Diligence and Perseverance Pays Off For Stanly County JobLink CustomerGED Grad Wins Student of the Year Award
Bonnie enrolled at Stanly Community College in 2004 as a result of losing her job because the factory where she was employed closed. As had been the case with many Stanly County residents, Bonnie’s job moved to Mexico. She worked very closely with the Stanly County JobLink Career Center which assisted with funding for her education and encouragement towards a new career. It had been many years since Bonnie had been in school and she entered the GED program very nervous and shy. She worked diligently to earn scores which would allow her to take the GED test. Months went by before she would agree to take the first of her five GED tests, but when she did, she earned a perfect score! This is an accomplishment that few GED students ever make. Bonnie went on to take each of the five GED subjects and as she did her confidence grew. Each subject posed challenges for her but she did not give up. Even with her greatest challenge, the GED math test, Bonnie persevered and succeeded. Bonnie showed impressive dedication, sometimes attending both a five hour morning class and thee hour evening class several days a week. She had several family crises that she dealt with during her enrollment but did not let anything steer her away from her goal. Along with her GED classes, Bonnie has taken and completed CNA I, CNA II, EKG, Phlebotomy, and Introduction to Computer classes offered by the college.
In 1999 Angela Moore Trogden, former Basic Skills/HRD Director at Randolph Community College and Guilford Technical Community College lost her battle with breast cancer. As a way to honor her work with literacy students and also bring recognition to the efforts of these students throughout the state, the Angela Moore Trogden Student of the Year award was established. Winners of this distinction serve as statewide ambassadors for literacy programs and the students they serve. The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to support the Stanly County JobLink Career Center and Stanly Community College and recognize them for all the hard work they do to help those who have lost a job get back into the workforce. For more information about the Stanly County JobLink Career Center visit www.stanlyjoblink.com. For more information about training available at Stanly Community College, please visit www.stanly.edu. Be sure to check the News You Can Use section of this newsletter for the dates for Stanly Community College’s free GED classes starting this September. Don’t wait, register now! BizHub: Where Connectivity = Success
For more information on the BizHub Network, please visit www.bizhub.org or contact Lori Day, Executive Director, at (704) 330-6776 or lori.day@cpcc.edu. |
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At
the recent Adult Basic Skills Conference held in early August
in Winston Salem, Stanly Community College GED graduate Bonnie
Parker was named the “Angela Moore Trogden Student
of the Year”. 
David
Hollars, Executive Director of the Centralina Workforce
Development Board, has been appointed to the Board of Directors
for the BizHub Network. BizHub Network is the Charlotte-based non-profit
organization that helps entrepreneurs find and access regional small
business resources. It is led by a 15-member appointed Board of
Directors and Executive Director Lori Day. Located on the Central
Campus of Central Piedmont Community College, the group’s
mission is to help small businesses in the Charlotte Region grow
and be more successful by providing easy access to a network of
needed services. 
David
will provide a voice for the counties in the region as BizHub expands
its outreach to entrepreneurs and small businesses – a key
focus of the Centralina Workforce Development Board and the recent
State of the Workforce Study. David will serve on the Finance/Capital
Development committee of the BizHub board and actively work for
the implementation of the Regional Resource Network for small businesses
and entrepreneurs.
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Local Industries Have a New ResourceMonroe Economic Development Releases 2006 Existing Industry Handbook
“This book is a resource provided to our industries to utilize for a broad range of topics they may encounter throughout the year,” stated Ron Mahle, Existing Industry Coordinator for Monroe Economic Development. “As a quick reference, companies can get a jump-start on identifying business solutions and foster business-to-business interactions.” The Existing Industry Handbook is an integral part of the overall menu of offering available through our formal Business Retention and Expansion program. This program was formalized in 2005 to enhance the assistance to Monroe’s strong manufacturing base.
