AFWD Provided Training to Diamond Mountain Casino on their Performance Improvement Policy

On July 29th, 2008 managers of Diamond Mountain Casino joined together to participate in a workshop on Performance Improvement facilitated by Bobbi Moore, HR Consultant for AFWD.

Attendees discussed improving their relations with their employee teams, team productivity, job stress reduction, preparing employees for additional responsibilities and implementing Diamond Mountain Casino’s Performance Improvement Partnership Policy.

Some questions that were addressed were
• Where does employee commitment come from?
• How do leaders enhance employees’ self esteem?
• What is the difference in behavior and attitude?
• Why is team member participation important?
• How do I create a climate of open communication?

At the conclusion of the workshop participants were encouraged to take the principles presented and apply them in their day-to-day management activities with the goal of enhancing their leadership capabilities, gain employee commitment, and increase production.

Diamond Mountain Casino is committed to maintaining a work environment based on mutual respect, courtesy, and consideration. In order to achieve this goal, Diamond Mountain Casino has high expectations of all staff members in terms of behavior, attitude, and performance. Performance Improvement Partnership is the process whereby those expectations are met in the future.

For more information on available workshops, contact Lassen Career Network at 530-257-5057, or visitwww.afwdhr.org

Submitted by: Bobbi Moore

     
       

Jin-Hee Williams has joined the AFWD team at Lassen Career Network as a Part Time One Stop Receptionist. Her primary job experiences include retail sales and banking. Jin-Hee's ten years of customer service experience and three years of retail management have afforded her opportunities to experience a wide array of job environments and communicative atmospheres. She hopes to bring a balanced blend of both professionalism and affability to her new position. Jin-Hee has recently relocated to Susanville from Redding, CA and is looking forward to residing in the area indefinitely.

Sharla Gatie has joined the AWFD Lassen team as one of our new Frontline Receptionist. Sharla came to us in August of 2007 and signed up for our job seeker services. She was enjoying her very fulfilling life as a “domestic engineer” but when her youngest started school she was ready to start working again. She completed two computer classes which pertained to the basics of Word and Excel. She then signed up for the Element K program, which is a self paced online learning system that offers a wide variety of computer program courses. We helped her with interviewing skills and job search skills. Sharla continued her job search and was hired as a work experience for us in April. During her 3 month work experience she learned many skills that would be valuable in her future endeavors. As it turned out, we were hiring for a Frontline Receptionist here at the Lassen Career Network. Sharla applied and interviewed for the job. Sharla is a great success story and we are happy to have Sharla on board and welcome her to our team.

Lassen Career Network Gets a Brand New Building!

The Lassen Career Network is set to open its new facility located at 1616 Chestnut St. November 3rd. We have moved out of our 2545 Main St. location and are very excited about our brand new one-stop. We have been temporarily operating out of the Child Support Services building. We are only a few weeks away for the final move into our beautiful new building. The new one-stop will feature a state of the art computer lab, a large room for cubicle offices and better technological capabilities than the old facility, a training room that businesses and organizations can utilize for conferences, meetings, and seminars. The reception area will include an employment board. The new facility is 3,500 square feet smaller but provides a better use of space and will allow LCN to be more energy efficient and cost-effective in doing business and better serving the public needs.
The Lassen Career Network’s new location is near Health and Social Services, PACE, Public Health and Child Support Services. This is a great location for our clients because we are within walking distance to the other services. We look forward to introducing the community to our new one-stop.

We at AFWD are proud to report that we have recently re-designed our youth program. We are currently offering a more efficient and effective youth program that is designed to assist an increasing number of at risk youth or young people in their pathways to job and education success. AFWD Youth services are for youth, 18-21 years old, who want to work, and may be having a difficult time transitioning into adulthood. While in our program, youth will learn new skills, explore the world of work and get help finding a job! Our newly design services provide the following to assist youth in making that step towards full employment:
• Job Leads/Openings
• Paid Work Experience
• On-the-Job Training
• Interview/Work Clothing
• Work Tools
• GED Preparation/Test Fees
• Workshops
• Transportation Assistance
• Counseling

AFWD’s youth program is designed to provide effective and comprehensive activities which include a variety of options for improving educational skills and providing; effective connections to employers, mentoring opportunities with adults, opportunities for training, needed supportive services, incentives for recognition and achievement; and opportunities in activities related to leadership, development, decision making, citizenship, and community service

The new program requires each individual to take responsibility for their futures, by involving them in the decision making process and providing incentives for successful completion of program components. AFWD offers a full range of workshops that provide practical skill in building interview skills, budgeting, test taking, career exploration, and dealing with difficult people and situations.

AFWD’s goal is to be “the next step” in these young peoples’ lives as they are moving into adulthood. When dealing with young people who are often coming from foster care situations or lack family support, AFWD’s mission is to induce a strong sense of self worth and empowerment. Upon completion of the Youth program our young people will be armed with the skills and knowledge to cope with the real world and succeed in anything they put their minds to.

