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RELEASE : October 24, 2006

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Workforce development conference recognizes important partnerships, honors businesses and individuals

RALEIGH — “Opportunities for tomorrow’s workforce” is the theme of the 2006 Workforce Development Partnership Conference that begins on Wednesday, October 25 and runs through Friday, October 27 at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. The conference focuses on building partnerships and providing better service to employers and job seekers across the state. More than 1200 individuals will participate in the conference. The North Carolina Community College System is a major partner presenting the conference.

The conference provides an opportunity for participants to hear from several distinguished speakers, features workshops designed to enhance each participant’s ability to serve his or her clients, and celebrates outstanding workforce development successes at an awards ceremony.

The keynote speaker is Edward Gordon, an internationally recognized expert on the future labor market development and many educational reform issues. His most recent book, The 2010 Meltdown, challenges policy makers to address the anticipated shortage of highly educated and technically trained workers. Gordon attributes that shortage in large part to technology growth, globalization, and baby-boomer retirements. He describes a cultural lag that has led to what he calls "techno-peasants" who drop out of high school, have outdated career skills, and seem destined for low-paying jobs, and a business environment that focuses too much on short-term profits, outsourcing, and importing temporary workers. Gordon speaks on Wednesday during the opening session which begins at 1:30 p.m. in Guilford ABC.

University of North Carolina system president Erskine Bowles will deliver the closing address. He will share with the audience his perspective of the connectivity of the universities to economic development and the workforce. Bowles has been very outspoken on the connection on many levels and topics between community colleges and the public universities. Bowles speaks on Friday. The closing session begins at 10:45 and ends at noon in Guilford ABC.

JobLink Centers across the state will be recognized for providing ten years of innovative service at a special presentation on Thursday. Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue will share comments and present the awards during this session that begins at 9:00 that morning in Guilford ABC.

Conference sessions are geared to the different groups participating. Workshop session titles include: Improving Efficiency and customer Service, Youth Councils: Leverage Your Power, Successful Services for Ex-Offenders, Strengthening the Hispanic Workforce, and Work First: Myths, Realities and Reauthorization.

The Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Workforce Development ceremony is a conference highlight. Awards are presented to the individuals and businesses that have shown their ability to meet challenges in their lives or the lives of their employees, often with the help of a community college. The Governor’s Awards honor individuals for their outstanding accomplishments and businesses for their contribution in helping the state achieve its workforce development goals. Honorees will be recognized at the Governor’s Award Banquet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 26.

Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances in New Bern is a Governor’s Outstanding Workforce Development Employer, an integral community partner and proven business leader, BSH provides Pre-Hire Training Programs and the Six Sigma Quality Programs, developed in partnership with the NC Community College System. The BSH facility will also provide the hub for Craven Community College’s “Early College,” a new high school initiative championed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and endorsed by Governor Easley. BSH is an integral community partner and proven business leader.

Cherokee County Machined Product Cluster in Murphy is also a Governor’s Outstanding Workforce Development Employer. The cluster is comprised of three separate companies: Sioux Tools, Moog Components Group, and Team Industries. Together the businesses employ about 700 and they were chosen for their commitment to community involvement, worker training, and educational opportunities for those interested in machining. The collaborative training program, Growing Our Own Machinists, involving Tri-County Community College, Cherokee County, and local industry has received national attention. Their unique efforts to create opportunities for diverse populations are an example to other businesses throughout the state and the nation.

Most of the individual honorees have either used or plan to use their local community college to overcome personal hurdles or as a major educational resource.

Ø April Culbreath, Oxford - Governor’s Award for Excellence in Workforce Development, Outstanding Adult Participant. April found healing from the many personal “hurts” in her life by helping others to heal. That realization led her to pursue a nursing career. Step one: Get her GED (2002). Step two: Enroll in and graduate from Vance-Granville Community College; get into nursing program (2004) Step three: Graduate from VGCC’s nursing program (2006) Step four: Obtain a job offer as a full-time registered nurse (John Umstead Hospital in Butner) upon completion of the nursing licensure exam.

Ø Bettie J. Fisher , Kinston – Governor’s Award for Excellence in Workforce Development, Outstanding Adult Participant. Wife, mother, grandmother, caretaker of her ailing mother, she lost her job of 20 years and decided to start a new career in Machining Technology. She wanted to be one of the few women in the profession. She graduated from Lenoir Community College with the requisite degree and a 3.37 GPA. She was the first WorkHorse Aviation Manufacturing employee to complete the Advanced Machinist Program offered by Lenoir CC at the Global TransPark Education and Training Center. She is thriving on the job.

Ø Christopher Morales, Purlear – Governor’s Award for Excellence in Workforce Development, Outstanding Youth Participant. A graduate of the Workforce Investment Act Youth Program at age 17, he recently graduated from Watauga High School and was accepted into the NASCAR College this fall. He wants to own his own automotive detailing shop. Estranged from his father, his mother was killed in a car accident when he was in the eighth grade. He has taken care of himself ever since. Chris’ determination to turn his tragedies into triumph has defined him as a leader.

Ø Roberta M. Scheffer, Maury – Governor’s Award for Excellence in Workforce Development, Outstanding Youth Participant. A high school dropout with a ninth grade education, Roberta entered workforce programs provided through Green Lamp, Inc. at the age of 18. Refusing to let medical and transportation problems hold her back, she began to meet and overcome obstacles in her life. She obtained her GED in the fall of 2005. Active in community and workforce development projects, she has two part-time jobs. She plans to purchase a car so she can attend Pitt Community College and pursue a Paralegal Technology degree. She will work as an EKG Monitor Technician while she is in school.

Anna Barrett is a Career Transition Specialist at the Management Training Corporation –Job Corps in Farmville. She is the recipient of the Wayne Daves Award for Outstanding Achievement in Workforce Development. Barrett is responsible for 18 counties in North Carolina and is in constant contact with her students, Job Corps centers, employers, and many other community resources to assist her in making her clients successful. Anna always has a smile on her face and is always willing to jump in and help. Anna once said, “By helping customers meet their basic needs, you are assisting in their survival and provide them the means to meet their goals.”

The North Carolina Community College System enrolls almost 800,000 students in 58 comprehensive community colleges. Internationally recognized for the scope and quality of its programs, the system is North Carolina's primary provider of workforce preparation and adult education. For details and information about the NCCCS, visit www.nccommunitycolleges.edu.

-NCCCS-

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