Working in the
Northern Panhandle Workforce Development Board, Inc.
Bi-Annual Newsletter December 2016
Third Annual Veteran
“Stand Down” Event
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016, the Third Annual WorkForce West Virginia Veteran “Stand Down” was held at the West Virginia Northern Community College (WVNCC) Education Center from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This Event was FREE for all Veterans and their family members to attend.
Joe Douglass, Sr., WorkForce West Virginia Veteran Representative and Gulf War Veteran, coordinated and scheduled meetings throughout the year at the Wheeling Vet Center in preparation for this Event.
This annual Event plays a critical role in helping our local Veterans, Active Duty personnel and their families to obtain necessary goods and services. Stand Down is a day when the community comes together to serve, offer hope, services, food, counseling, supplies and a lifeline to Veterans living without.
Veterans were greeted with juice and a hot breakfast sandwich, which were donated by Bob Evans restaurant. Honor Guards from the American Legion Post #1 in Wheeling, WV did the presentation of colors for the Opening Ceremony. Lunch was prepared by the WVNCC Culinary Arts Students and FREE to all Veterans and their +1 thanks to the $100 donation from American Legion Post 1, $100 donation from AMVETS Post 275 and $100 donation from Vets-for Vets. Lunch was served from Noon to 1:30 PM in the Culinary Arts Dining Room, located on the 2nd floor of the Education Center. The cost of lunch to the vendors attending/participating was $7 and was a Tex-Mex themed buffet.
Pictured left to right: Michael Novotney – Wheeling Vet Center, Natalie McFeley – WVNCC, Matz Malone – AMVETS Post 275, Chef Marian Gruber – WVNCC Culinary Arts Department, Mick Mullen – Vets-for-Vets, Chef Chris Kefauver- WVNCC Culinary Arts Department, Mike Highfield – Vets-for-Vets, Theresa Kurts – Seeing Hands Association, Joe Douglas, Sr. – WorkForce WV.
During the Event, Veterans received information on VA Benefits, VA Enrollment, VA Medical and Mental Help, Housing Assistance, Living Will, Job Training, Surplus Items, etc. No Veteran walked out empty handed or hungry. Almost every single Veteran attending took advantage of the FREE haircuts that were being given by Great Clips.
While the primary goal of this Event is helping homeless Veterans access the resources needed to regain their highest level of independence, its secondary goal is to bring our community and service providers together in a collaborative format that can build relationships throughout the year that positively benefits homeless and at-risk Veterans.
A special Thank You to all of the following organizations who participated in this Event: Woodforest National Bank; Jefferson County Veterans Services; Great Clips; Wheeling Vet Center; Amedisys Hospice; Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless; Belmont County Community Based Outpatient Clinic; Wheeling Human Rights Commission; Pittsburgh Veteran Health Administration; Pittsburgh Veterans Affair – Women’s Health; West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services; WorkForce West Virginia; West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance; American Legion Post #1; Vets for Vets; IC Care; Information Helpline; Change, Inc.; Million Veteran Program; West Virginia Advocates; Helping Heroes, Inc.; West Virginia Northern Community College; Northern Panhandle Workforce Development Board, Inc.; WorkForce West Virginia American Job Center; Seeing Hand Association; Bob Evans; Drivers Connections; Veteran Transitional Housing; Valley Hospice; Veteran Upward Bound; Sanctuary Home Health; and, Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living.
Please make sure to check out the Facebook page for the “Veterans Stand Down-Wheeling, WV Association” to see more pictures and to find out when the next Event will be scheduled for 2017.
“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.”
Abraham Lincoln
YOUTH SERVICES
SYSTEM, INC. QUARTERLY YOUTH WORKSHOPS
Youth Services System, Inc. (YSS, Inc.) has been contracted by the Northern Panhandle Workforce Development Board, Inc. (NPWDB, Inc.) for the past 9 years to provide services to at-risk Youth in the following counties: Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler, and the cities of Weirton and Wheeling.
The Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU!) Program is funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 and serves economically disadvantaged youth ages 14-24. In general, the Youth Opportunities Unlimited! Program is a 12 month program which begins on July 1st and runs through June 30th of the following year. It is designed to offer the neediest youth with opportunities to successfully transition to adult roles and responsibilities. An emphasis has been on teaching academic, life skills and employability skills to youth who might not otherwise have an opportunity to succeed academically or vocationally. One of the ways YSS, Inc. does this is by offering Quarterly Youth Workshops throughout the program year.
On Thursday, September 22, 2016, at the Wheeling American Job Center/WorkForce West Virginia Youth Resource Room, YSS, Inc. offered a Youth Quarterly Workshop titled “Back to School”. Presenters included: Karrie Mulhern and Dawn Barcus from West Virginia Northern Community College (WVNCC); Brady Woodland from All-State Career Center; Anthony Sharro from Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA); and, Jason Rine from West Virginia University (WVU) Extension Service. All presenters spoke about the advantages of enrolling in an Older Youth Individual Training Account (ITA) Program and going into one of the in-demand occupations, such as Applied Technology, Truck Driving (CDL), Cyber Security, Heavy Equipment Operator, Chemical Operator, Instrumentation, etc. Jason Rine went a step further and discussed the many opportunities in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) programs for today’s youth. Jason explained that STEM workshops help communities build on local programs to better align youth to STEM education with “high demand” occupations. Jason brought in a drone and discussed the flight dynamics, remote sensing, flight control, and of course safety and other flight regulations. He was able to get the youth engaged and dive deep into the world of coding and learn about how drones are programmed.
