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We hope this month's Industry Pulse finds you and your company doing well - and hopefully drying out from the last week of rain.
Without further ado, here is some of the good news from the last couple of months:
If you want to keep up with the latest good news before the next e-newsletter, please be sure to stop by our newly-updated Catawba County EDC website.
If we can be of assistance to your company now or in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me at 828-267-1564 or nhuret@catawbacountync.gov.
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Certified Work Ready Community
Workforce development is a top priority in Catawba County because it directly impacts the success of both citizens and companies. Efforts have greatly increased in recent years, with now more than a dozen locally-driven initiatives created and maintained to bolster the skills of the local workforce or better connect the next generation (grades K-12) to the jobs of today and tomorrow. One of the latest initiatives, the Manufacturing Academy, began with its first cohort of 20 "students" Monday, October 5. The Manufacturing Academy, which follows on the heels of the very successful Furniture Academy, is an industry-driven training course (12 weeks) designed by 20+ of our local manufacturers to prepare unemployed/underemployed for manufacturing positions that are in high demand by so many of you.
The NCWorks Certified Communities distinction can help you as an employer find qualified candidates based on verified skill levels, mainly through recognition of the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). The NCRC examination assesses an individual's skill level in three areas deemed critical for employability: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information. The NCRC assesses the career readiness of all students and serves as a reliable predictor for workplace success of any applicant. Thousands of private and public employers and dozens locally now ask for or require NCRC scores as part of the application process.
NCRC is awarded at four levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Each is an objective validation to employers anywhere in the U.S. that an individual has met or exceeded the necessary foundational skills for a percentage of the 16,000 occupations in their databases. For example, a Gold certificate verifies that an individual has the necessary skills for 93% of occupations. Many of our local companies use NCRC scores for baseline applicant screening; hiring and promotion decisions; and targeting employee training and development.
Increasing support of the NCRC is a key strategy towards becoming a CWRC, and we need your help!
If your company already utilizes the NCRC for hiring or even if your company would recognize or recommend the workplace credential,
We already have 20 employers, including Sherrill Furniture, Century Furniture, GKN, United Beverages Group, Prysmian Group, HSM and Punkerthat have expressed their support. We would appreciate your time to join this list of Catawba County workforce leaders.
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Charlotte USA Manufacturing Coalition - Save the Date
November 10, 2015
9:30 - 11:30AM
Location: Charlotte-Douglas Airport, free to attend
The new Intermodal facility connects directly with the Ports of Charleston, Savannah and seven other terminals allowing for fast and economical shipments. With on-dock rail service, five scheduled trains each week, and two day delivery, the Intermodal facility may improve your speed-to-production or speed-to-market, potentially shortening your supply chain and saving you money.
This event will be the first of a new series of free, quarterly events organized across the Charlotte region by the Charlotte Regional Partnership and our economic development peers across the region. We want to bring manufacturers together for networking, learning about important regional resources (e.g., Intermodal facility) and exchanging best practices with the hopes of improving your operation(s).
All Catawba County manufacturers have an open invitation to attend any of these unique events; Catawba County will actually be hosting the next Manufacturing Coalition event in January.
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Vol. 7, Issue 2 -
October 2015
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Charlotte NC4ME Military Employment Summit
Did you know that 27,000 service members will transition out through North Carolina's bases in 2015, already equipped with the high-demand skills that your business greatly needs?
NC for Military Employment (NC4ME) invites you to join senior industry, government and military leaders to learn - and share success stories - about how hiring military candidates drives bottom-line business results. This FREE event will make the business case for hiring military candidates and identify the resources & strategies that you can use to incorporate military hiring.
November 10, 2015
9:00 - 11:30AM
Location: TBD, free to attend
Who Should Attend?
Senior-level leaders (Presidents, Vice Presidents, Directors, and other business leaders) who set their company's strategic vision will walk away with a new understanding of how military hires drive business results, and how to integrate military employment into their business strategy. All attendees should come ready to hear and discuss what some of NC's leading companies are doing to grow and support a strong military workforce.
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mfgCON 2015
October 20-21, 2015
NC State University - McKimmon Center
Raleigh
$350
To be the best, it helps to learn from some of the best. The inaugural mfgCON will offer the opportunity to hear practical advice and receive takeaways from best-in-class NC manufacturers - everyone from large OEMs to innovative makers - on emerging manufacturing technologies, environmental sustainability, continuous improvement and more. To see the growing list of 40+ manufacturers already attending, please click here.
The conference will include two full days of presentations and breakout sessions designed for maximum exposure to the best tools and resources in manufacturing. To view the agenda and great keynote speaker list, please click here.
Please register ASAP!
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