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Greetings!
Summer is over and the kids are all back in school. What about your employees? If your organization is anything like the ones I've worked with, there are ALWAYS training and education needs in your workforce. Just think how much better your teams could perform with the right training!
I know, you probably don't have much if anything left in your training budget. Yet there is a wealth of certificate programs out there that would increase the tribal knowledge of your staff.
Workforce Connection may have just the thing to stretch your training dollars: EMPLOYED WORKER TRAINING (EWT) grants. The ETW program reimburses up to 50 percent of the costs associated with customized training that results in certification, credential or a nationally-recognized industry standard. Training may be offered to a single employee or group of employees, provided they earn less than $52,000 a year. As the employer, you select your preferred training provider.
The professionals at Workforce Connection can walk you through the application process and give you guidance on Employed Worker and other grant opportunities for which your company is probably eligible.
To learn more, visit Employed Worker Training on the Workforce Connection website or contact the Business Development team at 352-873-7955 or 800-746-9950.
Give them a call today for a better-trained staff tomorrow.
Darlene Goddard, Board Chair
Workforce Connection
and HR Director Winco Mfg., LLC |
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Spotlight: Sitel Contact Center Outsourcing
'Workforce support was just beyond words'
Over the years, Maria Mayer had worked with myriad other workforce entities, but Sitel's director of Human Resources in Ocala said that the experience of partnering with Workforce Connection was "just beyond words." If she had to pick one, however, Mayer said that word would be "phenomenal."
"I can't imagine an employer not using Workforce Connection. It's like having your own HR team, we felt like they were an extension of our company," Mayer said.
Read more to learn why Mayer said Sitel "will continue its partnership with Workforce Connection for years to come."
Pictured L-R: Nicole Cole, Maria Milson, Ashley Wells, Sitel HR Director Maria Mayer, Clair Graham, Irene Acosta and James Dick.
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Meet New Board Chair Darlene Goddard
'The economy is coming back; we're doing better'
A sign in Darlene Goddard's office reads: "True affluence is less about what you own and more about what you've done and experienced."
For Workforce Connection's new chairman of the board, those are certainly words she's lived by.
Goddard, executive director of Human Resources for Winco Manufacturing in Ocala, has worked in the private sector for more than 25 years here and in South Florida. She served on Workforce Connection's healthcare committee before joining the board in 2009, and had been serving as Vice Chair until circumstances recently called on her to take on the chair position.
Read the Q&A with Workforce Connection's board chair.
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August Job Placements Rank Fifth in Florida
Placement Specialist Mary Gonzalez-Santiago rang the bell multiple times this week at Workforce Connection's Resource Center in Ocala signifying new job placements. Before most folks had finished their morning coffee, Mary rang the bell seven times for new hires by EPI Employment Partners and another 25 times for Sitel.
Workforce Connection continues to be recognized among the Top 10 regional workforce boards in Florida, ranking fifth in August with 844 job placements. Since January, Workforce Connection has helped 5,487 job seekers find local employment.
Also in August, the employer trend continued with more employers posting more open positions in our region than they were a year ago. Last month, 562 employers posted open job orders with Workforce Connection totaling 1,685 open positions. That compares to 372 employers with 891 posted job openings in August 2011 for a 51% increase in number of employers and an 89% increase in the number of open positions.
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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 $8 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 10.1 percent in August, down 0.5 percent over the month and down 2.5 percent from one year ago. Out of an expanded labor force of 208,671, there were 21,105 jobless or 5,243fewer unemployed than this time last year.
The August 2012 unemployment rates, released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, were 10.1 percent in Marion County, down 0.5 percent over the month; 10.3 percent in Citrus County, down 0.6percent; and 9.7 percent in Levy County, down 0.6 percent. Florida's not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.0 percent in August and the United States rate was 8.2 percent.
See Regional Report
See Statewide Report
Read all the Local Details
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Celebrate Boss's Day
OHRMA Seminar Set
Commemorate National Boss's Day on Tuesday, Oct. 16 by attending the 2012 Ocala Human Resources Management Association (OHRMA) seminar featuring outstanding Florida employment attorneys, Danialle Riggins and Aaron Zandy. The seminar will explore what not to do when using social media as a business tool, contextual integrity, review of reasonable accomodations under the ADAA and "retaliation" as defined by the courts.
The seminar takes place from 7:30 a.m. to noon at Community Technical and Adult Education (CTAE), 1014 SW Seventh Road, Ocala. Registration is $50 per person and may be mailed, by Oct. 1, to OHRMA, PO Box 1724, Ocala. FL 34478.
This special Boss's Day seminar is sponsored by Workforce Connection, Wallace Welch & Willingham, The Gardner Group, Webster University, Accurate Background Check, Express Employment Professionals, Spherion Staffing Services and Aflac.
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Mark Your Calendar! Small Business Events
Don't miss one of these opportunities to help grow your business:
Small Business Resource Fair Wednesday, Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the College of Central Florida's Klein Conference Center. This is your chance to learn about local resources that benefit your business. Presented by the Small Business Resource Network and the SBDC at the University of North Florida in Marion County. and sponsored by Wells Fargo. Participants include Workforce Connection, CF, SCORE, Ocala/Marion County Chamber and others. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. Call 352-622-8763 or email the SBDC.
Small Business Development Workshop Series Weekly, now through mid-November, this series of seminars has been developed to promote small business development and growth in Levy County. Attend all or a la carte, if you have been thinking about starting a business, now is your chance. Presented by the College of Central Florida in partnership with Workforce Connection, Levy County Enterprise Zone, Levy County Visitors Bureau, Nature Coast Business Development Council and SBDC. Classes take place at the CF Levy Center in Chiefland. Call 352-493-9533.
The Value of Relationships Results Small Business Owners can Bank on Tuesday, Oct. 30 from 5-8 p.m. at CF's Citrus Campus in Lecanto. General admission is $20 and $15 for members of the chamber, EDC, SBDC, and SCORE. Veterans may attend at no charge with a Vets Fast Launch coupon. The workshop is presented by the Citrus County Business Resource Alliance and sponsored by Workforce Connection. For more information or to register, call 352-795-2000 or visit the Citrus EDC.
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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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