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Greetings!
Planning talent acquisition and talent supply chain development sometimes requires doing things differently. The talent supply system for our communities begins in our K-12 systems. As employers, ask yourself how you can align your hiring process to develop a better K-12 link.
One thought is mentoring - especially for those jobs that are growing in your industry, or in demand but for which you lack job applicants. Certainly this is not a "quick fix" plan. Sometimes students are unaware that certain job opportunities exist within our communities. In other instances, they have dated perceptions of that industry - certainly manufacturing faces this latter problem.
If you decide that you want to link with a promising student to begin a talent development/recruitment process, I would like to talk with you about some options that we can support. The key is what you will be willing to "invest." Talent development calls for certain investments, such as supervisory time to instruct and a "learning curve" process by the employee. Other investments are wages paid and other direct costs.
Some of the training options and staff development options that Workforce Connection can assist with are training that occurs on the jobs. For small firms we can reimburse up to 90 percent, yes 90 percent, of the wages you pay a trainee. In the area of existing employee development, we can cover 50 percent of the costs.
If you are interested in starting the new school year by setting up a talent supply link with high school juniors or seniors, I will be glad to talk with you about how we can assist. Call me at 352-861-1650.
It is not too early to start.
Rusty Skinner, CEO
Workforce Connection
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Spotlight: Heart of Florida Health Center
Professional Recruiting Services Meet All Needs
Kerrie Jones Clark didn't get to be chief executive officer of the Heart of Florida Health Center in Ocala without knowing a thing or two about how to get things done, not necessarily by doing things the easy way, but by doing things the best way. When it came to the clinic's staffing needs, Jones-Clark didn't have to compromise - she was able get both streamlined and effective recruiting the Workforce Connection way.
"Workforce Connection specializes in recruitment - why reinvent the wheel?" said Jones-Clark. "Definitely through the prescreening they do a nice job of matching up appropriate candidates for the different programs we have. You know you can get the caliber of employees you want and (Workforce) makes it easy to make the connection."
Read why Heart of Florida loves doing business with Workforce Connection Heart of Florida Success Story
Pictured L-R: Kerrie Jones Clark, Heart of Florida's CEO, and Erica Rizzo, customer associate of one of several recent new hires. |
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New Employment Services Office
Available for ALL Postsecondary Students
Workforce Connection, in partnership with the College of Central Florida, has opened a new employment services/job placement office for students at CF's Ocala campus. The services are available at no charge to all college, vocational and technical education students in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties.
"We know that students not only need a job once they graduate, but often while they are still in school," said Gail Buzard, business development coordinator in charge of the new office. "Hopefully, by being on campus, more students will become aware of what we have to offer and use our services."
Services include job leads and referrals, resume assistance, job-search tips and skills, workshops, one-on-one consultation with professional placement specialists, and employer recruiting and job fairs.
"One comment we've heard is that when we've had hiring events and job fairs on campus, students never seem to know about them," Buzard said. "We are redoubling our efforts, in collaboration with CF, to get the word out and help students prepare."
Those efforts appear to be paying off. The inaugural workshop, "From Education to Employment: Navigating the New World of Work," was held on July 16 and attracted 33 students -- one instructor even brought his entire class.
The three-hour workshop is tailored for post-secondary students and another is slated to take place July 30. Workshop coordinator, Jerry Flanders (pictured above right) said of the capacity crowd, "It was a very good showing."
In addition to the Patriot Job Connection, Workforce Connection also provides placement services one day a week at Withlacoochee Technical Institute and bi-weekly at Community Technical and Adult Education. Plans are also in the works to provide job placement services for students at CF's campus in Lecanto and center in Chiefland.
The Patriot Job Connection is located in the Enterprise Center, Suite 109 at CF, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. It is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, call 800-434-JOBS, ext. 1683 or visit www.clmworkforce.com/patriotjobconnection.