Other resources to companies include industry seminar series,
on-site visits, coordination of meetings with local, state
& federal agencies, and dynamic web-based information
sharing. European Industry Leader Plans to Call Cabarrus County HomeItalian Based Company to establish plant in Concord
PreGel (PreGel USA), an Italian-based company, has proposed to set up a gelato manufacturing plant in Concord’s International Business Park. Combining real estate and equipment, the move to Concord would mean an investment of $8.5 million. PreGel is the largest manufacturer in the world of artisan gelato products. Gelato is an Italian dessert similar to ice cream, but made with real fruit and milk. The company also expects to create 20 full-time jobs at the facility. PreGel has been granted a three-year, $123,352 incentive from Cabarrus County. During that three-year period, Pre Gel would pay $145,120 in taxes to the county, with 85 percent of that being rebated to the company. After three years, Cabarrus County would have a net tax revenue of $21,768 from PreGel. The Cabarrus Regional Partnership has been working on the broker-driven project for about a year, said President John Cox. He said the company does a lot of continued nutrition research and its officials became especially interested in Cabarrus because of the coming N.C. Research Campus. Clay Andrews, Cabarrus Regional Partnership recruiter, said the facility would first serve as a training facility and could grow to contain two manufacturing lines. He also noted the company is known in Europe as an industry leader. So, its success in Cabarrus could lead to other European companies to follow its lead. “It’s our first Italian company,” said Andrews, “and it’s certainly appropriate it’s in the International Business Park.” The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to partner with the Cabarrus Regional Partnership in their efforts to bring another quality employer to Cabarrus County. The Centralina Workforce Development Board believes that economic development is workforce development. For more information on employment with PreGel in Cabarrus County, please contact Carolyn Mays at the Cabarrus County JobLink Career Center at (704) 786-3183 or by email at Carolyn.mays@ncmail.net. Business Updates from Around the RegionRowan County Chamber of Commerce and the Union County Chamber of Commerce received prestigious awards at the American Chamber of Commerce Executives’ (ACCE) 22nd National Convention.
Bob Wright is the president of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, and is one of 31 directors that qualified to compete for the top honor when it scored above the national average in net gain in members, member dollars, and dues retention. The Chamber became a finalist when its programs and operations were selected as being among the top 11 in the national by a panel of membership development professionals who evaluated applications. The application included items on the Chamber’s Focused Forward Capital Campaign, which raised $1.25 million that is being used to support Education Advocacy, Workforce Development, Communities in Schools, Leadership Rowan, and Youth Leadership Rowan. Chamber officials also submitted its Business Week activities, and the Geared Up for Success Workforce Development initiative.
Union County Chamber President, Jim Carpenter said he was very pleased with the distinction and touted the effort of those who made the program possible.
This year’s competition attracted 280 entries from 100
chambers throughout the world, with each entry being critiqued
by more than 40 diverse, experienced and professional judges.
Jeff Bass, chairman of the chamber’s board of directors, talked about the new era for the chamber when most job creation will be by small business.
The chamber plans to continue serving large business, but
will reach out more to small businesses and foster small business
development. Along with strengthening partnerships with several
area organizations, Bass said the chamber will focus on member
services, advocacy and community leadership. The community leadership component includes opportunities to identify emerging leadership and help place them in leadership roles within the community.
Merchant Metals in Statesville will spend $2.8 million and add 30 jobs in an expansion that will bring a powder-coating operation to the 85-employee plant. Plans call for a 10,000-square-foot addition to the company's 50,000-square-foot plant on Fanjoy Road. The chain-link fence maker will receive $75,000 in incentives over five years from Statesville and Iredell County. The state has approved an additional tax credit of $56,000 for the project. The addition is scheduled for completion by year end. Merchant Metals is a division of MMI Products Inc., a Houston-based concrete construction and fencing products company.
Clyde Higgs, a former executive at N.C. A&T State University has been named vice president of business development. Higgs also worked as executive director at Tech Fort Worth Inc., a technology entrepreneurship center in Texas. Thomas Sanctis, former director of construction operations at Statesville-based Kewaunee Scientific Corp., has been appointed vice president of commercial construction. Anthony Sparrow has been named vice president of residential development. He most recently was vice president and project manager for Charlotte-based Crescent Resources in the Atlanta area. "The N.C. Research Campus is a comprehensive development that will make our state a leader in the bioscience field," Higgs says. "Our partnerships with universities and the community college system will help make the research campus an economic-development force statewide." The NC Research Campus is a public-private partnership between the University of North Carolina System, the state's community college system and California financier David Murdock. The biotechnology campus is expected to grow to a $1 billion development that would create 5,000 jobs. The Centralina Workforce Development Board is a proud partner with the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, the Union County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce, and the N.C. Research Campus. The Centralina Workforce Development Board believes that economic development is workforce development. For all your information on current happenings in the region and at the N.C. Research Campus please check the Centralina Workforce Development Board website (www.centralinaworks.com) for updates.
