One
Stop Activities
Plumas/Sierra Job Fairs
The 12th Annual Plumas/Sierra County Job Fairs were held the first three days in April in Chester,
Quincy and Graeagle and were very successful. They were presented by the Workforce Development
Team comprised of representatives who support local employers and job seekers.
The Chester Job Fair was held on Tuesday April 1st at the Memorial Hall with 19 employers represented
and 102 job seekers attending; the Quincy Job Fair on Wednesday April 2nd at Feather River College
with 11 employers represented and 75 job seekers attending; and the Graeagle Job Fair on Thursday
April 3rd at the Graeagle Fire Hall with 19 employers represented and 87 job seekers attending.
Some of the Employers that were represented included American Valley Aviation,
Army National Guard, CA Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CA Highway Patrol, and many
seasonal resorts and restaurants.
Job Fairs offered an opportunity for Job seekers to reach interviewing at terminal velocity- the highest
number of prospects in the shortest possible amount of time for full-time and part-time jobs,
seasonal and year round jobs. For students, job fairs provided another opportunity to meet with
multiple employers in the same day. Employers were sizing up candidates quickly, based on
appearances, communication skills and first impressions. Job Seekers had been encouraged to
come dressed for success with plenty of resumes and be prepared to make a good impression
interviewing with multiple employers for all the positions that they were interested in.
The feedback was very positive with several of the employers stating that they were able to fill their
job vacancies while attending the Job Fairs. Employers stated they are looking forward to attending
the Job Fairs next year.
On Thursday May 15, 2008, AFWD partnered with
Plumas County Special Districts Association
California Newspaper Publishers Association
Plumas County Counsel’s Office
Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc
Plumas County Clerk-Recorder
Plumas Corporation
Plumas Community Development Commission
Feather Publishing Company
This informative seminar featured experts who shared their insight on understanding and maintaining
Brown Act compliance. Topics covered included who is governed by the law; definition of
meetings and serial meetings; electronic compliance; meeting requirements; closed sessions and more.
AFWD made a brief presentation on ethics and sexual harassment training requirements and availability.
The Brown Act, officially known as the Ralph M. Brown Act (California Government Code Sections 54950
-54963) was enacted in 1953 by the California State Legislature in an effort to safeguard the
public’s right to access and participate in government meetings within the State. The Brown Act,
originally a 686 word statute that has grown substantially over the years, was enacted in response to
the mounting public concerns over informal, undisclosed meetings held by local elected officials
which were not in compliance with requirements for advance public notice, instead, they were
skirting laws by holding secret ‘workshops’ and ‘study sessions’. The Brown Act solely applies
to California city and county government agencies, boards, and councils.
In the Brown Act there are 3 basic principles. The first one is about Openness which means
meetings have a right to be open to the public. The second principle is Notice which is an outline
of what is to be discussed at the meeting and it must be done in a timely manner.
The third and last principle is about Exceptions to Openness meaning that it’s limited in scope or time.
.
HR Consultant Joins the Plumas Team
The Plumas Work Connection is pleased to announce that Cathryn Sorenson has joined the Plumas Work
Connection Team as the Human Resource Consultant. Cathryn has over 15 years of experience as
an HR Generalist, Consultant, High Volume Recruiter, Job Developer and Career Counselor.
Cathryn is also certified by California Dept. of Post Secondary Education giving her additional
experience in both the public and private sector. Her position with AFWD as our full-time HR
Consultant will allow for AFWD to enhance our visibility with businesses and candidates. The
services that she will present will shorten recruitment time, save employers’ time and money,
assist job seekers in finding gainful employment in a timely manner, resulting in a win-win situation
for job seekers and employers. Welcome Cathryn!
U.S. Forest Service and AFWD Team Up for Sexual Harassment Training
Harassment claims take many forms. They are on the rise and potentially very expensive for business
and individuals. How do we protect our business and ourselves? What are the consequences of
workplace harassment? Who is responsible for reporting and investigating workplace harassment
claims? These were some of the questions and concerns covered on Wednesday April 23, 2008 by
our presenter Holly Schirmer, Director Business Services for the Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc
.
Businesses with over 50 employees are required by California state law AB 1825 to provide at
least 2 hours of training and education to their managers and supervisors ever two years and
new supervisors must be trained with 6 months of hire. With a packed house of over 80 U.S.
Forest Service employees, Holly hit upon the things they, as supervisors, can do to help prevent
and handle the various types of harassment that can happen at the workplace. With power point in
hand and answers to all the questions, Holly provided all the employees with valuable information
on Sexual Harassment.
Small Business Development Center Workshop-Financing Your Business
On Thursday May 15th, 2008 at the Plumas Work Connection, Indria Gillespie, Program Manager
for the Sierra College Small Business Development Center and David Castaneda, Marketing &
Outreach Specialist for the Small Business Administration partnered with AFWD giving a free
workshop on Small Business Financing at which 6 were in attendance. The workshop covered the
steps to take in order to get funded for new and existing small businesses. SBA provides a number
of financial assistance programs for small businesses including 7(a), 504 and disaster assistance
loans. They gave a review on eligibility requirements, SBA’s loan programs, surety bonds and the
role of SBA, equity capital topics, special purpose loans, SBA partner topics and 7(a) lender
programs. Though the SBA does not provide grants to start a business, they gave information
on organizations and sites that can assist in locating special purpose grants. SBDC provides
management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. SBDCs offer one-stop
assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and
guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations. The program is a cooperative effort
of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments and
is an integral component of Entrepreneurial Development's network of training and counseling services.
Effective Communication Workshop for Nevada-Sierra Regional In Home Supportive
Services Public Authority
On June 19, 2008 Alliance for Workshop Development, Inc. was invited to present a 2 hour workshop
to service providers and supportive service consumers for the Nevada-Sierra Regional In-Home
Supportive Services Public Authority. The workshop was aimed at enhancing communication skills
between the service providers and consumers.
AFWD HR Consultants Bobbi Moore and Cathryn Sorenson, and Director of Business Services,
Holly Schirmer covered the following five components of effective communication.
- Communication is a two-way process.
- Must construct clear messages in the interest of the receiver.
- Making use of nonverbal behaviors to reinforce your message.
- Listening actively to improve communication.
- Creating a climate of open communication.
These objectives were delivered in an interactive program utilizing a variety of hands-on learning
techniques to engage the attendees and help build skills.
The workshop was very well received by the 20 participants. “I was very pleased with the training
and the way the participants took part in the role playing activities. I think that they will be able to
more effectively communicate based on what they learned today,” stated Amber Hodges,
Plumas-Sierra Registry Specialist. “Thank you to AFWD for their assistance in improving
our in-home supportive services."
|
