Local Employers Awarded Incumbent Workforce Development Grants

The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to announce that two additional area employers have been awarded Incumbent Workforce Development Program grants. Approval for grants for Sara Lee Intimate Apparel and Bosch Tools was made by the NC Commission on Workforce Development based on the review and recommendation made by the Centralina Workforce Development Board. Sara Lee will receive $1,800 and Bosch Tools will receive $22,894 to upgrade the skills of their current workforce.

Sara Lee Intimate Apparel is located in Statesville, NC (Iredell County) and has 350 full time employees at the Statesville location. Sara Lee manufactures intimate apparel for men and women including brand names such as Bali, Champion, Hanes, Hanes Her Way, Just My Size, and Playtex. Employees will be offered supervisor skills training consisting of brain hemisphere survey and analysis, communication activities, brain preference and work teams, and team and problem-solving activities.

Bosch Tools is located in Lincolnton, NC (Lincoln County) and has 465 full time employees at the Lincolnton location. Bosch Tools manufactures and distributes power tool accessories including, drills, hammers, saws, routers, sanders, and various other cordless tools and attachments. Robert Bosch Tool Corporation (RBTC), formerly Vermont American Corporation has operated manufacturing and distribution facilities in Lincoln County for more than forty (40) years. The company is aggressively implementing Lean Manufacturing principles in an effort to upgrade current skills, increase productivity, and reduce costs.

The guidelines and application process for the Incumbent Workforce Development Program can be found at www.centralinaworks.com/whatshot.cfm. The application is in a Word format for easy processing. All applications will need to be submitted to the Centralina WDB for review and within the timeframes outlined in the guidelines. For more information please contact David Hollars at dhollars@centralina.org.

Teaming for Employment Access in North Carolina
JobLink and Vocational Rehabilitation
Join Forces

The North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in partnership with the NC Commission on Workforce Development was recently awarded a US Department of Labor Work Incentive Grant to increase employment services provided to persons with disabilities throughout JobLink Career Centers in North Carolina and to provide equipment to assist those with disabilities in the centers. The purpose of the grant is also to strengthen and expand employer relations to create more job opportunities for persons with disabilities. Three regions throughout the state host grant staff to facilitate the services within the local area.

Ms. Karen Pappas with the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, spoke to the Centralina Workforce Development Board at their November 9th Meeting. Ms. Pappas and her team discussed the various opportunities for businesses through the JobLink Career Centers. She also shared information dispelling the myths about hiring individuals with disabilities. Karen lead a discussion with Board Members about the various challenges around building business awareness and identifying training needs of employers. She concluded by sharing many of the positive ways that JobLink Career Centers can work for local businesses to reduce costs and time to recruit, screen and train new employees.

For more information about the Work Incentive Project please contact Ms. Lily Moody at 828.324.5650 ext. 4813 or Lily.Moody@ncmail.net.

To find your local JobLink Career Center please visit www.centralinaworks.com.

Stanly County Business Provides "Eye Opening" Tour for JobLink Partners

Partners of the Stanly County JobLink Career Center had the opportunity to tour American Fiber & Finishing in Albemarle on November 4, 2004. JobLink Center Manager, Ms. Cynthia Lowder, coordinated the tour to benefit partners and staff who refer applicants to jobs at the company. Through the tour, the group was able to learn about the various products that are manufactured locally at the plant facility.

American Fiber & Finishing is located in Albemarle in 1996 and employs about 220 people. The company manufactures various products which include: special cleaning cloths for the aerospace industry, cosmetic pads and cotton balls, surgical gauze and pads, book binding material, and cloth diapers. American Fiber & Finishing employs card tenders, open-end spinners, and warper tenders to also produce yarn from raw cotton.

Centralina Workforce Development Board members Mary Walls and Cynthia Lowder both participated in the tour. Mary stated, "It is a great opportunity to get a chance to see exactly what jobs are available and to be able to better refer qualified applicants to the employer." She added, "It also gives the employer a chance to learn about other agencies that are available in the community that could be resources for their employees."

Fourteen staff members from partner organizations participated in the tour of American Fiber & Finishing including: Vocational Rehabilitation, Stanly County Schools, Stanly Community College, Department of Social Services, and the Employment Security Commission. This is the fourth business tour the JobLink partners have experienced over the past year and several more are being planned for 2005.

For more information about the Stanly County JobLink Career Center visit www.stanlyjoblink.com.