August's Business Survey Prize Winner is…Each month, the Centralina Workforce Development Board holds a drawing from Business Surveys that area businesses have completed and posted on our website.
If you haven't completed the survey, you can do so now by logging onto our website at http://www.centralinaworks.com/survey. It only takes a couple of minutes and by completing the survey, it will guarantee your entry into our next drawing. For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development Employer Survey and the business services available through the Board and our local JobLink Career Centers, please contact Vail Carter at (704) 348-2710 or by email at vcarter@centralina.org.
Click on a link below to connect to a JobLink Anson
County JobLink Career Center Cabarrus
County JobLink Career Center Iredell
County JobLink Career Center Lincoln
County JobLink Career Center Rowan
County JobLink Career Center Stanly
County JobLink Career Center Union
County JobLink Career Center
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Rowan
County Chamber of Commerce won the ACCE Award for
Excellence, which is the highest achievement in the membership
development profession. It recognizes an organization’s
excellence in financial performance, member programs, internal
operations, and the organizational mission. The award sets
standards for membership development for chambers of commerce
and similar organizations across the United States, Canada
and the Caribbean.
Union
County Chamber of Commerce’s M2M Member to
Member discount program was recently recognized by the ACCE
for Communication Excellence (ACE). The ACE program is a chamber
of commerce competition to recognize excellence in all areas
of its members’ communications and to honor, reward
and celebrate the achievement of outstanding communication
programs and projects.
Union
County Chamber of Commerce also gave visitors a glimpse
into the future as marketing committee members unveiled a
new logo, marketing plan, website, newsletter, and newcomers’
guide.
North Carolina Workforce Development Partnership Conference 2006
Opportunities for Tomorrow’s Workforce… Is upon us today. It is that time of year again as workforce professionals across North Carolina gear up for the Workforce Development Partnership Conference 2006. The conference will be held October 25-27 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel and Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. Several featured presenters have been highlighted. They include, Ed Gorden, Celina Shands Gradijan, Mary Ann Lawrence, Bob Knight, John Metcalf, and Erskine Bowles. Also, many excellent featured workshops have been outlined. A few titles include, Case Management, Business Services, Career Readiness Certification, Workplace Diversity, Youth Services, and Economic Development Partnerships.
Registration and preliminary agenda information can be found online. The early registration deadline is September 25, 2006. So don’t delay and sign up today! For more information about the NC Workforce Development Partnership Conference please contact Robbin Davis Broome, Conference Coordinator at (919) 329.5588 or rbroome@nccommerce.com.
Employment Statistics
Updated
Monthly on this E-Newsletter
| July
2006 (Source: NC Employment Security Commission) |
||
| County | Unemployment
Rate |
Persons
Employed |
| Anson | 8.5% |
10,427 |
| Cabarrus | 4.3% |
77,527 |
| Iredell | 4.7% |
70,961 |
| Lincoln | 5.6% |
35,027 |
| Rowan | 5.7% |
65,021 |
| Stanly | 5.8% |
28,331 |
| Union | 3.9% |
80,310 |
For more information on employment, click here
Calling All Businesses!
The Centralina Workforce Development Board Has Your Training Funds
Want a great way to help upgrade the skills of your current workforce and prepare for the future? The Centralina Workforce Development Board can help. The Board is currently accepting grant applications for the 2006-2007 Incumbent Workforce Development training. The Incumbent Workforce Development training is designed to upgrade employees' skills and increase companies' competitiveness in the global marketplace.
The first application round for funding is currently open to local employers and runs through September 22, 2006. The maximum amount of funds available per business is $37,500. Since the grants are competitive, local businesses are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible.
