[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2457-2458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-915]


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TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WORKFORCE COMMISSION


Notice of Public Information Hearing

AGENCY: Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission.

ACTION: Notice of public information hearing.

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SUMMARY: This notice is to announce a public information hearing on 
Thursday, January 20, 2000. Members of the public are invited to attend 
the hearing. Several witnesses have been invited by the Commissioners 
to testify and to address the questions identified by the agenda set 
forth below.

DATES: The Public Information Hearing will be held on Thursday, January 
20, 2000, from 9:00 am to approximately 3 p.m. Registration is from 
9:00 am to 10:00 am. The dates, locations and times for subsequent 
meetings will be announced in advance in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Jackson, Mississippi at 
Hinds Community College, Raymond Campus, is located at 1500 Raymond 
Lake Road, Raymond, MS 39154. For directions or other information about 
the Conference Center, call 664-857-3100. All interested parties are 
invited to attend this Information Hearing. Seating may be limited and 
will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Hans Meeder, Executive Director, 
Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission, 1201 New York Avenue, NW, 
Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005. (Telephone (202-289-2939. TTY (202) 
289-2977) These are not toll-free numbers. Email: W[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Establishment of the Twenty-First Century 
Workforce Commission was mandated by Subtitle C of Title III of the 
Workforce Investment Act, Sec. 331 of Pub. L. 105-220, 112 Stat. 1087-
1091, (29 U.S.C. 2701 note), signed into law on August 7, 1998. The 15 
voting member Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission is charged with 
studying all aspects of the information technology workforce in the 
United States. Notice is hereby given of the first Public Information 
Hearing of the Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission.
    The Workforce Investment Act (Pub. L. No. 105-220), signed into law 
on August 7, 1998, established the Twenty-First Century Workforce 
Commission. The Commission is charged with carrying out a study of the 
information technology workforce in the U.S., including the examination 
of the following issues:
    1. What skills are currently required to enter the information 
technology workforce? What technical skills will be demanded in the 
near future?
    2. How can the United States expand its number of skilled 
information technology workers?
    3. How do information technology education programs in the United 
States compare with other countries in effectively training information 
technology workers? [The Commission study should place particular 
emphasis upon contrasting secondary, non-and-post-baccalaureate degree 
education programs available within the U.S. and foreign countries.]
    The Workforce Investment Act directs the Commission to issue 
recommendations to the President and Congress within six months. The 
Commission first met on November 16, 1999, and will issue its 
recommendations by May 16, 2000.
    Agenda: At the Jackson, Mississippi hearing, the Commission working 
group conducting the hearing will emphasize the following issues: (1) 
What are the Information Technology workforce needs of Mississippi and 
what strategies are the private sector, educational institutions, and 
federal, state and local governments developing and implementing to 
address these workforce shortages? (2) How can community colleges 
participate in initiatives to address information technology workforce 
development? (3) What are the special challenges and opportunities 
facing rural communities and what strategies are being developed and 
implemented to address these challenges and opportunities?
    Commission Membership: The Workforce Investment Act mandates that 
15 voting members be appointed by the President, Majority Leader of the 
Senate, and Speaker of the House (5 members each), including 3 
educators, 3 state and local government representatives, 8 business 
representatives and 1 labor representative. The Act also mandates that 
the President appoint 2 ex-officio members, one each from the 
Departments of Labor and Education.
    The Commissioners are: Chairman Lawrence Perlman, Ceridian

[[Page 2458]]

Corporation, Minneapolis, MN; Vice Chair, Katherine K. Clark, Landmark 
Systems Corporation, Reston, VA; Susan Auld, Capitol Strategies, Ltd., 
Montpelier, VT; Morton Bahr, Communication Workers of America, 
Washington, DC; Patricia Gallup, PC Communications, Inc., Merrimack, 
NH; Dr. Bobby Garvin, Mississippi Delta Community College, Moorhead, 
MS; Susan M. Green (ex officio), U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, 
DC; Randel Johnson, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC; Roger 
Knutsen, National Council for Higher Education, Auburn, WA; Patricia 
McNeil (ex officio), U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC; The 
Honorable Mark Morial, Mayor, City of New Orleans, LA; Thomas Murrin, 
Ph.D., Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA; Leo Reynolds, Electronic 
Systems, Inc., Sioux Falls, SD; The Honorable Frank Riggs, National 
Homebuilders Institute, Washington, DC; The Honorable Frank Roberts, 
Mayor, City of Lancaster, California; Kenneth Saxe, Stambaugh-Ness, 
York, PA; David L. Steward, World Wide Technology, Inc., St. Louis, MO; 
Hans K. Meeder, Executive Director, Washington, DC.
    Public Participation: Members of the public are invited to attend 
this hearing. Several witnesses have been invited to testify by the 
Commissioners to address the questions identified on the Agenda. In 
addition, members of the public wishing to present oral statements to 
the Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission should forward their 
requests to Mr. Hans Meeder, Executive Director, as soon as possible 
and at least four days before the meeting. Requests should be made by 
email, fax machine, or telephone, as shown above.
    Time permitting, the Commissioners will attempt to accommodate 
requests for oral presentations. Each member of the public who is 
selected to testify will be allotted a three minute period to present 
their oral remarks. Members of the public must limit oral statements to 
three minutes, but extended written statements may be submitted for the 
record. Members of the public may also submit written statements for 
distribution to the Commissioners and inclusion in the public record 
without presenting oral statements. Such written statements should be 
sent to Mr. Hans Meeder, as shown above, or may be submitted at the 
hearing site.
    The Commission is establishing a web site, www.workforce21.org, 
that will become operational on January 20, 2000. Any written comments 
regarding documents published on this web site should be directed to 
Mr. Hans Meeder, as shown above.
    Special Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations will be 
available. Persons needing any special assistance such as sign language 
interpretation, or other special accommodation, are invited to contact 
Mr. Hans Meeder, as shown above. Requests for accommodations must be 
made four days in advance of the hearing.
    Due to difficulties of scheduling the members we are unable to 
provide a full 15-day advance notice of this meeting.

    Signed at Washington, DC this 10th day of January, 2000.
Hans K. Meeder,
Executive Director, Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission.
[FR Doc. 00-915 Filed 1-13-00; 8:45 am]
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