Centralina WDB E-Newsletter March 2006

Today's Most
Unpopular Jobs
The Top 5 Jobs that are the Most in Demand are Listed on CareerBuilder.com

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a labor force of 162.3 million people by 2012. At the same time, the BLS predicts that the 2012 economy will require 165.3 million jobs to be filled.

For years, some have interpreted these statistics to mean the economy will experience a shortage of 3 million workers. But this simply isn't true, insisted Michael W. Horrigan in the February 2004 issue of the BLS' Monthly Labor Review. Horrigan wrote that multiple job holding and statistical differences between the BLS and Current Employment Statistics surveys, not an impending labor shortage, account for the difference between the numbers.

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics says there will not be a generalized shortage, certain jobs will experience a shortage of qualified workers. The five listed were: Registered Nurse, Machinist, Librarian, Truck Driver, and Pharmacist. The shortage of qualified workers in each job can be for a variety of reasons, a growing aging population, less interest in production occupations, and low pay. Many universities are opening new programs to encourage attendees to enroll and many of the low salaries are increasing due to the high demand of the jobs, in the hopes that by the year 2012 the workforce will be in full force with qualified workers in all positions.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board encourages adults, dislocated workers, and youth in the region to explore opportunities in these fields and other high demand careers. For more information on what the Centralina Workforce Development Board and our local JobLink Career Centers can help you do to accomplish this, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or at dhollars@centralina.org.

Looking for More Information on the NC Research Campus? We are Your Link!
Centralina Workforce Development Board Opens NC Research Campus Information Page on Website

Looking for a good way to stay on top of all the things occurring at the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis? Well, the Centralina Workforce Development Board is your link for staying up to date on all information pertaining to the developing campus.

Now featured on the Centralina Workforce Development Board website is an information page devoted to the NC Research Campus. On this page you will find information about the involvement of the city, the impact on the community, and the expected job growth in the region. The page also features images of the proposed buildings for the site.

In conjunction with the City of Kannapolis's website the Centralina Workforce Development Board's website will be current on all of the upcoming information regarding the NC Research Campus. Be sure to bookmark the page and to check it for updates!

For more information on the NC Research Campus and the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or at dhollars@centralina.org.

Connecting the Goals of Employers and Job Seekers Done in a Certificate!
Career Readiness Certification Allows Job Seekers to Market their Skills in an Employers Language

Every job seeker wants to learn how to market their skills to get their desired job and a job that best suits their skills. Every employer wants to fill a position with a qualified employee whose skills match the job description. When both the job seeker and the employer make this connection the job seeker benefits by finding a job that matches their skills and the employers benefits by finding a qualified employee to help build the company.

This connection though is not always easy to make. Some job seekers may not know how to market their skills successfully, and some employers may not find an employee that is qualified enough, but thanks to two pilot programs in the Centralina region this connection maybe becoming easier to make.

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and Mitchell Community College have been chosen to take part in pilot programs to use the Career Readiness Certificate to help eligible participants label their job skills in certificate form that businesses will recognize.

The certificate that an eligible job seeker can receive comes in three levels. The levels are bronze (level 3), silver (level 4) and gold (level 5). Each level tells the skills of the job seeker to any employer statewide and nation wide. A job seeker that has one of the certificates has a tool that markets their skills in an employer's language. Businesses can use the certificates to match the most qualified worker with the correct job.

The certificate received is portable and it promotes career development, builds confidence and skills, helps individuals find jobs that fit their skills, and provides employers with concrete proof of the skills an individual has achieved.

For more information on the Career Readiness Certificate at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, please contact Carol Allen or Becky Hammill at (704) 637-0760, Ext. 478 and for more information about the program at Mitchell Community College please contact Beverly Hedrick at (704) 878- 3235.

New Tool that Helps Find the Benefits You Qualify For
New Website to Assist Citizens and Businesses

GovBenefits.gov was launched in April 2002 as part of President George Bush's E-Government strategy to make it easier for citizens and businesses to interact with their government. GovBenefits.gov consolidates information about hundreds of government benefit and assistance programs, including federal and state programs, previously spread across 31 million web pages. The site is constantly updated to keep the information and programs listed new.

