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| | This meeting has been properly noticed and posted online at https://clarkcountynv.gov/agendas and Nevada Public Notice at https://notice.nv.gov/ and in the following locations: | |
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| | CC Government Center 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy. Las Vegas, NV (Principal Office) | |
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| | If you wish to speak on an item marked “For Possible Action” appearing on this agenda, please fill out a Public Comment Interest Card which is located in front of the Commission Chambers and submit the comment card to staff sitting in the Commission Chambers. If you wish to speak to the Board about items within its jurisdiction but not appearing as an “Action” item on this agenda, you must wait until the "Comments by the General Public" period listed at the end of this agenda. Comments will be limited to three minutes. Please step up to the speaker's podium, clearly state your name and address and please spell your last name for the record. If any member of the Board wishes to extend the length of a presentation, this will be done by the Chair, or the Board by majority vote.
• Items on the agenda may be taken out of order.
• The Board of County Commissioners, Board of Trustees, and Licensing Board may combine two or more agenda items for consideration.
• The Board of County Commissioners, Board of Trustees, and Licensing Board may remove an item from the agenda or delay discussion relating to an item at any time.
Contracts, zoning matters, or ordinances that do not comply with the County's disclosure requirement as outlined in Section 10(2) of the County Ethics Policy are subject to being voided.
The main agenda is available on Clark County's website, ClarkCountyNV.gov. For copies of agenda items and supporting backup materials, please contact Cyndi Baroni, Agenda Coordinator, at (702) 455-3530, Clark County Manager’s Office, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, 6th Floor, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106. This meeting will be broadcast live in the Las Vegas area. Clark County Television is available in the Las Vegas area on Channel 4/1004 on Cox cable and on CenturyLink on Channels 4 and 1004 as well as in Laughlin on Channel 14 via Suddenlink. Live streaming of CCTV programming is available at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov and https://www.youtube.com/ClarkCountyNV. CCTV is also available in Boulder City on Channel 4 and in Moapa Valley on Digital Channel 50.3. For more information about the program schedule, please refer to https://clarkcountynv.gov/CCTV4/ or contact CCTV Channel 4 at (702) 455-6890. | |
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| | NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Special Meeting of the Board of County Commissioners is hereby called and will be held at the time and location indicated above, to consider the following matters: | |
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| | CALL TO ORDER
Agenda note: The Board of County Commissioners of Clark County, Nevada met in special session, in full conformity with law and bylaws of said Board, at the regular place of meeting in the Commission Chambers, Government Center, Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada on Thursday, the 15th day of July, 2021 at the hour of 2:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at the hour of 2:03 p.m. by Chair Kirkpatrick and, on roll call, the following members were present, constituting a quorum of the members thereof: | |
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| 1. | Public Comment
Agenda note: At this time, Chair Kirkpatrick asked if there were any persons present in the audience wishing to be heard on any items on the agenda as posted.
SPEAKER(S): Present
Alexandria Dazlich suggested that a portion of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) be allocated towards certifications, trainings and licenses that would assist job seekers to qualify for higher paying opportunities and career path advancement.
Kathleen Taylor expressed support of the allocation of a portion of funds from the ARPA to programs and initiatives proposed by Shani Coleman that supported small business.
Peter Guzman expressed appreciation to the Board for their efforts during the pandemic, and shared details of the successes experienced by small businesses through tri-chamber financial support and grants.
Abraham Camejo expressed interest in the creation of a voucher system for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certification training programs for small business owners.
There being no other persons present in the audience wishing to be heard on any items listed on the agenda as posted, Chair Kirkpatrick closed the public comments. | |
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| 2. | Approval of Agenda (For possible action) | Approved |
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| | BUSINESS ITEMS | |
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| 3. | Receive information from community stakeholders regarding the immediate and long-term needs of the community as a result of the pandemic and its negative economic impacts and, in particular, the needs of small businesses and individuals requiring job training in order to re-enter the workforce and direct staff accordingly. (For possible action)
Agenda note: DOCUMENT(S) SUBMITTED:
1. Clark County American Rescue Plan Act Workshop PowerPoint (12 pages) submitted by representatives of Management Partners
2. Clark County Community & Economic Development American Rescue Plan Act Small Business Support PowerPoint (18 pages) submitted by staff
3. Vegas PBS Jobtimize packet (15 pages in folder) submitted by Vegas PBS
SPEAKER(S): Present
DISCUSSION: Following introduction of the item, Management advised there would be several presentations, including Management Partners, followed by an update from staff.
