The
State of the Workforce Study Hits the Presses!
The
Three Workforce Development Boards Start Discussing the Report with
Local Papers and
News Stations
 The
Competitive Workforce Alliance, made up of the Centralina Workforce
Development Board, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Workforce Development Board,
and the Gaston Workforce Development Board, released the State of the
Workforce Study 2005 in January. The study examines the current state
of the workforce, and where we as a region need to go in the future
to spur economic development. "Our region is poised to have a well
prepared workforce that gives us a major competitive edge in economic
development", said David Hollars, Executive Director of the Centralina
Workforce Development Board. He adds, "Now is the time for all
the leaders in our region to join together to bolster the strengths
of our region and strategically address the challenges our studies have
identified."
With the release of the study, the three boards worked
with Carolina PR on a public relations campaign to promote the study
in the region. Eight local newspapers ran articles on the study and
David Hollars of the Centralina Workforce Development Board, was interviewed
on News 14 Carolina's local journalism show In Depth, which highlighted
many of the study's storylines. David and Bob VanGorden were the featured
guests on the Cabarrus Chamber of Commerce's half-hour Business Focus
program on the Time Warner local access channel.
The next step for the Centralina Workforce Development
Board and the Competitive Workforce Alliance is to start presenting
the State of the Workforce Study to key stakeholders in the region and
generate local strategies to address the challenges outlined in the
study. The first presentation is planned for the Iredell County Workforce
Development Summit on March 2, 2006 at Mitchell Community College. More
presentations and local summits will follow throughout the region.
To have a member of one of the Boards come to present
to your group or for more information on the State of the Workforce
Study, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or at dhollars@centralina.org.
Special thanks to Brian Chandler and the staff at Carolina PR for their
assistance in helping the Competitive Workforce Alliance promote the
study.
Remember, you can access the State of the Workforce Study
- Executive Summary, Full Report, and complete Data Appendix at www.centralinaworks.com.
Brian Chandler of Carolina PR presenting the media coverage of the State
of the Workforce Study Report to the Centralina Workforce Development
Board.
A
Mouse Has Your Keys to Excellence
The
Disney Institute Keys to Excellence Training at South Piedmont
Community College
 For
two days only, the Disney
Institute is bringing its renowned brand of professional
development to South Piedmont
Community College in Monroe. It is a chance for businesses
and others to learn proven Disney success strategies that
they can adapt inside their own organization. The all day
session entitled Disney Keys to Excellence will challenge
business owners, public and private non-profit groups, and
others to look at their organizations - small, mid-sized,
or large - in an entirely new light.
The two separate training sessions will take place at South
Piedmont Community College. The first session takes place
on Wednesday March 29, 2006 and Thursday March
30, 2006 is the last session, both run from 8 AM to
4 PM. You many attend either session. Registration is still
open for either day. So far, SPCC has over 100 registrations
for Wednesday and over 200 for the Thursday session. The
Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to work
with SPCC in cosponsoring the Disney Keys to Excellent seminar.
For more information on the Disney
Institute training at South
Piedmont Community College and to register for the event,
please contact Geri Duncan at (704) 290-5221 or at sduncan@spcc.edu.
$$$$$$$$$$
Wondering
Where to Get Money to Train Your Workers?
Incumbent
Worker Training Final Grant Application Period is Approaching
Want a great way to help upgrade the skills
of your current workforce and prepare for the future? The
Centralina Workforce Development Board can help. The Board
is currently accepting applications for Incumbent Workforce
Development training. The Incumbent Workforce Development
training is designed to upgrade skills of employees and
increase the competitiveness of local companies in the global
marketplace.
The final round for applications for funding for this fiscal
year is currently open to local employers and runs through
April 21, 2006. The maximum amount of funds available per
business is $37,500. Since the grants are competitive, local
businesses are encouraged to submit their applications as
soon as possible.
A total of $3,000,000 in Workforce Investment Act funds
has been designated by the Governor's Commission on Workforce
Development to fund Incumbent Workforce Development training
in North Carolina this year. In the first round, the Centralina
WDB received and awarded 5 local businesses contracts to
train a total of 383 employees with $162,624 in total economic
development investment with these existing businesses.
The Centralina WDB looks forward to working with new local
businesses to submit applications, as well as, past companies
who want to resubmit from previous periods. For more information
and to review the revised guidelines and application please
click
here or contact Vail Carter, Centralina WDB Business
Services Coordinator at 704.348.2710 or vcarter@centralina.org.
