Mitchell Community College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College were recently designated by the NC Community College System as pilot sites to implement the Career Readiness Certification program, a portable credential for students. The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to be the only region in the state to have two community colleges to be selected as test sites. The initiative is being driven by a partnership between the community colleges, Centralina Workforce Development Board, and the JobLink Career Centers in Cabarrus, Rowan and Iredell counties.

The Career Readiness Certificate is an employability credential that reflects an individual's attainment of certain core employability skills required across many industries and occupations. Employers know that the costs of hiring, training and retaining workers significantly affects the bottom line of profitability. Employers also experience significant challenges identifying potential applicants who have basic workplace skills and are therefore trainable for specific jobs. To address these issues, Mitchell Community College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College are developing and implementing a Career Readiness Certification Process. A portable skills credential that is easily and universally understood by employers, educators, and recipients will help facilitate job placement, retention and advancement in our mobile society.

Career Readiness Certification is not a stand-alone program. It is a credentialing process that is integrated into existing programs and services. The standardized assessment used in the certification system is WorkKeys® assessment. To earn a Career Readiness Certificate, a customer must take the three WorkKeys assessments, which include Reading for Information, Applied Math, and Locating Information. As a result of testing, individuals will either earn a Career Readiness Certification for a specified skill level or be provided with documentation that identifies areas in which they need further training to obtain a certificate. North Carolina's Career Readiness Certificate has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The three levels allow an individual to advance his or her reading, applied math, and locating information skill levels in order to qualify for more jobs.

Lessons learned during the pilot phase will be disseminated to all partners in preparation for a statewide rollout strategy. Congratulations to Mitchell Community College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College for being leaders in implementing this project! For more information about Career Readiness Certification at Mitchell Community College, contact Carol Johnson at 704.878.3225 and Linda Spencer at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College at 704.637.0760 ext.326.

Left to Right: Harry E. Payne, Jr., Judi Morton,
and Tim Beam

• The North Carolina Employment Security Commission has recognized the Lincoln County JobLink Career Center/ESC Office by awarding the John B. Fleming Award for outstanding service. A local ESC office from each of the six regions is chosen for the honor. The Lincolnton Office was the winner for Region 3. The award was named for John B. Fleming, who during his 39 years with the ESC, served 14 years as the Employment Service Director. His strong leadership and standards of excellence made his name a natural choice for the award.
  
  
  
• Ms. Libby Huss, who has worked at the Lincoln County JobLink Career Center for 14 years, has recently been promoted as Branch Manager of the Employment Security Commission office in Kings Mountain. Congratulations Libby! We will miss you!

• Ms. Leigh Guth, formerly with Salem Industries, is the new family consumer education agent at the Lincoln County Cooperative Extension. To contact Leigh please call 704.736.8452 or email at Leigh_Guth@ncsu.edu.

• I-Care, Inc. in Statesville has a new Interim Executive Director. Ms. Mary Twitty with the Mid Iowa Community Action Association began on October 24, 2005. She can be reached by calling 704.872.8141.

Employment Statistics
(Updated Monthly on this E-Newsletter)

For more information on employment, click here.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to welcome Mr. Thomas (Tom) White as the new director of the NC Division of Employment & Training (DET). DET is the primary funding source for our local workforce services. Mr. White was the featured speaker at the Centralina Workforce Development Board meeting on October 11, 2005 at the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce in Kannapolis. He discussed the role of DET and the Department of Commerce in working with local workforce boards to build a more competitive workforce for the region and the state. Tom also discussed several national and state initiatives that DET and Commerce are involved in. He praised the Centralina Workforce Development Board members, staff, and service providers for their outstanding WIA performance for the past fiscal year and for their exemplary JobLink partnerships in the region.

Tom brings a wealth of experience to the job from business and from the economic development sector. He comes to DET as former president of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce where he served for 28 years. White has been an active as a volunteer in the Durham and Research Triangle community, having served as president of the Durham Day Care Council, the Durham Literacy Council, chairman of the Durham United Way Campaign and subsequently chairman of its board of directors, and a member of the executive committees and boards of both the Durham Workforce Development Board and the Research Triangle Regional Partnership.