Management Partners Regional Vice President Andrew Belknap made a presentation to the Board regarding the economic impact of the pandemic on Clark County and maximization of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds through small business and workforce development, stated that unemployment in Clark County had reached more than double the national rate in Spring 2020 and remained higher than the national average, and weekly wages in Clark County averaged $1,141 and were lower than the $1,339 national average; growth in household income had lagged even before the pandemic as compared to other metro areas; poverty rates across the board had increased since 2010, particularly for those with less than high school completion; challenges for Clark County workforces included high job loss, underemployment relative to educational attainment, lower wage area occupations and employment; that the ARPA was signed into law on March 11, 2021, and provided Clark County with over $440 million over next 4 years; shared details on the approved uses of funding such as public health related to COVID-19, behavioral health, payroll, economic impacts that pertained to households, public sectors, hardest-hit communities, small businesses and nonprofits, and also revenue loss, premium pay for essential workers, and water, sewer and broadband infrastructure; small business and non-profit support activities would include loans or grants that aided financial impacts from revenue loss and or closure, the implementation of COVID-19 prevention and mitigation, technical assistance such as counseling or other services that assisted business planning needs and provided aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel and hospitality; assistance to unemployed workers through job training that would facilitate the rehire of workers that were unemployed due to the pandemic or the associated recession, workers that were already unemployed when the pandemic began, and individuals that sought full-time employment that were already employed part-time; and stressed that safe and secure communities, collaborative community engagement, and affordable and livable communities be among priorities of the County.
Byron Marshall of Management Partners continued the presentation, and offered suggested next steps for the County which included reference of the ARPA on the County website that provided the latest information and helpful links, continued workshops and townhalls, and community and stakeholder surveys on paper or online; stated that pre-applications for ARPA funding targeted towards small businesses and non-profits would be available on July 14, 2021 and due by July 26, 2021; that the County would evaluate the requests, prioritize disbursements based on those applications and needs, and applications that were most aligned with County objectives would be asked to provide a secondary, more detailed application.
Commissioner Kirkpatrick advised that an amendment to Item No. 13 regarding children under the age of 18 in the Spanish language survey was needed, that there was no option for respondents to reply with none or zero, and the public had been advised to leave the response blank.
Clark County Director of Community and Economic Development Shani Coleman addressed the Board and provided a recap of the Small Business Programs enacted through the 2020 CARES Act funds, stated $13.5 million had been dedicated to support small businesses through six grant programs which included three stabilization grants that directed cash direct to businesses, two retrofit grants of up to $5,000 for reimbursement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing expenses, and one commercial rental assistance program that directed payments of up to $10,000 to landlords for past due rents, for a total of $13.3 million, and that $396,389 or three percent of the CARES act funds went to administration costs; through the 2020 grants and assistance programs, support was provided to 3,012 businesses, legal services to 700 businesses, 48 business grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 through the Tri-Chamber made up of Urban, Latin and Asian Chambers, 141 commercial rental assistance grants of which 47 were disadvantaged businesses, 159 retrofit grants of which 83 were disadvantaged businesses, 837 stabilization grants of which 399 were disadvantaged businesses, one community grocery store in Laughlin received assistance that allowed local residents to obtain provisions and established 20 full-time jobs, 1,185 applicants were provided direct grants at an average of $10,424 per applicant for a total of $12,352,546; indirect programs supported 3,712 businesses for a total of $591,063 of which 529 or 45 percent were disadvantaged business applicants for an overall total of 4,897 applicants supported; approximately 2,000 applications were received of which 475 were ineligible, 123 were awarded grants that totaled $1,860,000, and 1,402 applicants were wait listed and would require an additional $22.5 million; and it was estimated that $26,250,000 would be the approximate total for business support and assistance investments as presented.
