Veterans Employment Committee

July 15, 2020: 10:00 AM
Frances Perkins Rm, 45 Commerce Dr., Augusta, ME

Meeting Minutes from SWB Veterans Employment Committee TEAMS Meeting July 15, 2020 (10:00am - 12:30pm)

Members and Interested Party Attendees: Bill Benson, Director, Boots2Roots, Josh Brown, Performance and Accountability Program Manager, BES, MDOL, Mark Cafiso, LVER, Portland CareerCenter, Mark Cater, Vice President of Branding and Engagement, Military Talent Source, Leo Deon, LVER, Lewiston CareerCenter, Aaron Dombroski, Coordinator, TRiO Veterans upward Bound, USM, Nicole Frydrych, Community Coordinator, VOANNE, Jenn Fullmer, Chair, Boots2Roots, Chaplain (COL) Andrew Gibson, Director of Deployment Cycle Support, MEARNG, Jennifer Giroux, GPD Case Manager, VOANNE, Mike Gray, HVRP Project Coordinator and Military and Veterans Services Director, Easterseals Maine, Adria Horn, VP Workforce, Tilson, Debbie Kelly, Maine Director, Veterans Employment and Trainings Services (VETS), USDOL, David Klein, Division Director, BES, MDOL, Bethanie Mazzaro, Volunteer Supt Technician, ESGR, Kaleb Roy, National Recruiter, Cianbro, Nate Russell, Veteran, Sarah Sherman, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, Alley Smith-Morrissey, Assistant Coordinator of Veterans Services, USM, Maine, Joe Tatem, Program Support Specialist, National Guard Employment and Support Program, Fred Webber, Former State Workforce Board Chair, David Young, VR&E Counselor, VA VR&E Togus Special Guest: Mark McInerney, Director, Center for Workforce, Research and Information, MDOL

Staff: Auta Main, MDOL BES Veterans' Program Manager

SWB Staff: Cheryl Moran, Labor Program Specialist, State Workforce Board

SWB VEC Acting Chair, Auta Main: Welcome & Opening Remarks

SWB VEC Acting Chair, Auta Main: Round the room introductions.

SWB VEC Acting Chair, Auta Main: Approval of notes from May 20, 2020.

Guest Speaker(s): Mark McInerney, Director, Center for Workforce, Research and Information, MDOL - See PPT Attached - No real surprises, but dismal news none-the-less. We went from having the BEST EVER Employment in February in Maine to the WORST EVER employment in April and May. Unemployment was over 10% in April and likely much higher than that due to how the system classifies certain workers.
- Mark shared that due to COVID-19, these four industries in Maine have been hit particularly hard: o Leisure and Hospitality o Healthcare o Retail o Manufacturing - From February to May 14% of jobs were lost. While we gained 14,000 jobs in May, recovery is expected to continue to be slow. - The silver lining is that real estate is booming and sales prices on homes are higher than ever and the rate of teleworking has increased beyond anything we would ever have anticipated back in February! - For more info see slides, attached.

