In February, we had the opportunity to participate in an open dialogue meeting with The Chairman and Commissioner Representing the Public for the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Andres Alcantar, the Commissioner of Education for the Texas Education Agency (TEA),  Michael Williams and the Commissioner of Higher Education for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Raymund Paredes. This meeting was the first one in Texas and we were proud to have it in our region! The Commissioners heard from local Chamber's of Commerce, local Workforce Boards and Employers on Economic Development and Education Priorities, workforce issues and participated in an Education Showcase. It was a GREAT meeting and we were excited to be a part of it.

Workforce Solutions was well represented at this meeting, Thank you to Board Members: David Berzina who gave the group an Economic Development Update, Buddy Puente who spoke about Small Business issues and Dr. Marcelo Cavazos who discussed education programs within Arlington ISD. Executive Director, Judy McDonald rounded out our group speaking on Workforce Initiatives on behalf of Tarrant County. 

Make sure to check out the latest addition of the Texas Workforce Commission's Solutions Magazine (p. 5) to see how Workforce Solutions is "Building Successful Communities". At this month's meeting we will have copies of the newsletter to share. It can also be viewed online by visiting: 

http://www.texasworkforce.org/news/solutions/sol11_1.pdf     

Partnership Between Community Colleges and Workforce Investment Boards

In November at a joint meeting of Community Colleges and Workforce Leaders, Tarrant County College  (TCC) Chancellor, Erma Johnson Hadley and Workforce Solutions, Executive Director Judy McDonald were asked to present about the successful collaboration between Workforce Solutions and TCC and join the discussion on how these two entities can better align. After the success of that presentation, in January, Judy McDonald presented on the same topic to the U.S. Conference of Mayors - Workforce Development Council.

The Chancellor and Judy were invited again to present at the 94th Annual American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Convention in Washington, D.C. April 5-8, 2014. The title of their session was: "Model Workforce Collaborations that Advance Student Success." The session was about working to share information and explore stronger collaborations between the two sectors. At the conference, session goers learned about innovative approaches between community colleges and workforce investment boards in North Carolina and Texas that have proven job placement results. In addition, panelists shared short - and - long-term goals for enhancing partnerships between community colleges and Workforce Investment Boards. 

We are very proud of our partnership with Tarrant County College and our collaborative work.

The panel included:

• Erma Johnson Hadley, Chancellor, Tarrant County College District, TX 
• Judy McDonald, Executive Director - Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County
• Steve Partidge, Chief Executive Officer, Charlotte Works, NC 

Child Care Management Services (CCMS) is offering child care enrollment opportunities to our customers and it has exhausted our wait list!! Please help us spread the word within our community!! If you know of someone who needs some assistance with child care please share.  Thank you for helping us get this message out!! This information can also be found on our website. 

Mission Central was founded in 1996 when the caring members and staff of First United Methodist Church of Hurst, Texas, were drawn to address the growing needs of families who were at the poverty level in their community.  As the needs became greater, other churches and organizations wanted to take part in their work in Hurst, Euless and Bedford. To facilitate work among these many groups, Mission Central became a separate non-profit organization in 2003.  Since then, the organization has grown three-fold and has served thousands of families in the Mid-Cities.

When you hear the word Spring Break, I am sure you instantly have memories of vacations, visiting family members or just a simple stay-cation to catch up on rest! Well for 48 youth in Tarrant County they choose to spend their Spring Break getting job ready! These youth participated in the Career Exploration Spring Break Event that was hosted by Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County.

Youth ages 16-21, had the opportunity to learn valuable skills through workshops that consisted of the Junior Achievement Curriculum, Career Exploration, Financial Literacy and Employer Presentations. The youth learned about business etiquette, appropriate business attire and other business related skills. The youth then used their new skills to work with workforce center staff to prepare their resumes and brush up on interviewing techniques. At the end of the week the youth were prepared and ready to participate in the job fair hosted by Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County. This gave them a wonderful opportunity to test out their new skills. They impressed many of the employers who were onsite. Thank you again, to Board Member Tyrone Taylor and Six Flags for participating in both the Employer Presentations and the Job Fair. 