Director Coleman advised that the stakeholders in the ARPA Small Business Support Considerations were the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Urban Chamber of Commerce, Asian Chamber of Commerce, Latin Chamber of Commerce, Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Nevada Women’s Business Center, Nevada Restaurant Association, The Artemis Global Group, Nevada Hispanic Business Group, Nevada Department of Business and Industry, UNLV Small Business Development Center, and Las Vegas Urban League Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship; a review of multiple regional programs that could be initiated was provided which included the Buy Local Program that facilitated resident purchases at local businesses through a prepaid gift card, and participating businesses in the program would receive funds at least once monthly based on the number of residents that made transactions, an estimated potential investment of $5 million was suggested, and potentially 1,800 businesses could be served; Small Business Job and Training Fairs specifically for small businesses with 50 or less employees, and for every job candidate hired during the fair the hiring business would receive funds to cover new hire expenditures and the new hire would receive with a sign-on bonus, an estimated potential investment of $750,000 was suggested, and potentially over 150 residents could be served; the Administrative Fee Holiday waived or reimbursed annual business fees required for businesses to operate legally, and the potential investment and number served was yet to be determined; a Debt Relief Program offered refinance options on previously obtained, non COVID-19 loan commercial debt at lower interest rates and or extended terms in order to reduce monthly expenditures, loan underwriting and processing administered by the National Development Council (NDC), an estimated potential investment of $7.5 million was suggested, and the potential number of businesses served was to be determined; the Resiliency and Capacity Building Program reimbursed businesses for the cost to build a website, purchase software, equipment and training that allowed them to increase business acumen, strengthen foundations, and create opportunities for growth, an estimated potential investment of $5 million was suggested, and 1,200 could potentially be served; the Entrepreneurship Builder Program identified business training and mentorship programs that supported residents interested in business start-ups along with a waiver of first year Clark County business licensing fees, with the potential investment and number served yet to be determined; the Tenant Improvement Program funded permanent interior improvements to commercial spaces in distressed census tracts which would help reduce initial start-up costs or expansion of existing businesses, tenant or landlord contribution of a portion of the improvement costs was required, an estimated potential investment of $2.5 million was suggested, and more than 100 could potentially be served; the Exterior Improvement Program would offer funding for permanent exterior improvements to commercial spaces in distressed census tracts which would help improve neighborhood aesthetics, reduce the initial cost of start-ups or expansion, tenant or landlord contribution of a portion of the improvement costs was required, an estimated potential investment of $2.5 million was suggested, and 100 could potentially be served; the Sustainability Improvement Program would fund permanent interior or exterior improvements to commercial spaces which would address sustainability or environmental issues, thereby reduce the cost of start-ups or expansion, reduce operational costs, tenant or landlord contribution of a portion of the improvement costs was required, an estimated potential investment of $2.5 million was suggested, and more than 100 could potentially be served; the Language Services Program identified highly trained and skilled business professionals that spoke fluent common languages that were in alignment with the community diversity, assisted with federal, state and local program navigation, assisted with workforce development, and business acumen needs, an estimated potential investment of $500,000 was suggested, and number served was to be determined; and stated that through an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant, Clark County was pre-approved for an additional $3 million through a micro-revolving loan program that would enable the County to help businesses with smaller loans up to $100k to assist with growth or start up.
Director Coleman stated that goals such as acceleration of economic diversification, cultivation of a fertile environment for small businesses and entrepreneurs, promoted a community-centered design of the built environment, ensured equitable access to resources, and integrated the workforce ecosystem would be met; challenges that would be addressed through regional programs included limited cashflow, limited or reduced customer bases, access to affordable capital for start-up, operational and expansion needs, language barriers for Asian and Hispanic businesses, limited or no business acumen, limited or no operational resources in the form of online presence, internet skills, or lack of technical skills, and intrusion of the unhoused.
In response to questions from the Board, the Director stated that disbursement of ARPA funds could be managed reasonably quickly as applications had already been vetted and deemed eligible, however changes may have occurred to applicant statuses due to the additional $50 million made available through the State of Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant Program and other federal funding programs, that applicants may have been on those lists as well, and a review of remaining applicants needed to be performed to ensure they were still relevant which could result in lower numbers; a scoring system was developed which included four questions worth five points each, and included how long the business had been operating, whether it was a disadvantaged business, if it was deemed an essential business, and how much fiscal assistance had been received, and assistance would be provided based on the highest scores until funds had been exhausted; a map would be made available to show the locations of businesses that received funds; the Buy Local Program had been successful in Hawaii, and businesses could benefit based on the theory that shoppers typically spent approximately 40 percent more than the value of the gift card or voucher which increased capital for the business; a significant amount of marketing was required for the Buy Local Program including business participation, notification to residents of the business, and that administrative costs would range between six and ten percent depending on the amount of the investment and economies of scale; programs for economic assistance would be available to unincorporated Clark County, and dialog was opened with the City of Las Vegas, City of Henderson, and City of North Las Vegas regarding possible interest to participate through their own funds; start-up cash was still being sought due to an increased number of people who no longer wanted to work for someone else; conversations were ongoing with the State and the Cities regarding collaborative regional programs where the burden would not fall solely on Clark County; and that revolving loan funds would be allowed based on the ARPA language and the five year limitation period which included three years for obligation of the funds and two years for disbursement.
