What is SEMCA?

Workforce Development Boards are the instruments chosen by Governor Engler to implement and administer his new “No Wrong Door” approach to the delivery of job training, employment and skills development services. The “No Wrong Door” approach would allow any customer (employer, job seeker, or trainer) to enter the system through any participating agency in the local delivery system whether or not that particular agency is the right one to provide the requested or needed service. All participating agencies within the Workforce Development Board region would be electronically interlinked and capable of assessing, planning and enrolling the customer into the right programs to fulfill that particular customer’s needs.



This coordination amongst agencies is to be facilitated by giving you, as a local Workforce Development Board member, administrative control and influence over the multitude of job training and employment programs operated within our region.




The SEMCA Workforce Development Board will administer programs for a geographic area including all of Monroe County and all of Wayne County, except the City of Detroit. In many ways your Board is the successor to the two Private Industry Councils (PIC’s) that represented this area under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA): the Wayne County PIC and the Downriver/Monroe PIC. The Workforce Board goes well beyond the former PIC authority, however, by encompassing the responsibilities of the former Job Service Employment Council (JSEC) and the School-to-Work (STW) Board, as well as having administrative influences over other programs like adult education, vocational education and welfare to work programs.



 The SEMCA Workforce Development Board is comprised of 42 members, of which 70% are private sector representatives. The Board will be part of a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation that will also include the Southeast Michigan Substance Abuse (SEMSAS) Board, which has the seperate and distinct responsibility of administrating substance abuse treatment and prevention programs for the identical geographic area. These two boards make up the Southeast Michigan community Alliance (SEMCA). SEMCA staff will provide planning, procurement, contracting, fiscal management, management information systems and Board support for both the Workforce Development Board and the SEMSAS Board. (Back to Questions)


 
What Does SEMCA Do?

Workforce Development Boards are to ensure that the workforce related needs of employers and employees in their area are met. Local needs such as locating qualified new hires, upgrading of existing workers, securing cost effective skills training and accommodating special needs workers, must be addressed. Specifically, the need for well educated and well trained workers for today’s world marketplace and tomorrow’s global economy must be met in our region. You must consider yourselves to be part of our area’s job creation/job retention system with strong ties to both economic developers and to the Michigan Jobs Commission’s account management teams.




Workforce Development Boards are intended to be “driven” by their private sector members. These members should be in key management positions in their own companies and understand the needs of other employers in their communities. These private sectors representatives of the Board must ensure that the Boards establish policies that integrate all Workforce development programs and target them to support state and local economic development efforts.



Workforce Development Boards may not provide direct program services. You will develop local service plans which will then be contracted and managed by the Board through an open and competitive procurement system.



The local operational plans are to include, in some detail, descriptions of how the following federally funded, state-administered programs should be delivered through a “No Wrong Door” system in the local areas:


The WDB’s are also required to adhere to the highest standard with reqard to conflict of interest, which is the avoidance of even the slightest appearance of a conflict of interest. (Back to Questions)



Who is on the Workforce Development Board?

The Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA) Workforce Development Board has 42 primary members. Thirty of those Board positions are held by persons nominated by local Chambers of Commerce to represent the private sector employers. Under the job training Partnership Act (JTPA), the local Chambers are required to nominate names at least 150% of the existing private sector membership. The local Chief Elected Official(s) (CEO) then select the appropriate 
number of private sector board members from this pool. The Southeast Michigan Alliance Governmental Alliance (SEGA) was newly formed to fill this required CEO function. SEGA is comprised of Wayne County Government, Monroe County Government, the Conference of Western Wayne, the Conference of Eastern Wayne and the Downriver Community Conference as five equal partners in a new government entity organized under Public Act (PA) 7 of 1967. The remaining 12 public sectors board members were also chosen by SEGA acting as the Chief Elected Official(s). These members include representatives from labor, education, the Michigan Employment Security Commission (MESC), the Family Independence Agency (FIA), formerly DSS, Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS), local Economic Development and local Community Based Organizations (CBO’s).



Governor Engler established 70% as the minimum level of private sector membership on Workforce Development Boards. The SEMCA Workforce Development Board meets that requirement along with all other requisite Board representation.(Back to Questions)


How Often Does the SEMCA Board Meet?

The Workforce Development Board meets on the third Wednesday of every other month from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. In order to enhance attendance at the standingcommittee meetings, the Board recently decided to meet as a full Board every other month. It’s Steering Committee, which is comprised of the officers, the Committee Chairs, and three public members, meets during the alternate month to conduct essential business and strategic planning.



The Standing Committees, Planning, Finance and Oversite, Education and School-to-Work, Marketing and Program development and Capacity Building, meet monthly at times established by each committee. (Back to Questions)



Can SEMCA Really Make A Difference?

Like any other tool, the SEMCA Workforce Development Board can only be effective if it is used properly and applied to the appropriate tasks.




Michigan has decided to place decision making at the local Board level to provide the opportunity to create solutions based upon regional needs and resources. At least as far as the SEMCA Board is concerned, you will control the funds and establish desired outcomes. Collectively, you are positioned to drive the system.


It will make a difference if its members have the will to achieve the goals that they establish for themselves. (Back to Questions)




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