Speech

Workforce Investment Board

Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
Colonial Hotel, Helena
5/9/2003

*** Check Against Delivery ***

I want to thank you for inviting me to be here with you today, and for your willingness to serve on the State Workforce Investment Board. But more importantly, I want to acknowledge your commitment to helping build the best workforce development system for the State of Montana.

The State Workforce Investment Board is defined in federal law as an advisory body to the Governor, and I want you to know that I take your advice very seriously.

I, too, am committed to workforce development in our great state, and I believe that the membership of this board represents an ideal blend of stakeholders who are vital to the success of Montana’s workforce in these challenging and changing times.

As financial resources become more and more scarce, it is incumbent upon the workforce system to be flexible, driven by demand, and accountable to its customers -- business customers in particular.

I am a strong proponent of the publicly funded workforce system and would like to see this board take the lead in strengthening partnerships, building consensus, and identifying the best ways to invest our limited workforce development dollars to maximize positive outcomes for the workforce system.

Effective workforce development is critical to the success of Montana businesses and communities during these changing times.
In fact, I view workforce development as one leg of a three-legged stool. The other balancing factors are economic development and education. These three elements – workforce development, economic development, and education – are the surest investments for Montana’s future.

By strengthening the relationship between these three aspects, I believe that we can attract new businesses and jobs to our communities. And then, we will be able to provide more options for Montana students who want to stay in Montana to live, work, and raise their families.

And I cannot help but make note of the good news just reported a couple of days ago about Montana’s average income growth, which grew last year at a pace well ahead of the national average.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the average income in Montana in 2002 increased 4.3 percent, second only to our neighboring state to the east…North Dakota, which was 4.6 percent, while the national average was only 1.7 percent.

By setting clear, defined, measurable outcomes for the statewide workforce system, I believe that we can identify meaningful workforce development practices that are ripe for lasting financial investment.

As an example, Dave Gibson, who heads up our Office of Economic Opportunity, oversaw a study on workforce industry clusters, and this information will help us target specific industries at which we can focus our investment resources. This is vital to our success because of the scarcity of finances.

Another example of identifying “ripe” types of investment focuses on strengthening ties between education and workforce development to target economic development around “demand occupations,” and thus creating career pathways.

The main point is that we must make sure to obtain the greatest possible return on our investments. We must target our assets on specific programs and policies that provide the highest levels of positive outcomes statewide. And, because there is a diversity of programs in the workforce system, there is also diversity among performance measures.

As such, I would like to see this board take the lead in identifying ways to measure the overall effectiveness of the workforce system as a whole.

In other words, how can we benchmark the performance of the entire workforce system – not just individual programs? It is a large task, but I believe it is necessary for the workforce system to be responsive to the needs of Montana’s businesses.

Strengthened partnerships among three of our boards -- the “Balance of State” board chaired by Norma Boetel; the “Concentrated Employment Program” board chaired by Bob Henry; and the “State Workforce Investment Board” can provide an ideal forum for discussing statewide efforts that can be implemented in tandem with specific community needs.

Bob and Norma – I’m pleased to see you here today, and I’m sure that you, too, would like to explore ways that all three boards can work together on the common goal of strengthening the economy through partnerships among workforce development, economic development, and education.
In fact, I recently learned of an impressive effort under way in Miles City that addresses the strengths of these partnerships and gets to the heart of why these boards should identify and work toward specific, measurable outcomes for Montana’s workers and businesses.

In Miles City, the Job Service office is partnering with local fast-food restaurants to develop the skills of the most talented employees and provide them with a career path at local financial institutions.

Everybody wins with this initiative – the restaurants can offer advancement opportunities to their best staff, and the financial institutions have a solid pool of future employees who know the importance of speed, accuracy, and customer service. Imagine the impact of this model if we could expand it statewide and combine it with educational opportunities – wouldn’t that be something!

As I look around this table, I see a wealth of experience, knowledge, talent, and inspiration. I am confident that this group, with all of its potential and dedication, is the strongest advocate for the workforce system of the future. I appreciate your focus on strategic thinking and wholeheartedly believe in your abilities to think creatively about Montana’s continued investment in the statewide workforce system.

Montana is known as a trailblazing state in many areas of public policy, including workforce development, and I am excited for what the future holds.

Thank you again for your hard work and dedication.