Commissioner Kirkpatrick opened the floor to constituents for presentations on ARPA applications which included Frank Woodbeck of the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) who provided a high-level view of CSN’s ARPA application that would invest in human infrastructure, was targeted to reach the underserved communities of unemployed, under-employed, displaced and under-prepared workers as a result of the pandemic and therefore had been left out of opportunities for growth; that ARPA funds would provide for the expansion of education and training to communities of need through skills training, certifications, and credentials that provided pathways to employment and or higher education; teaching modalities would meet the needs of the individuals served such as the Integrated Basic Education Skills and Training model (I-BEST); that a 10,000 square foot Westside education and training center adjacent to the historic Westside School was planned, funded by a $6.9 million EDA grant, and that a similar facility would benefit the eastside as well; community partners would provide services related to recruitment, case management, and job placement at the training center; and the ARPA funding would be dedicated to secure equipment and training aids for labs and classrooms to train individuals in advanced manufacturing, advanced healthcare specialties such as phlebotomy, dialysis technician, community health worker and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), construction trade skills such as carpentry, electrical and plumbing, and information technologies; a funding formula was not currently available to support short term skill programs; tuitions at no cost to student through a combination of federal funds and philanthropic contributions or public funding; and in response to questions by the Board, the CSN speaker advised that any ARPA funds received from the County would be applied toward securing equipment for the facilities necessary for training purposes; and that the goal was to provide training and employment opportunities within growth sectors, and ultimately in pockets of need in the valley.
Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow (FIT) Chief Executive Officer of the Janet Blumen shared information on the proposed use of ARPA funds, stated that no start up time was required for their project and that it could be launched October 1, 2021, and job placements could occur before the end of October; the proposal addressed the need for people to secure jobs that paid enough to support a family without public assistance; primary barriers for those individuals included lack of job skills or education, or lack of credentials to move from unemployment into a new job sector; services of the program included education and training, case management, supportive services, and extensive mentoring; new job sectors consisted of automotive technology, logistics, forklift operation, phlebotomy, CNA’s, and commercial truck driving, all of which required industry specific credentials; enrollment for up to 563 individuals was available; participants would be matched to a case manager who would help identify barriers to employment; tutor and mentor services for subjects of need would be provided; assessments of psychological, social barriers, drug testing and background checks would be performed, and referrals to appropriate community partners would follow; clients would select a job sector or sectors of interest that could sufficiently provide for a family and would eliminate public assistance, a school would be selected, credentials would be achieved, and employment secured through the case manager with follow-up in six months after employment; the cost was $7,195 per enrollment and would bring an economic impact of over $13 million every year through a combination of income and eliminated subsidies; the return on investment was estimated to be 324 percent in year one; quantifiable objective measurements of the success of the program were by the number of people employed, the increases in income, and the decrease in public assistance; the amount of ARPA funds requested was $4 million, and the anticipated annual return was over $13 million; and in response to questions from the Board, the speaker advised that the organization was located in the 89106 zip code where two bus lines intersect, participants were from multiple districts, a map could be provided that showed the locations of those most highly impacted, a partnership was being entered into with Nevada Ready Mix who has interest in hiring program participants for local jobs as cement truck drivers, and that a white sheet that showed participants who had graduated and been placed in jobs would be made available.
Workforce Connections Executive Director Jaime Cruz, along with Deputy Director & Chief Strategy Officer Irene Bustamante Adams, presented information to the Board regarding their request for ARPA funds; Jaime Cruz stated that the mission of Workforce Connections was to connect employers to a ready workforce; the organization was federally funded with over 15 centers across the valley; there were three initiatives that would help those most impacted by the pandemic which included the Summer Youth Employment program that currently supported approximately 150 individuals, the Thriving Communities Initiative which would be a relaunch of the program that originated two months prior to the pandemic and focused on widening career pathways for the chronically underemployed, connected low-income youth to self-sufficiency support and employment opportunities, and facilitation of economic mobility for single parents in poverty; established partnerships with the County, the various Chambers, the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), and Clark County Schools and the School District would be continued to craft solutions for the short, mid and long terms; and in response to questions from the Board, advised that following the most recent job fairs held in conjunction with the County, many participating employers had contacted the agency and arranged to go to the Center to acquire skills that would prepare them to present immediate job offers to applicants, that the cost was $5,000 per youth over a three month period at 50 work sites, and that 1,000 participants in the 16 years and older age group were targeted.
