Workforce Meeting Summary 7-10-17

STRATEGIC ACTION PLANNING GROUP ON AGING
Workforce Subcommittee
Meeting Summary
July 10, 2017

Meeting participants: Tony Tapia (co-chair), Christian Itin (co-chair), Sharron Williams, Ben Moultrie, Theresa Falagrady, Coral Cosway, Elizabeth Garner, Chris Akers, Gene Rose, Andrea Wilkins

Desired Outcomes:

• Review and clarify the work plan
• Review, clarify, and identify implications of the Senior Spending Report
• Identify organizations/people for input at future meetings
• Develop and agree on next steps

Proposed Agenda:

• Welcome, introductions, agenda review (Lisa) 10:30
• Work Plan and Short-term Priority area 10:35
• Employment Impact from Senior Spending in Colorado in 2014 10:40

--Clarifying question
--Implications for Workforce Subcommittee Work

• Identify organizations/individuals for input/presentations [1] 11:10
• Meeting/Subcommittee Evaluation 11:20

--What is working? What do we need to change?

• Adjourn 11:30

Work Plan and Short-term Priority Area

Subcommittee Purpose:

To continue the work of the 2016 committee on strategies to ensure an adequate future workforce for industries serving older Coloradans and to focus more intentionally on opportunities and strategies for seniors who want or need to stay in the paid or volunteer workforce. Our priority goals are to:

• Develop the workforce/volunteer force to serve over adults
• Develop workforce development for older adults who have to stay in the workforce
• Develop workforce/volunteer development for older adults who want a second career post retirement.

Recommendation parameters or “level”:

The Subcommittee will develop recommendations targeted for the Governor and the State legislators at a high policy level (rather than at the micro or programmatic level)

If and when other bodies, organizations or individuals come on board and at their request, we can provide them more specific programmatic recommendations.

Work Plan:

The Subcommittee will work toward the implementation of current workforce

recommendations and more fully explore workforce issues to inform 2018 plan.

The timeframe and Outcomes are as follows:

May – August, 2017

Outcome 3: There is a skilled, educated, and trained workforce/volunteer force sufficient to build the capacity of industries serving older adults (including but not limited to: healthcare, social services, long term care, transportation, housing, caregiving, etc.).

September – November, 2017

Outcome 1: Older adults are able to stay engaged in the labor force as long as they want and need.

Employment Impact from Senior Spending in Colorado in 2014

(Elizabeth Garner and Chris Akers)

• State Demographers did this report for SAPGA
• Report is based on what is current only (does not account for changes in technology or other factors)

• Demographer‚Äôs office does not have any plans moving forward
• If people want to stay in the workforce, this report shows where those occupations are (potential opportunity)
• Future research needed: What are other States doing? Florida, Arizona? Future projections?
• Implications/opportunity: Get the word out about the ‚Äúhot‚Äù occupations to high school people
• In the last 20-30 years, Colorado has been a high-income state because of the young population‚ÄîColorado is now becoming more average and more like other States. As the boomers get older and as services are demanded, there will be continued bifurcation in our labor market.
• Demographer‚Äôs Office already tracks labor force participation rates by age
• Forecasting any technological changes, etc. is too difficult but we know that our future will not look like our parents
• Policy implication/opportunity: The greatest need for occupations will require K-12 level training or at the AA level or community colleges (Training could be done in a year or less to be job ready‚Ķor peer to peer.)
• We will need more information to figure out how to leverage what we already have (partnerships?)
• Will wages go up with high demand? Wage is difficult to predict so we cannot presume this will happen‚Äîon a year-to-year basis, wage growth has been low even with low employment rate and we have been creating more low-end jobs than high-end jobs.
• There is a high correlation between interest rate and wage.
• What are the drivers for people to retire since it is clearly not full retirement level?
• Need to really focus on ‚Äúmessaging‚Äù (e.g. a ‚Äúrecession-proof occupation‚Äù,

Next Steps:

• Send out Bloomberg Article (Lisa from Ben Moultrie)
• Webinar Colorado Sectors Network Webinar tomorrow (Ben will attend and provide information at next meeting)

Organizations/individuals for input/presentations

• Sector Partnerships Abby Ault from the State

Judy Emory, (get info from Theresa)

• Chair, Department of Health Professions Metro State University (Dr. Matuscewicz) or Amy Dore, Program Coordinator for the Health Care Management Program and Gerontologist or invite Linda Stroup, Chair of Nursing.
• Metro Denver Healthcare Partnership
• Yvonne Myers - Health Systems Director, Columbine Health Systems

(Northern Colorado Health Sector Partnership)

• Colorado Workforce Development Council?

Subcommittee Evaluation

What is working?

• We are now pointed in a direction
• Hour is sufficient in time

What do you want to change?

• Would like to hear from educators from middle school and high school
• Would like to hear about the connection between school programs and industry (certification programs)