In the Youth Resource Room at the Wheeling American Job Center/Workforce West Virginia Career Center, youth have the opportunity to work with the following: a XYZ Da Vinci 1.0 3D Printer; a Lego Mindstorms Robotics Kit, as well as STEM curriculum that operates through the laptop attached to the 3D printer; Five (5) VEX Robotics STEM Kits for various building projects tied to engineering and technology; NASCAR STEM Program that is set up through the laptop; a Weighted Math Building Kit; and, a growing Library of books based on STEM Curriculum.
To find out more about the YSS, Inc. Youth Opportunities Unlimited! Year Round Youth Program, Older Youth ITA Program, or the Youth Resource Room, please contact Donnie Yeager, Jr. at 304-639-4453 or .
Desirae Parker enrolled into the NPWDB, Inc.’s Year Round Youth Program in 2012 while she was in the American Job Center/WorkForce West Virginia Career Center signing up for the Individual Training Account (ITA) Program. Desirae was approved for the ITA Program, and through her hard work and dedication, she graduated from the B.M. Spurr of Practical Nursing located in Glen Dale, WV in August of 2013. She passed her boards in October 2013 and immediately began her search for employment. November 2013, Desirae was offered full time employment, and accepted, at the Northern Regional Jail and Correction Facility in Moundsville, WV. She is still currently employed here as a staff nurse, where she willingly works the nightshift in order to allow her to attend Belmont College during the day. Desirae is working on her Associate’s Degree in order to become a Registered Nurse (RN).
Pictured: Desirae Parker along with her husband, Mark, and two (2) daughters Markia and Marley.
Pictured: Logan Wolfe
In December 2015, Logan Wolfe was laid off from a local Coal Mine. Logan knew there was special funding available for Coal Miner retraining, but since he was laid off from an Ohio Coal Mine, he was not eligible to receive the training benefits from the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) in West Virginia. Staff at the Wheeling American Job Center/WorkForce West Virginia Career Center explained to Logan that since he was a dislocated worker and a West Virginia resident, they could still assist him with retraining funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to get him back on his feet.
With a young family to support, Logan knew he wanted to get into a training that would allow him to re-enter the workforce as soon as possible. Many of his friends and even his dad had their CDL license and was able to earn a good wage. This helped him to make his decision to go into the Individual Training Account (ITA) Program for CDL training. Logan received his approval for
ITA training in late March 2016. In April 2016, he started his CDL training at All State Career School, in Wheeling, WV. It was during this training that he heard from several recruiters explaining the benefits of working for their company. Logan ultimately decided to apply for a job with TMC Transportation and was able to get a pre-hire while he was still enrolled in training.
Upon graduation, he left for Des Moines, Iowa for his orientation with TMC Transportation. While in orientation, Logan excelled and graduated at the top of his class.
The opportunities afforded under the WIOA helped Logan to get back to work and provide for his family. He enjoys being a professional truck driver and is grateful for this opportunity.
"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life-think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success." Swami Vivekananda
WEIRTON WORKFORCE WEST VIRGINIA
CAREER FAIR
On Thursday, October 27, 2016, the Weirton WorkForce West Virginia American Job Center/Career Center collaborated with West Virginia Northern Community College (WVNCC), to hold a Career Fair at the WVNCC Weirton Campus from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
This event was FREE to the public and students of WVNCC. Those attending had an opportunity to speak with area business representatives about their current job openings. Job seekers were encouraged to attend with prepared resumes and ready to meet with prospective employers.
The following is a list of employers who attended/participated in the Career Fair: Bulldog Rack; Rue 21Distribution Center; Northwood Health System; Weirton Medical Center; Home Is Where the Heart Is; Change, Inc.; IC Care Staffing; Helping Heroes; Stillwaggon & McGill; Reimbursement Concepts; William Lea; Adecco; Fox Run; WorkForce West Virginia Unemployment/Job Service; National Council on Aging; COTRIAC; Youth Services System, Inc.; West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services; West Virginia Business College; Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics; and, Right at Home.
It is a priority to connect employers and job seekers in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia in order to create more opportunities for the residents and businesses to thrive.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this Career Fair successful!
SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE JOBSEEKER
Ten years ago, less than 10% of adult internet users utilized Social Media. Today, it is well over 74%. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, etc. allow employers to get a glimpse of who their potential employees are outside the confines of a resume, cover letter and interview. These same Social Media sites also offer job seekers the opportunity to learn about job openings. This is probably the biggest reason why half of all job seekers are actively on social networking sites on a daily basis. This isn’t the only strategy for finding a job, but it is becoming increasingly more popular. However, job seekers need to realize that their prospective employers are also utilizing the same social networking sites in their hiring process by screening potential employees.
Job seekers need to think about what message are they sending with your Social Media presence. If a prospective employer were to look at your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. page, what would they find?
The following are some tips for keeping your social networking free from potential employer scrutiny: 1) Watch the content of what you are posting. Employers may decide to hire someone else if you have inappropriate photographs or use of profanity; 2) Maintain professionalism; 3) Avoid posting information pertaining to drug and alcohol use/abuse; 4) Don’t bash your current or past employer(s); and, 5) Flaunt your talents and good deeds. An employer may choose you over another candidate because your posts make you look creative or because of the volunteer work you have done.
The answer isn’t to not be active on Social Media, because that could also potentially hurt your chances of being recognized and hired. The bottom line is to remember to keep your profile and posts professional and personable. Remember, what you post on Social Media NEVER goes away! It’s all about finding that balance.
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Aristotle
CAREER CENTER TRAFFIC REPORT PROGRAM YTD
(WIOA Program Year 7/01/2016 through 12/30/2016)
WHEELING
New Customers: 83
Repeat Customers: 3,304
Total: 3,387
WEIRTON
New Customers: 100
Repeat Customers: 886
Total: 986
NEW MARTINSVILLE
New Customers: 51
Repeat Customers: 2,535
Total: 2,586
GRAND TOTALS