Vail is available to assist companies in the completion
of the application.
$$$$$$$$$$
New
Resource Added
to Your JobLink
Career Center
New
Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Resource Kit Available
at local JobLink Career Centers
 A
collaboration has been formed between the US Department
of Labor - Employment and Training Administration and the
Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning the new Medicare
prescription drug coverage.
To help promote the availability of the new Medicare prescription
drug coverage through the workforce investment system, CMS
has created a "Medicare Rx Help is Here Resource Kit."
This kit has been designed to provide specific information
and resources on how the plan works, so that professionals
or volunteers who work with seniors or people with disabilities
can quickly find answers. The "Resource Kit" has
been mailed to the local JobLink Career Center managers
directly from CMS.
The CMS Partner
Center Web site provides a number of resources on the
Medicare prescription drug coverage benefit. To download
a copy of the Resource Kit, click
here.
These outreach and educational materials will enable the
JobLink Career Center staff to be responsive to any questions
eligible individuals may have when entering the center.
For more information on the "Medicare Rx Help is Here
Resource Kit" please contact your local JobLink Career
Center.
$$$$$$$$$$
The
Centralina Workforce Development Board Announces February's
Business Survey
Prize Winner!
Each month, the Centralina Workforce Development
Board holds a drawing from Business Surveys that area businesses
have completed and posted on our website (click
here for the online survey form).
 Centralina
is pleased to announce that the winner of this month's drawing
is SPX Contech Metal
Forge Company in Albemarle. Steve Pieper of SPX Contech
Metal Forge Company completed and submitted the survey.
We thank Steve for helping us with our continuous improvement
feedback process.
If you haven't completed the survey, you can do so now by
logging onto our
website. 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 vcarter@centralina.org.
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- Congratulations to Thomas Ramseur who was named the
President/CEO of the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce. Tom brings experience
from being the president/CEO of the Concord Chamber and became the top
man at the Cabarrus Regional Chamber when the Concord and Kannapolis
chambers merged in 1998. We congratulate him and look forward to working
with Tom again!
- Congratulations go out to Lori Day, Central Piedmont
Community College's executive director for economic development who
has been appointed to the part-time position of executive director of
the Charlotte Biz Hub. She will begin this new position on March 6,
2006 and will continue operating programs at CPCC. We congratulate her!
- Dan Peninger, manager of the Rowan County JobLink
Career Center has taken a job as Placement Supervisor at the Employment
Security Commission office in Wilmington. He will start his new position
on March 13, 2006. Dan will be deeply missed by the Centralina Workforce
Development Board and the Centralina WDB staff. Dan truly understands
the role of JobLink and of working with partners to get the job done.
We wish him well in his new position!
- Katrina Duke has been hired as the first full-time
executive director of the Cabarrus Literacy Council. Before taking this
position she worked with Cabarrus County Schools and the American Red
Cross. We welcome Katrina and look forward to working with her!
- Linda Sherrill has been named the membership director
of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce in Salisbury. We welcome Linda
to her new position!
- Congratulations to Lynn Edwards, the new Executive
Director of the Anson County Chamber of Commerce. Before accepting this
position Lynn was the accounts payable clerk for the Town of Wadesboro.
Her first day on the job was February 1, 2006. We congratulate her and
look forward to working with Lynn!
- At the February 14, 2006 Centralina Workforce Development
Board meeting, Board member Dan Wallace was honored for his many years
of service on the board. Dan is the executive director of the Mooresville-South
Iredell Chamber of Commerce and has served on the board for four years.
In December of 2005, Dan announced his retirement effective in February
2006. The Centralina Workforce Development Board would like to thank
Dan for his years of hard work and dedication to helping train and prepare
the workforce in the Centralina region. Thank you Dan, you will be missed!
We wish you the best of luck!
David Hollars, Centralina WDB Executive Director, and Bob VanGorden,
Centralina WDB Chair, present the Centralina Workforce Development Board
Leader, Visionary, Friend Award to outgoing Board Member Dan Wallace.
- Centralina Workforce Development Board staff member
Stephanie Boger and her husband Jason Boger recently celebrated the
birth of their first child, Carolyn Alexis Boger who was born on December
15, 2005. And in February they stopped by the office to visit. Alexis
Boger is doing great! She is nine weeks old and weighs nine pounds.
We are excited for Stephanie, Jason, Alexis and their family!
Stephanie Boger with daughter Carolyn
Alexis Boger.
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712
Jobs and $31 Million Investment in Rowan County
PFT
Industries Inc. Expands its Plant to Rowan County
 Governor
Mike Easley announced that PGT Industries Inc., a manufacturer of
hurricane resistant doors and windows, will open a plant in Rowan
County, creating 712 jobs and an investment of $31 million over
the next five years.
