Submitted by Jeff Finch, C.A.C.
January 1 to March 31, 2007
PLUMAS WORK CONNECTION
1953 E. Main St., Quincy CA, 95971
(530)283-1606
www.aworkforce.org
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Chester employers interviewing potential candidates. JOB FAIR 2007 The 11th annual Plumas Job Fair was brought employers and job-seekers together from all over the County. Despite adverse weather conditions, the job fair was successful. We started in Chester on March 26th with 17 employers setting up “camp” in the Chester Memorial Hall. The doors were opened to job-seekers by 3pm and by 3:30 over 40 people had come through with resumes in hand. We had a total of 70 job-seekers by days end. Many of the employers are repeat Job Fair attendees and offer a variety of positions, most of which are seasonal. The Lake Almanor Country Club has attended for the last 5 years and has consistently offered numerous jobs to job seekers. Some new faces were present this year. D&D Roofing from Reno, Nevada was recruiting journeyman roofers for jobs throughout Plumas County. Minh Su, Staffing Recruiter from D&D was very impressed with the turnout, she stated that "compared to the job fairs in Reno, this is worth the drive."
Quincy Job Fair 2007
In Quincy on Tuesday the 27th we had 13 employers including the California Army National Guard and the California Highway Patrol seeking candidates in the gym at Feather River College. With over 75 job-seekers applying for various positions, we never had a moment to relax. Employers attending the Quincy Job Fair have always offered a wide variety of employment opportunities. Some of the returning businesses, like Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch offer all kinds of jobs. Some are seasonal while others are full time and year round. Professional and career oriented positions are offered by many employers as well. Plumas Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative was in need of a new Supervisor in their Electrical Engineering Department. Some employers travel great distances to find the "right" people. The Nevada Sierra In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority recruiters come all the way from Nevada City and Grass Valley. They are able to contract in Plumas and Sierra Counties to provide assistance to people who need help with day-to-day tasks. One of the employers that caught my eye, due to the
business name was Camp Lots-A Fun. They traveled from Reno to find
camp counselors. They offer room and board for employees as well as
a respectable salary for their seasonal employees.
Graeagle Job Fair 2007
In Graeagle we had our largest showing from both employers and job-seekers. With 21 employers on hand from as far away as Reno, Grass Valley and Sierra County there seemed to be no shortage of career opportunities. The total number of job-seekers was 83. The Plumas job fair has been the result of combined efforts and planning by several agencies throughout its history. We work together as a team for the purpose of providing this event to both employers and job-seekers without cost to either one. This years team was comprised of the following agencies; Feather River College , Plumas Office of Education-ROP, Cal-Works , California Employment Development Department and AFWD . Many thanks to everyone for their outstanding service
and we look forward to next year.
_____________________________________________________________________________________ Sierra Economic Development District Invite…. After a brief visit to our new office in Loyalton, Bret Smith, the new President and CEO of the Sierra Economic Development District invited AFWD staff to a SEDD board meeting in Auburn. Let me introduce SEDD to you. SEDD is a non-profit economic development corporation working with the Sierra Planning Organization in Auburn, California. These two agencies provide services to four counties: Sierra, Nevada, Placer and El Dorado. The mission of SEDD is to provide assistance to job-seekers and small businesses in their counties through economic development and support. Nora Prince, Resource Coordinator (Loyalton) and Jeff Finch, HR Consultant (Quincy) accepted the invitation from Mr. Smith and traveled to Auburn on February 7th to attend the SEDD board meeting. The topics at the board meeting covered the state of SEDD reports, introduction of new board members, financial reviews and general business to name a few. The topic of most interest for Nora and I was the vision of Mr. Smith and the board to provide a “well integrated and effective worker preparation-to-employment system.” This was when Mr. Smith introduced Nora and I as a likely service provider in Sierra County. We had an opportunity to present our services which included both WIA program services as well as business services. We look forward to working with SEDD in the future
and providing services and assistance to Sierra County employers and
job-seekers.
