Freightliner Cutbacks Put JobLink System in Motion in Rowan County
The Rowan County Chamber of Commerce lists the company as the top local employer with 4,500 workers when it compiled its 2006 ranking.
Many of the processes affected workers need to go through are automated, Davis said, and anyone who is laid off can fill out the forms online. Davis added that orientation sessions to provide employees with information regarding available services and training options will be held on Saturday February 24 and Saturday March 3 at West Rowan High School. A press release from the company stated that "Rehiring plans and timing will depend on market recovery and resulting customer demand. No specific information is available at this time."
Freightliner also said officials expect the demand for heavy trucks to recover in the second half of the year Patterson told Assembly Magazine. "Frankly, we were not able to produce what we could have sold in 2006 due to capacity constraints. "We expect another surge in customer demand in 2009 prior to the next round of EPA emissions regulations, and the construction of this new plant will ensure that we are fully prepared." The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to partner with the Rowan County JobLink Career Center and all of its partners in Rowan County to help connect job seekers with employers. For the Centralina Workforce Development Board a prepared and well trained workforce is job one. For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development Board please visit the website at www.centralinaworks.com or contact David Hollars at 704-348-2717 or by email at dhollars@centralina.org.
Going Once, Going Twice…Sold!Stanly Community College’s Auction Academy Wins State-Wide Award
CAA won “Best of Category” in the state advertising contest with an informative DVD. This DVD, based on the student’s input, was compiled and produced by Stanly Community College Instructional Technologist – Jana Ulrich and the college’s Business Resource Center director, Betty O’Neal. Four CAA students entered the rookie contest and David Bailey from Marion won the runner-up position. Stanly County native Will Lilly was elected to a two-year term on the board of directors for the Auctioneers Associate of North Carolina (AANC).
Randy Wells, Vice President of the National Auctioneers Association, was a popular speaker for convention attendees with his topics on “It’s Your Attitude Dude” and “The Silent Salesman.” Auctioneers and families from North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Ohio attended this two-day educational conference. The Centralina Workforce Development Board first brought you the story of Carolina Auction Academy coming to Stanly Community College in our July 2005 e-newsletter. The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to be a partner with Stanly Community College to develop a new program and see it blossom into a state wide recognized program. The Centralina Workforce Development Board believes that developing new and innovative programs through local community colleges for the region is true workforce development. For more information on the Carolina Auction Academy at Stanly Community College, please call (704) 991-0257. For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or by email at dhollars@centralina.org.
Recently a Consumer Reports conducted survey found that McDonald’s premium roast coffee beat out Starbucks coffee on taste. Do you know where McDonald’s coffee comes from? It comes from right in your back yard at Concord’s S&D Coffee in Cabarrus County. McDonald’s coffee, the magazine said, was flawless as well as cheapest of the stores surveyed.
Did you know this bit of regional trivia? Do you think your neighbor knows? Share the good news and pass on the great things this region has to offer! For more information on S&D Coffee please visit them online at www.sndcoffee.com. |
Freightliner
Debbie
Davis, 
Freightliner,
the heavy truck division of Germany's DaimlerChrysler AG, enjoyed
banner sales as fleet operators and other buyers loaded up on
2006 model year trucks. But new diesel emission exhaust standards
that took effect Jan. 1 also have boosted the price of 2007 models,
while raising some concerns about their road performance. 
Carolina
Auction Academy (CAA)
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Moving
from Charlotte, Carolina Gulf Packaging employs 14 people
and will occupy 19,200 square feet in the building. The company
distributes packaging equipment and supplies. Its products
include steel strapping, plastic strapping and tensioners.
The
Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to partner
with 
Ernst
& Young
Anson
County Government
The
21st Century’s initiative to the fact that economic
development strategies vary from one county to another so
the Department of Commerce will broker a variety of existing
services as needed but not limited to strategic and community
planning, customized community marketing, workforce development,
infrastructure improvements and product/real estate development
in Anson County.