A total of $3,000,000 in Workforce Investment Act funds has been designated by the Governor's Commission on Workforce Development to fund the Incumbent Worker training in North Carolina this fiscal year. Two additional application periods are to follow and will be implemented through 2007.
The Centralina WDB looks forward to working with new local businesses to submit applications, as well as, past companies who want to resubmit from previous periods. For more information and to review the 2006 revised guidelines and application please visit http://www.centralinaworks.com/whatshot.cfm or contact Vail Carter, Centralina WDB Business Services Coordinator at (704) 348-2710. Please contact Vail prior to submitting your application to the Board. Vail is available to assist your company in completing the application and getting it to the Board for review prior to Friday September 22, 2006.
North Carolina Ranks High in Workforce Training
North
Carolina's workforce training programs are fourth best in the
nation, according to a survey by Expansion Management
magazine.
For the eighth consecutive year, Expansion Management polled more than 80 corporate site consultants to determine which states had the best overall workforce training programs.
The survey's top five slots were all held by states in the Southeast. Alabama ranks No. 1, followed in order by Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina.
"Having a ready supply of educated and trainable workers is still the No. 1 priority for any business executive who is considering opening up a facility," says Bill King, Expansion Management managing editor. "Given the enormous capital expense incurred in expanding or relocating a manufacturing facility, any assistance a company can receive from state and local governments to meet its initial training needs may play a decisive role when that company is down to its short list of two or three competing locations."
Workforce training programs were judged according to their financial value, ease of use and applicability.
Results of the study are published in Expansion Management's latest issue, which includes a list of the major workforce training programs available in each of the 50 states.
Looking for Fast Training That Leads to a Great Career?
South Piedmont CC Adds Short-Term Training Opportunities
New
partnerships with area companies have expanded the short-term
training opportunities now available at South Piedmont
Community College (SPCC). SPCC will offer a variety of
continuing education courses at locations throughout Anson and
Union counties this fall.
SPCC
career training programs include: manicurist and nail technology
(day class) with the Anson College of Cosmetology; truck driver
training with Future Truckers of America; laminate installation
with CMH Flooring Inc.; ceramic tile installation; activity coordinator
with long-term care facilities; and nursing assistant with Anson
Community Hospital.
Other courses include Internet based medical terminology, billing,
transcription and coding.
Courses for initial and renewal N.C. licensing include auto dealer
renewal, vehicle safety inspection, notary public, plumbing, mechanical,
and nursing assistant I and II.
Community education courses include painting, aerobics and quilting. A variety of short-term computer courses will be offered this fall. Customized computer training for groups may be scheduled upon request. For more information on the short-term classes offered, or to register please visit www.spcc.edu or call (704) 290-5100, ext. 6405.
Local Employers Recognized for Outstanding Efforts
Employment Security Commission 19th Annual Employer Awards
The
North Carolina Employment
Security Commission (ESC) recently held its19th Annual
Employer Awards Ceremony. Employers were recognized for their
outstanding efforts in finding employment for citizens in their
community.
The following employers were honored with distinction by receiving the 2006 Employer of Year Award at a lunch reception held on July 27, 2006 at the Kannapolis Country Club:
County of Anson
- Anson County
Perdue Farms, Inc. - Cabarrus
County
Mooresville Graded School
District – Iredell County
Hexcel Reinforcements - Iredell
County
The Timken Company - Lincoln
County
Rowan County - Rowan County
The City of Albemarle
– Stanly County
Martin Industries - Stanly
County
City of Monroe - Union County
Congratulations to all the employers and many thanks for all their
contributions to workforce development in the Centralina region!
And thanks to the Employment Security Commission and their staff
members for their hard work throughout the year serving all local
employers.
Real Time Strategy for Life
Stanly Community College Offers New Simulation and Game Development Degree
Stanly
Community College (SCC) is now enrolling students for its
new Simulation and Game Development Degree, recently approved by
the state.
“With over 92 percent of American teenagers playing computer games, and over 70 million American households with video game units, the gaming industry is big business,” said Scott Barlow, SCC program head for the new Simulation and Game Degree Program.
“The global gaming industry is predicted to reach over $58.4 billion in 2007, with $9 million being generated from the United States. Life is a video game. No matter how good you get, you are always zapped in the end.”
