December 2013
Star

Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County

 Executive Director's  E-Newsletter  

We have had a wonderful 2013! At this month's Board meeting we will recognize some of those individuals who contributed to this year's success.

 

We have lots to celebrate at this month's Board meeting: A successful Red, White & You! Job Fair, Award wins at the TWC Conference and the list goes on and on. Join us on Wednesday as we thank all of those that help make this a banner year!

 

Thank you to all of our Elected Officials, Board Members, Business and Economic Development, Community and Education Partners as well as staff for the continued support and work you do with the Workforce Board. Your efforts are always appreciated. You helped make this year one for the record books.

 

May you have a safe and Happy Holiday Season!

 

 

                                                     - Judy McDonald
                                                       Executive Director
In This Issue
2nd Annual Hiring Red, White & You!
6th Annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast
TWC Annual Awards Conference
3rd Annual Connecting Education with Industry Summit
Workforce and Education Presentation at WDC
The Latest Aerospace News
General Motors Partners with TCC
Senate Proclamation
Brewed
State of the County
Fatherhood Buzz Initiative: Phase 2
Congressman Marc Veasey Job Fair Rescheduled
Website Calendar
Pictures
Calendar
2013 Board of Director's
Join Our Mailing List!

2nd Annual Hiring Red, White & You! - Job Fair

November 14, 2013 - 28 local workforce boards, the Texas Veterans Commission, the Texas Medical Center, Gov. Rick Perry and Dr. James H. "Red" Duke Jr., and the more than 1,562 employers participated in the Hiring Red, White & You! Job fairs, seeing over 11,033 veterans and military spouses through the State of Texas.  Also the preliminary results show that over 67 onsite hires happened that day!

 

Hiring Red, White & You! connected Texas veterans and their spouses with Texas employers who value the experience, discipline and other exceptional qualities inherent with a military background. The statewide job fair encouraged Texas employers to help veterans in Texas transition into the civilian workforce.

 

There are more than 1.7 million veterans in Texas. With the recent end of America's nine-year war in Iraq and the current draw down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a mass of unemployed veterans are returning home to the United States. It is estimated that there are 922,000 veterans in Texas who are eligible for work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the national unemployment rate for all veterans is 6.3 percent. In contrast, for those veterans who served in the military post 9/11, the unemployment rate is 10.0 percent.

 

These job fairs were again part of an unprecedented statewide employment effort in hopes of serving those who have served for us.

 

Locally we partnered with Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas and Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas to host our 2nd Annual Red, White & You! Hiring event at the Ballpark in Arlington. This was again a very unique venue and we were excited to be able secure such a high profile location for a second year in a row! Locally, over 190 employers and more than 2012 job seekers took part in our event! 
 
We kicked off our event with a ribbon cutting featuring: Mayor of Arlington Robert Cluck, Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar, State Representative Diane Patrick, State Representative Bill Zedler, County Commissioner Andy Nguyen, Board Members Keith Muskrat (Vice-Chair) and Leslie Sisk and staff representing U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey's office, State Senator Wendy Davis' office and State Representative Chris Turner's office.  
 
We are still gathering information and hope to report more good news including hires and interviews scheduled in the coming weeks. We know that at least 2 individuals were hired on the spot! We know those numbers are going to grow! 
 

Thank you to Board Members Carlos De La Torre, Keith Muskrat and Leslie Sisk for coming out to the ballpark and supporting this initiative! 

 

Thank you again to all of the employers, veterans, service members and their spouses who participated in the Hiring Red, White & You! Initiative.

 

Ribbon Cutting to Kick off the event. 

 

 

A birds-eye view of the more than 2012 job seekers that attended our 2nd Annual Hiring Red, 

White & You! Job Fair.

 

 

6th Annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast

On November 21, 2013 Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County in coordination with Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas and the Texas Veterans Commission hosted the sixth annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast. This year's breakfast was held at the Sheraton Arlington in the Hall of Fame room. 

  

We were fortunate to have many special guests on hand for our celebration! Guests included: Chairman Andres Alcantar, Mayor Robert Cluck and Preston "Pete" Geren.

