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Dear Friends,
We are very pleased to provide you with the latest issue of The WorkPlace Mobilizer, a newsletter of workforce development highlights from The WorkPlace, Inc. Our hope is to keep you informed of needs, trends, and progress toward our goals.
Joseph M. Carbone,
President and Chief Executive Officer, The WorkPlace, Inc.
Southwestern Connecticut's Workforce Development Board
CTWorks: Helping change lives in Stamford
A period of unemployment can be a stressful and uncertain time for most people.
CTWorks Career Centers welcome everyone, but that doesn’t stop people from feeling nervous about visiting a Career Center.
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| From left, CTWorks staff member Paula Grande with jobseeker Dominique Lauture. | “I was nervous the first time I came here,” said jobseeker Dominique Lauture of Stamford. Lauture visited CTWorks in Stamford early in the summer of 2006.
“Paula made me feel at home,” said Lauture. “She always asks you what area you need help with.”
Paula Grande is the receptionist at the CTWorks Career Center in Stamford - but her duties go far beyond answering the phone and filing papers.
Grande is on the front-line at CTWorks, greeting jobseekers, registering them in the CTWorks database, providing resume assistance, job search assistance, signing jobseekers up for workshops, and helping with cover letters.
“She helped me learn how to use the computer and helped me with my resume,” said Lauture.
Originally from El Salvador, Grande came to the United States in the late 70’s to help care for a sick family member. She vowed to learn English and pursue a career that allowed her to help people. After working in Stamford for several years in a customer service position, Grande was laid off, and found herself at the CTWorks Career Center in 2005.
She quickly moved from customer to volunteer to staff member.
“Working with people is something that I enjoy,” said Grande.
“Sometimes people come in angry, but I don’t take it personally,” said Grande. “I speak to them nicely and I tell them they have a chance to start a new life.”
“I enjoy working at CTWorks,” said Grande.
For more information on Southwestern CTWorks Career Centers, contact Nestor Leon at (203) 610-8556.
Bus tokens increase job opportunities for Southwestern Connecticut Workers
The People to Jobs Regional Transportation Task Force is helping workers overcome transportation barriers to employment through the Job Start Transportation Assistance Program.
The program provides bus tokens and rail passes, at no cost, to unemployed jobseekers, up to the first 30 days of employment.
Job Start Transportation Assistance is funded by the Connecticut Department of Social Services and has been helping workers in Southwestern Connecticut since 2003.
In addition to tokens and passes, job placement assistance, career planning, on-the-job training, seminars and access to computers for resumes and job searches is available through partnering agencies including: the Southwestern CTWorks Career Centers in Bridgeport, Stamford, and Derby, the Connecticut Department of Labor, and the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
Bus tokens and rail passes are available to families with dependent children currently receiving or eligible to receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) from the Connecticut Department of Social Services. For information (203) 333-5129, ext. 365. For transit information visit www.peopletojobs.org.
Training funds help healthcare and manufacturing businesses compete
Robert Reich states the case plainly: “The only unique asset that a business has for gaining a sustained competitive advantage over rivals is its workforce – the skills and dedication of its employees.” (Training and Development, September 2006)
Unfortunately, many business managers find it hard to balance the cost associated with training against the immediate needs of the business. Both the cost and time required to find suitable providers discourage many businesses from pursuing training programs.
To address these needs, The WorkPlace, Inc. announces the availability of $160,000 in grant funds for training programs in healthcare and manufacturing companies. The WorkPlace’s staff will help businesses enhance the skills of employees through training and work with training providers that will deliver curriculum focused on business needs.
The goal of the program is to support results-based solutions that develop a skilled and adaptable workforce that can compete in the changing global marketplace.
“Grants awarded through this program will support industry-driven training solutions to address critical workforce challenges and prepare workers to take advantage of new job opportunities in high-growth areas of our local economy,” said Business Services Manager, Tom Long.
Businesses whose proposals are selected will be reimbursed for training-related costs. For more information, call Tom Long at 203-610-8528.  
The President's Report by Joe Carbone
In source after source, the importance of educational attainment stands out as a critical success factor – for individuals, for families, for regional economies, and for nations.
Richard Florida, in his books on The Creative Class, argues that highly educated people fuel community vitality and adaptability. The Fall 2006 issue of The Connecticut Economy reports on a study of the U.S. in which the factor most important to economic development was educational attainment – a bachelor’s degree or better.
In our region, CT DOL projects that almost 1/2 of new jobs will require a BA or higher, and almost 2/3 will require post-secondary education. Preparing our children for the world of work must start early. And with economic transitions a constant presence, we adults must also expect a lifetime of learning in order to stay productive. |
