Welcome and Introductions
William "Bill" Robertson, Chair, Governor's Workforce Investment Board (GWIB), called the meeting to order at
3:38 p.m. He welcomed Board members and guests, including Senator Katherine Klausmeier (Baltimore County). He
also announced the appointment of Adrian Chapman, President & COO of Washington Gas, who will be joining
the Board at the March 14, 2012, meeting. Mr. Robertson then asked that Board members to introduce themselves.
GWIB Administration Updates
Mr. Robertson asked members to review the minutes from the September 7, 2011, Board meeting. A motion was made,
seconded and approved to adopt the minutes as presented. Mr. Robertson noted that the proposed 2012 GWIB
Meeting Dates were distributed on-line to the Board prior to the meeting were included in the Board packet.
A motion was made, seconded and approved to adopt the 2012 GWIB meeting dates as presented.
GWIB Consent Agenda
Mr. Robertson stated that the three reports distributed online prior to the meeting were included in the Board
packet. The Chair asked for a single motion to accept all the reports, but stated that any member may have any
report excluded from the motion for separate discussion. A motion was made, seconded and approved to adopt the
following consent agenda items as presented: HRSA Health Care Workforce Planning Grant; Maryland Energy Sector
Partnership (MESP) Grant; and Skills2Compete Maryland National Recognition. These reports are also available on
the GWIB website.
Remarks by Governor Martin O'Malley
Mr. Robertson introduced Governor Martin O'Malley and expressed appreciation for his support of the work of the
Board. Governor O'Malley thanked Bill Robertson, Ron Peterson, and the Board for their service on the single
most important issue and urgent priority facing our State jobs. He noted that Maryland's recovery is stronger
than other states - creating 20,400 net new jobs since January and having recovered 38% of the jobs lost during
the recession (the national rate is 25%). But more needs to be done.
He reported that presently nearly 220,000 Marylanders are looking for work and yet, the Maryland Workforce
Exchange (MWE) has roughly 100,000 job openings posted. The key challenge is to help employers to find
sufficiently skilled workers for the new jobs of our times. The solution is better education and training.
Maryland has chosen to make record investments to build what Education Week magazine says for three years
in a row are America's #1 best public schools. He noted that by 2018, 77% of job openings in Maryland will
require training or education beyond high school.
The Governor shared that the O'Malley-Brown Administration has set goals for increasing the number of
Marylanders who receive skills training 20% by the end of 2012; improving student achievement and school,
college, career readiness 25% by the end of 2015; and increasing the number of STEM college graduates 40%
by 2015. He noted that Maryland is more than halfway toward completing its skills training goal with an 11.9%
increase in skills training enrollment and a 13.6% increase in skills training completions. The State is making
progress toward its education goals, with record MSA scores and improving NAEP scores. Additionally, there is
progress toward the State's goals for increasing the number of STEM graduates - so far Maryland is up 10% at
the State's colleges and universities; and has succeeded in increasing by 23% the number of AP exams students
are taking in the STEM disciplines.
Governor O'Malley concluded that the GWIB is an important voice in his Administration on behalf of the job
creation in this changing new economy. He acknowledged the Board's role in creation of Skills2Compete (S2C)
Maryland and jobs initiatives like Go Solar! He urged the Board to continue its work.
Mr. Robertson thanked Governor O'Malley for his presentation. A brief question and answer period followed
the remarks.
Federal Spending: Statistical Snapshot
Mr. Robertson stated that Maryland, like many States, faces budget challenges. Based on discussions in
Congress, Maryland can expect more significant cuts to the federal funds received by the State. The Department
of Business and Economic Development (DBED), and its partners at RESI, have conducted research on the impact
of these pending federal funding cuts on Maryland, what this will mean in terms of job loss, and what
opportunities exist to mitigate this loss. Mr. Robertson introduced Nancy McCrea, CCR, Director of Research
at DBED and Daraius Irani, Associate Vice President, DECO, Director, Regional Economic Studies Institute
(RESI), who were asked to provide a broader analysis of the impact of these cuts on Maryland.
Daraius Irani presented key points from the RESI Impact Analysis of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA)
prepared for DBED. The report's findings were included in the Federal Facilities Advisory Board's overall
risk assessment report, and concluded that in addition to the presence of federal and military installations
in Maryland, the State receives significant federal funding for its government agencies. As of FY 2010,
Maryland state government agencies received approximately $9.6 billion in federal funding.
RESI concluded that initial budgetary cuts associated with the BCA would mean that Maryland federal
installations could experience job losses and the state could see a decrease in state GDP. Additionally,
Maryland State agencies could experience job losses. Although potential losses estimated in RESI's analysis
would account for less than 1.0 percent of the total employment and total state GDP in all cases, any loss
of economic activity and vitality is of concern. RESI's analysis provides estimates and serves as a starting
point for understanding and discussing these potential effects of the BCA on Maryland. As a result, Maryland
State government will need to carefully examine the actual approved budgetary cuts in order to prepare for
the finalized recommendations.
