Putting Future Truck Drivers on the Map!
Job Fair Attracts Many
Looking for a Career in the Driver's Seat

Job Seekers today are looking to change careers a lot later in life. This is especially true for more and more dislocated workers in our area. On Saturday February 26, 2005 the Rowan County JobLink Career Center in Salisbury opened its doors to trucking companies and potential employees for a Job Fair. The Fair was a great success! Five trucking companies participated as well as Transport Training and Over-the-Road Driver Training Schools.

The Job Fair served the community in two ways. The first purpose was to identify customers who might be eligible for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) assistance to attend school and gain new skills. This provided an opportunity for many former Pillowtex employees to be exposed to the trucking industry. Second, the Job Fair allowed the general public a place to speak with representatives from the trucking world. The trucking industry is currently in need of over 60,000 employees nationwide.

Visiting employers provided attendees with applications and commented that they were pleased with number of interested job seekers. JobLink Career Center Manager Dan Peninger stated, "with many potential customers unable to find time during the week to visit our center, the Saturday Job Fair may become on ongoing part of the Rowan County JobLink Career Center's approach to matching qualified applicants with employers." Dan added that he is lucky to have excellent staff members that are willing to come up with new ideas to meet the needs of their customers. JobLink Career Center consultants, Keri Allman-Young and Erin Ploplis, came up with the idea to have the Job Fair. For more information on career services visit www.rowanjoblink.com or call 704.639.7529.

P.S. - Are you an employer or a job seeker looking to participate in a local Job Fair ? If so, the upcoming events are scheduled for the Centralina region:

Iredell County Career Fair - sponsored by the Iredell County JobLink Career Center partners (www.iredelljoblink.com)
Date: Tuesday April 5, 2005
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Statesville Civic Center
For more information, contact Rick Morrison @ 704.873.3491

Union County Career Fair - sponsored by the Union County JobLink Career Center partners (www.unionjoblink.com)
Date: Thursday April 7, 2005
Time: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Wingate University (LaVerne Banquet Hall)
Professional Resume reviewers will be on-site and over 50 employers will be represented. For more information, contact Dr. Mimi Fair-Smith @ 704.289.8588.

Anson County Career Fair - sponsored by the Anson County JobLink Career Center partners (www.ansonjoblink.com)
Date: Thursday April 14, 2005
Time: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: South Piedmont Community College -Polkton Campus (Student Center)
Professional Resume Reviewers will be on site. For more information contact the Anson County JobLink Career Center @ 704.694.6551.

"Spring into Action" Job Fair for Stanly County citizens - sponsored by the Stanly County JobLink Career Center partners (www.stanlyjoblink.com)
Date: Thursday April 28, 2005
Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Stanly County Commons - at Stanly County Department of Social Services
Transportation will be provided by SCUSA by reservation only by calling 704.986.3790. For more information contact Jeanette Eatman @ jeanette.eatman@ncmail.net or 704.986.2008.

The Rowan County JobLink Career Center in Salisbury opened its doors to trucking companies and potential employees for a Job Fair.

Time to Shine! - -
National Prime Time Awards 2005

Experience Works, Inc., the nation's oldest and largest provider of training and employment services for seniors, and the North Carolina Employment and Training Association need your help. Nominations are needed for the following awards:

1. NC OUTSTANDING OLDER WORKER
*Must be age 65 or older, resident of North Carolina, and actively working at least 20 hours a week in gainful employment.

2. AMERICA'S OLDEST WORKER
*Workers are usually age 100 or older and actively working at least 20 hours in gainful employment.

3. OUTSTANDING EMPLOYERS
*Nominees are needed for small, medium, & large employers for their efforts in recruiting, training, and retaining older workers.

Winners from all three categories from across the nation will travel to Washington, D.C. for National Prime Time Week in October for a series of high-profile events. The week culminates with the Prime Time Gala and Awards Ceremony. Experience Works looks forward to receiving many nominations. Don't forget your mailman, your minister, your child's teacher, your favorite cashier, your banker, your neighbor, or your supervisor!