To contact Tom White call 919.329.5244 or email at twhite@nccommerce.com.

Things have changed recently on the North Carolina State Training and Reporting System (NCSTARS) website. The site now glows with a sleeker new look, updated colors and new images. Also available on the site is the administrative information for every Workforce Development Board in the state, as well as the State and Area Research Analysis system, which allows the user to find more detailed labor market information in each region. Additional changes are being discussed for NCSTARS regarding performance data information and continuing education classes that are listed. To see the most recent changes please visit www.ncstars.org.

The NCSTARS system allows users to search a statewide database for possible training providers. Case managers, Workforce Investment Act (WIA) participants, as well as the general public can access this database. The NCSTARS program allows the job seeker to see the providers that qualify for training services through WIA. It instantly connects the user with the information for all of the training providers in North Carolina and their programs. Once the user has chosen a training provider that is approved in their region they can then begin obtaining the training that is needed for an in demand job.

Training providers can also access the NCSTARS system to update any new program information, as well to add new programs. Anyone interested in becoming a possible training provider in the state of North Carolina can register on the NCSTARS system by going to www.ncstars.org and simply following the step-by-step instructions. Once a training provider lists a program every Workforce Development Board in the state can make a decision regarding approval.

Training providers requesting approval from the Centralina Workforce Development Board should look for an upcoming Policy and Procedures Guide listed on the Centralina Website www.centralinaworks.com. The policy will explain the eligibility requirements, the procedures that will follow a request for approval, as well as how to appeal the Board's decision. The policy should be available for all training providers electronically by January 2006.

For more information on NCSTARS in the Centralina Workforce Development Board region please contact Emily Barnes at ebarnes@centralina.org or 704.348.2732.

"Another Way to Be Smart" You Guessed It… High School and College at the Same Time! Kayla Dellinger is a senior at Mooresville High School. When she began her senior year and plans for life after high school, she and her parents discussed the option of dual enrollment at Mooresville High School and Mitchell Community College. Dual enrollment is an option for high school students to earn college credit towards a degree while in high school. Kayla started the dual enrollment program available to high school students last summer. Kayla has taken the following dual enrollment classes: Psychology, Public Speaking, and Cultural Studies. Next semester she plans to take four or five more classes at Mitchell Community College to complete the General Education requirements. Her plan is to enter college as a sophomore. Dual enrollment classes at Mitchell Community College have helped her to remain focused and have saved college tuition for one full year. Her parents are extremely grateful for that! Mooresville High School College Tech Prep's Health Sciences Pathway will allow Kayla the opportunity to sit for the state Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification examination and Pharmacy Tech state certification examination. Upon passing the examinations, she will be certified in both areas as a graduating senior from high school. Classes taken in the Health Sciences Pathway are also articulated with the Community College System, which allows advanced placement to students who score well. Although still undecided on where to continue her education, Kayla knows she would like to pursue a career in the medical field. The opportunities of dual enrollment, participation in articulation classes, and state certifications while in high school will help her become more marketable to employers and give her a head start in her professional life! College Tech Prep classes prepare students for high skill, high wage jobs for the 21st Century. Students learn skills required in the workplace. Opportunities for success are endless… For more information about College Tech Prep benefits and dual enrollment contact Lisa Conger at lconger@mgsd.k12.nc.us. Mooresville High School College Tech Prep's Health Sciences Pathway allows Kayla Dellinger the opportunity to work towards her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Pharmacy Tech state certifications. ******* LifePath Young Adults Planning on Dreaming the Night Away The Stanly County Youth LifePath Program has scheduled their Christmas Dream Night Banquet. The banquet will be held on Monday December 12, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. This will be a special night for young adults to dream about possibilities for their future along with parents, guardians, or other adult mentors and friends. The Christmas dinner celebration will be held at Resurrection Community Church in Albemarle. Guest speaker, Paul Jenkins, will motivate youth to look beyond their circumstances and dream for a bright future. Paul has been speaking to teenagers for over two decades and holds a Master's degree from Columbia International University. He has a heart to see youth not just survive adolescence, but thrive in it! For more information on the Stanly County Youth LifePath Program visit http://www.thelifepath.com/.

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