Workforce of the Future

ARRA CCRD

This project was developed to provide a need in all communities for those community members that had never been employed or had lost their employment. Workforce of the Future provides 4 components: Component 1: Provide intake, assessment, & referral for each participant and their families. Component 2: Provide weekly life skills classes to support growth in self confidence and personal responsibility and impart crucial tools needed for employment: Empowerment, Self-Esteem, Job Search, Techniques, Resume Preparation, and interviewing skills. Component 3: Fundamental Job Readiness: Through hands on participation in work training placement, participants will learn the skills that employer’s say they are not obtaining in entry level employees. Component 4: Employment Experience: NECAC will work with the new and existing partners to place participants with organizations, or business in a work training site. NECAC will also work with partners, work training sites and community members to develop a work training site and to expand two exsiting work training sites. This will help to benefit the community and insure that the continuation of work training sites in the community will be secure.

Each participant is paid stipend of $20.00/day for each day they are on the work training site plus mileage to and from their work training site. Each participant is required to attend weekly life skills classes and receive their stipend check for the week.

At this time NECAC has place 44 participants in work training sites, 6 will be placed this week and 15 more waiting to be placed. Goal was 50 participants and we have obtained that and have waiting list.  Work training sites range from faith base, thrift stores, business, Mo Career Center, and news papers. Continued recruitment of participants and work trainings sites will increase this number through September 30, 2010. NECAC is now in process of obtaining applications for expansion and the development of work training sites and will made grant awards to these in July, 2010.

NECAC has had four participants obtain employment due to the experience and training they received from the Workforce of the Future program. Hillary Henderson and Diana Hatcher both entered the program in Shelby County. Hillary was place at the University Extension she has now obtained two part time jobs with C&R markets and Bethel Fest Hall. Diana Hatcher was placed at the Senior Center and has now obtained employment at Hardees in Macon.

Marion County has also had success with two of their participants Jeff Elder was place at The Christian Ambiance training site. He was referred by Probation and Parole and now has obtained full time employment as a bull dozer operator making $16.00 hour and has already received a $1.35 hour raise. Nathan Wilson was also placed at HAX and then moved to Christian Ambiance after he completed all the work available at HAX. Nathan has also obtained employment at Continental Casting. All four of these participants obtained employment as a direct result of the Workforce of the Future Program. This program has proven to be a success and all of the participants and work training sites are very pleased with the program and the affect it has had on our communities as a whole.

List of work sites:

Bowling Green Times

Monitor Index

Bankhead’s Chocolate

NECAC Service Centers

Sparks Heating & Cooling

Jeff Davis Trucking & Sale

Caring Communities

Christian Ambiance

Hax

FACT

Salvation Army

Center Cemetery

Monroe Historical Society

Faith Walk Ministries

PCADD

Senior Center

University Extension

We Care Ministries Food Pantry & Thrift Shop

Suzie’s Decorative Concepts

Joy Creations

Reach Community Church

Jill Flea Market Oldies & More