02/21/2001 03:40 PM House L&C

                     ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                 
            HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                       
                         February 21, 2001                                                                                      
                             3:40 p.m.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW: STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
01-22A, SIDES A & B                                                                                                             

01-22B, SIDE A                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                              
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LISA MURKOWSKI,  Chair, called  the House Labor  and                                                            
Commerce Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:40 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                              
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Committee members  present were Representatives  Murkowski,  Halcro,                                                            
Meyer, Kott, Rokeberg, Crawford, and Hayes.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHRIS MILLER,  Chief, Research and  Analysis Section, Department  of                                                            
Labor  and Workforce  Development  (DLWD),  reported  that  Alaska's                                                            
population  and, more  notably, the  change in  migration to  Alaska                                                            
affect  the  workforce.    About  15  percent  of  Alaska's  622,000                                                            
residents move in and out  of the state each year.  When the economy                                                            
is bad in  the Lower 48,  more people migrate  to Alaska.   With the                                                            
Baby  Boomers  reaching retirement  age,  there  will  be plenty  of                                                            
opportunities  for work in the state.  The service,  healthcare, and                                                            
oil industries  will be steadily growing.  Nursing  and retail sales                                                            
will experience the largest growth rates.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
JIM SANDERS,  Executive Director,  Alaska Human Resource  Investment                                                            
Council  (AHRIC), presented  an overview.   He  stated that  AHRIC's                                                            
mission  is to  combine the  needs of  employers with  the needs  of                                                            
workers  by  facilitating  communication  between  the  two  groups.                                                            
AHRIC  also assists  with  training  and developing  policy  between                                                            
institutions  and employers  through  partnerships  with the  school                                                            
system,  postsecondary  institutions,   the  University  of  Alaska,                                                            
Native non profit agencies, and unions.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
WENDY REDMAN,  Vice President,  University  of Alaska, commented  on                                                            
AHRIC's  role in  facilitating  job training  and  its oversight  of                                                            
training partnerships.   She stated that under the  direction of the                                                            
new  university   president,  Mark   Hamilton,  there  has   been  a                                                            
resurgence  of  job training  within  the  university  system.   The                                                            
university  has worked with  five different  consortiums to  develop                                                            
new programs.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MIKE SHIFFER,  Director, Alaska Workforce Investment  Office (AWIO),                                                            
stated that the  primary functions of AWIO include  direct oversight                                                            
of training  programs,  grants administration,  policy development,                                                             
and  technical assistance  to  local  areas providing  job  training                                                            
services.    The agency  also  works  directly  with  employers  and                                                            
workers affected by mass  layoffs and job losses.  AWIO looks to the                                                            
AHRIC and DLWD  for leadership and  direction in promoting  training                                                            
programs in the state.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
FRED  ESPOSITO,   Director,  Alaska   Vocational  Technical   Center                                                            
(AVTEC),  reported that AVTEC  is a leader  in providing  technology                                                            
education  and training  in the state.   Last  year AVTEC  certified                                                            
1,542 Alaskans  who became  certified mechanics,  chefs,  industrial                                                            
electricians,  welders, physical plant managers, accounting  clerks,                                                            
and healthcare  providers.  The graduates are educated  in industry,                                                            
can  choose  from over  20  different  fields,  and can  leave  with                                                            
industry certification.   AVTEC emphasizes  timely programs  and has                                                            
responded to industry requests by implementing new programs.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no committee announcements.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR  MURKOWSKI adjourned  the House  Labor  and Commerce  Standing                                                            
Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting  was  recorded and  handwritten  log notes  were                                                            
taken.   A copy  of the tape(s)  and  log notes may  be obtained  by                                                            
contacting  the  House Records  Office  at  State Capitol,  Room  3,                                                            
Juneau, Alaska   99801 (mailing address), (907) 465-2214,  and after                                                            
adjournment of the second  session of the Twenty-Second Alaska State                                                            
Legislature  this  information  may be  obtained by  contacting  the                                                            
Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.