Trainings and career development offered

Tough times are lingering, yet many Kansans are finding new avenues to employment. Career development, trainings, and college offer exciting possibilities. And, there are many options offered by the State of Kansas and the Federal agencies to assist Americans in finding the educational opportunties that may lead to new careers.

Job & Career Accelerator from the State Library of Kansas:
http://jca.learnatest.com/LEL/?HR=http://www.kslc.org

Thriving in Tough Times, Employment and Training resources:
http://thrivingintoughtimes.wordpress.com/employment-training/

Training from the Kansas Department of Labor, KansasWorks:
https://www.kansasworks.com/ada/skillmatch/skl_ResourcesOverview.cfm

Apprenticeships:
http://www.kansasapprenticeship.org/jobseekers/Pages/default.aspx

Career training from Heartland Works, Inc.:
http://www.heartlandworks.org/Seeker/Seeker_Services_2nd_Page.htm

Workshops and certifications from Workforce Centers:
http://www.workforce-ks.com/index.aspx?page=43

Career Onestop from the U.S. Department of Labor:
http://www.careeronestop.org/

U.S. Job Corps:
http://www.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx

Youth Training from the U.S. Department of Labor:
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/training/youth.htm

Links to Kansas Universities and Community or Technical Colleges:
http://www.kansasregents.org/interactive_map_listing

Kansas Career Zoom- information on career technical education training opportunities from 26 Kansas public institutions:
http://careerzoomkansas.com/

Educational Opportunities for unemployed workers:
http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/opportunity/index.html

Article contact: Kim Harp

Road Construction

It is jokingly said that there are two seasons in Kansas... Winter and Road Construction. As highway and local street improvement projects continue across the Sunflower State we thought some links to information on road transportation might be helpful.

Traffic and Travel Information
http://www.ksdot.org/offTransInfo/511Info/511traffictravel.asp
(Closed roads, driving conditions, weather, Metro areas, regional and national conditions. Provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation)

KanDrive
http://www.kandrive.org/
(Links to road conditions and work zones around the state)

KanRoad
http://511.ksdot.org/KanRoadPublic_VE/Default.aspx
(An interactive map showing traffic alerts on highways around the state as well as live camera views at selected sites. Provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation)

RWIS (Road and Runway Weather Information System) Map and Weather Data
http://www.ksdot.org/burcompser/generatedreports/weather.asp
(Clickable map showing temperatures, humidity and wind speeds at selected locations in Kansas. Provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation)

T-Works
http://kdotapp.ksdot.org/tworks
(T-WORKS is a 10-year, $8 billion transportation program designed to create jobs, preserve highway infrastructure, and provide multimodal economic development opportunities across the state)

Mileage Between Kansas Cities
http://www.ksdot.org:9080/burtransplan/dist_chrt.cgi
(Put in two towns for travel distances. Provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation)

Kansas Highway Rest Areas
http://www.kandrive.org/images/Kansas%20Rest%20Area%20Map.pdf
(Use the interactive map to find places to pull over at along your trip)

Trucking KS
http://truckingks.org/
(Assists for truckers and other commercial drivers in Kansas)

Kansas City Metro Area Live Traffic
http://www.kcscout.net/
(Roadwork in and around the KC Metro Area)

Kansas City Metro Area
Lane Closure Info
http://www.ksdot.org/kcMetro/laneclose.asp

City of Lawrence Construction Updates
http://www.lawrenceks.org/construction

City of Topeka Street Closings
http://www.topeka.org/StreetClosings/

Wichita Public Works & Utilities
http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/PublicWorks/
(Click on Major Construction Projects for Streets & Buildings for a weekly report on road closings and construction in Wichita)

Sedgwick County Current and Future Road Closings
http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/Public_Works/road_closings.asp

Other Kansas Towns
http://www.skyways.org/towns/
(Blue Skyways. A service of the State Library of Kansas)

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Disability Employment Awareness

Governor Brownback has proclaimed October to be Disability Employment Awareness Month. Throughout October, employers are encouraged to consider mentoring and hiring individuals with disabilities. Kansas runs specific adaptation programs to assist employers and employees in creating optimum working enviroments and career development. Learn how you can help link students and job seekers with employers this month!

Governor Brownback's proclaimation:
https://governor.ks.gov/frontpagenews/2011/10/13/governor-proclaims-october-as-disability-employment-awareness-month

National American Association of People with Disabilities' (AAPD) Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) program : http://www.disabilitymentor.net/

Kansas equipment exchange:http://www.equipmentexchange.ku.edu/home.htm

Kansas Agrability Project (assists farmers in obtaining adaptations to continue work):http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/agrability/welcome.asp

Kansas Human Rights Commission:http://www.khrc.net/

Assistive Technology:http://www.atk.ku.edu/

More assistive technology:http://www.katco.net/

Kansas Works:https://www.kansasworks.com/ada/default.cfm

Kansas Job and Career Accelerator:http://www.learnatest.com/LEL/index.cfm/

Labor market information from the Kansas Department of Labor:https://klic.dol.ks.gov/

Article contact: Kim Harp

¿Habla Ud. Español?

