In This Issue
Stories of Success
Update
SC Works Center Updates
Graduations and Graduates
Success Story: David Morrison
Customer Feedback
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Staff is very helpful & knowledgeable. Info available at site is excellent! Thank you
  
~ Patricia Hackleman ~
Stories of Success
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  Rebecca Najib

 

Rebecca Najib enrolled in the WIA program October 2012, looking for training assistance to widen her career options. After taking into consideration her skill set and interests, she and her Workforce Specialist made the decision to sign up for the Logistics Technician program through Trident Technical College.

The Logistics Tech program is rigorous and all students learn a solid foundation of material handling and warehouse skills. Trainees also receive their forklift certification as part of the course. When the Business Development Coordinator met with Cutting Edge Composites over a need for a Shipping and Receiving Specialist, the graduates from the Logistics Tech program were a natural fit for this position. After interviewing several candidates, Cutting Edge Composites decided that Rebecca would be a great fit for their growing company. She began her first day with Cutting Edge January 27th on an On-the-Job Training (OJT) contract.

The OJT program allows businesses to receive up to 75% wage reimbursements for the duration of a new hire's training period. For more information on OJT, please contact Kim Self at (843) 725-0306.

 

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Ben Thomas

 

Mr. Ben Thomas entered the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) at the SC Works Charleston location in October 2012 with the hope of finding full-time employment. Prior to entering the WIA program he had held a number of different temporary jobs in order to make ends meet for him and his family. Upon entering the program Mr. Thomas stated that he had an interest in IT. After two case managers and three temp jobs he started his IT training in September 2013 with the COMPTIA program, which covers the A+, Network+, and Security+ courses.

Mr. Thomas was successful in obtaining his COMPTIA certification on November 15th, 2013, and landed a full-time permanent position with benefits at Boeing as an Electronic Assembler making $23.00 per hour in January 2014.

  

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Shawn Warren

 

Mr. Warren started his CNC training program at Trident Technical College on December 12, 2013. His journey, however, actually began in May 2010 when he started a GED program with WIA that he completed in February 2011. He spent the next two years pursuing various jobs but was unable to obtain stable employment. He applied again to WIA in February 2013 in hopes of becoming certified in a manufacturing related occupation.

He completed his CNC program on Dec 12, 2013 and after a long journey finally landed full-time permanent employment with VTL (by way of MAU) as a CNC Operator. He began on February 10th, 2014 earning $12 dollars an hour.

Update
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In our December 2013 newsletter we had reported on some of our recent graduates from the CNC Bootcamp program and we wanted to give an update on where a few of them ended up. Philip Smith, Cornell White, Pats Barnhill and Tyler Kent have obtained employment with VTL Precision.

Some were hired through a Temporary Service and others completed on-the-job training. They are all very happy and excited about their future with their new company.

 

Mr. Smith, who sent in the photo of the four graduates, thanks the WIA program and says that he couldn't have done it without SC Works help and support. We congratulate these four on their new jobs and wish them the best of luck.

 Employee Disconnect

 

If you click the link below you will be taking to an informative infographic that will share some statics on what a lack of engagement can mean for a company.

In today's fast paced technological world it is easy to become disconnected to one another and from our jobs. This disconnect can lead to discontent. Employees need to feel like they are a part of a greater whole, that each individual has value and that they know what is happening within their company. Many companies achieve this through weekly or monthly staff meetings so that everyone can be on the same page. There are many ways a company can aid in the engagement of its employees and a few tips can be found in this article: 20 tips to improve employee engagement

 

Employee Engagement

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SC Works Center Updates

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*Disclaimer: The numbers for the services provided at the SC Works Centers are compiled from the various services conducted at each of the Centers.   These numbers include services where staff provides assistance to an individual and those where an individual assists themselves.  Staff assists individuals at each of the Center's with anything from workshops, career guidance/planning and counseling, federal bonding assistance, etc.  Individuals assist themselves from any internet-based computer (both at or away from the Center) through SC Works Online with anything from creating/updating a resume to conducting job searches.  If an individual conducts job searches (Job Seeker Service) from a home computer, each job searched would be considered a 'Job Seeker Service'. 

