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TriadWorks Regional NCWorks Certified Career Pathways

ASHEBORO — Nearly 100 representatives from industry, community colleges, universities, K-12 schools and community

leaders from 14 counties came together in Asheboro on Feb. 23 to kick off the NCWorks Certified Career Pathways in aviation, advanced manufacturing, and transportation and

logistics. They also heard about the completed pathway recently certified for nursing. Throughout the spring and early summer of 2017 TriadWorks (comprised of: Davidson County, Guilford County, Northwest Piedmont, and Regional Partnership Workforce Development Boards) held 12 separate pathway committee meetings to develop pathways for the three aforementioned career paths.

State Certifies Two New Career Pathways in Piedmont Triad By Kate M. McMahon, TriadWorks Project Manager

The NCWorks Commission recently

certified two new career pathways for the Piedmont Triad region: Advanced Manufacturing and Aviation. The certifications were issued to TriadWorks, a consortium of four workforce development boards (WDB) that serve 14 counties including Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, and Randolph Counties. A third pathway in Nursing was certified Fall 2016. A fourth – Transportation & Logistics – was submitted for certification in September 2017.

Employers want higher-

skilled workers…..

Graham - By Isaac Groves / Times-News Posted Sep 7, 2017 at 7:36 AM

It is a good time to look for work, but not a great time to look for workers. “It’s a real struggle for a lot of the employers out there to find qualified people,” Lisa Arnette, manager of the NCWorks Career Center told the Alamance County Board of Commissioners this week. Demand for workers was higher than she had seen since 2000…… “They may say, ‘I’ve got to have a high school diploma, but I prefer somebody with a so-and-so welding certificate’ or ‘so-and-so CNC machining certificate,’” Arnette said. “They made it a preference instead of a job requirement.” The conversation was part of the annual

presentation from the Regional Partnership

Workforce Development Board to the

commissioners. There are 23 of these

public/private partnerships across the state.

The board’s mission is to help targeted

groups get job skills through guidance, and

sometimes financial aid, and connect job

seekers and employers. Besides Alamance,

this board works in Montgomery, Moore,

Orange and Randolph counties.

Read the full article at: http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/20170

907/commissioners-hear-about-job-training

(L-R) KATHY TARLTON WITH KRYSTAL PARKS

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https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2017/08/15/danish-textile-firm-to-open-60m-plant-in-triad-add.html

Danish textile firm to open $60M plant in Triad, add 145 jobs

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Local News Story

5 Ways to Re-engage High School dropouts : Posted Aug 21, 2017

(BPT) - For Christine Wilkins, now 16, freshman year of

high school was an ordeal. The same students who bullied her

in middle school were at her new high school. Just

approaching the school entry filled her with angst. One day,

instead of going in, she turned around and went home.

“The idea of walking through those gates gave me so much

anxiety,” she says.

Christine hated school. Unable to focus or dedicate herself to

her schoolwork, she made C’s, D’s and F’s.

Eventually, Christine stopped going to school and dropped out

….

Tackling the dropout issue There are many reasons students drop out of high school.

Poverty, pregnancy, homelessness, bullying or just losing

interest are some of the many issues that cause students to

skip a day of class, a week and eventually drop out

altogether….

This is why Learn4Life, a nonprofit dropout recovery

program, takes a dynamic approach to reengage students…

These are the five effective ways they reach out to these

students.

1. Dealing with issues outside of the classroom….

2. Meeting students where they are….

3. Removing obstacles to learning….

4. Making them feel safe….

5. Helping them see a future….

As a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

partner, Learn4Life offers courses in work-readiness skills,

career exploration, writing cover letters and resumes,

completing applications and interviewing. The effectiveness

of Learn4Life’s approach can be seen in the fact that when

students enroll, only 15 percent of them come to school

regularly, but as the year goes on, that number jumps to 86

percent….

Read the full article for the Conclusion of Christine’s Story.

http://www.thetimesnews.com/lifestyle/20170821/5-ways-

to-re-engage-high-school-dropouts

The Mid-Morning Coffee

Break w/Larry Reid

Monday – Friday @ 8:30 am

This 25 minute interview program

focuses on various organizations

serving Randolph County.