Vegas PBS Workforce Training and Economic Development Director Debra Solt shared details of their proposed Jobtimize Nevada workforce development tool, an evidence-based virtual platform intended for use by job seekers, employers, schools, and workforce training providers; criteria would be entered into the system that would best match people to careers, apprenticeships, training platforms, or credential and career pathways, and would link thousands of residents to equitable employment and pay while matching interests, employable skills, and behavior and personality with an employer’s culture and soft skill needs; through the use of the station’s technology, media capacity, and partnerships coupled with businesses, higher education institutions and workforce agencies, the Jobtimize Nevada program would augment state, municipal and community-based workforce platforms, and would collaborate with businesses, workforce training partners, schools, social service agencies, and nonprofits who specialized in workforce development; the Jobtimize platform would be available free of charge to schools for grades 8 and above as well as local higher education institutions, would track students in career and technical education programs along with progress, changes in interests and work experience, and special skills or credential attainment; students would be matched with appropriate work-based training, apprenticeships and or jobs; the platform would also be available to small businesses, initially for free; it was estimated that more than 100,000 Clark County residents from low and moderate income backgrounds, underemployed and or unemployed residents, and it was anticipated that 85 percent of users would match a “best fit” training, credential or job; the Jobtimize portal was currently in use on a small scale, and to offer it free to all users in the County for one year would cost approximately $880,000; staff for coordination and integration would be provided by Vegas PBS, and the strategy was to supplement and eventually replace ARPA funding with larger business subscriptions, and additional grants and sponsorships; stated that the project aligned with several County strategic priorities; and in response to a question by Commissioner Kirkpatrick advised that all details would be provided in the pre-grant documentation.
Clark County Library District Development & Planning Director Danielle Milam addressed the Board regarding their request for ARPA funds, stated that the Library District was a partner with the County and the State; that ARPA funds would enable expansion of the broadband network, hot spots and devices; priorities would be placed on expanded broadband support for the workforce and small business; advised that during the pandemic the Library District computer centers, hotspots, digital resources, free online courses, and lending devices were in great demand; all funds received during that time were allocated to increase those services; survey data indicated that those services were used for business, education, accessing government and social services, and that the broadband service was very slow; vending machines that could house lending devices, process the check-out transactions, and then wipe the device clean of history when returned would be installed; live services offered included English as a second language, career coaches, and online career high school; and expressed appreciation to the Board and the County for their hard work and support; and in response to questions from the Board, the Speaker stated that existing Wi-Fi did not reach much further than their parking lots, and mobile devices that may enable assistant to rural communities were being explored, and that the emergency connectivity funds were only available to households.
Culinary Academy of Las Vegas (CALV) representative Edmund Wong addressed the Board on behalf of Dr. Mark Scott; advised that the Community Food Assistance Program provided 1,500 meals per day to the incarcerated, senior homes, and youth in the community, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program provided 1,000 boxes that would feed a family of four through the efforts of employed culinarians and students; ARPA funds would be used to expand the programs and offer continued support to the community; an extension of that program would be the Open Hiring Model that would remove barriers and provide opportunities for the underserved and at-risk that prevented those populations from entering the job market by removing barriers such as background checks and drug tests, would provide job skill training and open access to continuing education programs through schools; the CALV had been approved for the first ever State registered culinary program that would provide new pathways into the hospitality job market, advanced in-depth job training, and cognitive leadership skills for the next generation; an apprenticeship program that provided an alternative pathway into the job market and eliminated transitioning through traditional promotional hierarchies; mobile classroom experiences would be made available through the incorporation of technology and virtual kitchens that would be tested in labs and on mobile food trucks.