                    

Many great stories were shared and memories made. A special thank you to Apu Naik from the Texas Workforce Commission who joined us to provide our training for the event on College Credit for Heroes. Thank you to the veteran staff members of the three workforce Boards for accepting the call of duty. Our thoughts are with those who have or still are defending our country!

 

A special thank you to Sal Adamski, Workforce Improvement Director. Sal has been the staff lead on this Breakfast all six years. This breakfast is a success in part due to his dedication to veterans and the causes related to veterans.

 

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success! 

 

 

From Left to Right: Sal Adamski, Workforce Improvement Director, Linda Davis, V.P. External Relations for Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, Keynote Speaker Pete Geren, David Setzer, Executive Director of Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas and Judy McDonald, Executive Director Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County

 

 

This year's Veterans Appreciation Breakfast Theme was "Honoring Women in the Military".
  

TWC Annual Awards Conference 

The 17th Annual Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Conference was held December 4-6, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas. Many board members, staff, partners, and employers attended the conference.

 

GE Manufacturing Solutions, was recognized at the conference as Tarrant County's Employer of the Year. GE was actually selected out of 28 local boards to be one of the Top Five Finalists for Employer of the Year. Since the state gives special recognition to the Top Five that they select - they also visit those nominees to make a video which is shown at the Awards Luncheon. Sal Adamski, Workforce Improvement Director attended the taping and got to see some of the behind the scenes action! 

  

GE Manufacturing Solutions has become an important workforce, economic and community partner in the North Texas region. Through partnerships with both Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County as well as Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas - the company has taken an active role in school districts working on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) projects, and "Build Your Own" future workforce programs. The company has shown a commitment to hiring veterans and taken the lead in advancing the National Association of Manufacturers' veterans-credentialing initiative through its National Manufacturing Institute.

 

When GE Manufacturing Solutions chose to establish a large manufacturing site in north Fort Worth on the Tarrant/Denton county line, the company approached Tarrant County and North Central Texas to develop a staffing and training model. The two Boards brought in Tarrant County College and North Central Texas College to develop a Skills Development Fund grant, which the Texas Workforce Commission awarded in the amount of $745,000.

 

By the end of the first quarter of 2013, the company had hired 333 new employees, including 54 veterans. Some 259 of the new hires increased their skills in welding, assembly and machining through the Skills Development Fund grant.

 

We were honored to have some of the GE team join us in San Antonio for the special luncheon. 

 

 

 

SouthStar, also at this year's TWC Conference, Tarrant County nominated SouthStar as our Local Employer of Excellence. 

 

South Star Logistics LLC is a grocery distribution center located in Keller, TX serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, provides quality training to its employees on warehouse logistical equipment specifically designed for large distributors. This company has also demonstrated a commitment to hiring individuals who face multiple barriers to employment.

 

In 2011, SouthStar joined Workforce Solutions through the Next STEP initiative. SouthStar hired residents recently released from prison for 19 warehouse positions, and hired fathers facing barriers to employment in another 29 positions through participation in the FACT (Fathers and Children Together) program.

 

The company has also demonstrated support for workforce development by participating in job fairs and providing career exploration opportunities for ex-offenders, noncustodial fathers and low-income custodial fathers.

 

SouthStar continues its community involvement by acting as a guest presenter in the local Workforce Solutions office, providing information on retention, skills training and career advancement to job seekers. 

 

Service to Community Award: While attending the Board Awards, we learned that our nomination for the Service to Community Award was selected as this year's winner.  

 

We nominated the City of Fort Worth Library and Housing Authority Partnership. Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County has partnered with the Fort Worth Housing Authority and City of Fort Worth Library to expand workforce services to library and housing authority locations. The additional locations provide specialized services, including case management and job search assistance for people with serve mental or physical disabilities. Now in their third year, the partnerships have yielded a 70% job placement rate for the more than 33,000 individuals served. 

 

 

  

Also we had a few other RockStars of the Conference. David Berzina and Sal Adamski participated in a Super Session with Commissioner Hope Andrade called: Workforce and Economic Development LWDBs + Local Chambers + Local EDCs = Quality Connections. Also Judy Bell, Jon Gustafson and Judy McDonald presented Preparing the 21st Century Workforce: Industry, Career Technical Education, and Workforce Partnership. Both were great sessions! 