 

SC Works Berkeley

 

  SC Works Berkeley is happy to welcome a familiar face to a new position. Angela Primus, with the SC Department of Employment and Workforce has worked at the Moncks Corner center for nearly 2 � years. Recently Angela accepted the position of Recruiter. As such her primary focus will be on providing Business Services which includes tasks like listing new job opportunities, hosting job fairs, and matching qualified job seekers to open positions. Within her first two weeks of assuming her new role she hosted a job fair for Kelly Services. Kelly Services was recruiting custodians to work across multiple schools for the Berkeley County School District.

  

We are happy to report that Angela's very first job fair was a big success, as 37 people were hired for both permanent and temp-to-perm positions. A red letter day for SC Works Berkeley, as 40% of the job seekers who entered the center that day left with jobs. With Angela at the helm of our team's recruitment efforts we are sure to see more and more South Carolinians returning to work!!!

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SC Works Charleston

 

 

The SC Works Charleston staff strives to continually meet the need of employers and job seekers in the Charleston area. The unemployment rate in Charleston County increased slightly in January 2014 to 5.5% compared to December 2013, which was 5.0%. Even with the slight increase in unemployment, staff continues to help job seekers by providing re-employment services. During the first two weeks of March, we have provided 21,321 different services to our job seeker customers, both online and in person. We have also aided 254 individuals with gaining re-employment.

  

During the month of March the SC Works Charleston staff provided an additional 190 employer services to our business customers. The staff continues to work with employers to help fill positions through job fairs and screening applications. From February through mid-March staff created 365 new job orders in the SC Works Online Service. The SC Works Charleston staff has hosted eight different job fairs during the last month in order to assist employers with seeking potential candidates to fill open positions within their companies.

 

The SC Works Charleston staff continues to work with the ReadySC/Boeing Project by screening applications. The Veteran staff has also been working with the ReadySC/American Tactical Imports Project, a new company opening in the tri-county region, by screening applications for the positions of weapons Technicians/Assemblers. In our efforts to continue assisting the workers being dislocated at the Piggly Wiggly Charleston Distribution Center, another session has been provided in order to help workers register in the SC Works Online Service, creating a resume, and completing WIA eligibility.

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SC Works Dorchester

 

SC Works Dorchester continues to have a positive impact on our community. In the last month SC Works Dorchester staff have assisted over 1,500 customers, hosted 3 job fairs, and helped to facilitate the re-employment of nearly 170 job seekers. Through our efforts, among other things, the unemployment rate for Dorchester County has dropped once again. According to the SC Department of Employment and Workforce, from numbers released for December 2013, Dorchester County's most recent unemployment rate stood at 5.3%, down from 5.7% in November.

 

Even though the economy shows signs of improvement SC Works Dorchester continues to see a strong demand for services as employment opportunities increase. The Center has hosted three job fairs for area business in the last month with the most well attended of these job fairs being the event for TBC Corp. More than 200 job seekers attended the four-hour event. Exact placement numbers are not available at the moment, but indications are that a significant number of openings will be filled by those who had attended and were interviewed during the event.

 

In conclusion, SC Works Dorchester is constantly striving to offer a broad range of services to the public. In addition to the employment and business services available to the public, SC Works Dorchester hosts programs that assist individuals with utility expenses, tax preparation, and other services.

 

During the end of February, SC Benefit Bank held two tax clinics at the SC Works Dorchester helping individuals working with SC Benefits Bank staff to complete and file federal and state tax forms for free. Staff from SC Benefit Bank will continue to be onsite every Tuesday from 9:00am until 4:00pm to help customers. For more information about free tax services or other programs provided by SC Benefit Bank, please contact Henrietta Green at (843) 412-1347.

Graduations and Graduates 
 

Medical Administrative Assistants Graduation:

 

On Friday, March 28th, 2014 we welcome a new class of graduates to the field of Medical Administrative Assistants. The graduation ceremony was at 10:00 am, at the Trident Technical College Main Campus. The Medical Administrative Assistant program at Trident Technical College is a 6 month program which requires attendance four days a week. The students complete five months of classroom work, then four weeks of an unpaid externship at different facilities around the region. Upon completion of this program, they are qualified to not only sit for the Registered Medical Assistant exam but also for the Phlebotomy exam. Both certifications are nationally recognized.