Board Member and Director of Administration for Six Flags Over Texas, Tyrone Taylor spoke to the youth at the Arlington Workforce Center during the Career Exploration event.  

The youth really seemed to enjoy the event and were grateful for the opportunity. Above you will see some of the feedback from the youth.  We are still receiving phone calls from school counselors and parents on other opportunities for events like this.

At this month's Board Meeting, Workforce Solutions will be recognizing those employers who participated in our Career Exploration Event and are part of our Employer Network! Those Companies include: 

Presenters and Job Fair Participants:

• Agrana Fruit US - Lizabeth Woodson, Human Resource Manager
• Amazon - Susan Amaya, Recruiter Admin-DFW7 Seasonal Staffing, NA Ops
• Chase Bank - Mark Hare, Branch Manager
• Hanson Pipe & Precast - Antonio Cornish, Operations Project Engineer
• Lil Images of Blessings Christian Learning Center - Pamela Moore, Lead Educational Instructor
• Roham Medical Careers - Pam Roberson, Instructor
• Sears - Vickie Hernandez, Softlines Manager and Ted Roberts, Human Resource Manager
• Six Flags - Tyrone Taylor, Director of Administration, Chris Rector, HR Supervisor and Nadia Messina, HR Recruiter
• Subway - Ricky Hardin, Owner
• Tyson Foods - Estella Garza, Human Resources Manager
• U.S. Army - Sergeant Shana Shelby, Recruiter and Sergeant Isaiah T. Bridges, Recruiter 
• UNT Health Center - Yara Williams, Instructor
• UNT Health Science Center - Dr. Maudia L. Gentry, Community Health Training Coordinator
• UTA-Health Career Institute - Shania Hanhart, Admissions Advisor and Nita B. Alexander, Program Coordinator
• Waffle House - Dorothy Pruitt, Human Resource Recruiter
• Wells Fargo - Adrianna Rodriguez, Personal Banker
• WIS International - Mechelle Bell-Area Recruiter Trainer

The youth at the Resource Connection Workforce Center, love working with Ms. Sandra White, Program Supervisor. Here she is pictured with Isaac Perkins and Jennifer Mackey.

Want to Learn More?? 

If you would like to know how to you can get involved in our youth program please contact Tabitha Smith at tabitha.smith@workforcesolutions.net or visit www.workforcesolutions.net.

Job Fair Update

Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County is involved in many job fairs throughout Tarrant County on a monthly basis. All job fairs that we take part in can be found on our website on our  calendar of events, including flyers where applicable. Here is an update on some of the most recent job fairs we participated (or will participate in):

• This quarter were proud to be a part of the major college career fairs in the area. We had booths at all of the following events and made connections with students on the different programs we offer. Those Job Fairs include:
• Tarrant County College (TCC) Spring Job Fairs, on March 5, 2014, March 19, 2014 and April 2, 2014
• UTA Spring Job Fair on February 19, 2014
• Texas Wesleyan Career Fair on March 19, 2014 and 
• Brown Mackie College Career Fair on March 27, 2014.

• Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and Arlingtonanswers.com partnered again for our spring job fair on April 3, 2014.  It was held at the Grace Community Church in Arlington from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Job Fair brought in 971 job seekers and had over 92 employers and 14 resource agencies on-hand. Thank you to Mayor Cluck, City Council Member Capehart, the City of Arlington, Grace Community Church and ArlingtonAnswers.com for your support on this important event. Council Member Capehart and Judy McDonald, welcomed the crowd of job seekers and thanked all of the Employers for attending. Plans for the Fall 2014 Job Fair are already underway - stay tuned for more details. 

 

Board and Staff Members attended the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) Forum in Washington, D.C. March 29- April 1, 2014. Thank you to: Carlos De La Torre, Mike Doyle and Estrus Tucker for attending this important conference on behalf of the Board. Board and Staff were fortunate to hear from some amazing speakers, including: Chair, President and Editor-In-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, Arianna Huffington, Governor Mary Fallin, State of Oklahoma and Secretary of Labor for DOL, Tom Perez. At this month's Board meeting we will discuss some of the highlights of the trip, a copy of the agenda can be found in this month's Board Packet. 