Official nomination forms may be obtained by calling Sheila Earp at (828) 728-0200 or visiting www.experienceworks.org. Entries may be e-mailed to ann_king@experienceworks.org or mailed to PO Box 1095, Hudson, NC 28638. The deadline for nominations is May 30, 2005. Read more about Prime Time Week and last year's winners at: www.experienceworks.org

Rowan County Literacy Council Hosts Second Annual Scrabble Scramble Tournament
The Rowan County Literacy Council will hold its second annual Scrabble Scramble Tournament for adults on Tuesday April 19, 2005 at the Holiday Inn in Salisbury. This is a wonderful opportunity to help the fight aggainst illiteracy in Rowan County and to enjoy an evening of fun. The Scrabble Tournament will begin with a buffet dinner at 5:30 PM.

The Rowan County Literacy Council has been serving the residents of Rowan County for more than a quarter of a century. American born adults 16 years of age and older can go to the Literacy Council for help on improving reading, writing, and life skills. In addition, foreign-born residents can receive instruction in English, as well as, preparation for becoming a United States citizen.

Literacy instruction to the public is free and is provided by volunteers who have attended a special twelve (12) hour training program and committed to tutoring once or twice a week for 1-2 hours. Training workshops for volunteers are held regularly throughout the year. Those interested in receiving instruction, volunteering, or participating in the Scrabble Scramble may call 704.638.3042 or email at rclc@co.rowan.nc.us for further information.

 
 

Employment Statistics
(Updated Monthly on this E-Newsletter)

January 2005
(Source: NC Employment Security Commission)
County
Unemployment Rate
Persons Employed
Anson
7.6%
10,184
Cabarrus
4.7%
73,794
Iredell
5.4%
65,681
Lincoln
5.9%
34,198
Rowan
5.9%
65,593
Stanly
5.9%
27,771
Union
4.5%
74,356

For more information on employment, click here


Seminar Shows Employers An Untapped Labor Source
Looking Beyond Disabilities
and Seeing Ability

Rowan County employers recently took time out of their busy schedules to attend a breakfast seminar titled "Food for Thought: Untapped Resources for Today's Economy" on Wednesday March 2, 2005 at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury. The Rowan County JobLink Career Center was the main sponsor of the event. The seminar provided an opportunity for local employers to look beyond the disability of a person and consider the real individual when hiring for their company. Employers enjoyed breakfast and an interactive session led by Connie Barnette and Stephanie Vinson from the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Attendees participated in several exercises that reduced the fear of hiring people with disabilities through exploration of biases, myths and stereotypes. Seminar leaders closed the session by showing a witty video that was created by people with disabilities and communicated how they would like to be treated.

Employers can access various resources, including tax incentive information for hiring people with disabilities, at the JobLink Career Center in Salisbury. The Centralina Workforce Development Board was proud to help sponsor the event along with the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Food Lion, Miller Davis Studios, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Rowan Vocational Opportunities, Inc. and NC Vocational Rehabilitation.

The Cabarrus County JobLink Career Center will host a similar event for Cabarrus County employers on May 10, 2005 at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (South campus) in Concord. For more information on the JobLlink Career Center near you, please visit www.centralinaworks.com/joblink.cfm.

Stephanie Vinson from the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation speaks to Rowan County employers.

Centralina Youth Council is Geared Up 4 Success

At the March 17th Centralina Youth Council meeting, members had an opportunity to hear about the Geared Up 4 Success program from Mike Miller with Miller Davis Studios in Salisbury. Geared Up 4 Success is a Rowan County community-wide educational initiative whose mission is to educate and to promote the diverse benefits of skilled, technical career opportunities in Rowan County. It is a process more than a project. Mike shared an interactive presentation, which featured an animated character named "Gus" who talks to students about career choices and a rap video titled "Don't Hate on the Trade School." The overall theme of the video is knowledge equals power. Youth Council member and East Rowan High School freshman Stephen Galloway shared his thoughts about recently seeing the Geared Up 4 Success presentation at his school. "We saw it just before registration and it helped students decide on their career pathway," he stated.

The Centralina Youth Council believes that programs like Geared Up 4 Success provide youth with the knowledge and the opportunities to examine all career/life options in order to create future success. The Youth Council will work with other counties in the region to recommend Geared Up 4 Success as an initiative.