 

The latest batch of graduates attended the program from August 2013 until March 2014. We would like to congratulate our successful participants Paula Thomas, Kelly Stecklair-Courtney, Shakeena Moore, Melanie Kean, Barbara McDonald, Deborah Prioleau, Shirley Green and Julie Burden and wish them the best of luck for the future.

 

CLT/CLA Graduation:

 

Recent graduates this month also include another group of participants: Donna Barber, Lucy Bender, Gentry Gordon, Gerald Davis, Diedra Green, James Padgett and Willie James, Jr. who were a part of the latest graduates from the Certified Logistics Associate/Technician program (CLA/CLT). They successfully completed their training and education through Trident Technical College and graduated on March 7, 2014 at the Summerville Trident Technical College Campus. The CLT program is based on a nationally recognized curriculum, and graduates receive national credentials once they complete the program. 

 

SCMC Graduates:

 

We would also like to congratulate our Workforce Investment Act (WIA) customers: Carolyn Franklin, Marie Henderson, Crevonda Ross, LaDonna Sims and Larry Johnson. These participants have successfully completed the South Carolina Manufacturing Certification (SCMC) "Manufacturing" class at Trident Tech on March 21st, 2014. Though Trident Technical College did not have a formal graduation ceremony for the graduates they did set-up an awesome Job Fair for all customers (this was a blended class with customers who enrolled from the public, vocational rehab programs and the WIA program offered through SC Works) who completed the program.

 

 

There were a total of 8 employers that were present to include: Comact, St. Gobain, Aero Precision Products, Phillips Staffing, MAU, ReadySC, Key Logistics, and Berchtold. During the fair On-the-Job Training (OJT) was discussed with the employers who attended and though many were already familiar with the program, others showed interest in the program and will be looking into establishing OJT contracts.

 

During the Job Fair we ran into a former WIA/TAA graduate of the CNC Operator Boot Camp Training from May 2013, Mr. Anthony Simmons. Mr. Simmons was one of our WIA participants who had completed his OJT and obtained full-time employment with Aero Precision Products. He spoke to our recent SCMC graduates regarding employment opportunities with Aero Precision Products. Mr. Simmons stated he wanted to thank everyone for assisting him with obtaining employment.

Success Story: David Morrison
By: Amanda Wagner  
  
 

David Morrison was a new father searching for new employment opportunities when he enrolled in the SC Works Palmetto Youth Connections (PYC) Program. David was unclear about his career goals and training interests at the beginning, but that quickly changed after starting a Work Experience project that ultimately led to employment.

 

David was assessed by his Career Coach, Jeff Hinman, at enrollment and learned that he could benefit from work readiness training. David quickly agreed to participate in Career Smart; a Palmetto Youth Connections 3 day intensive workshop where David learned to develop an effective resume, interview skills and much more. He also signed up to take the WorkKeys assessment and achieved a Silver level Career Readiness Certificate.

 

After completing this initial work readiness training, David agreed to participate in a seven week Work Experience opportunity with the US Forestry Department and Richard Marks Restoration. The Work Experience was a part of the Tibwin Project in the Francis Marion National Forest, where David and his peers learned lead abatement and building restoration. David states that he had a positive experience working on the project.

 

"I really enjoyed my work environment and learned a lot about the restoration process. I also took this as an opportunity to show the company that I have a strong work ethic and I'm dependable. The experience ultimately opened the door for me to become employed," said David.

 

David was excelling in his Work Experience opportunity and also impressing his Career Coach, Jeff Hinman, with his commitment to his goals.

 

"From a Career Coach's perspective, David Morrison was the epitome of an exemplary participant in our program," said Jeff. David was on task at all times, he completed all required assignments in an expeditious manner. His motivation and drive while completing the Work Experience was a definite contributing factor to him being hired by Richard Marks Restoration," he continued.

 

David's work ethic and dedication to his Work Experience paid off in a big way. Richard Marks Restoration offered him a full time position and he continues to learn and excel in his new job.

 

"Palmetto Youth Connections offers several opportunities with training and employment to its participants based on their interests. I would encourage my peers to join the program, work hard and take advantage of what they have to offer," said David.

An Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. SC Works Trident (888) 226-1606 TTY: 711