The Welders are Coming!!

In the last several months it has come to our attention that Certified Welder’s are in great demand in our area. In an effort to address this need AFWD has recently partnered with the Lassen Community College welding program. Lassen Community College offers an excellent Welding program in which you can earn a one year Certificate of Completion in Welding Technology or earn a 2 year AS in Welding Technology. A special thanks goes to Welding instructor John Mulcahy for all his cooperation. With John’s assistance AFWD has assisted 10 WIA Participants with equipment and supplies such as gloves, leather gear, and helmets that they would have otherwise been unable to obtain. The response from participants has been very positive. One participant was quoted saying, “This is a great program, with my own equipment I can go straight to work when I’m done with school and I don’t have to worry about catching myself on fire while I’m learning”. While a majority of our participants will be graduating in December we have others that are looking forward to obtaining their A.S. in the Spring. AFWD has also partnered with the Sierra Army Depot in hopes that upon completion of their Welding Certificates our customer’s can immediately be placed into employment.
For more information on Lassen Community College Welding and other programs go to www.lassencollege.edu

 

 

Youth Success Story

In April, I met a very timid girl named Rebecca Fimbrez. She was enrolled as a Lassen High School student and was eagerly looking forward to graduation. Rebecca is a foster youth and she was referred by the ILP instructor to the AFWD Youth Program. Rebecca was gravely concerned about aging out of the foster care system and had big goals for her life. Rebecca needed to get into college to become a teacher. Through hard work and persistence we worked diligently applying for scholarships, financial aide, and the Chafee grant. Meanwhile Rebecca continued to successfully complete high school with honors. After several rejection letters, Rebecca was accepted into Simpson University. At first we were concerned that she wouldn’t be able to afford the tuition and living expenses but her Chafee grant and financial aide was approved and covered her next 4 years at Simpson University. We then worked with the ILP program and they provided Rebecca with a laptop computer for school. AFWD was able to pay for her books. Rebecca and her foster parents couldn’t be happier with how things have worked out with the Youth program. Rebecca looks forward to her studies and to living in Redding.

 

 

What is Venture Island?

A field of innovative, high-growth potential start-up and existing companies compete to build their businesses and land a substantial cash infusion!

During their 3-month stay on Venture Island, company founders benefit from executive mentoring and advising, peer-to-peer networking, and high visibility for their businesses in the community and beyond - all the while supporting a noble community cause.

Venture Island kicks-off with an initial round of screen tests. The competition is judged by a panel of subject-area experts, the audience, and also by peer competitors, and the field of entrepreneurs is eventually narrowed down and culminates in the Finalist Showdown competition.

Ten people advanced in the first round of the competition Venture Island. The 10 winners from “The Trading Post” competition were Gisele Maxwell, Roman Ritachaka, Jay Webster, Carl Hamon, Bernadette Butz, Eric Mogensen, Kevin Risse, James Phillips, Kimberly Mankins, and Christine Everson.

 

New Workforce Investment Board (WIB) Member

Dr. Douglas Houston, Lassen Community College President has recently taken a position on the Local Workforce Investment Board. The role of the NoRTEC WIB is to oversee local programs, select and approve One-Stop Operators, maintain the approved vendors list, negotiate local performance measures, fiscal accountability and coordinate workforce investment activities with local economic strategies. Lassen County current representation includes Dr. Douglas Houston, Sophia Wages, Ken Theobald and Supervisor Jim Chapman.

Dr. Houston has spent his entire professional career in leadership roles, including serving as: the commander of several military units, an administrator to several community colleges, as a Boy Scout leader, and in various leadership roles in his church and community. He has taught full and part-time at the community college and university level, including as a Physics Professor at West Point.

The son of an Army officer Doug grew up and attended school in various countries including Germany, Thailand and of course in many states in the USA. An Eagle Scout, he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Physics from the University of Florida where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate and was recognized with the George Catlett Marshal Leadership Award. Doug earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Pepperdine University.

Prior to coming to Lassen College, he served for ten years in numerous positions at Butte College in Oroville, California and prior to that as an administrator at Barstow College in Southern California. While at Butte College, he was recognized with an Award for Excellence from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development for work in support of faculty development and classroom-based research. A strong believer in servant leadership, he feels public higher education is a sacred trust and thinks of his job as a “calling.”

Doug’s home is with his wife Kathryn, son Samuel (age 17) and daughter Anna Marie (age 16) on a small horse ranch on the buttes just south of Paradise, California ... along with some two dozen pets including horses, dogs, cats, chickens and other birds ... Kathy is a veterinarian! He enjoys camping, fishing, horseback riding and carpentry; but most of all he enjoys the fellowship of family and friends.

Favorite Quote

These are times in which genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life or the repose of a pacific station that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman.
- Abigail Adams
to her 10-year-old son
John Quincy Adams