Nevada State College (NSC) Senior Advisor for Government Relations and Community Affairs Anthony Ruiz, and Director of Workforce Development Thomas E Nicholas II, made a presentation to the Board regarding programs under consideration for ARPA funds; Anthony Ruiz shared a brief background on the goals of NSC, stated that in response to the pandemic NSC reassessed their role in workforce development and determined that non-credit, self-funded, self-sustaining training programs were needed in order to meet the demands of the State; advised that proposed complimentary training programs were intended to support workers that had been displaced by COVID-19, new adult entrants to the workforce, and the underemployed; efforts would focus on adult learners who needed to acquire new skills, and students that were displaced and wanted to continue their education; programs were based on factors such as local, regional and national trends, skills employers sought in employees, available and emerging jobs, and the types of jobs of greater interest to individuals that impacted multiple industries both firmly established and where there was a need to be established in the valley; three job sectors were identified which included data analytics, cyber security, and leadership and management; models would be skills-based, and stackable or micro-credentialed; skills developed through the program were demonstrable, and upon completion of a module some form of credential would be issued that could be presented to potential employers; that employers had expressed a desire to be able to identify or confirm an applicant’s skills; NSC would certify the individuals quantitative, technical and soft skills; programs would be multi-modal and portable via high-flex, Zoom or cooperative extensions; an estimated $250,000 in ARPA funds would be used to launch programs over an 18 to 24 month period, and the time frame could possibly be expedited to six or eight months; the Internship Opportunity Fund would provide grants to student that participated in non-paid internships, or convert non-paid internships to paid; possible partners that had expressed interest in the NSC Internship Opportunity Program included the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), Chambers of Commerce, Workforce Connections and others; and that greater details on all programs would be included on the ARPA grant applications.
In response to questions from the Board, the NSC speakers stated that ARPA funds for the Internship Program would be distributed through $1,000 grants and would support approximately 1,000 students for a total of $100,000 per year, but that those numbers was scalable; the budget for the Workforce Development Program had not been finalized but it was that approximately $200,000 to $250,000 was the targeted range to launch the program within a 6-months to one year time frame; educations costs for health and social services careers would be provided; and it was intended that NSC would collaborate with multiple colleges on credit and non-credit learning opportunities, and offer stackable degree programs.
Generator Vice President of Public Affairs Steven Parker addressed the Board regarding programs presented in consideration for ARPA funding that would address five of the eight challenges identified by the County which included a business acceleration program where businesses would have access to capital for early stage startup as well as expansion, and these businesses also needed mentorship, acumen and business connections; access to similar resources had so far been offered to approximately 700 companies by Generator where capital was identified and sometimes equity exchanged; partnerships with State and local governments had been established to expand the idea that acceleration should be made available at no expense to businesses; for every dollar invested in businesses, a return to state and local governments of approximately $15 to $26 had occurred; accelerator programs offered year-round programming for the community; an accelerator program for Microsoft was developed in northern Wisconsin and had expanded to eleven cities and counties across the country, and through curriculum delivered by Microsoft or LinkedIn Learning, placement was 80 percent in classes prior to graduating two months ago, and cohorts of 100 to 150 students that still sought employment or placement was approximately 60 percent; investments in staff were also made, and employees were hired locally and provided students with interviewing skills, career coaching, connections to local jobs, plus a 360 company network that hired students that had obtained certification following completion of the six- to twelve-week cohorts; limited or reduced customer bases, additional business skills to companies, access to capital, and staffing issues would all be addressed through upscaling, partnerships with Microsoft, local workforce boards, companies across the country and community colleges; and in response to questions from the Board, the speaker stated that focus be placed on diversity and underserved populations; individuals interested in working from home could also obtain workforce skills from home; 330 of the 700 companies in the network were actively hiring, and the majority of the jobs filled at those companies were remote; through work with state and local governments hired on the ground from within the community; and that the wage scales for employee placement through the programs were above minimum wage. | |
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| | PUBLIC COMMENTS | |
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| | A period devoted to comments by the general public about matters relevant to the Board's/Trustees' jurisdiction will be held. No vote may be taken on a matter not listed on the posted agenda. Comments will be limited to three minutes. Please step up to the speaker's podium, clearly state your name and address and please SPELL your last name for the record. If any member of the Board/Trustees wishes to extend the length of a presentation, this will be done by the Chair, or the Board/Trustees by majority vote. | |
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| | All comments by speakers should be relevant to Board/Trustees action and jurisdiction. | |
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| | APPROVED:
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JAMES B. GIBSON, VICE CHAIR | |
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