Region 3, This report is an update to my last report sent in May. I have included that report as a checklist of my activities this summer in support of Region 3. First, I am excited to say that our request for funding for a Region 3 Employment Assistance Project has been approved by the IEEE Special Projects Initiative. This funding will be enough to support three Employment Assistance workshops in Region 3 along with the expenses of materials and Speakers. This funding is also just in time considering that layoffs in the Space Industry have begun along with continuing layoffs happening in other engineering sectors across Region 3. This continues to include my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. To support our collective Employment Assistance need in Region 3, we need to pool our knowledge of opportunities not only in Region 3 but outside as well. Key factors in making our process work is our online resources, our network of contacts and most importantly, our Section based Employment Assistance Coordinators. Please, as requested back in the May, 2010 Directors Report, I need every Section to identify this volunteer and let me provide their training, tools and motivation. Please consider this as your top Action Item for August. We need this network to be in place to support not only Higher Grade Members but our upcoming 2011 engineering graduates. In support of the Employment Assistance Project, we have been busy building relationships across the IEEE to ensure that we have the best of materials that any IEEE Region, Society or Committee has with which to support our workshops. We have also begun talking to companies that are growing so that we can refer our members to them. Tonight at the ExCom meeting, Ed Kirchner and Bill Harrison will lead the discussion on what we are about to do in our Employment Assistance Workshops. We will stay as late as we need to answer your questions. I will also call every Section Chair over the next two weeks to answer your questions directly as we start to deliver this project. Key to the success of this project is to have as many people as possible trained in Employment Assistance skills. At the Region 3 Fall Meeting, we will have a one day "Train The Trainer" session on October 2 in Atlanta. Please ensure that your Section is represented at this special training session. Please feel free to ask your questions online tonight or offline in private. Our goal is to support the members of Region 3. The best way is to build the IEEE Network that helps each other. After tonight's ExCom, we will ask the 35,000 members of Region 3 to join the IEEE Network. Just think of what we can do with a network of 35,000 members as part of a IEEE Network of 406,000 members. Sincerely, Lee Stogner, PMP Director, Region 3 Member, IEEE Smart Grid Initiative Member, IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee Email l.stogner@ieee.org Mobile 864-360-9415 Linkedin Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/leestogner P.S. I listed my Linkedin profile on purpose. Please join my network and get into the habit of networking well beyond your current work and associates. I will be teaching Networking as part of the Employment Assistance Workshop. *********************** May, 2010 Report ************************************* Region 3, Engineering unemployment in Region 3 continues to be a major problem for our membership. By the best surveys that I have seen, the average is 12%. In my home town of Greenville, South Carolina, it is close to 20%. The space industry in Florida is expected to suffer major layoffs in the coming months. Because of this, Employment Assistance is my top priority. Since January, I have been focused on actions that will increase support for our unemployed members. These actions include, - Work with the IEEE Board of Directors to ensure that Employment Assistance is their top priority. - Work with IEEE Career Services and other IEEE Employment Assistance groups to make sure that Region 3 has access to all available tools / resources that can benefit our unemployed members. - Improve southeast industrial relations through IEEE events such as Southeastcon 2010, Distributech, and IEEE PES seminars. - Facilitate the use of networking tools such as myIEEE and Linkedin by our members. - Work with Bill Harrison and Ed Kirchner to develop a proposal to MGA that will provide new funding for a series of Employment Assistance projects in Region 3. - Begin the design of a improved Region 3 Employment Assistance web site. - Work with Jim Anderson and John Montague to ensure that our Membership Development efforts are ongoing and strong. - Develop ways in which to leverage the skill sets of the extended Region 3 ExCom to help us solve our unemployment challenge. Training skills from Charles Lord will be key to the delivery of all of this. There is some good news. For the first time in several years, companies that monitor capital investment that result in new engineering jobs are saying that investors are now active. We need to make sure that Region 3 is tracking the new employment trends and that every single Region 3 member is aware of where the growth is and what skills are required. George McClure is our point person in telling us what trends are important. Tonight, you will hear from a dedicated team of volunteers that care about their fellow IEEE member. All of these members have critical parts of the overall plan to build the Region 3 IEEE Network and make sure that we as IEEE Members are ready for the economic upturn. Please participate tonight in this important discussion. You may have a job but many of your fellow Members don't. We need to discuss, plan and help them. We'll also be ready to help you in the future. For your Action Item tonight, please help me identify one Type A volunteer in every Section that can serve as your Employment Assistance Coordinator. Sincerely, Lee Stogner, PMP Director, Region 3 Member, IEEE Smart Grid Initiative Mobile 864-360-9415 Email l.stogner@ieee.org Linkedin Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/leestogner