The
ADI facility at 4512 Raceway Drive will market an auto suspension
and chassis diagnostic tool, dubbed the KD-RIG, to the motorsports
industry, says Sherri Wigger, marketing director.
Celebrate Your Local Entrepreneurs!
This
week is Entrepreneurship Week USA. The celebration
is underwritten by the Kauffman Foundation, Inc. and the New York
Times.
While Entrepreneur magazine ranked the Charlotte Region second in hot cities for entrepreneurs in 2006, we must continue to focus on strengthening this important source of economic development.
The
Competitive Workforce Alliance’s State of the Workforce Report
found that over half of the region’s private sector employment
is found in businesses that employ fewer than 100 people and nearly
a quarter of the jobs are found in businesses employing 50 or fewer
employees. What other ground breaking issues did the Report discover
in your region? Click
here to read more!
R3 Center Open for Business in Kannapolis
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Career Center
Rowan-Cabarrus
Community College has opened a new career center in
Kannapolis - the R3 Center is located at the intersection
of Mooresville Highway and Loop Road in Kannapolis. The center's
mission is built on three Rs - refocus, retraining and re-employment.
The Center will provide a refocus on individual skills and interests; a retraining based on those skills and interests; and a partnering with the local JobLink Career Centers and other agencies to secure re-employment. The center will serve as a link between the research campus and people looking for new career opportunities.
Castle & Cooke, developer of the North Carolina Research Campus, has provided the facility for the R3 Center, which includes 5,000 square feet and a large parking lot.
In time, the R3 Center could move to the research campus and be housed in the college’s 60,000 square foot facility that is now in the architectural planning stage.
Career Development counselors will help jobseekers determine if they need additional training or education to obtain a position on the research campus and in other emerging workforce areas in the region.
"Based
on the college's work with displaced Pillowtex workers," said
Jeanie Moore, RCCC vice president of continuing
education, "we know the services provided by the R3 Center
will help ensure local citizens benefit from the jobs created by
North Carolina Research Campus."
The R3 Center will help individuals assess and profile their skills, aptitudes, training, academic credentials and future career interests while developing a plan for career growth.
The Center is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. To make appointments people should call 704-788-3197, ext. 765. The center plans to offer later evening hours in the spring.
"The R3 Center will bridge the gap many citizens in Rowan and Cabarrus counties now feel as they attempt to re-start and re-direct their careers in an economy that has shifted from the traditional manufacturing sectors," Moore said. "In addition to providing the job-training and education programs needed by displaced workers, RCCC, through the R3 Center, will better assist workers in becoming more sophisticated in their job-searching skills."
The
R3 Center's programs include resume writing, how to discuss one's
skills and experiences with confidence and sharpening job-interviewing
skills.
The center also will provide Work Keys assessment and instruction.
Completion of this program will give clients Career Readiness Certification,
a nationally recognized credential, validating preparedness for
specific career fields.
"The R3 Center will provide Rowan and Cabarrus County residents greatly enhanced career services," Moore said. "These services are different from anything RCCC has previously offered. The programs will focus on the individual and his or her unique situation."
The R3 Center will partner with other workforce development agencies, including the Centralina Workforce Development Board, the local JobLink Career Centers, N.C. Employment Security Commission and other area community colleges.
Moore said: "Working closely with our workforce development partners, we also believe the R3 Center could become a model and be replicated in other U.S. communities that are facing the challenges of the evolving world economy."
An open house celebration is planned for February 28, 2007 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, when the public is being invited to tour the new facility. Please look for an update on the R3 Center and its grand opening in the March Issue of the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s E-Newsletter.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is a proud partner with the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in bringing additional career counseling and assessment services to the area. The Board believes that a strong workforce is job one. For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or by e-mail at dhollars@centralina.org.
NC Research Campus – Biotech Business Update
What Shape will the Murdock Girls School Take?
Plans
for the North
Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis have always
included a school of mathematics and science for girls. But what
shape that school will take is still in the works.