CyberSecurity Update
Mr. Robertson stated that continued growth of the Maryland's CyberSecurity industry is one of the Governor's
key priorities. The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR), GWIB, and DBED are working together
to ensure that Maryland is a good home for the CyberSecurity industry.
Mr. Robertson introduced DLLR Secretary Alexander M. Sanchez, who reported that Maryland is establishing
itself as the national epicenter of CyberSecurity - an East Coast Silicon Valley - developing the software,
hardware and a knowledge economy that will protect national security and vital personal information. The U.S.
Cyber Command will bring 30,000 new jobs to Ft. Meade. The University of Maryland at College Park launched a
CyberSecurity Initiative that will foster public/private partnerships and address national vulnerabilities.
The growth of the Cyber industry presents an opportunity for the GWIB to engage business, education and
government stakeholders in a conversation about the measures we must take to prepare a cyber workforce.
Secretary Sanchez thanked Bel Leong-Hong and Larry Letow for their leadership chairing the CyberSecurity
Steering Committee, which is guiding GWIB's work to quantify the demand and supply needs within the industry.
Additionally, the Committee will also be partnering with the University System to complete a comprehensive and
scientific workforce demand survey. They are also working with SAIC to launch a Cyber Skills web portal as
an extension of the Skills2Compete website. That site will complement DBED's CyberMaryland site by connecting
jobseekers with information about training and educational opportunities in the cyber field.
Finally, the Secretary acknowledged the collaborative work with Secretary Johansson and the DBED team to
develop a unified plan for our continued work together to promote Maryland's CyberSecurity Industry.
Secretary Sanchez then introduced DBED Secretary Christian Johansson, who shared that DBED focuses on the
economic and business development aspects of CyberSecurity industry. There is tremendous growth in the both
the federal and commercial markets, and DBEDstaff routinely see businesses assessing and settling in the
Maryland market in order to build their cyber business presence nationally.
To support and encourage this industry, DBED is engaging in a number of initiatives. He quickly reviewed the
following areas:
- Trade shows like the RSA, pre-eminent cyber show; "Cyberhive" events in Austin and silicon valley;
the continued evolution of both cybermaryland.org and other sites; and the publication of "innovation index,"
which will now include R&D coming from Maryland's incubators and federal labs, as well as commercially
released cyber products coming out of Maryland companies.
- Political and corporate leadership through CODEL and FFAB cyber advisory group; and the organization by
DBED of a cyber advisory board.
- Cyber education, which involves many institutions with varying audiences - community colleges,
universities, K-12, adult education; the MD Cyber Challenge (dubbed MDC3) developed in partnership with
SAIC and others; and the ongoing collaboration with University of MD and its cyber center.
The Secretary concluded that DBED will work with GWIB, MBRT and other involved organizations in the
ongoing effort to develop and manage internship and work opportunities online.
Lynn Reed introduced Hart Rossman of SAIC, who outlined a proposed Cyber Skills web portal. Mr. Rossman
stated that the portal will be an extension of the Skills2Compete website. He presented a preliminary screen
shot of the webpage. He noted that it will be developed in several phases. Phase one begins in January and will
include the development of the Main Framework; Cyber Engagement Map and the Event Entry Form. Phase two will
Link Facebook User Account; and include User feedback via Twitter and FB. Phase three will develop the Career
Navigator Feature.
DLLR Update: Workforce System Branding Initiative
Mr. Robertson introduced Ellen Flower-Fields, DLLR, Division of Workforce & Adult Learning, to review the
department's workforce system branding initiative. Ms Flower-Fields noted Maryland's statewide workforce
investment system is made up of 12 local workforce investment areas, including 34 One-Stop Centers. The system
includes local boards whose partners represent local governments, state agencies, educational institutions,
businesses; community-based organizations, and organized labor.
The current identity of Maryland's workforce system consists of various acronyms for agencies and programs
that hold little or no universal meaning to the customers served. A comprehensive rebranding initiative to
address the architecture of the entire system including One Stop Career Centers, online services, and other
public interfaces is required to achieve a positive return on Maryland's investment in the system.
DLLR's branding initiative is a systemic approach in advancing the awareness and utilization of Maryland's
One Stop Career Centers. This initiative serves to:
- Align the existing local service delivery system, so that there is a readily identifiable presence
throughout the State;
- Establish a baseline of resources and information that is available at all of our Career Centers;
- Develop succinct and relevant messages for both job seekers and business customers; and
- Strategically position Maryland as a leader in building the next generation workforce system that
drives increased skilled competitiveness and improved employment outcomes.
There being no other business, Mr. Robertson adjourned the meeting at 5:45 p.m.
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