Producers,
artists, designers, programmers, game testers, quality assurance
technicians, audio technicians and many more diverse job opportunities
await those with an interest in computer gaming.
According to the International Game Developers Association, a career path in the computer gaming industries is extremely diverse, with many categories to choose from.
For example, the design talent is a category that consists of employees who are game, and level designers, as well as fiction or screen writers. A game designer is the person who is responsible for the playability and the “fun factor” of the game, whereas a level designer builds the interactive architecture for a segment of the game. The fiction or screen writer creates the storyboard, the onscreen text, or writes the dialogues for the characters and voiceovers in a game.
Another category is programming, which is usually what people think of when you say game developers. Junior programmers are the ones that are new to the video game industry; most people start out as a junior, or entry-level.
To become a junior programmer you must demonstrate your ability to program, have knowledge in 3-D math, physics, sound programming, collision system, path-finding algorithms and game design theory.
Another category in the computer gaming industry is the visual arts. This category houses many subtypes, such as intern artist, 3-D model building (objects), 2-D conceptual artist, 2-D texture artist, 3-D character builder, 3-D character animator, level building, art director, and art technician.
If
you are just starting off in the gaming industry, you will probably
start off as an intern artist. A 3-D model builder in objects is
like an industrial designer. They design physical objects, like
vehicles, furniture, weapons, etc. A 2-D conceptual artist needs
hands-on skills to generate high quality images that will inspire
the team and might even be used as temporary art in the game.
One could become a game designer, artist, animator, programmer or a tester. You could get a job with NASA, or in forensics, or in education, or in the healthcare field using simulations, or even be a freelancer.
To get a jump start on your career in simulation and game developing please contact Scott Barlowe at Stanly Community College at (704) 991-0368 or by email at barlowsa@stanly.edu. The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to partner with Stanly Community College and promotes continuing training and continuous improvement for all individuals in the region. A prepared workforce is job one for the Centralina Workforce Development Board. For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or by email at dhollars@centralina.org.
North Carolina Workers Get Minimum Wage Boost
North
Carolina has a new minimum wage. On July 14, 2006, Governor
Mike Easley signed into law a $1 increase in the state
minimum wage. This will require all employers to pay employees at
least $6.15 per hour. The new hourly rate becomes effective January
1, 2007. The increase will help many North Carolinians cope with
the rising costs of transportation, housing, healthcare and other
basic needs so they can build better lives.
The new state law also ties North Carolina’s minimum wage to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. This means, if the federal minimum wage is raised, employees in North Carolina will receive whichever wage is higher. The federal minimum wage rate currently remains at $5.15 per hour. The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, enacted in 1938, has been continuously amended by Congress over the years with increases that make the federally mandated minimum wage what it is today, $5.15 per hour. The last time the federal government raised the rate was in 1997. For more information on the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act visit http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/flsa.
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“The youth connected on a very personal level,” stated Resource Development Center Executive Director, Claudia Covington. More than ten young men and women watched a video about the dams and safety at Alcoa Conference Center, then traveled to the Narrows Hydro-Electric Dam and Power Generating Plant to tour the facility and get a first hand look at all the operations. The youth geared up in hard hats and boots and traveled to the top of the dam and crossed the bridge to the power house to get a closer look. Alcoa Badin Works produces Primary Aluminum by an electrolytic process. Electricity is supplied by Yadkin, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alcoa which operates generating facilities at four dams along a 38-mile stretch of the Yadkin River. The Resource Development Center, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Albemarle, which houses the Life Path Youth program, was recently awarded $3,000 from the Alcoa Foundation on behalf of Alcoa’s “Life Committee”. The Resource Development Center will use this gift to fund a “Life Path Community Service Project” enabling Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth program participants the opportunity to research, develop and manage a local community service project. The Life Path Young Adults will decide as a group, based on their ideas, what project to tackle. They have tentatively scheduled the project for January 2007. The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to see local young adults learning from the business community and taking the opportunity to see industry and relate that to education. The Board and its Youth Council are proud to provide the WIA funding for innovative youth services such as the Stanly County Life Path program. For more information about the Stanly Life Path Program and to see additional photos from the “Alcoa Experience” visit www.thelifepath.com/alcoa.htm or contact Claudia Covington or Bill Baldwin at (704) 982-0120.