Richard Snyder, former headmaster of the Cannon School, is consulting with Dole Food Co. owner David Murdock to come up with a vision and direction for the school.
“Right now, we are looking at a semester-style school,” Snyder said.
He also said the school probably would not open until 2011 - near the end of the proposed build-out schedule of the research campus. Snyder and education leaders from around the country met in November to discuss ideas for the school. Snyder said the group agreed a semester-style program would have “the biggest impact on the most girls.”
A semester-style program is like studying abroad for four or five months, said Mary Lynne Calhoun, dean of the College of Education at UNC Charlotte, who was a part of the group that met in November.
“This offers an intense opportunity to study with scientists at the core labs,” Calhoun said.
Instead
of a traditional boarding school plan, where girls would stay on
campus year round, high school girls from across the nation would
come and spend a semester at the school.
Snyder tested the semester school idea on a small group of girls at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham recently.
“They were not hot on the idea of a semester school,” Snyder said.
Snyder said he is taking proposals from marketing firms to collect data on the possibility of a semester school. “The problem with this is there is not a model to follow,” Snyder said, adding semester programs are very narrowly-focused and usually have an environmental theme.
“The idea is to test this and make sure this is the vision we want for the school,” Snyder said.
Ann Pollina, head of school for Westover School in Middlebury, Conn., was at the meeting in November. She said a semester school is exciting. “It is a huge plus,” she said. “You are engaging as many girls as possible.”
She said the Murdock school has a “chance to do everything right because it can incorporate all the research right away.”
The goal is to make science and math exciting for girls, Pollina said. “That means more hands-on activities and making projects relevant to the larger world.”
But a semester school may limit the time a student has to work on a research project, Calhoun said.
Regardless
of the format, Snyder said “the school would have a strong
focus on lab experiences.”
The girls would work with researchers on the campus, Snyder said.
The school would attract the best students from across the country, Snyder said.
“If we don’t step up and do a better job with the top level of students, we are going to fall behind,” he said.
Snyder said it would probably take a year to collect data before any decisions are made.
For the latest information on the NC Research Campus, please visit the Centralina WDB website NC Research Campus section.
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Alternative High School Seeks an Early Start That would open the door for students with excessive tardies and absences, missing course credits or who have personal obstacles to enroll in RCCC courses while still receiving support from Cabarrus County Schools. Public schools can’t open before August 25 and close after June 10 unless they are year-round schools. School districts may request a waiver from the State Board of Education for programs that serve a special population of students. Unlike a traditional classroom, students in the alternative high school, dubbed a Performance Learning Center, will be able to work simultaneously at their on pace on computer-based assignments. Funding for the initiative came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which announced in November it was providing Communities in Schools $9.9 million to open 12 Performance Learning Centers in four states including North Carolina. The
Centralina Workforce Development Board and the Centralina
Youth Council supports and partners with organizations like
Cabarrus County Schools and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
to help prepare the youth of today for the jobs of tomorrow.
For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development
Board Youth Council, please contact Emily Barnes at (704)
348-2732 or at ebarnes@centralina.org.
* * * * *
* * Local Partners Bring Parent Conference to Iredell County
The conference was hosted by Iredell County Parent Educators’ Network and sponsored by Iredell County Partnership for Young Children, Iredell Memorial Hospital and Mitchell Community College. The conference offered classes on using sign language with children, speech and language development building self-esteem and positive discipline. Amanda Street, a Barium Springs family support specialist, chair for the Iredell County Parent Educators’ Network, said the network has access to vital information and it is their job to share it with parents. “If they can feel more confident and empowered in their parenting, they’ll feel more secure in the role,” she said.
Representatives from the Iredell County Partnership for Young Children, UNC-TV, Barium Springs Home for Children, Iredell Memorial Hospital and Exchange Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) led the sessions. Brandy Templeton, an attending parent, said she put off planning her 3-year-old daughter Isabella’s birthday party in order to attend the conference.