Geared Up 4 Success is in the second year of implementation and continues to market to students, teachers and parents. Please visit http://www.gearedup4success.com for more information.



Mike Miller with Miller Davis Studios in Salisbury speaks to Youth Council members about the
Geared Up 4 Success program.

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 GET THE RESOURCES YOU NEED FROM THE SOURCE
2005 Directory of
College Preparation Programs

Are you an educator, parent, or student in search of the place for academic enrichment, college preparation, and supportive after-school and summer programs? Look no further! The 2005 Directory of College Preparation Programs for K-12 in North Carolina is available for you. The online directory is available through Application State University's College Awareness Program and includes useful information about existing college preparation programs around the state. An example of one program is the NC State University (NCSU) Wolfpack Motorsport Program. This program offers students in grades 11-12 a chance to study vehicle dynamics, suspension geometry and other engineering principles.

For more information and to access the directory click on the following link: www.gocollege.appstate.edu or visit www.centralinaworks.com.

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Save the Date!
National Youth Service Day
April 15-17, 2005

National Youth Service Day is a public awareness and education campaign that highlights the contributions young people make to their communities. For more information and planning toolkit visit http://www.ysa.org/nysd/.

Look for highlights on this year's National Youth Service Day activities from around the Centralina region in future Centralina E-Newsletters.


News You Can Use
Upcoming Events:

  • Centralina Workforce Development Board Meeting
    Tuesday, April 12, 2005 @ 4:30 PM
    Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce - Kannapolis

  • Centralina JobLink Managers quarterly meeting
    Tuesday April 12, 2004 @ 3:00 PM
    Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce - Kannapolis

  • Centralina WDB Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
    April 19, 2005 @ 1:30 PM
    Carolina Carpet Care & Restoration - Concord

  • Centralina WDB Youth Council Meeting
    April 28, 2005 @ 10:00 AM
    Specific location to be announced

  • Centralina WDB Performance Evaluation Committee Meeting
    April 21, 2005 @ 3:00 PM
    Textron Fastening Systems - Stanfield

  • Centralina WDB Community Relations Committee Meeting
    April 28, 2005 @ 4:00 PM
    Win Cup, Inc. - Mooresville

  • Union County JobReady Partnership Meeting
    April 21, 2005 @ 12:00 PM
    Monroe

  • Rowan-Salisbury School-to-Career Council Meeting
    April 22, 2005 @ 12:00 PM
    Rowan-Cabarrus Community College - Salisbury

  • North Carolina Employment & Training Association (NCETA) Conference
    April 13-15, 2005
    Asheville, North Carolina
    http://www.nceta.org/

  • NC Workforce Development Training Center: Training Announcements

    Managing and Surviving Hostile Clients
    April 21 & 22, 2005 from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    Gaston College - Dallas, NC
    Fee: $30

Building Employer Relationships
May 10 & 11, 2005 - Charlotte
May 12 & 13, 2005 - Raleigh
Fee: $100 (two-day session)

For more information visit www.nccommerce.com/wdi

  • Congratulations to Mr. Grady Kindley! Grady was appointed as the new Anson County JobLink Career Center manager in February 2005. You can reach him at grady.kindley@ncmail.net or 704. 694.6551.

 

 

NEED A SPEAKER?

Invite a representative from the Centralina Workforce Development Board. To arrange for a speaker please visit
www.centralinaworks.com/speaker.cfm or call Stephanie Boger at 704.348.2725.

Look for upcoming Centralina WDB speakers at the following events:

Mecklenburg Leadership Education and Development Program
April 12, 2005 @ 1:30 PM
Government Center - Charlotte

Monroe Rotary Meeting
April 19, 2005 @ 12:00 PM
Rolling Hills Country Club - Monroe

Rowan County Human Resources Association Meeting
April 21, 2005 @ 12:00 PM
J.F. Hurley Family YMCA - Salisbury

 

Visit our website at www.centralinaworks.com to learn more about the Centralina WDB
To send a comment about our E-Newsletter, click here.
To learn more about the Centralina Council of Governments please visit www.centralina.org
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