  

Bubba  
 
Congratulations to Mark "Bubba" Barberena for his recent appointment to the state council, this appointment was made by Governor Rick Perry. He attended his first meeting while in San Antonio for the TWC Conference. We are very proud of you Bubba! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for. 


We had many weather challenges on this trip including: cancelled flights, early departures, having to rent a mini-van to get home and for some 7 hour trips. It's safe to say this is a trip that we will never forget! We are happy to report everyone made it home safe. Thank you to Bubba, Buddy and Jon who braved the weather and stayed until the end with Judy McDonald at the Conference and a special thank you to Cynthia Fisher Miller who took charge and rented a minivan to get a few of us home! 

 

Special thanks to all of the Board Members who attended this year's conference: Buddy Puente, Mark Barberena, David Berzina, Carlos De La Torre, Mike Doyle, Jon Gustafson and Estrus Tucker. 

 

Congratulations again to the all the award winners at this year's conference!

3rd Annual Connecting Education with Industry Summit

Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce hosted the 3rd Annual Connecting Education with Industry Summit on October 29, 2013 at the Hollenstein Career and Technology Center within Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District. The event highlighted industry professionals from Healthcare, Logistics and Advanced Manufacturing who shared their career expertise.  The summit provided an opportunity for educators and industry professionals to partner in the advancement of career paths for our future workforce and align education with future technology innovations. 

 

The keynote speakers for this year's event included Rich Froeschle, Director of the Labor Market and Career Information with Texas Workforce Commission, General Rick Lynch, Executive Director of UTARI and Wes Jurey, President and CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

 

Leaders in Education provided excellent insight into Secondary and Post-Secondary Education on panels featuring Dr. Jim Chadwell, Superintendent of Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD,  Dr. Karen Rue, Superintendent of Northwest ISD, Dr. Stephen Waddell, Superintendent of Lewisville ISD and Dr. Elva LeBlanc, President of Tarrant County College Northwest campus.

 

The summit attracted over 105 business and education partners and featured student speakers from Eagle Mountain- Saginaw, Mansfield, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Fort Worth and Northwest Independent School Districts. 

 

 

From Left to Right: Workforce Solutions Vice-Chair Keith Muskrat, CTE Director for Northwest ISD Tony Neely and Senior Director Jill Navarrete

 

 

From Left to Right: Karen Nolen-Austin Director 
Center for Education & Workforce Development for the Arlington Chamber, Judy McDonald Executive Director for Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and Linda Garcia Director of Special Projects for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

Workforce and Education Presentation at WDC

The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) and American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) recently convened a group of Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) and two-year college leaders prior to the AACC fall meeting in Washington, D.C. this November. This group met to hear about successful WIB/community college partnerships and the challenges and solutions to such efforts, from state and federal policy changes to better educating future college leaders on workforce development issues.

 

The meeting included presentations on WIB/community college partnerships in Spokane, Wash.; Charlotte, N.C.; Tarrant County, Texas; and Tampa, Fla. Directors and presidents from those communities detailed their collaborations to improve workforce development and to work together to meet the needs of local business and industry.

 

Many of those partnerships comprise two-year colleges, WIBs, and business and industry, and they could serve as promising practices, according to leaders at the meeting.

 

Tarrant County College Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley and Executive Director Judy McDonald were invited to present at this event. Their presentation was a great example of a successful partnership between workforce and community colleges. 

  

 

 Erma Johnson Hadley, chancellor of Tarrant County Community College in Texas, details her college's partnership with Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County.

Photos: Matthew Dembicki  

The Latest Aerospace News

Several Board staff attended the 4th annual Aviation and Aerospace Manufacturing Summit (AAIMS) held in north Fort Worth.  The North Texas region is the second largest concentration of aerospace firms and businesses in the nation.  The Summit focused on four areas, Leading the Industry, Global Markets-Local Opportunities, Human Capital for the Future, and Technology and Infrastructure.  The Summit's featured speakers were outstanding and individual programs offered interesting panelist that offered current and relevant information.

 

The Regional Aerospace/Manufacturing Cluster was hosted by Sikorsky in Grapevine, Texas.  Sikorsky welcome everyone to their facility and offered a tour of the facility at the close of the meeting.  Each of the three Work Group committee chairs reported on the progress of their work with plans to meet again before the January meeting.   