Website Calendar

Workforce Solutions' federal demonstration grant funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), known as Project FACT: Fathers And Children Together, has once again received national acclaim and recognition.

We have received a certificate of recognition from the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse for engaging local barbershops as vehicles for outreach and recruitment in our fatherhood program.  For the past two years, FACT Project staff and participants have participated in "Fatherhood Buzz," a national initiative in which fatherhood programs distribute information about responsible fatherhood, parenting, and healthy relationships to patrons at local barber shops.  The dissemination events usually take place on Saturdays at quarterly intervals throughout the year and have proven to be an effective strategy for engaging shop owners as community partners and advocates for promoting responsible fatherhood.

In addition, Workforce Solution's Collaboration Manager, Mervil Johnson, who serves as Project Director for FACT, has been selected as one of 10 practitioners for the 2014 cohort of the Center for Urban Families' Practitioners Leadership Institute (PLI) Academy.  The selections were made based on experience, goals, leadership abilities and dedication to the field of responsible fatherhood.  The PLI Academy is committed to investing in the next generation of leaders to ensure a legacy within the responsible fatherhood, family strengthening and workforce development fields.

As member of the 2014 PLI Academy, Mervil will:

• Participate in monthly learning engagements with expert faculty
• Take part in structured networking activities
• Engage with other Academy fellows, faculty, and PLI staff through an online discussion board;
• Work with faculty and PLI staff to develop and implement application assignments; and
• Attend a peer-to-peer two-day training seminar in Chicago in July this year.

Workforce Solutions, in collaboration with eight community partners, received one of the larger Responsible Fatherhood grants to serve primarily low-income fathers and families in Tarrant County. Recently we learned that we have been awarded an extra year to our original 3 year grant. 

Project FACT--  Fathers And Children Together, offers an array of services focused on employment, responsible parenting, and healthy relationships through a comprehensive, collaborative, case-managed strategy.  Tarrant County fathers and other parents are eligible to participate if they have children 16 years of age and younger and qualify as low-income based on HHS guidelines.  For information about the FACT program, contact Workforce Solutions at (817) 413-4000.  For program referrals and eligibility criteria, please call (817) 710-7888.

 We have some milestones to celebrate since we last met! 

 "Making 60 Look Good!"

"Making 60 Look Good," was the theme at the special birthday celebration on Saturday, March 22, 2014 hosted by family and friends of Estrus Tucker on the occasion of his 60th birthday.  The event took place at the Como Community Center, one of the centerpieces of the Lake Como neighborhood where Estrus grew up and continues to reside today.  Music included the theme from "Superman" which served as the intro to Estrus' grand entrance in keeping with a giant wall poster featuring Estrus' face superimposed on the body of Superman in full flight.  Birthday letters of congratulations from Congressional Representatives Kay Granger and Marc Veasey were read aloud by Cindy Johnson, co-facilitator with Estrus in The Courage to Lead consulting work they have shared in for over 15 years.  Commissioner Roy Brooks' sent a proclamation naming Estrus an honorary Commissioner for the day.  Family, friends and professional acquaintances from far and wide-- including Estrus' first grade teacher, Ms. Briscoe now 82 years old, too

k turns roasting and toasting and even serenading the guest of honor with colorful memories over the past sixty years of his life.  Also in attendance were Harriet Harral of Leadership Fort Worth, Ann Rice, former Executive Vice-President of United Way, Board members Louise Appleman and Jerilyn Edmonds and Board staff Judy McDonald and Mervil Johnson, a longtime friend and classmate.

And Baby Makes Three!

It seems we have a bit of baby fever here at the Workforce Board. Three employees are planning to bring our newest members of the future workforce to the world this Summer. One other special young lady who has grown up before many of your eyes is adding the 4th baby to our future workforce list! Rikki Navarrete (Jill Navarrete's daughter) should welcome Baby Dylan later this April. Since most of us have know Rikki since she was knee high we had a special shower to honor her, Colton, Baby Dylan and of course Grandma Jill. Below are a few of the pictures we wanted to share.  We hope you will join us in congratulating the happy couple on their upcoming new bundle of joy!