Florida-based PGT has operated a plant in Lexington since 2003 that
employs 388 people, but the company decided it needed to expand
to meet a backlog of orders and the growing demand for its products.
After determining that the Lexington facility could not be enlarged
enough to meet its needs, and that no other options were available
in Davidson County, the company considered potential sites in South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida before focusing on a building in Salisbury
being vacated by GDX Automotive. PGT plans to transition the 388
jobs from Lexington to Salisbury and consolidate production operations
for a total of 1,100 jobs at the Rowan County facility.
"After a thorough search across the southeastern United States,
PGT selected Rowan County to expand its operations because of the
availability of a skilled labor force, affordable housing, competitive
tax burden, state and local incentives, and business-friendly environment,"
said Linda Gavit, vice president for human resources at PGT. "In
addition, the availability of the GDX site allows us to expand quickly
and capitalize on the existing, trained workforce we have in Lexington."
 Most
of the new Salisbury positions will be skilled production jobs that
will pay an average wage of more than $32,000 a year not including
benefits. This is higher than the Rowan county average of $29,500
without benefits. The company plans to implement a skill-based pay
structure that encourages employees to learn new job duties and
skills on the production line to move up within the company.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to partner with
the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission in their efforts
to bring another quality employer to Rowan County.
For more information on employment with PGT Industries Inc. in Rowan
County, please contact Debbie Davis at the Rowan County JobLink
Career Center at (704) 639-7529 or by Debbie.davis@ncmail.net.
Trucks
Are Rolling on Campus!
A New Trucking Program brings Private Industry
together with South Piedmont Community College
 South
Piedmont Community College (SPCC) has announced the launch of a
new certified truck driver-training course at both their Polkton and
Monroe locations. SPCC is contracting with Future Truckers of America
of Asheboro for the training services. This program and collaboration
is a first for the community college.
The certified truck driver-training course at SPCC is a 4-10 week course
of 180 hours with a minimum of 65 classroom hours, 50 field hours, 60
on the road hours, and 15 hours of homework. Graduates receive a CDL
"A" license and three additional certificates from South Piedmont
Community College, the National Safety Council, and the Professional
Truck Driver Institute.
The first course will begin March 6 on South Piedmont Community College's
L. L. Polk Campus in Polkton. Classes meet Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-6
p.m. The course will be repeated each month.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board has approved the new curriculum
for WIA funded participants interested in the training. For more information
on the certified truck driver-training course at South Piedmont Community
College, please contact Sandy Huntley at (704) 272-5456 or visit www.spcc.edu
or visit the JobLink Career Centers in Wadesboro or Monroe.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board has approved the new curriculum
for WIA funded participants interested in the new certified truck driver-training
course at SPCC.
eTool
Created for Spanish Speaking Construction Workers
The
Occupation Safety and Health Administration Published an Online eTool
for Spanish Speaking Construction Workers
 A
popular and important Web-based training tool has been restructured
to aid Spanish-speaking construction workers. Occupation Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) recently posted a new version of its construction
eTool (for eTool de Construccion - La Prevencion De Fatalidades click
here) that will help employers and workers identify and avoid hazards
that commonly cause the most serious injuries in construction including
electrical, falls, struck-by and trenching. The updated version uses
safety and health terms from OSHA'S English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English
construction dictionaries, and includes a glossary of construction safety
and health terms, and topics to aid in developing and maintaining effective
workplace safety and health programs.
For more information on this eTool information please visit OSHA at
their web site at www.osha.gov or
you can contact Centralina WDB staff member Vail Carter at (704) 348-2710
or vcater@centralina.org.
Youth
Retreat to the Hills
Youth
Enrolled in the Life Path Program in Stanly County visit the Beth
Haltiwanger Conference and Retreat Center at
Pfeiffer University
 Youth
enrolled in the Life Path Program located in Stanly County participated
in a retreat at the Beth Haltiwanger Conference and Retreat Center
at Pfeiffer University to build stronger relationships among each
other and also to build their self-esteem. Sixteen young ladies
participated in the retreat over a weekend, which dealt with teamwork,
trust, togetherness, life, bonding, new friendships and raised
self-esteem.
"The retreat gave us an opportunity to get to know one another
better," one participating youth explained. "The activities
we participated in helped us build teamwork and communication
skills with one another. I feel like I know the people better
because we each went through something and experienced the same
things; therefore it feels like we all are on one level. In addition,
I feel like this retreat was a successful outing because it gave
me a chance to get away from home and experience life in a different
type of environment."
