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Greetings!
We need your input.
Workforce is working with our educational and economic development partners to address the "skills gap" that we hear so much about. Starting next month, we will begin a collaboration process that needs your input.
What are the skills that your current job applicants lack?
This is often expressed in broad terms, but it is necessary to get the details if the lack of these skills is to be addressed. Our educational partners need to know exactly what they need to add to their training curriculum to solve the problem.
What changes or new skill needs are forecasted for your business? How do we build a talent pipeline that builds the skilled workforce that you will need three or four years from now? What are the talents needed in a workforce to enhance our area's ability to bring in new business through our economic development efforts?
Our partnership has selected the firm of Thomas P. Miller and Associates to help gather your input. Our efforts begin in May and will continue over the summer with focus sessions in each county. If you can't find a worker with the skills you need, join one of our sessions and tell us what you need.
Rusty Skinner, CEO
Workforce Connection |
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Spotlight on Employer Success
Donarra Extrusions: On-the-Job Training
Ernest Becker not only uses Workforce Connection to meet his hiring needs as Donarra Extrusion's operations manager, that's how he got the job himself. Working with Workforce, the company's owner, Kevin Donahue, found Becker in searching for someone with a military background and organizational skills.
That's something Becker had in spades, with 31 years in the Navy as a submariner, six years as director of NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, and most recently, in charge of running five juvenile detention centers in Florida. But like many, shortly before the holidays in 2010, he found himself out of work and looking for a good fit.
Becker's experience, working with one of Workforce Connection's Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER) was so positive that, once onboard, he turned to Workforce for all the company's hiring. To date, that includes five employees hired through the On-the-Job Training (OJT) program, which can reimburse employers from 50 to 90 percent of their eligible new employees' wages while the employee is working for, and being trained, by the company.
Follow Donarra's example and grow your business. The OJT program can make it affordable. Read Donarra Extrusions' Success Story
Pictured L-R: Eric Gue, Ernest Becker and Chris Mott. |
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Skills Gap Survey and Forums
Working to build critical talent base
Workforce Connection is collaborating with economic development and education partners throughout our region to identify industry sectors that are critical for each county.
Thomas P. Miller and Associates of Chicago has been contracted to work with Workforce Connection and its partners to confirm priority industries, identify desired skills and determine what gaps exist between their needs and the qualifications of job applicants and recent graduates.
Skills Gap Forums will be held in each county throughout May and June; two forums for each of the top industries in each county are contemplated. The forums will be supplemented with an online survey to gather insight about the top five occupations identified for each of the industry sectors.
A final report is anticipated by August. The success of the project relies on the participation of employers throughout Citrus, Levy and Marion counties. A project kick-off meeting with top level partner leadership will be held on May 2. Details about the Skills Gap Forums and how you can attend will be available in the May edition of Employer Connection, on our Facebook page and website, and through information in local media. |
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Workforce Innovation: Freelance Talent Hub
Workforce Connection is launching
"Your Talent Hub," a new alternative
work initiative to assist professionals in
transition through freelancing and crowdsourcing. The program provides access to tools, resources and strategies designed to lead to earning opportunities, project work, contracting and full-time placements in creative, technology and related fields.
Today's emerging new world of work is a "Free Agent Nation" of borderless workplaces where freelancers profit by coworking in
project-specific virtual teams that form, collaborate, disband and form again. Collectively, there are more than 25 million members in this contingent workforce which companies can tap into to get work done without weighing down the bottom line.
In partnership with the College of Central Florida, orientations will
take place April 25 and April 30 at the college's campuses in
Ocala and Lecanto. A special training program begins in May. More information about the benefits of crowdsourcing and a contingent workforce for employers is available on the Your Talent Hub website, Twitter and Facebook. |
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Community Outreach throughout region
Workforce Connection is reaching out to provide more services throughout the region. The Mobile Resource Unit is now deployed
weekly to Bronson and Williston and monthly to Cedar Key,
Dunnellon and Inglis.