Short Updates from SWB VEC Members Implications of COVID-19 on our Work - Tilson/Adria Much of our workforce is working from home. No plans to return to office environment soon. 3 separate rounds of lay-offs but hiring in some departments. Essential workers are still in the field doing their jobs. Great Maine Biz article about Tilson! - BES/MDOL, Dave Klein Generally speaking, we are working remotely. Pretty successful meeting needs of most workers and employers. Doing work virtually, lots of unknowns. Starting to think about what reopening might look like. Rapid response teams very busy, employers reducing workforce (many temporarily) - BES/MDOL, Josh Brown - busy with performance set-up (tracking) for two new grants: Opioid Grant and the Disaster Relief Program - MBVS, David Richmond & Sarah Sherman Starting government blog, updating Vets Resource Guide, working closely with Native American groups/reservations on both benefits and employment (with Marcel Bosse/DVOP Presque Isle). VA Blog will highlight Maine programs, for example, park pass and moose hunt. - Cianbro, Kaleb Roy Good to be back in the office after 6 weeks working remotely. Most of our crews are back to work, in Maine and around the country. We have openings for laborers, managers, electricians, carpenters and more in Maine. - Boots2Roots, Jen Fullmer We have 33 team mates in some stage of transition. Businesses are reaching out and still hiring. - NG Employment Support Program, Joe Tatem Position likely coming to an end on August 30, 2020. Exploring other career/job options. - VOANNE, Nicole Frydrych & Jennifer Giroux Cabin in the Woods is COVID Free. Following CDC guidelines. - Portland CareerCenter Veterans Program, Mark Cafiso Researching virtual platforms for MHAV. Well have a kick-off week this year (September 14 18). Delayed start due to COVID. - Easterseals Maine, Mike Gray Stacey Leet is now a 1st LT in the USAF! Dr. Ed Hall is the new Director for Easterseals Maine. Workwise, we are getting back to normal, whatever normal is. We are serving customers mostly remotely, and we are getting back into the prison next week. - VA VR&E Togus, David Young VR&E is keeping the same initials but has a new name, Veterans Readiness and Employment. The term "vocational rehabilitation" is no longer sounds too negative. It has been a tough time with COVID. Lots of veterans dropped out of school, going back in the fall. We hired a new counselor. We are still working offsite, tele counseling. No definitive date for going back to the office. - USM/UM Veterans Upward Bound, Aaron Dombroski Still working remotely. Developed Bridge program helping veterans with math! - VETS/USDOL, Debbie Kelly Most VETS USDOL staff still working remotely. Assistant Secretary John Lowry is a dynamic leader. He has scheduled a listening session for all JVSG staff countrywide. Debbie recognized Auta Main and the JVSG team and Mike Gray and the HVRP team for serving veterans so well during this challenging time. Debbie also shared that Veterans Inc received funding for the HVRP grant in Maine. More details to come. USERRA Requiring NG members to quarantine after deployments. Some employers are upset that NG members are reassigned to work with UI, assisting companies with PPE fittings etc. - MTS, Mark Cater Very busy! We are picking up clients countrywide, visiting military installations nationally. Working successfully with career skill bridge program and soldiers at military installations. We have a couple in Maine. - Other updates a. Marketing to Veterans and Employers
i. Outreach to Veterans - MHAV outreach ii. Outreach to Employers MHAV outreach

b. Education Employers i. Veteran Hiring for Employers Leo Deon. Presented via ZOOM at NASWA Vets Conference on August 14, 2020.

c. Education Veterans

d. Veteran Friendly Employer Award i. NHs new Veteran Friendly Employer Award is just kicking off. A bit similar to the USDOLs HIRE VETS Medallion Award probably not anything wed want to replicate in Maine because between MHAV and ESGR we are covering these bases pretty well already. ii. The SWB VEC subcommittee met in November 2019 and determined that at this time, we will not take next steps to develop another veteran employer award in Maine. The landscape is full at the moment with Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign awards, ESGR awards, and the USDOL HIRE Vets Medallion award. iii. The subcommittee included: Auta Main, Josh Howe, Cheryl Moran, Bethanie Mazzaro, Andy Gibson, Mark Cafiso, Nate Russell and Debbie Kelly.

g. SWB VEC Membership iv. The updated list was shared at the July 2020 meeting see attached. *New Members who have joined in 2020 include: - David Young, VA VR&E, Togus - Kaleb Roy, Cianbro - Ashley Pringle, SWB Board Member, Vice President Operations at Maine & Co. and a Veteran

h. Future Agenda Items - Business Relationships How can the committee better assist employers? - VOANNE Presentation, Nicole Frydrych and Jennifer Giroux (November?) - Case Managing Services At Risk of Losing Housing - Financial Literacy A new Coordinator of Financial Literacy will be hired soon at MEARNG - We will ask that person to speak at one of our meetings once hired

Mark Your Calendars for SWB VEC Meetings 2020 Sept 16, December 2 2020!

The meeting adjourned at 12:30pm

Attachments