For more information on this new tool please visit the web site at www.govbenefits.gov or you can contact Centralina WDB staff member Emily Barnes at (704) 348-2732 or ebarnes@centralina.org.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board Announces March'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 at http://www.centralinaworks.com/survey.

Centralina is pleased to announce that the winner of this month's drawing is Decore-ative Specialties in Monroe. Marta Ramirez of Decore-ative Specialties completed and submitted the survey. We thank Marta 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 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 e-mail at vcarter@centralina.org.

Vail Carter, Centralina WDB Business Services Coordinator, congratulates Centralina Workforce Development Board Business Survey Prize Winner Marta Ramirez with Decore-ative Specialties in Monroe, NC.

Local Goodwill Store Recognized for Its Contribution to the Workforce
Monroe Store Selected 2005 Store of the Year

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont announced that the Monroe, NC Goodwill store has been selected as its Store of the Year for 2005 out of 16 Goodwill stores in the Southern Piedmont region. Goodwill's Monroe store earned the honors because it had the greatest financial improvement over the previous year of all area Goodwill stores.

"We are proud to recognize the employees of Goodwill's Monroe store for accomplishing tremendous results this past year," Michael Elder, president & CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, said in a press release. "This group of enthusiastic employees is committed to providing great customer service and to helping Goodwill change lives through the power of work!"

Proceeds from the sale of donations at Goodwill's Monroe store pay for employment and training services for individuals facing barriers to employment. In 2005, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont served 8,075 people with barriers to employment in the region and placed more than 1,900 people in competitive employment.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board is a proud partner with Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont with our JobLink Career Center in Union County (www.unionjoblink.com) and again congratulates the Monroe store and its staff for their hard work to help better the workforce in the region.

For more information on Goodwill visit their web site at www.goodwillsp.org or you can contact Goodwill at (704) 372-3434.

For more information on how the Centralina Workforce Development Board can partner with your organization, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or by dhollars@centralina.org.

Act I, Scene I - Oh No, It's My Job Interview!!
Cabarrus JobLink Career Center Partners with Youth for Video on Job Interviews

The Cabarrus JobLink Career Center partnered with A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, and local retail stores to produce a video on how to dress for a job interview.

Ten students from A.L. Brown were chosen to participate and play the roles as job interviewers. Each had a chance to show what not to wear and what to wear. Each youth was given free range to express what not to wear to a job interview. The looks ranged from baseball caps and jeans to a spiky haired "Goth" look, one youth even brought her child to the mock interview.

"It's distracting to have a baby with you and it takes away from your chances of getting a job," Jasmine Worthington said. "I'm learning a lot about how to look serious about wanting a job and knowing that it's important to prepare rather than just coming into a job interview and winging it."

When it came to showing what to wear to a job interview outfits were donated by JC Penney, Sears, TJ Maxx, Ross Dress For Less, Kohl's and Belk. Each retailer that participated requested a copy of the DVD once it was completed to show to their new employees.

Cosmetology students from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College were brought in to assist with hair and make up for both looks for the youth. After hair preparation and make-up, the youth were ready to play their roles for the camera. Technical education program students and interns operated the cameras with the Cyber Campus at A.L. Brown High School. The final version of the video is going to be graded as a project for the youth.

"When the JobLink/ESC approached me about doing the video, I thought it was a great idea," Cyber Campus Manager JoAnna Goss said. "We decided to film how not to act in a job interview and then film the proper way to be during an interview. The students had fun with the bad dressing. There's a lot of wearing too much bling-bling (jewelry) and baseball caps, and wearing jeans and baseball caps."

The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to partner with the JobLink Career Centers in the Centralina region, as well as our partnerships with local school systems, community colleges, community organizations, and businesses. The Centralina WDB encourages all of its partners to try new and innovative ideas to reach youth and help prepare them for their place in the workforce.

For more information on the Interview DVD, please contact Carolyn Mays at (704) 786-3183 or by Carolyn.mays@ncmail.net. For more information on how the Centralina Workforce Development Board can partner with your organization, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or by dhollars@centralina.org.

Youth that participated in the Interview DVD Production pose for a picture, demonstrating what TO wear to a job interview. Pictured from top left: Jane Mussen, Jonathan Carmona, Kenny Gullette, Neil Maddox, Chieng Vang, Pedro Gomez and Tania Carmona.