The Iredell County Parent Educators’ Network works with parents to identify current services for families with children ages 0-18, promote a variety of parent education opportunities for families, offers appropriate referrals to other community programs, and to be a vehicle of advocacy for parent education. There will be a workshop titled “Parents as Partners” at the upcoming Centralina Youth Council’s Youth Summit on April 17th from 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM at the Speedway Club at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord. The workshop will be lead by Amanda Street, chair for the Iredell County Parent Educators’ Network. For more information on the Iredell County Parent Educators’ Network please contact Amanda Street at astreet@bariumsprings.org. The Centralina
Workforce Development Board and the Centralina Youth Council
are pleased to bring groundbreaking workshops to the region
for parents and youth providers. Educated parents
lead to an educated workforce. For more information
on the Centralina Youth Council or the Youth Summit, please
contact Emily Barnes and (704) 348-2732 or by email at ebarnes@centralina.org.
* * * * * * * U.S. Census Bureau Study finds that Youth in the South are Leaving According to the latest figures on geographic mobility from the U.S. Census Bureau, 11.3 of the South’s population (five years old and above) moved out of state or abroad between 2000 and 2005, compared with 10 percent for the nation as a whole.
Among the South’s population 25 years and older, only 8.5 percent of those without a high school degree moved out of state or abroad during the five year period, compared with 14.4 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree and 15 percent of those with a graduate or professional degree. Detailed figures are available by clicking here. * * * * * * *
A New Pew Research Report Profiles Generation Next and their Habits
Among the key findings: 1) they use technology and the Internet in new ways, with greater use of such tools as text messaging and social networking sites; 2) they are somewhat more interested in keeping up with politics and national affairs and are significantly less cynical about government and political leaders than the previous generation of young people; and 3) they are more comfortable with globalization and new ways of doing work and are more likely than others to see the benefits of these trends. View a summary of key findings and download the full report by clicking here. |
“What
we’re doing is taking time out as a factor,” said
Superintendent Harold “Butch” Winkler. “If
it takes you longer than 18 weeks to learn the curriculum
and show mastery in it, then so be it.”
Twenty
five parents gave up some quality time at home on a Saturday
to learn how to strengthen their family. Iredell County parents
attended the “Parents as Partners in Learning”
conference at Mitchell Community College’s Continuing
Education building.
She
said the network’s goal is to strengthen and create
successful families.
“I
just want to be a better parent to my daughter,” she
said. “You can always learn how to be a better parent.”
These
movers included 17 percent of the South’s 20 to 24-year-olds,
21 percent of its 25 to 29-year-olds and 17 percent of its
30 to 34-year-olds. Those with higher levels of education
were more likely to move out of state than others. 
A
new report from the
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Laura
Foor, existing business manager for Lincoln
Economic Development Association (LEDA) will
be leaving the organization effective March 1, 2007
to accept a position with the Charlotte Regional
Partnership (CRP). Foor has spent the last
five years as the existing business manager working
to grow and retain the City of Lincolnton and Lincoln
County’s industrial base. We look forward to continuing
with work with Laura, now in her new role with the CRP.
Cam
Downing
has been hired as the new executive director of Smart
Start Rowan. She worked for 10 years at Salisbury
Academy, serving as a teacher, the Lower School director,
and curriculum and programs coordinator during her tenure.
Downing is returning to Salisbury after serving as dean
of faculty and curriculum at Charlotte Preparatory School.
Lorraine
Collins has been named the new director of
Career and Technical Development for Union County
Schools. Collins served as Program Area Specialist
in the Career and Technical Education Department of
Union County Public Schools the past 5 years. She was
previously a business teacher with Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools. 
