‘Getting Things Done.’

Projects includes;  volunteering at the Arc of Wake County’s  Annual Christmas Party, assisting at 4-H’sTeen Lock In  as chaperones, organizing Christmas gifts for the Jingle Ball of Wake County with the Salvation Army, and sorting and moving gifts at the Salvation Army of Smithfield.

 AmeriCorps members have truly been in the spirit of ‘giving’ for the holidays and made it their mission to give more time and service to the communities of Wake and Johnston counties.

AmeriCorps members also piloted Interview Workshops with Capital Area’s ‘Youth Going Green’ project participants.  The workshops were planned and facilitated by AmeriCorps Access JobLink members, with the intention of providing an introduction to face-to-face, panel, phone, and group interviews. The youth were required to dress professionally for the interviews and prepare as though they were applying for an actual job. Participants were very receptive to the feedback from the members and look forward to doing similar workshops in the near future. 

For more information on AmeriCorps Access JobLink contact Ashley Reams at: Ashley.reams@wakegov.com.

Cyber Cafe 'Class of 2011' Graduates

The graduates included 9 dislocated workers from Johnston County, all of which earned ServSafe credentials and certificates of completion from Johnston Community College.  One participant graduated with 100% attendance throughout the entire 12 week program and 7 out of the 9 graduates went on to receive their Career Readiness Credential (CRC) through Johnston Community College. So far, 1 graduate has found full-time employment and another has earned an internship.

The café, located at Johnston Medical Mall, 514 N. Bright Leaf Blvd in Smithfield,  is open to the public from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.   To learn more about the initiative contact: Shirley Chamberlain, Business Development Manager, at: shirley.chamberlain@jcindustries.com.

2012 Cyber Cafe Tour

The celebrations do not stop there; on January 12, 2012 the Cyber Café held their first tour of their facilities for visitors from Rocky Mount looking to replicate the initiative in their own town.  Testimonials were heard from Shirley Chamberlain (Cyber Café Business Development Manager), Myra Beatty (Special Projects Manager with the NC Department of Commerce), Patricia Little (Johnston County Industries) and graduates of the first culinary class. The tour was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the success of the initiative and to bring together all the partners that have worked so hard to develop the first culinary training partnership of its kind in the Capital Area.

Revelation Free Will Baptist Church

Each FOCUS Point identifies their own advisor to receive training. They also receive WinWay resume writing software and job search assistance books and resources. FOCUS Points becomes part of the JobLink network with a connection to all local JobLink Career Centers for ongoing support, resources and announcements, such as career fairs, job opportunities and JobLink events.

Two FOCUS Points received JobLink training in September, including: Mount Zion Church of Deliverance in Smithfield; and Revelation Free Will Baptist Church in Raleigh.

To learn more about FOCUS Points, contact JobLink Specialist Lisa Ramsey at lisa.ramsey@wakegov.com.

Darnell Thoms, Youth Case Worker at Capital Area Workforce Development, Facilitating a workshop on ‘How to Work with At-Risk Youth’

Access JobLink is an annual program offered through Capital Area Workforce Development’s JobLink System. The AmeriCorps Access JobLink ‘Class of 2012’ started in September with 15 new AmeriCorps members, each with a shared interest in community service and volunteerism. 

The class of 2012 will volunteer at various JobLink Career Centers in Wake and Johnston counties assisting individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, older adults, homeless, and former offenders with the process of finding employment. The class will also raise awareness by educating the community about the services available through the JobLink Career Center System.

AmeriCorps Access JobLink Program Manager, Ashley Reams, has set some challenging goals for this year’s class, including the following:

• Provide customized job search assistance, on-the-job training, and skill building to 2,500 citizens with barriers to employment
• Conduct 600 outreach and education activities in the community, including employment workshops at various community agencies, and local area access points
• Recruit 25 volunteers to serve 1,000 hours in JobLink Centers and/or other community organizations

For more information about AmeriCorps Access JobLink, contact Ashley Reams at ashley.reams@wakegov.com.

Brendon Davis, nominated and selected for the '2011 Governor's Award for Excellence'

Brendon Davis, a participant of the Capital Area Workforce Development sponsored ‘Yes I Can’ program with Johnston County Industries (JCI), was nominated and selected for the ’2011 Governor’s Award for Excellence’ in the Older Youth Outstanding Achievement category.

Since graduating and becoming a full-time employee, Brendon has continued to be a positive role model, father, accomplished worker and exemplary member of his community. All of these attributes support the reason he was recently selected for ‘The 2011 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Outstanding Achievement Category’. We are all very proud of Brendon’s achievements, and his success plays testament to the dedication of Johnston County Industries ‘Yes I Can’ program staff.

For more information on Capital Area Workforce Development Youth Services contact Trenice Cutler at trenice.cutler@wakegov.com.

Keynote Speaker: Dale Carroll, Deputy Secretary of the NC Department of Commerce

 Capital Area Workforce Development held their signature event “Collaborate 2011 – Innovative Partnerships to Attract and Retain Business and Talent” in June. The event aimed to raise awareness of workforce development services available to local business owners and community leaders. The event attracted over 150 attendees and caught the attention of Local News Channel 14.

The inaugural event turned out to be a real success for Capital Area Workforce Development thanks to the many sponsors, including: SAS Institute, Capital Associated Industries, Wake County Economic Development, NCSU, ElectriCities, New Horizons Computer Learning, Harnett-Lee-Johnston Community Action, Progress Energy, and PSNC. 

Expert Panel (left to right): Roger Shackleford, NC Division of Workforce Development; Charles Hayes, Research Triangle Regional Partnership; Tom White, NCSU; Maureen Little, NC Community Colleges

Capital Area Workforce Development Staff at 'Collaborate 2011'

Access Points are mini-satellite JobLink Career Centers located in community based organizations. They are equipped to connect job seekers to the JobLink system without them having to venture far.

Each location is assisted by a trained volunteer and offers the following; access to career and labor market information, online job search assistance, resume preparation and various employment resources.

To learn more about JobLink Career Center Access Points, including how your organization could become one contact Lisa Ramsey at lisa.ramsey@wakegov.com.

Pat Sturdivant, Executive Director of Capital Area Workforce Development Board, and Darnell Thoms, Youth Case Manager, are accepting the McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education's 'Award of Excellence for Customized Education' for the 'Youth Going Green Project'.

 The ‘Youth Going Green’ Project is an innovative and creative training-to-employment program that gives youth aged 17-21 an opportunity to receive education that leads to a GED while exploring green technology skills to prepare them for tomorrow’s workforce.

Capital Area Workforce Development was also awarded two scholarships to attend The Green Southeast Institute based on the continued success of their ‘Youth Going Green’ project. Capital Area was the only Nort Carolina organization to receive an award. The institute offers best practices, guidance, and technical assistance to programs from across the country interested in developing or expanding green job training programs.

Scholarships were awarded to attend training courses, receive technical assistance, as well as web-based resources such as, best practices, and model legislation. 

Alfreda Barnett (far right), WIA Program Manager at Capital Area Workforce Development, participated on a workforce panel discussion in Birmingham, Alabama.

 To learn more about the ‘Youth Going Green’ project and how you could become involved contact Darnell Thoms at darnell.thoms@wakegov.com.