 

Centralina Highest Projected Growth Occupations
2002-2012

Moderate-Term on the Job Training
Occupation
Hourly Wage
Annual Openings
Truck Drivers, Heavy & Tractor-Trailer
$16.52
200
Sales Rep., Wholesale & Manf.
$20.75
160
Team Assemblers
$12.05
120

Work Experience in Related Occupation
Occupation
Hourly Wage
Annual Openings
First-Line Spvr./Mgrs. of Retail Sales Workers
$14.01
170
First-Line Spvr./Mgrs. of Construction Trades & Extraction Workers
$21.90
100
First-Line Spvr./Mgrs. of Food Preparation & Serving Workers
$13.30
80

Bachelor's Degree
Occupation
Hourly Wage
Annual Openings
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Ed.
$20.75
100
Construction Managers
$29.57
50
Teachers, Primary, Secondary, & Adult
$11.94
50

*Average wages according to 2004 release, Source: ESC of North Carolina

For more information on recent employment statistics,
click here

Centralina Youth Give Back to the Community

The spirit of giving is upon us this Christmas season and many young people are volunteering in their communities. On November 24, 2004, eleven youth enrolled in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program with Union County Community Action, Inc. volunteered at the annual Christmas Bureau in Monroe. The Christmas Bureau is organized by the Union County Department of Social Services and provides residents with donated food and new and used toys during the holidays.

The eleven young men and women who volunteered spent the morning sorting through and categorizing over 3,000 can goods donated by the local high schools. The youth also spent time arranging hundreds of toys to prepare them as stocking stuffers for local children who often only receive gifts at Christmas through the bureau. Ms. Paula Holmes, case manager for Union County Community Action said, "Our efforts on November 24th were to assist our youth in building strong leadership skills through volunteerism. We encouraged the youth to exemplify Webster's dictionary definition of volunteerism - "acting willingly and with out reward."

For more information about the Union County Community Action WIA Program, please contact Paula Holmes at pholmes@uccainc.org or 704.283.1114

To help with the Union County Christmas Bureau contact Gloria Haney at 704.292.1841. Donations can be mailed or dropped off at 525 Purser Ave., Monroe, NC 28110.

Youth volunteer helps at the Christmas Bureau
in Monroe.

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Centralina Youth Council Appoints New Youth Member

The Centralina Workforce Development Board Youth Council is proud to announce that Ms. Heather Lyerly was recently appointed as a member. This was done at the October 21, 2004 meeting. Heather is the fourth student to be nominated to serve on the Youth Council.

Ms. Lyerly is a student at South Rowan High School in China Grove. Heather is currently serving as the South Rowan Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter and Regional FFA President. She is also secretary of the student body at South Rowan High School as well as chair of numerous committees within the student government. Heather belongs to the National Honor Society and is active in her local church community and it's youth groups.

The mission of the Centralina Youth Council is to provide youth, jointly with their family/ caretakers, opportunities for future success. For more information please contact Stephanie Boger at sboger@centralina.org or 704.348.2725 or visit www.centralinastars.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. National Youth Service Day has three primary goals:

  • Begin youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement
  • Mobilize youth as leaders to identify and address the needs of their communities through service
  • Educate the public, media and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders

For more information and planning toolkit visit http://www.ysa.org/nysd/.

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Groundhog Job Shadow Day February 2, 2005

GET INVOLVED! Beginning each February, over one million students will "shadow" career mentors in the workplace. Log on to www.jobshadow.org for more information.




News You Can Use
Upcoming Events:

  • Centralina Workforce Development Board Meeting
    Tuesday, January 11, 2005@ 4:30 PM
    Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce - Kannapolis

  • Centralina WDB Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
    January 18, 2005 @ 1:30 PM
    Carolina Carpet Care & Restoration - Concord

  • Centralina WDB Youth Council Meeting
    January 20, 2005 @ 10:00 AM
    Concord - specific location to be announced.

  • Centralina WDB Community Relations Committee Meeting
    January 27, 2005 @ 4:00 PM
    WinCup, Inc. - Mooresville

  • Centralina WDB Committee Leadership Meeting
    February 3, 2005 @ 9:30 AM
    Carolina Carpet Care & Restoration - Concord

  • Union County JobReady Partnership Meeting
    December 9, 2004 @ 12:00 PM
    Monroe
  • The North Carolina Education and Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will present the 25th Annual Occupational Safety and Health Winter Institute January 24-28, 2005 at the Safety Harbor Resort, Tampa, Florida. Each year the Institute is attended by approximately 200 industrial hygienists, safety professionals, health care professionals and others with the responsibility for occupational safety and health within their industry groups. For more information please visit: http://www.sph.unc.edu/osherc/institutes/winter05/index.htm.

 

 

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.

  
 

Visit our website at www.centralinaworks.com to learn more about the Centralina WDB
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