Spanish language resources on government websites are an increasingly familiar sight. Below are some Kansas government pages with information in Spanish as well as links to some federal sites:

Kansas.gov en Español
http://www.kansas.gov/es/
(El sitio mejor del estado Kansas)

Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
Servicios sociales y de rehabilitación
http://www.srs.ks.gov/lang/spanish/Pages/default.aspx


Kansas Secretary of State
Instrucciones para registro de votante
http://www.kssos.org/forms/Elections/Spanish/SpanishvoterReg.pdf

Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Solicitud de copia certificada del acta de nacimiento
http://www.kdheks.gov/vital/download/birth_esp.pdf

Obtenga la solicitud para una copia certificada del acta de matrimonio
http://www.kdheks.gov/vital/download/marriage_esp.pdf

Formulario para solicitar una copia certificada del acta de divorcio
http://www.kdheks.gov/vital/download/divorce_esp.pdf

La Oficina de Salud Local y Rural
http://www.kdheks.gov/olrh/spanish_text.htm
(La Oficina de Salud Local y Rural del Departamento de Salud y Medio Ambiente de Kansas, provee asistencia a comunidades de Kansas para establecer o modificar sus sistemas de distribución de servicios de salud)

Kansas Corporation Commission
Programa Lifeline de Kansas
http://www.kcc.state.ks.us/pi/lifeline_es.htm
(Usted puede ser elegible a recibir hasta $17.77 de descuento en su cuenta mensual de teléfono local por medio del programa Lifeline. Si actualmente no tiene servicio de teléfono, usted también puede ser elegible para un descuento en el cobro de conexión por medio de Link Up America)

Asistencia económica para gastos de calefacción
http://www.kcc.state.ks.us/pi/cwr_spanish.htm
(Si usted no puede pagar su cuenta por completo, llame a su compañía de utilidades para hacer un acuerdo de pago)

Kansas Department on Aging
Su guia para obtener recursos alimentairas en Kansas
http://www.agingkansas.org/Publications/Nutrition/Guide_to_KS_Food_Res_SPA.pdf

Servicios para los Ancianos Frágiles Basados en el Hogar y la Comunidad
http://www.agingkansas.org/Publications/Other/HCBSFE_SPANISH.pdf

KansasWorks.com
Otras Lenguas
https://www.kansasworks.com/ada/skillmatch/skl_otherlanguages.cfm
(Clique a "Spanish" en el menú desplegable. CLique a la flecha a la derecha de "Spanish" para traducir la pagina)

Kansas Department of Labor
El Departamento Laboral de Kansas
http://www.dol.ks.gov/en_espanol.html
(El Seguro de Desempleo es un programa que provee temporalmente beneficios semanales a trabajadores desempleados que califíquen. La oficina de Beneficios determina la elegibilidad y el pago subsiguiente de beneficios a los trabajadores desempleados. Estas personas deben cumplir con ciertos requisitos antes de recibir beneficios de desempleo. La oficina de Contribuciones es responsable de la recolección de impuestos estatales de los empleadores. Este pago del seguro no es deducido del sueldo de los empleados)

El Gobierno Federal

Gobierno USA.Gov
http://www.usa.gov/gobiernousa/index.shtml

Benefits.Gov
¿Busca Beneficios?
http://es.benefits.gov/?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=gbcc_page_locate_state&_nfls=false&_code=KS

Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de Estados Unidos
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis-es

Community Virtual Library
(A resource of Spanish language sites set up by the nonprofit, Community Virtual Library, in the virtual world, Second Life)
Ayuda en Español
https://sites.google.com/site/cvlcollections/help/usespanol

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Healthcare in Kansas

In the summer of 2011, the State of Kansas facilitated a series of Medicaid Public Forums where more than 1,000 participants engaged in discussions on how to reform Kansas’ Medicaid system. Forum participants from Topeka, Wichita and Dodge City produced over 1,500 comments and recommendations for reform. Recommendations were focused on the three segments of the Medicaid population:
• Children, Families and Pregnant Women,
• The Aged
• The Disabled

Learn more about Medicaid and the resources used by Kansas government officials in policy decision making.

U.S. Census charts the insured and noninsured:
http://blogs.census.gov/censusblog/2011/09/my-entry.html

Kansas Medical Assistance Program (KMAP) including Healthwave and Health Connect:
https://www.kmap-state-ks.us/

Kansas Medicaid Statistics:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_reform_forum/download/Kansas_Medicaid_Population_Demographics_Wichita_Dodge_City.pdf
Federal regulations regarding Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP):
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-02-02/pdf/2011-1686.pdf

Medicaid and Healthwave fact sheets:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/healthwave/fact_sheet.html

Medicaid transformation:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_transformation/default.htm

Medicaid roundtable summaries:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_reform_forum/

Kansas Healthcare Market reports:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_reports/Health_Care_Market_Reports.html

Article contact: Kim Harp

Monarch Butterfly

It is an annual event of colorful, fleeting proportions when royalty travel through the Sunflower State every September. The monarch butterflies waft through wood, prairie and town gracing us with their presence on their way south to winter in Mexico.