The Beth Haltiwanger Conference and Retreat Center (click
here for the website) was opened in 1990 and is nestled on
a wooded hillside overlooking Lake Tillery and Morrow Mountain
in the Uwharrie National Forest. The mission of the Center is
to provide a serene facility, and distinctive programs that reflect
a dedication to personal growth, teambuilding, and the development
of leadership and community.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board and its Youth Council
provides the funding for WIA programs for youth. For more information
on the Life Path Program in Stanly County, please contact Bill
Baldwin at (704) 982-0120, extension 1003 or click
here.
For more information on the Centralina Youth Council, please contact
Emily Barnes at (704) 348-2732 or ebarnes@centralina.org.
Life Span Youth participate in a group activity to build trust
and teamwork.
*******
New
Attention: New Youth Grant Database!
Employment
and Training Administration Introduces a New Youth Grant Database
 The
US Department of Labor - Employment and Training Administration
(ETA) Office of Youth Services has introduced a comprehensive
database that permits a review of all formula-funded grants and
discretionary grants by state and/or initiative.
 The
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 enacted a formula-funded
youth program serving eligible low-income youth, ages 14-21, who
face barriers to employment. Funds for youth services are allocated
to state and local areas based on a formula distribution. The
new database now makes it possible to search all youth services
investments by initiatives, and by state. It also gives additional
information on ETA funding opportunities. The database for formula-funded
youth programs can be accessed off of the Employment and Training
Administration's web
site.
Discretionary grants are aimed at specific populations of at-risk
youth, such as young offenders, youth living in high-poverty areas,
and foster youth. The new database also allows one to search for
discretionary grants by initiatives, and by state, and also has
information on ETA funding. The database for discretionary grants
can be accessed off of the Employment and Training Administration's
web
site.
For more information on the new database and searching
for youth grants please visit the ETA's Youth Services web
site or contact WDB Staff Member Emily Barnes at (704) 348-2732
or ebarnes@centralina.org.
*******
Youth:
Get InDemand and Get Connected!
The
Second Issue of InDemand Magazine is Released for Youth
 Career
Voyages has published the second issue of InDemand -- Connecting
today's students with the careers of tomorrow. This issue examines
the energy industry. Future issues focusing on other careers in
the nation's high-growth industries are expected in the coming
months.
InDemand is designed to provide students -- as well as guidance
counselors, parents and teachers -- with relevant information
about career opportunities, education and the skills needed for
various jobs. The magazine offers resources to explore careers
and tips about how to help students build successful futures.
The January issue on the energy industry, as well as information
about the InDemand Magazine, click
here.
*******
Get
Geared Up for Real Success in Your Career!
Geared
Up 4 Success 2006 Seminar Scheduled for
 Geared
Up 4 Success is having their 2006 Seminar titled "A New
Age of Career Choices" on March 15 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
at the Holiday Inn in Salisbury. The seminar will focus on educating
students about the many exciting and rewarding technical career
choices, expand public and private partnerships to invest in technical
training and skills development via scholarship and awards, and
it will promote the Geared Up 4 Success benefits to parents, educators
as well as the community.
The featured speaker for the seminar is Lynne Scott Safrit. Lynne
is actively involved with the new NC Research Campus being developed
in Kannapolis. She will provide information on biotechnical career
opportunities in Rowan and Cabarrus counties. She will also provide
insight on the expected 5,000 technology jobs. Doors open at 3:00
PM at the Holiday Inn in Salisbury and business leaders, educators
and parents are all welcome to attend.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is a proud co-sponsor
of this terrific event. Career awareness for the emerging workforce
is one of the key storylines from the recent State of the Workforce
Study. For more information on the Geared Up 4 Success 2006 Seminar
or to register please contact Debbie Davis at (704) 639-7529 or
by going to www.RowanJobLink.com.
For information on having the Centralina Workforce Development
Board co-sponsor your event, please contact David Hollars at (704)
348-2717 or at dhollars@centralina.org.
*******
Save
the Date! National Youth Service Day 2006 is April 21 - 23, 2006
 National
Youth Service Day is a public awareness and education campaign
that highlights the contributions that young people make to the
communities. On this day, young people will design and lead service-learning
projects and in areas ranging from literacy and the environment,
to healthcare, hunger, and help for the elderly.
The goals of National Youth Service Day are to mobilize youth
to identify and address the needs of their communities through
service, to support youth on a life-long path of service and civic
engagement and to educate the public, the media, and policymakers
about the year-round contributions of young people as community
leaders.
For more information and a planning toolkit please visit www.ysa.org/nysd.
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