Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Year two of the Libraries Activating Workforce Development Skills (LAWDS) project has begun, with the project entering a new phase. The first of the four public library staff training modules to be developed during the project is now complete, and is already being delivered in some areas. The module focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the eleven Wisconsin Workforce Development Boards (WDBs). Which are represented by the Wisconsin Workforce Development Association. Thanks to Jon Menz, the Wisconsin Workforce Development Association lead on the LAWDS project, who is also the Director of the West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, and his colleagues, for their work developing the first module.
The Continuing Education Consultants for Wisconsin’s 16 public library systems will be contacting regional representatives of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and WDBs to help coordinate the scheduling of the training sessions. The engagement of the Continuing Education Consultants in the project is possible due to the engagement of the public library systems themselves, and through the work of Mark Jochem, the South Central Library System Workforce Development Specialist, who is the LAWDS representative for the System and Resource Library Administrator’s Association of Wisconsin (SRLAAW), and Cindy Fesemyer, the Adult Services and Community Engagement Consultant on the Department of Public Instruction’s Public Library Development team.
The LAWDS leadership team shared an update on the project at the Wisconsin Library Association’s 2019 annual conference. If you were not able to attend, and would like to view the slide decks of presenters, they are available on the WLA 2019 Conference website, or you can contact Martha.berninger@dpi.wi.gov. The leadership team will be presenting a similar update at the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Roundtable at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay on November 13 and 14.
The LAWDS project will be developing a web presence on the DPI website in the coming months. Details on the project, partners, training opportunities, and more will be included, along with a link to the Wisconsin Jobseeker site, which was developed with input from public libraries statewide.
The LAWDS project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For additional information, please contact Martha.berninger@dpi.wi.gov.