED

Vice-Chair Bass presented the Member Minute. He is the Director of Operations for Sterling Engineering, an engineering consulting and technical staffing firm. The staffing arm of the company was established in 2013 and is employee owned. He is responsible for developing a leadership pipeline which is a challenge as a significant number of employees will be retiring in the upcoming years. If the WIB were featured in the Daily Hearld, he would want the story to be about closing the skills gap across different industries. Member Wendorf stated it is critical to expose youth to different careers, including engineering. Member Cassidy stated that COD has opportunities for youth to come to the campus in the summer to explore different careers. For some, the level of math required in engineering can make the field seem less accessible.

Dave Sabathne, the new One Stop Operator introduced himself to the group. Some of the Members may know Dave from his previous stint as the One Stop Operator from 2017-2021. Dave supports collaboration by serving as a neutral point of contact for the required partners in the center. Dave presented a high-level report which included referral numbers. workNet DuPage and COD have the highest referral numbers. Oftentimes, when an individual requests services from one of the partners, they are sent an email with information about the agency. Oftentimes, individuals receive multiple emails which can be confusing. Member Torres asked if individuals are asked what their preferred method of contact is. Member Keating asked if there is a way to have someone “click” on their preferred method of contact and receive either a text or email. Member Meyer and Member Blackburn offered to assist with automating the data collection process to ensure a customer centered design is being utilized.

Member Schvach confirmed that the packet for the meeting did not contain a fiscal report. Member Schvach indicated that there has been some turnover in the county’s fiscal department and hopes to have a fiscal report for the next meeting. Member Schvach indicated that there has been a high volume of ITAs written, and most expenditures are for 1A clients. Regarding the federal budget, all signs are pointing to a Continuing Resolution which should not disrupt the funding for workNet DuPage.

College of DuPage has a new program for initial certification. The Business Intelligence Analysis Certificate prepares students to utilize spreadsheets and BI tools in dataset transformation, analysis and visualization.  The certificate is 17 credit hours and costs $3608.  This program aligns with employer demand and Member Bedalov asked how/if it is being marketed to employers. Member Cassidy commented that it may be possible to shorten the program. Member Schvach commented that little outcome data from training providers makes it challenging to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs.

o   Motion to approve Business Intelligence Analysis Certificate by Member Meyer
o   Second by Member Rotondo
o   Abstention by Members Deasy, Cassidy and Kuglin-Seago
o   Motion APPROVED

Jamie presented the expenditure report for PY24. The College of DuPage received the greatest allocation of funds ($506K). Funding was concentrated in IT and Business Management, which received the largest investment. Funding was similar across CDL, healthcare and manufacturing and skilled trades. Expenditures for CDL training are declining, in June of PY24 no new clients were enrolled in CDL training for the first time in nearly 2 years The group discussed data points and are interested in the average cost per participant per provider and participant wage gains.

Member Schvach presented the Year in Review which highlights programming offered by workNet DuPage for Program Year 2024 and its impact on individuals and the business community in DuPage County.

There was no old business.

Member Schvach explained to the group that she is exploring a program which is offered by ComED called Tools of the Trade. The program is a 6-week pre-apprenticeship program that prepares that prepares 17-19 year olds for entry-level jobs in the skilled trades. She mentioned that WIOA eligibility may affect the ability to fund such students.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:52am.