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Montana Job Service Workforce Centers Reorganizing To Improve Service

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry today
announced the reorganization of local Job Service Workforce Centers’
upper-level management to better serve the region. This action
implements a first phase to better prepare the State’s Workforce Centers
for the future.

"In the first phase, current managers and assistant managers will have
the opportunity to compete for one of the new five Regional Director
positions," Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly said. "Despite the rumors,
we are not closing up shop. In fact, by reorganizing our internal labor
we move toward improving our pipeline of services that extend beyond the
geographic limitations of our local offices."

Regional Directors will have a greater scope of responsibility and be
able to marshal resources more quickly within the region to react to
economic conditions, layoffs, local business needs, and new start-up
business concerns in the local communities in the region.

"We carefully studied our county populations, number of available jobs,
number of registered businesses, placement of MACO districts, measured
economic similarities and drew upon the existing economic boundaries
determined by the Department of Commerce," Workforce Service Division
Administrator Ingrid Childress said.

Regions are defined as:

Region 1: Lincoln, Sanders, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli, Flathead and
Lake

Region 2: Granite, Powell, Lewis and Clark, Meagher, Broadwater,
Jefferson, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Madison and Gallatin

Region 3: Glacier, Toole, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, Phillips, Pondera,
Teton, Choteau, Cascade

Region 4: Judith Basin, Fergus, Petroleum, Wheatland, Golden Valley,
Musselshell, Park, Sweet Grass, Stillwater, Carbon, Yellowstone,
Bighorn,

Region 5: Valley, Daniels, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Garfield, McCone,
Richland, Dawson, Prairie, Wibaux, Rosebud, Custer, Fallon, Treasure,
Powder River, Carter.

Office managers and assistant managers who are not successful in the
application process will have opportunities to fill other supervisory
roles in offices around the state. Supervisory positions will focus
primarily on improving local service delivery.

The second phase of the project is improvement of existing skills of
the local office staff by working closely with higher education,
economic development and labor market driving forces that affect
business development. Staff will also receive training in career
assessment and counseling, testing procedures and intensive case
management. New services will include partnerships with the Business
Expansion And Retention (BEAR) program to better assess needs for
business growth.

"It’s imperative that we grow to meet not only our current labor force
needs, but those of the future," Kelly said.

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