General Motors Partners with TCC

Press Release from Texas Workforce Commission.

 

General Motors has partnered with Tarrant County College to provide job training using an $868,179 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

 

"This partnership will serve to benefit these workers, this employer and this community," said state Sen. Kelly Hancock. "The state's Skills Development Fund grants provide a pipeline of skilled workers for employers, advanced skills, improved wages and career opportunities for workers, and resulting economic benefits to the community."

 

The grant will be used to custom train 549 new and incumbent workers in hydraulics and pneumatics, welding, carpentry maintenance, project management, and more. Those trained will include electricians, stationary engineers, toolmakers, millwrights and industrial engineers. Upon completion of training, the workers will earn an average hourly wage of $31.83.

 

"Skills grants deliver customized training solutions that help Texas employers and workers succeed in the marketplace," said TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar. "This investment builds not only employee skills, but the capabilities of our community colleges to the benefit of employers and the community. We are pleased to make this investment."

 

From the program's inception in 1996 through 2012, Skills Development Fund grants have created or upgraded more than 286,000 jobs throughout Texas. The grants have assisted 3,901 employers with their customized training needs. The Legislature appropriated $48.5 million to the Skills Development Fund for the 2012-13 biennium. Employers seeking more information about the Skills Development Fund may visit the TWC website at http://skills.texasworkforce.org. 

 

 

TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar makes a Skills Development Fund grant check presentation to representatives from Tarrant County College and General Motors (GM). Pictured from left to right are: GM Arlington Launch Training Coordinator Dionne Lawrence, Chairman Alcantar, GM Arlington UAW Launch Training Coordinator Milton Abrams, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County Executive Director Judy McDonald, GM Arlington UAW Local 276 President Michael Cartwright, state Rep. Diane Patrick, GM Arlington Personnel Coordinator Bill Krohn, Tarrant County College Chancellor Erma Hadley, Tarrant County College Board President Louise Appleman and state Sen. Kelly Hancock.

 

Photo Courtesy of Tarrant County College   

Senate Proclamation

Charles Boswell, District Director for Senator Wendy Davis' office will join us at the Board Meeting. He will present a senate proclamation to the Board, for our recent 2013 Texas Veterans Commission Workforce Board of the Year Award. 

 

A special thank you to Senator Davis for writing this proclamation - this is a special honor.  

 

Brewed

BREWED just celebrated it's one year anniversary and is a leader in the Near SouthSide re-development effort in our community. BREWED is a coffee house, pub and eatery located at 801 W. Magnolia Avenue.  BREWED serves specialty craft beverages alongside a chef inspired seasonal menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. BREWED is the locals' living room where Fort Worthians can gather in community.

 

After connecting through Mayor Betsy Price's SteerFW Project, BREWED and Workforce Solutions Special Projects Center worked together to create neighbor friendly employment opportunities.  BREWED hired Workforce Solutions Special Projects clients and three of them shared their success stories during our monthly employment retention meeting on November 21, 2013.  A great evening was had by everyone and real neighbors were built.  Workforce Solutions Special Projects Center assists our neighbors who are most in need and have the greatest barriers to sustainable employment.  BREWED is helping open those avenues to success. 

 

 

This gentleman was a Special Projects Center participant and now works at Brewed  

State of the County

Judge Whitley  

After today's Board meeting, Carlos De La Torre, Judy McDonald and others will be heading off to the Cendera Center for the 2013 State of the County Luncheon featuring our on Workforce Governing Board Chair, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley. Judge Whitley will speak December 11th  at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce's third annual State of the County luncheon where transportation progress, new construction downtown and public health initiatives will be covered.

  

 

Fatherhood Buzz Initiative : Phase 2

Workforce Solutions' FACT Project participated for the second time this year in the National Fatherhood Buzz weekend sponsored by a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and President Obama's Fatherhood Initiative.  The first "buzz" event hosted in barbershops across the country took place in June this year and emphasized the importance of new dads' fostering nurturing relationships with their infants and young children.  The "buzz" event in November focused on health issues for fathers as a key component to the health and well-being of children and families.  Chris Carter, FACT job developer for Workforce Solutions, once again encouraged customers visiting the Chop Shop Barbershop in east Fort Worth on Saturday, November 23 to avail themselves to health information provided by the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse.  Patrons were also given FACT bags with information about how to enroll in the program as well as health tips for fathers and men and Dads Pocket community resource guides.