Below are links with information on the butterflies, their lives, the annual migration and the dangers these beautiful creatures face in the 21st century. The resources below include some Kansas links as well.

GENERAL INFORMATION

"Monarch Butterflies Caught, Tagged to Track Migration"
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/sep/19/monarch-butterflies-caught-tagged-track-migration/
(Lawrence Journal World, September 19, 2011)

Migration of the Monarch Butterfly
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRefGuides/butterfly.html
(Library of Congress Science Reference GUides)

The Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed
http://ed.fnal.gov/entry_exhibits/insect/monarch.html

Monarch Butterfly
http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/migratoryspecies/monarchbutterfly.cfm
(US National Park Service)

Earthshots" Satellite Images of Environmental Change
Angangueo, Mexico
http://earthshots.usgs.gov/Angangueo/Angangueo
(The southern home of the monarch butterfly in Mexico is threatened by thinning and clearing of trees the insects depend on for habitation)

Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
http://www.mlmp.org/
(The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is a citizen science project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada in monarch research)

Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle
http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/monarch.html
(The Wild Ones Animal Index)

Monarch Butterfly Program
http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/regionalprograms/mexico/monarch.html
(Since 1995, the Wildlife Without Borders-Mexico Program has made a continuing commitment to support the conservation of monarch butterflies. By working with various partners to protect the monarch overwintering habitat, the Service helps ensure that highly valued butterflies in the United States are protected on their multi-generational migration through Mexico)

KANSAS CONNECTION

Monarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/
(Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas)

Monarch Butterfly
http://www.gpnc.org/monarch.htm
(Great Plains Nature Center)

Butterfly on the Brink
Text: http://www.features.ku.edu/monarchs/
YouTube: http://youtu.be/MdtDcKg-x8w
(University of Kansas article. "Intense deforestation in Mexico could ruin one of North America's most celebrated natural wonders -- the mysterious 3,000-mile migration of the monarch butterfly")

Monarch Butterflies in Space
http://youtu.be/u3lcgYNyCvU
(Monarch Watch — a KU-based network of students, teachers, volunteers and researchers dedicated to study of the monarch butterfly — is providing caterpillars to NASA, along with a special artificial diet. If all goes according to plan, the insects will eat, grow and go through metamorphosis to emerge as adult butterflies in 17 days while in low Earth orbit)

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Jobs in the U.S.

Over this past year, Governor Brownback has hosted seven summits focused on job creation in Kansas. “These summits will bring together stakeholders involved in the various engines of the Kansas economy to openly exchange ideas on what the state can do to help their industries grow and create jobs,” Governor Brownback said. Tonight, President Obama will address the nation regarding his plan to increase jobs. Many agencies study the economy and the employment situation. The President, Congress, state governors and state legislatures use the variety of tools these agencies create to develop policy, laws and regulations. Read on to see some of the tools used by Federal, state and local governments to track employment.

NATIONWIDE

News release from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics on August’s employment:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.htm

Overview of the 2007-2009 Recession:
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2011/04/art1full.pdf

Current Monthly Employment Statistics (since 1981):
http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesregrec.htm

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Personal Income National data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis:
http://www.bea.gov/iTable/index_nipa.cfm

Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) from the Department of Federal Reserve:
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/categories/32241

Update: President Obama's 9/8/2011 jobs speech to the joint Congressional session:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/08/american-jobs-act

STATE LEVEL

Indicators of the Kansas Economy by Kansas, Inc.:
http://www.kansasinc.org/pubs/working/IKE%20-%20March%202011.pdf

Kansas Wage Survey:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/lmis/wagesurvey/ws2010/wagesurvey_2010.html

Monthly Labor Report:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/HOME/NewsReleases/mlr.html

Annual State of Labor from the Secretary of Labor:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/home/NewsReleases/state.html

2010 Job Vacancies in Kansas Survey:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/LMIS/jobvacancy/jvs2010/jvs2010.html

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Review:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/LMIS/uinewslet/lmr.html#unemploy_insurance_newsletters or
http://www.kspace.org/handle/1984/11882

Kansas Occupational Outlook:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/lmis/projections/projections.html

Kansas County Profile Reports (including 2010 employment statistics) from the University of Kansas’ Institute for Policy and Social Research:
http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/kcced/profiles/

County Wage Comparison tools from Wichita State’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research:
http://www.cedbr.org/content/2011/2010_County_Look-up.xlsx

U.S. State and County Unemployment Rate Comparisons (graph) from the U.S. Department of Labor:
http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&ctype=l&strail=false&nselm=h&met_y=unemployment_rate&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=state&tdim=true&tstart=631152000000&tunit=M&tlen=243&hl=en&dl=en

Article contact: Kim Harp