U-Blog 2

First, I would like to share the information that I have gathered regarding to future of workforce america. Little do we know there are lots of people out there around our cities whos main concern is to look ahead in the future and try to come up with new ideas and new ways to change how our workforce may look like. Here is the article I found, Please post your opinion below.

City Council Debates Future Of Workforce Development

OMAHA, Neb. - A former employee of Nebraska Workforce Development said the agency has fallen short after the city relinquished control of it and state employees took over.

Some city officials, however, said the agency is working better than ever.

One thing's for certain: The agency's offices are busy these days.

For that reason, Mark Le Flore, the former employee, said it's critical that the agency's programs are serving the citizens.

"Workforce development is geared to assist individuals that may have lost their jobs and need retraining, so they can get hired," Le Flore said.

He worked for the agency when it was administered by the city.

Now, he said, the agency needs help.

Le Flore said it has mishandled federal money and its youth programs are not where they should be.

"We're falling way short on the goals," he said.

Omaha City Councilman Frank Brown doesn't entirely agree with Le Flore's assessment, but Brown does want the agency back under the city's control.

"We need this program back," Brown said.

Joe Gudenrath, Mayor Mike Fahey's chief of staff, said the agency is doing fine under state control.

"The bottom line is getting people back to work, and they're meeting those performance requirements," Gudenrath said.

The City Council on Tuesday heard public testimony on the issue. Gudenrath said he's "cautiously optimistic" that the contract extension will be approved.

If it's not, the city has until July to find another service provider.