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Job Postings, Placements Continue to Climb
Workforce Connection Again Ranks in Top 10
During the month of June, a record number of 549 employers entrusted Workforce Connection to handle workforce needs, a 60-percent increase since July 2011. Both Citrus and Marion counties saw the highest number of employers posting job openings through Workforce Connection for the year. For county highlights, see the Region 10 Employer Trend Report.
Also, for the fourth consecutive month, Workforce Connection ranks among the top 10 regional workforce boards in Florida for job placements. In June, the state's 24 regional workforce boards reported assisting more than 28,500 Floridians who found employment, including 6,652 who had been receiving Reemployment Insurance (RI), formerly known as unemployment compensation. Last month, Workforce Connection placed 753 individuals in jobs in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties (199 had been RI recipients).
Since January, Workforce Connection has helped 4,064 job seekers find employment, including 967 who had been receiving RI.
The job placement rankings were released July 18 by Workforce Florida Inc., the state's chief workforce policy organization. Chris Hart IV, President/CEO of Workforce Florida, said that the June placement figures "demonstrate the value Florida's workforce system delivers in supporting economic recovery and growth."
Hart added that "this good news also provides our system with
momentum to continue developing collaborative partnerships and solutions among workforce, education, economic development entities and industry ..."
Read WFI's complete news release with the Top 10 Rankings and Monthly Job Placement Report.
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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
Workforce Connection's regional unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in June, up 0.5 percent from May. There were 21,009 jobless out of a labor force of 205,570. Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.6 percent in June, the 11th highest in the nation, and the United States rate was 8.2 percent.
See Statewide Report
Read all the Local Details
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Job Fair Huge Success
Record Number Attend
Steady rain did not dampen the resolve to find employment for the 824 job seekers who turned out for Workforce Connection's Job Fair on July 19.
The event had been postponed in June due to threat of Tropical Storm Debby. Job Fair participants had the opportunity to meet with hiring managers from 23 companies -- all with open positions to fill. In the weeks leading up to the Job Fair, information about the employers, open positions and job order numbers was available on Workforce Connection's website and job Fair updates as well as preparation tips were posted via Twitter daily.
Watch the video to see what went on.
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Community Workshops
Debut in Fanning Springs
Workforce Connection now offers its "Navigating the New World of Work" community workshop in Fanning Springs for job seekers in the Levy-Dixie-Gilchrist counties triangle. The workshop, held in partnership with the Florida Crown Workforce Board (Region 7), began July 18 and takes place held at the Fort Fanning Historical Park Community Center, about 10 miles from Workforce Connection's resource center in Chiefland.
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On-the-Job Training
Reimbursement Extended
The higher On-the-Job Training (OJT) reimbursement of up to 90 percent, which was set to end June 30, has been extended through the end of the fiscal year.
The OJT program enables you to train eligible new employees exactly as you'd like. The amount and length of reimbursement is based on your new employee's skills and experience. In addition to wages, an OJT may also cover other costs associated with hiring new employees, such as equipment, uniforms and background checks.
To learn more, complete an online application or find out what other local employers have to say about the ease and benefits of the OJT program, click here. |
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Groundbreaking Pact
Approved by Board
In a move designed to provide both financial and strategic benefits, Workforce Connection's board of directors last month approved a groundbreaking agreement with the Region 6 North Florida Workforce Development Board. The agreement reduces administrative and program overhead costs while ensuring that each workforce region and their local leadership maintains autonomy over respective budgets and program services.
The June 21 board vote was the culmination of months of discussions with the Region 6 leadership and elected officials from all our counties. Workforce Connection and the North Florida Workforce Development Board are two of Florida's 24 regional workforce boards. Workforce Connection (Region 10) serves job seekers and employers in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties. North Florida covers Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee and Taylor counties.
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NetWorker Bulletin
If you missed the latest issues of the NetWorker
bulletin, or if you'd like to pass the information along to those interested in hot jobs and top talent, you can find every issue on our website.
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