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She's Really Cooking!
Centralina Youth Michelle Bynum Receives ServSafe Certificate

Six students enrolled in the Foods II Advanced class at Lincolnton High School received their ServSafe Certifications from the National Restaurant Association. This achievement is a result of a 6-week intensive course study along with a final 90-question exam. The course consisted of 75 hours training in the following classes: Foods, Clean-Sanitiz-/Maintenance, Facilities, Personnel, Temporary Measuring Devices, Allergens, High-Risk Populations, Legal/Regulatory Issues, Facility Layout/Design and Training Employees.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board and the Centralina Youth Council would like to congratulate Workforce Investment Act participant Michelle Bynum on being one of the six students to receive the certification! Michelle currently receives services through the WIA Youth program at I-Care, Inc. in Lincolnton. We congratulate Michelle on a job well done!

The Centralina Workforce Development Board and its Youth Council provides the funding for WIA programs for youth in the region. For more information on the I-Care, Inc. in Lincoln County, please contact Deborah Ervin at (704) 735-8035 or by dervinicare@yahoo.com. For more information on the Centralina Youth Council, please contact Emily Barnes at (704) 348-2732 or ebarnes@centralina.org.

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Getting Youth Geared Up for Future Success
Geared Up 4 Success 2006 Seminar in Salisbury

Geared Up 4 Success held their 2006 Seminar titled "A New Age of Career Choices" on March 15 at the Holiday Inn in Salisbury to a crowd of over 150 attendees. The seminar focused on educating students about the many exciting and rewarding technical career choices, expanded public and private partnerships to invest in technical training and developed skills via scholarship and awards, and it promoted the Geared Up 4 Success benefits to parents, educators, as well as the community.

The featured speaker for the seminar was Lynne Scott Safrit. Lynne is actively involved with the new NC Research Campus being developed in Kannapolis. She provided information on biotechnical career opportunities in Rowan and Cabarrus counties. She will also provided insight on the 5,000 technology jobs. Other speakers included Jeanie Moore from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Eric Leazer from Rowan-Salisbury Schools, and other representatives from private businesses.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board and the Rowan County JobLink Career Center served as co-sponsors for 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, 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.

Erin Poplis, WIA Case Manager, Keri Allman-Young, WIA Case Manager and Debbie Davis, Rowan JobLink Career Center Interim Manager, stop for a picture outside of the Geared Up 4 Success Seminar.

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What Do You Want to Do When You Finish School?
Youth In Union County
Attend Career Day

More than 600 eight graders from Piedmont and Parkwood Middle schools had an opportunity to talk with area business and industry during Connections 2006 Middle School Career Day, sponsored by the Union County JobReady Partnership.

Event organizers wanted to help students become aware of the career possibilities available to them in Union County, while offering local business and industry exposure to middle school students and their teachers. This is the second year for this event, but last year it focused on seventh graders. This year, the Union County Career Center was the chosen location.

"We've walked students through the building so they can see some of the programs in action," said Linda Smith, job broker with Union County JobReady Partnership.

Representatives from about 35 area businesses, industry and government agencies set up booths, handed out information and talked in detail about what opportunities existed in their various lines of work.

There were representatives from area manufacturers, the technology industry, a graphic and design agency, a local aviation company, a national soft drink company, local newspapers, utilities contractors, TV cable companies and local hotels. The Union County Chamber of Commerce also had a booth. Local community colleges and universities were on hand to promote their schools, and representatives from Union County Public Schools offered insight into the field of education.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board is a proud partner of the Union County JobReady Partnership as well as the Union County JobLink Career Center. Connecting youth to their future and preparing them for the workforce is apart of the Centralina Workforce Development Board's goals.

For more information on the Union County JobReady Partnership please contact Linda Smith at (704) 289-5223 or by email at jobready@ucps.k12.nc.us. For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development Board please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2732 or by email at dhollars@centralina.org.

Rosemary Johnson, with the Union County JobLink Career Center, speaks to students from Parkwood Middle about job opportunities in the area.

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Save the Date!
National Youth Service Day 2006 is April 21 - 23, 2006.

National Youth Service Day, scheduled for April 21-23, 2006, 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.