 

 

 

 

Congressman Marc Veasey Job Fair Rescheduled 

Congressman Marc Veasey Job Fair - Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County was set to partner with Congressman Veasey's office to host a job fair on Monday, December 9th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Due to the weather conditions, a decision was made on Sunday to postpone the event. Please watch the Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County website for the rescheduled date. 

 

Website Calendar

On our website (www.workforcesolutions.net) you will find a calendar of events. Please make sure you check this calendar as it will have the most up to date Board location and meeting information. You can also find information about the job fairs that we take part in. Board Members, if there are items you would like to see on the website that might make your outreach efforts easier please contact Lacey Douglas by phone at 817.413.4489 or by email at [email protected].

Pictures

 

 

TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar, Vice-Chair Keith Muskrat and Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck pose for a picture at the 2nd Annual Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair 

 

 

Board Members Carlos De La Torre and Leslie Sisk take a moment to pose with TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar as they were visiting and thanking the employers who joined us for the Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair. 

 

 

We took over the Ballpark in Arlington for the 2nd Annual Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair. This is a picture inside the Batter's Eye Club where we housed our many resource agencies.  

 

Rich Froeschle, Director of Labor Market and Career Information for the Texas Workforce Commission speaking at our 3rd Annual Connecting Education with Industry Summit.  

 

 

We were fortunate to have many career exploration exhibits at this year's Connecting Education with Industry Summit. This is a picture of the UTARI Robot named Zeno. Zeno helps with autism treatment. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) interact with Zeno to teach body language, encourage social interaction and improve motor skills. 

 

 

 A Soaring Partnership - Celebrating Bell Helicopter, Tarrant County College and Dunbar High School. Participants were able to learn more about the aviation and engineering Gold Seal Programs of Choice. The celebration was held on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at Dunbar High School. 

 

Calendar of Events
Board and Committee Meetings:  

 

December

December 11, 2013              9:00 a.m.            Joint WDB/WGB Meeting, Botanic Gardens

December 24-25, 2013         all day                 Workforce Solutions Offices Closed

 

January

January 16, 2013                   11:45 a.m.          Workforce Delivery Systems Meeting, Board Office

January 20, 2013                    all day                Workforce Centers Closed - Board Office is Open

January 22, 2013                    8:30 a.m.           Workforce Improvement Meeting, Board Office

 

  There is not a scheduled WDB or WGB in January   

 

   

Future Calendar Dates

January 1, 2014                                             Workforce Solutions Offices Closed

January 8-9, 2014                                          TWC Regional Meeting 2016-2021 Strategic Plan - 

                                                                                                             more details to come

  

2013 Board of Directors
 

 

Workforce Governing Board
Judge Glen Whitley, Chair
Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price

Workforce Development Board
Buddy Puente, Workforce Development Board Chair
Keith Muskrat, Workforce Development Board Vice Chair
Judy McDonald, Executive Director

Board Members:

Louise Appleman                        

Berta Banta                   

Mark Barberena             

David Berzina               

Lillie Biggins  

Dr. Marcelo Cavazos                                

Pam Dawson

Carlos DeLa Torre           

Mike Doyle                      

Jerilyn Edmonds  

Luis Estrada 

Charlie Galupi           

Jane Goodenough

Jon Gustafson            

Tracy Hays              

Peter Kleven

Jim Knauss

William Krohn

Jennifer Limas

Teresea Madden-Thompson

Tim McKinney

Jim Miller

Vickie Powell

Leslie Sisk

Tyrone Taylor

Estrus Tucker

Gracie Vega

 

Workforce Solutions for Tarrant is committed to Keeping Tarrant County Working!

 

Please visit our website and click on the calendar tab as event information is updated regularly. On our website more information about the services and programs we offer as well as location information for our adult and youth workforce centers throughout Tarrant County can be found.

 

 

Need more information about something listed in this newsletter?  Contact Lacey Douglas, Communications and Events Manager at [email protected]

 

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