June Newsletter
Inside this Issue
- One Stop Improvements in Pittsburgh focus of TPMA Project
- Mapping Education Pathways in West Memphis Arkansas
- Indiana Food Hubs May Have Potential
- TPMA Announces New Staff Members
- States with fastest job growth since 2010?
- Cummins Engine Invests in it Communities
- Final Note
One Stop Improvements in Pittsburgh focus of TPMA Project 
Thomas P. Miller and Associates
recently completed work on a lean process mapping evaluation for the Three
Rivers Workforce Investment Board's (3RWIB) One Stop service delivery system.
The project consisted of a
systematic analysis of current workforce processes at the Board's two
CareerLink locations in Downtown Pittsburgh and Allegheny East. TPMA conducted
a round of onsite interviews and observations along with a review of existing
materials and files to both map and document the current customer flow process
within each One Stop. This process resulted in a series of evaluation findings,
an identification of strengths and weaknesses and the prioritization of key
process, policy, and structural modifications as well as other opportunities
for consideration by 3RWIB. The findings also included identification of
promising practices, along with concrete recommendations. For more information
on the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, go here.
Mapping Education Pathways in West Memphis Arkansas
TPMA is working in
collaboration with The Manufacturing Institute in assisting Mid-South Community
College of West Memphis, Arkansas in mapping education pathways aligned with
industry-recognized certifications and employment career pathways linked to
manufacturers in Crittenden County, Arkansas and Greater Memphis.
The project's focus is
improving machining and process technology certification programs that better
provide students with the necessary skills to meet the needs of regional
employers through an efficient and effective approach to education and
training. The project builds upon The Manufacturing Institute's
Right Skills Now Program.
Indiana Food Hubs May Have Potential
TPMA
has been hired by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture to develop a
Feasibility Study for Food Hubs in Indiana. The purpose of the study is to
assess the needs of growers and consumers and the potential for regional food
hubs operating as part of a statewide network to facilitate the marketing and
purchase of specialty crops, such as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried
fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops. For more information on
what the USDA considers specialty crops, go here go here
The project will include a data
analysis of current specialty crop activity, regional input sessions with
specialty crop farmers, consumers, and community leaders held throughout
Indiana, a survey of producers and consumers, and ongoing meeting with an
Advisory Team to review findings and develop recommendations. The project is
funded by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant and only focuses on specialty
crops.
TPMA announces new staff
members
Several new staff members have joined
Thomas P. Miller and Associates.
Abigail (Abby) Kelly-Smith, Senior Project Consultant. Abby joins TPMA from SVC,
Inc., where she served as a Health Policy Analyst. At SVC, she assisted Indiana
state officials with a major Medicaid eligibility change project. She is also a
former Evaluation Associate at Centerstone Research Institute in Bloomington,
Indiana. She holds a Master of Public Affairs Degree from the School of Public
and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and a Bachelor's Degree from
DePauw University.
Brittany Daugherty, Senior Project Consultant. Brittany comes to TPMA
from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, where she served in
several capacities over the last 8 years, including program and system manager.
This is a homecoming of sorts for Brittany - her first job out of college was
with TPMA, where she served as Project Consultant. She has a Bachelor's Degree
from Hanover College and a MBA from Anderson University.
Delin Guo,
Project Consultant. Delin recently received a Master's Degree from
Indiana University's Biochemistry Graduate Program, where she also earned a
Master of Public Affairs from the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs
(SPEA). She also holds a Master's degree from the School of Medicine at
Tsinghua University in Beijing and a Bachelor's degree from Xiamen University
in Fujian, China. She has served as an analyst intern at the Mumias Sugar
Company in Kenya, was a Teaching Assistant at SPEA, and an Associate Instructor
in the Biology Department at IU.
Sara Tracey, Project Consultant. Sara is a PhD Candidate in English
at the University of Illinois at Chicago and brings extensive knowledge of
higher education to TPMA. Previously a college writing instructor, Tracey will
focus on grant writing, drawing on her expertise in persuasive writing and
storytelling in order to compose compelling proposals. She also has experience
in marketing, corporate training and development, and document management.
Brock Naylor,
Project Assistant. Brock is a recent graduate of Butler University with a Bachelor's
Degree in Marketing. He has served as a marketing assistant/intern at Encore
Sotheby's International Realty and a Promotional Event Assistant at Rinck
Advertising.
Tom Weingartner,
Project Assistant. Tom is a 2013 graduate of Taylor University where he majored
in Political Science. At Taylor, he was the Student Senate President, a
National Merit Commended Scholar, made the Dean's list and participated in the
Honors Program. He participated in the college's American Studies Program in
Washington DC focusing on public policy and leadership, and is a former intern
for the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus and the Indianapolis Mayor's Front
Porch Alliance.
Bethany Garling,
Intern. Bethany is a recent graduate of Valparaiso University, where she earned
a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work, Bethany was an intern at the
University's Office of International Programs, Admissions Counseling, Guidance
Counseling and Social Services.
States with the fastest job growth
since 2010?
Our
friends at EMSI have put together an interesting story ranking the states
with the most per capita job gains since 2010. Not surprisingly, the
natural gas and fracking boom are big factors, but there are a few surprises in
the list. As EMSI's Steven Wright points out:
"We know about North Dakota, the
overwhelming No. 1 in per-capita employment growth. D.C. is a densely populated
area with a high concentration of professional services (and of course,
government) jobs. Utah, ranked No. 3, is a state with a young, fast-growing
population, and metros like Provo-Orem, Salt Lake City, and Logan have dynamite
job markets. It's noteworthy, though, that Colorado ranked fifth with 277 new
jobs per 10,000 people, and that Michigan and Minnesota were seventh and
eighth. Hawaii's presence at No. 9 is also a revelation."
California gained the most total jobs
of all states from 2010 to 2013 and from 2012 to 2013. But it also has the
largest population of any state, an estimated 38 million residents. So where
does it stand in per-capita job growth?....... the Golden State ranked sixth in
job gains per 10,000 people in both timeframes (2010-2013 and 2012-2013).....
The bottom 10-15 states line up pretty
closely with the states that have seen the slowest post-recession job
recoveries: Arkansas, Mississippi, Maine, Alabama, and New Mexico. Each has
grown just 1.1% to 1.6% over the last four years.
Quite a few Northeastern states also
populate the bottom tier of the per-capita rankings. In addition to Maine, New
Jersey (ranked 44th), Rhode Island (43rd), and Connecticut (39th) have all
struggled. Missouri sits just outside the bottom 10, at 41st. For the full
article with charts and graphs and the full ranking, go
here .
Final Note
As we announced last month, this is an
exciting time at TPMA, with many new faces and talent joining our organization,
along with several new clients, projects and other activities. We welcome
the several new staff members announced in this month's newsletter; like the
several announced last month, they are a talented group, have lots of energy,
and will help us greatly as we provide services to our clients.
To some extent, we think our growth is a reflection of
larger trends operating within the national economy, as the stubborn downturn
continues to move slowly (and finally) into growth territory. We've seen
strength in a number of labor market numbers as the unemployment rate continues
to decrease, more people are now looking for work, are gaining jobs, and
spending money. The energy sector continues to boom and more people are
buying cars and other big ticket items; let's hope these trends
continue. Until next month,
Sincerely,
Tom
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