The first Wednesday of every month

Regional Consolidated Services

highlights one of their services.

Regional Partnership Workforce

Development was interviewed on

Aug. 2 2017:

Krystal Parks (RCS Director) stated,

“James Bain and I sure enjoyed our

time on 94.9 FM this morning

with Larry D Reid ~ Talking about

RCS - and specifically the Workforce

Innovation and Opportunity Act here

in Randolph County.”

We are very proud of the work that

the NC Works Career Center -

Randolph does assisting Randolph

County citizens age 16 to 120!

A Big Thanks goes to WKXR 94.9 FM

and Larry Reid for helping us spread

the word about the Adult,

Dislocated Worker and the Youth

Programs NCWorks Career Centers

offer!

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“WIOA NEXTGEN”SUCCESS STORY

Randolph County- Anthony “Skylar” Harlan applied for the Workforce Innovations and

Opportunity Act (WIOA) program on June 15, 2016. At the age of 16, Skylar’s life turned upside down

when his mother passed away. During this time, Skylar had become a foster child and eventually was

adopted by his grandmother.

Skylar experienced a very hard time coping with the passing of his

mother. Many areas of his life were affected. His grades decreased

and his behavior escalated to a point where his grandmother kicked

him out the day he turned 18.

Skylar, still enrolled in his senior year of high school, became

homeless. His high school guidance counselor assisted with placing

Skylar in a shelter as well as referring him to the WIOA young adult

program.

Finally, Skylar recognized potential in life and felt he was needed so

he fought hard to succeed with the intent to graduate high school and

hopefully join the Navy. His determination and willpower was evident

when Skylar graduated Southwestern High School in June of 2017 and immediately met with the Navy

recruiters to discuss military options.

Skylar will be joining the Navy in the near future once he completes certain requirements in order to be

accepted. In the meantime, Skylar has found employment as a Security Officer for Marksman Security at

the International Home Furniture Center (IHFC) in High Point. The Training Director quoted, “Skylar is an

impressively motivated young man and we are happy to have him on our team”. Skylar was hired on the

spot as a full time permanent employee.

Skylar is very pleased to have found work that he truly enjoys to do. His plan is to work and make the

necessary adjustments within his personal life to achieve

his short term goals. Skylar will then set out to achieve

his long term goal of joining the Navy.

Skylar stated in an email to his CA ” I want to thank you

all for giving me the help and encouragement and

motivation you have given me… I truly appreciate

everything from the bottom of my heart”.

Submitted by: Rebecca Spoonamore,

Career Advisor NCWorks Randolph County

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Alamance County WIOA Youth Success Cesar Guevara Hernandez was enrolled into the Alamance County

Youth program with the desire to obtain his Associate’s Degree in

Medical Laboratory Technology. Cesar began participation in the

WIOA youth program by participating in classes at Alamance

Community College, receiving above average grades. He regularly

participated in work readiness workshops, leadership activities and

was a great spokesperson to other youth about the youth services

he was receiving.

Cesar completed a paid work experience at the local Goodwill

where he was a served in the roles of Receptionist, Translator, and

Resource Room Assistant, helping community users understand

resumes, applications, and other employment based needs. Cesar

was able to provide an important community resource, to the

Hispanic community, understanding culture, needs, and language

barriers. Cesar completed his Summer Work Experience with high evaluations and professional

references. Upon this completion, Cesar was the first Alamance Youth Participant to receive a Gold Level

Career Readiness Credential.

Cesar successfully completed all requirements for the Medical Laboratory Technology Associates Degree

from Alamance Community College this spring and will participate in graduation ceremony in July 2017.

Alamance Youth Center will sponsor his Board of Certification exam for Medical Lab Technology

credential, provided by the American Society for Clinical Pathology. This will enable him to work in

hospitals and advanced lab positions within LabCorp and other similar employers. Cesar has maintained

excellent discipline to ensure his completion of his educational goals. He has been a joy to work with

and we certainly wish him great success in his future career.