•
Centralina Workforce Development Board meeting
Tuesday April 10, 2007 – 4:30 PM
Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce – Kannapolis
•
Centralina WDB Youth Council meeting
Thursday March 15, 2007 – 10:00 AM
Cabarrus Business and Technology Center – Concord
•
The Impact of Motorsports in Iredell County
Tuesday March 8, 2007 – 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM –
“Driving Your Business Through Motorsports”
Penske Auditorium – 200 Penske Way – Mooresville
Cost: $50.00
Contact: 704.664.3898
•
Tech Prep Career Fair – Geared Up 4 Success
Tuesday March 13, 2007 – 6:00 PM
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
To RSVP please call: 704.639.7529, ext. 226
•
Inaugural Economic Summit - "Sharing the Vision"
Wednesday March 14, 2007 - 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Stanly Regional Medical Center, Family and Education Center -
Stanly County
Cost: $10.00
Please register and purchase tickets before Friday March 9, 2007
To register please contact Bryce Kimrey at 704.986.3682
•
Iredell County Workforce Development Summit
Thursday March 15, 2007 – 8:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Charles Mack Citizen Center – Mooresville
To Register by March 7, 2007: www.centralinaworks.com/whatshot.cfm
•
2007 North Carolina Youth Summit
Friday, April 20, 2007 -- Saturday, April 21, 2007
Radisson Hotel – High Point
For: Young adults ages 16-21
To Register by March 10, 2007: Youth must register with a local
Youth Agency or Organization, to find the one closest to you please
contact: Emily Barnes at 704.348.2732 or ebarnes@centralina.org.
•
A Salute to Entrepreneurism
Tuesday March 20, 2007 – 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
For: Entrepreneurs and Individuals who are thinking of starting
their own business
Badin Inn & Golf Resort – Stanly County
To RSVP: Contact Sue Hennessy at 910.428.9001 or at sue@centralparknc.org
•
A Salute to Entrepreneurism
Thursday March 22, 2007 – 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
For: Entrepreneurs and Individuals who are thinking of starting
their own business
Lockhart-Taylor Center – Anson County
To RSVP: Contact Lois Crumpler at 704.242.4847 or at loisc@nvbdi.org
•
Six Sigma Black Belt Training
Session 1:March 26-30; Session 2:May 21-25; Session 3:June 4-8;
Session 4:July 9-13
Stanly Community College, Crutchfield Campus
Please contact Ed Thomas at 704.982.0121 for more information
•
Six Sigma Green Belt Training
Session 1:March 20-23; Session 2:April 2-5
South Piedmont Community college
Please contact Todd Morris at 704.290.5219 for more information
•
Free Income Tax Return Preparation
Now through April 13, 2007
Cost: Free
Call for more information: Vickie Smith 704.825.3737 ext. 276
Open to Gaston County Residents
•
Junior Achievement is looking for volunteers and sponsors in Cabarrus
& Rowan Counties:
Opportunities:
-Volunteer
-Sponsor a class or child
-Help lead the success of Junior Achievement in Cabarrus County
Contact: Stacey Richards, Junior Achievement District Manager
704.563.4858 or srichards@jacarolinas.org
NC Workforce Development Training Center Training Announcements
WorkforcePlus
Introduction
March 13, 2007
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Workforce Development Training Center – Raleigh
Fee: NC
Labor
Market Information: A Guided Tour
March 21, 2007
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Blue Ridge Community College-Continuing Education Bldg.-Room
202–Flat Rock
Fee: NC
Career
Assessment & Planning for Older Youth Ages 18-21 Training
Event
March 22, 2007
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Caldwell Community College - Hudson
Fee: $45.00
Successful
Grant Writing
March 26, 2007
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Workforce Development Training Center – Raleigh
Fee: $90.00
Successful
Grant Writing
March 27, 2007
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Catawba Valley Community College – Hickory
Fee: $90.00
Navigating
a Successful Career Path (Career Assessment & Planning for
Adults)
March 28, 2007
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Workforce Development Training Center – Raleigh
Fee: $55.00
Labor
Market Information: A Guided Tour
March 29, 2007
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: NC TeleCenter - Williamston
Fee: NC
For
more information about these and other training offerings or to
register for training, please visit: www.ncwdtc.com
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Visit
our website at www.centralinaworks.com
to learn more about the Centralina WDB |
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To
learn more about the Centralina Council of Governments please visit
www.centralina.org
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| 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. |