* * * * * * *
Week One: Hug-a-Thug
The purpose of each of these actions is to change public perception and political support for out-of-school youth. Week two is School Re-enrollment, week three is Out-of-School to Work Day, and week four is School on the Streets. Youth Opportunity Month participants should be stable, mature, and responsible youth active in local programs who understand the purpose of non-confrontational educational awareness and community action. For more information visit http://www.ydrf.com/yom/about.html. * * * * * * *
Join
the BGC Day for Kids festivities by taking the time from your
busy schedule to spend meaningful time with a young person.
Call your local Boys & Girls Club and volunteer to help
or use BGC Day for Kids as another platform to make your voice
heard about the needs of America's children and the importance
of spending meaningful time with them. Get involved nationally,
locally, or just in your own backyard! For more information
on Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids, visit www.dayforkids.org.
* * * * * * *
The ACT test is administered in all 50 states and is the predominant college entrance exam in 25 states. For more information and to see a state-by-state comparison of college readiness indicators, go to the full report at www.act.org/news. |
Employees
of Alcoa Badin Works took time out of their
busy schedule to help youth enrolled in the Centralina WDB
sponsored – WIA funded Life Path Program
through the Resource Development Center in Stanly County stay
on the “right path.” Several employees spent the
entire afternoon on August 16, 2006 talking with the young
adults about their careers at Alcoa. It was truly a special
event, as employees talked one-on-one with the youth about
their personal experiences, fears, and struggles when they
were younger. One employee gave a very inspiring and touching
account about the barriers he overcame when moving to the
United States from Vietnam. Two other employees talked about
the importance of continuing your education and how women
are capable of doing the same work as men. Overall many of
the students’ perspective of themselves and what they
can accomplish changed thanks to the time spent at Alcoa.
The encouragement that the employees provided proved to be
invaluable as many youth commented that they learned more
in one afternoon than they had learned all year. 
The
Boys & Girls Clubs of America, along with hundreds of
organizations, is honoring young people through the gift of
spending meaningful time with a positive adult. Boys
& Girls Club Day for Kids is held annually on
the third Saturday in September. This year’s event will
take place on September 16, 2006, when millions
of adults and children are expected to participate in a variety
of activities, such as picnics, parades, street festivals
or carnivals. 
More
students have college-ready skills in English, math, reading,
and science this year than last. ACT’s College Readiness
Benchmark score in reading increased by 2 percentage points
and scores in English, math, and science increased by 1 percentage
point. Despite the increases, the results suggest that the
majority of ACT-tested graduates are still likely to struggle
their first year in college math and science courses. The
statistics below explain: |
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Comings, Goings,
Kudos… |
|
·
Centralina WDB Workforce Readiness Committee meeting ·
Centralina WDB Youth Council meeting ·
Centralina WDB Community Relations Committee meeting ·
Centralina Executive Planning Committee meeting ·
Stanly Community College – GED Classes ·
The Rural Center: 2006 Rural Partners Forum ·
Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Network ·
Southeastern Employment & Training Association (SETA)
Fall Conference 2006 ·
Self-Employment & Franchise Options ·
N.C. Department of Labor – Wage & Hour Seminar ·
Junior Achievement is looking for volunteers and sponsors
in Cabarrus & Rowan Counties:
NC Workforce Development Training Center Training Announcements Customer
Service and Satisfaction Introduction
to Workforce Plus For more information about these and other training offerings or to register for training, please visit: www.ncwdtc.com
|
|
Visit
our website at www.centralinaworks.com
to learn more about the Centralina WDB |
|
To
learn more about the Centralina Council of Governments please visit
www.centralina.org
|
| CentralinaWORKS is a publication of the Centralina Workforce Development Board. If you do not wish to receive this E-Newsletter in the future, please send a return e-mail and type "REMOVE" in the Subject Line and you will be removed from our distribution list. The CWDB does not share its distribution list with other organizations. Please feel free to share this E-Newsletter with co-workers and other business associates. |