Celin Espinosa Martinez is a single mom who applied for enrollment

into the Alamance County youth program for career exploration and

training activities. After completing career interest inventories and

Labor Market Information, Celin decided on a career in Nursing.

She began classes at Alamance Community College by taking courses

related to the Nurse Aide Certificate program. She recently completed

all related coursework and Building Futures assisted her with exam

fees related to obtaining the Nurse Aide certification. She took and

passed the state exam on 2/24/2017 and is listed on NC Nurse Aide

registry.

Celin’s Career Advisor referred her to a possibly employment

opportunity with Happier Days Home Health Care agency. She

forwarded her resume, interviewed and was hired. She is very excited to have secured employment to

help support herself and son while she continues to pursue her education in healthcare.

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Moore County Success Stories

“Older Youth Program RCSC”

Ashley Short is a 24 year old, with one child. She is in

our Older Youth Program. She came to us seeking

assistance with funding so she could complete her

education in the medical field. We met on several

occasions and her main objective was that she

complete LPN training so that she could gain

sustainable employment in order to take care of her

daughter and herself. She also shared in our interview

that she has always wanted to be a nurse, since she was

a little girl. Ashley was employed part-time as a CNA

making above minimum wage at (At Home Care Facility)

and she was currently enrolled in the nursing program

at Central Carolina Community College full time. She

worked hard at being a mother, a student, and an

employee. Some days things seem a little hectic and

she wanted to quit, but she stayed focused and kept

her eye on the prize, which was her LPN Diploma. She

completed training May 8, 2017, Central Carolina

Community College, earning her LPN Diploma. She started working for Pine Needle Nursing Home, June

2017, earning an excellent wage. Dedication and hard work paid off because she has completed training

and has gained sustainable employment less than a year with a higher salary and benefits.

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“WIOA Testimonials” Submitted by: Frances Ryan, Employment Specialist

Randolph- My experience with WIOA has been wonderful. I was suddenly unemployed in May 2015. I searched for a new job for two months, with zero results. Everything that I found required, at least, an Associate’s Degree, so I decided that I should try to go to college and get an Associate’s Degree in Interior Design. This degree should work well with my twenty-five years of experience as Furniture Cloth Cutter.

After meeting with Ms. Ryan, she scheduled me for the appropriate testing to see if I would be candidate for the WIOA program. I passed the required testing and began my enrollment at Randolph Community College. The Interior Design program is a very exhaustive and complete curriculum. When I graduate in May of 2018, not only will I have learned theory, I will also have the knowledge and technical skills that are required in the design field to use such programs as Auto Cad, Sketch Up and PhotoShop, just to name a few. As of today, I am a third semester student with a 3.97 GPA. I am now looking forward to my future in the interior design field. This would not have been possible without the funding and assistance from the WIOA program. Thank you for giving me a chance! Sandra Chappell Dislocated Worker Participant

Randolph-My experience with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act has been the best! I’m so glad this program was able to help me get back into school to further my education. I really appreciate everything this company has to offer!! Thanks! Shakeythua Jones Adult Program Participant

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“WIOA Testimonials” Submitted by: Frances Ryan, Employment Specialist

Continued..

Randolph- My experience with WIOA has been incredible. The staff is caring and non-judgmental and it’s genuine. At least that is my experience. I have encountered some unforeseen tragic situations during the last six months ….. The WIOA program has enabled me and empowered me to pursue my educational goals, and I am grateful for this program. Thank you to everyone involved, from the staff who answers the phone to the lady at the front desk, I have no complaints, thank you for all you do! Shannon Rogers Adult Program Participant

PERSEVERANCE:

What the mind can conceive and believe… It can achieve!

Thank you WIOA for helping me to persevere!!!

Robin Carter Adult Program Participant

Equal Opportunity for ALL! Pictured at the Lancer Job Fair in Montgomery County, Vicki Odom WIOA case manager and four legged job fair participant “Angel". Angel along with several other job fair attendees were hired at Lancer. Angel was adopted by one of the longtime employees of Lancer. The event was a success for all that attended. Testimonial by: Crystal Taylor Business Services Representative Regional Partnership Workforce Development Board