In partnership with library systems in Citrus and Marion counties, community workshops are offered at library branches in Belleview, Beverly Hills, Dunnellon, Homosassa and Ocklawaha.
Job Placement services are offered to those completing programs at
the Withlacoochee Technical Institute in Inverness, will soon be in
place at the College of Central Florida's three campuse. Classeshave been scheduled in May to teach Community Technical and Adult Education students on how to utilize the Employ Florida Marketplace for their job search needs. Placement services are also in the works for CTAE and other post-secondary institutions as well.
Workforce Connection will offer up to $60,000 in scholarships to high school graduates in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties who plan to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) or an occupation in demand from among one of the region's targeted industry sectors. The academic and needs-based scholarship program will provide up to $20,000 for each of the region's three public school districts for two-year community college or technical school programs. |
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About Us
 Mission: Workforce Connection brings together citizens, employers and educational providers to develop programs to support high-quality education/training and employment services to meet regional workforce needs.
The regional workforce board sets policy and directs expenditures of more than $6 million in funds that underwrite services provided through the Workforce Connection offices.
Workforce Connection is the local, business-led organization that plans and coordinates quality employment and training services for businesses and individual career seekers in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties.
Each year, approximately 1,500 businesses and more than 36,000 career seekers receive services through the Workforce Connection. Services include professional and technical recruitment, training, targeted talent marketplaces (job fairs) and financial incentives.
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Employment Update
The unemployment rate in March 2012 in the Workforce Connection region of Citrus, Levy and Marion counties was 10.1 percent, the lowest since December 2008 when it was 10 percent.
The March unemployment rates were: 10.3 percent in Marion County, 10.1 percent in Citrus County, and 9.4 percent in Levy County
While unemployment in the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) remains the second highest in Florida, it also led the state with the highest growth rate over the year in the information industry and ranked fourth in manufacturing.
Due to annual benchmarking, February's unemployment numbers were released on March 30. The unemployment rate for the region was 10.7 percent, a drop of 0.6 percent in January. February's unemployment data is available with the information for March.
Read Our News Release
See Regional Report
See Statewide Report |
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NetWorker Bulletin
Last year for the first time in a long while, the majority of new hires came from external sources, and the leading external source continues to be through referral -- the kind made every day through personal and professional networks. That's the idea behind the new bi-weekly NetWorker e-bulletin introduced on March 21 to highlight a handful of Jobs, People and Employer Services. If you missed an issue, or would like to recommend the information to a friend, family member or colleague, it is available on Workforce Connection's website or by using the above highlighted NetWorker link. |
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Basic Supervisor Training
Basic Supervisory Training kicked off April 19 providing training for 21 supervisors sent by area companies to help increase productivity and sales, reduce turnover and improve employee morale. The 16-hour program is conducted by Jim Moyer, a certified instructor, over the course of four weeks. Costs of the training for participating companies were offset by an Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Consortium Grant that allowed multiple employers throughout the three counties to partner under one funding grant. |
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EWT Program Incentives
Does your current workforce have the skills they need to keep you competitive? Is your business model lean? Are you retooling and need training for your employees? Workforce Connection's Employed Worker Training (EWT) Program can help. It can pay up to 50 percent of your training costs for employees who earn as much as $25 an hour and will earn an industry-recognized certification upon completion of training. Does it work? Read what Nature Coast EMS has to say.
Ready to get started? Apply online. |
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Florida Trend Features Canyons Zip Line Tours
Be sure to check out the May issue of Florida Trend magazine to see Canyons Zip Lines and Canopy Tours' success story and promotion. The Ocala-based eco-tourism, high-adventure attraction is one of the first businesses selected for Workforce Florida's statewide Ambassador Campaign promoting successful partnerships between businesses and local workforce boards. Canyons Zip Lines was featured in the December issue of Employer Connection and was submitted in February by Workforce Connection. The company was selected as a statewide ambassador from among nominations from all 24 regional workforce boards. |
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