A True Inspiration
Mr. Walter Fehliman, a man who truly deserves that title, is an inspiration to the human spirit. Perhaps as you were driving along highway 36 this past summer, you came upon some signs saying “Road Work Ahead”, “Flagman” and “Prepare to Stop”. As frustrating as that might be, it is a constant activity we live with in the mountains, and one of necessity to keep our roads maintained. If you were fortunate, you might have gotten a chance to meet Walter while waiting in line for your turn to continue on your journey. Walter was a participant in the Temporary Job Creation program this past summer, which helped Caltrans complete an astounding number of projects, ones which probably wouldn’t have gotten completed without these temporary positions. He was a flagger for Caltrans and his jovial spirit and kind conversations could and did sooth even the most frustrated driver. Walter is the quintessential “gentleman”,
a retired science teacher, and general good natured human being. You
were greeted with a smile and probably a cheery hello. What makes
Walter special is that he chooses to work, even at the age of 77,
when most are in the golden days of their retirement. To brave the
summer heat and the chill of the winter months, Walter approached
each day with a smile on his face and determination to complete another
day, make others lives better and our highways safe. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Temporary Job Creation The TJC program is still going strong. In fact, AFWD was recently informed that the current grant has been extended to June 07. The original date scheduled for the grant to end was March 31st. This extension will allow participants to continue working and major projects are concluded. AFWD has seen over 50 individuals benefit from the TJC grant throughout Lassen and Plumas Counties. By next quarters report the TJC program should be wrapped up and we will provide an overview of the entire project.
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Some workshops are inevitable and this is one topic we want to continue to present year after year. In January AFWD staff started making the “rounds” throughout our service area to provide employers with the 2007 Labor Law update. In every area, in every venue, we seemed to exceed expectations with attendees. In Quincy we had 25 attendees representing 21 businesses. Traci Holt, Director of Operations & Employer Services provided an insightful and engaging presentation on the changes for 2007. Labor Law can be a dry topic to many, but Traci did a great a job and the attendees responded with several questions and comments. The topics presented this year were "posting requirements" required by booth State and Federal Law, New Laws and Regulations, Safety Requirements and more. Proper training was stressed for OSHA's Heat Illness Regulation that became effective July, 2006. Many of those in attendance requested new Employment Notices Posters and the new Pamphlets required for employees.We have been able to provide these to employers at a reduced cost through the California Chamber of Commerce. For more information on this topic or related Labor Law information, email Jeff Finch at jfinch@ncen.org ________________________________________________________________-
During her first “solo” presentation with AFWD, Tonya Moore, HR Consultant (Susanville), received a standing ovation during the workshop. Tonya did a terrific job with a sensitive topic. The attendees, which totaled 23 responded well and kept Tonya busy answering many questions. This workshop provides employers with useful information relating to employee performance and commitment. Recognizing that employees are motivated in different ways provides employers with an important tool to attain the desired behavior from individual employees. One quote from the presentation is "When it comes to getting the best performance out of people, the most efficient route is to revel in their strengths, not focus on their weaknesses." Tonya was able to present a clear and concise program that focused on commitment by supporting employee performance. Recognizing and rewarding employees for their achievements and proper behavior was another top discussion. This workshop was well received and the feedback from the attendees was very positive. For more information on this topic and other employment related information, emial Jeff Finch at jfinch@ncen.org or Tonya Moore at tmoore@ncen.org ______________________________________________________________________________ I recently had the honor of presenting at the annual “all-staff” meeting for Feather Publishing here in Quincy. The topic was “team building” and I had over an hour to present to 80 plus employees. These employees came from Susanville, Chester, Portola and every satellite office within the corporation. The room above the Quincy Fire Hall was packed. In fact, there was standing room only for a while. More chairs and an additional table were brought in to accommodate everyone. The presentation was well received with great participation from the attendees. The room was divided into groups of 10 with each group working as a team on a great exercise activity. The NASA "Stranded on the Moon" scenario was used to determine which items (a list of 15 was provided) might be the most important to get from a shipwrecked space craft on the moon's surface to the moon base. What a great way to develop team building skills. The teams had to work together and make decisions in a democratic way to achieve survival. The teams included management personnel and delivery drivers, printing equipment operators and advertisement sales staff. All the teams participated and several did extremely well. I did mention towards the end that I would think twice before traveling with some of them. Overall, the exercise and following discussions revealed that team building is a team effort with great commitment. The participants made that commitment to each other as well as there employer during the presentation. Good luck!!!! ______________________________________________________________________
UPCOMING EVENTS PLUMAS WORK CONNECTION Federal Technology Center Workshop-Small
Disadvantage Business Certification Federal Technology Center Workshop-Intro
to Federal Contracting Sexual Harassment Prevention
Lassen Career Network's Annual Career
Expo & Job Fair Sexual Harassment Prevention MODOC EMPLOYMENT CENTER Modoc County Job Fair Sexual Harassment Prevention SIERRA WORK CONNECTION Effective Job Coaching
To learn more about these events, contact your local One-Stop Employment Center or visit www.afwdhr.org PLUMAS WORK CONNECTION, 283-WORK LASSEN CAREER NETWORK, 257-5057 MODOC EMPLOYMENT CENTER, 233-4161 SIERRA WORK CONNECTION, 993-4295 |
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