Hempstead Works

Rosa Amaya, Parent

Rebecca Bell, Associate Executive Director, Education and Assistance Corporation

Lois Benjamin, Regional Manager, Vocational Educational Services for Individuals with

Disabilities (VESID)

Richard E. Dibble, Ph.D., Director, Center for Industrial and Labor Relations, School of

Management, New York Institute of Technology

Paul Jamal II, Participant

Alan Nachman, President, Diversified Microsystems, Inc.

Detective Joseph Clark, Hempstead Police Department

Cheryl Davidson, Executive Director, Long Island Works Coalition

Todd Goldfarb, Second Deputy Commissioner, Town of Hempstead Department of Occupational Resources (DOOR)

Ana-Maria Hurtado, First Deputy Commissioner, DOOR

Edward Kenny, Planner, DOOR

Terry McKnight, Youth Services Coordinator, DOOR

Vilma Osborne, Licensed Home Administrator, Nassau Extended Care Center

Annie Williams, State Representative, New York State Department of Labor

The meeting began at 9:15 A.M. The members introduced themselves and described their respective organizations. In his opening remarks, Chairman Dibble referred to members and others in attendance to review the Youth Council Mission Statement and Membership List.

The meeting minutes from June 11, 2002 were distributed and reviewed. On a motion made by Ms. Bell and seconded by Mr. Nachman, the minutes were accepted by the Council.

Donald Beasley, Equal Opportunity (EO) Officer for DOOR, introduced himself to the members. He indicated that he would be conducting training regarding EO throughout the HempsteadWorks system. Mr. Beasley also described the contents of the Technical Advisories that have been distributed to local workforce investment areas concerning this subject.

A videotape of the Workforce New York Certification Ceremony local television news coverage was played. Copies of the collateral marketing material developed with the Workforce New York Grant were distributed. The members were provided with the WIB Project Matrix. Mr. Kenny described the grants that WIB is involved with. Included among these grants were the Building Skills in New York State and E-Learning Grants. Chairman Dibble encouraged the members to advise their colleagues in business about these opportunities.

Cheryl Davidson of Long Island Works Coalition described the mission and initiatives of her organization. Ms. Davidson shared the results of a study conducted by the Aspen Institute which found that the three greatest challenges facing the national economy are:

1. Lack of skilled workers;

2. Inadequate numbers of skilled workers;

3. Wage gaps between skilled and unskilled workers.

She indicated that Long Island Works Coalition was founded to address these challenges.

The Youth Incentive Grant was described by Ms. Davidson to the members as a collaboration among the three WIBs on Long Island, VESID and five school districts. The five districts are: City of Long Beach, Wantagh, Farmingdale, East Islip and William Floyd.

Judy Young, Director of Grants Administration and Corporate Training at Abilities. Inc. described the Customized Employment Grant that was awarded to the WIB by the United States Department of Labor Office of Employment Policy. The grant, entitled Whatever It takes, provides funding to integrate enhanced services to individuals with disabilities into the HempsteadWorks Career Center. Under a contract for One-Stop Vendor Services, Abilities will be the service provider for the WIT Program. Ms. Young described the plans underway to assemble a WIT Strategic Planning Team. The Chairperson of the Team will be Lois Benjamin. She stated that the grant activities will include job carving activities, person-centered planning, personal agents, customer-family cooperatives and other services. In order to publicize the program, the WIT Planning Team hopes to conduct an open house within the career center.

Chairman Dibble discussed the need to increase business representation on the Council. Mr. Kenny indicated the need for business participation on the quality level of that provided by Alan Nachman. He thanked Mr. Nachman for representing the WIB and Youth Council at the State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB) meeting and for other related services.

On a motion offered by Ms. Benjamin and seconded by Ms. Amaya, the Council recommended that Vilma Osborne of Nassau Extended Care be appointed by the WIB Chair to the Youth Council.

Hearing that no new business was proposed, a motion for adjournment was offered by Mr. Nachman, seconded by Ms. Amaya and adopted. The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 A.M.