NEW FUTURES FOR YOUTH
OFFENDERS
Thanks to a $2
million federal grant, 200 youth
ages 14 to 24, who are offenders
or at risk for criminal involvement,
can plan a new future at two new
career and educational centers
in Downtown Seattle and South
King County. These centers will
provide intensive support for
education and employment goals
through a partnership of ten community
and government agencies. Our existing
YouthSource office at WorkSource
Renton will also be involved in
local service delivery activities
associated with implementation
of the grant – locally named
the New Futures Network project.
“We are ecstatic
about the huge difference the
New Futures Network will make
for young people in our community,”
said Kris Stadelman, CEO of the
Workforce Development Council
of Seattle-King County (WDC).
“This model has been very
successful in stopping the cycle
of criminal activity and giving
youth the tools to create a positive
future.”
Funding for the
WDC’s New Futures Network
project was announced in early
November by the U.S. Department
of Labor, which selected just
16 projects nationwide out of
109 proposals submitted. Planning
and hiring for the new centers
is expected to begin in January
2008, with services to youth starting
by July.
BOEING PARTNERSHIP
TAKES FLIGHT
The Boeing Company
has a large number of manufacturing
positions to fill as it gears
up for production of the new 787
airplane. Boeing representatives
recognize the importance of not
just recruiting, but of educating
the job seeker community on how
their online job application process
works. In WorkSource, Boeing found
the perfect partner – an
organization with a connection
to thousands of job seekers and
a knowledgeable employment staff
with resources for facilitating
informational and technical assistance
sessions.
Since August, more than 600 job
seekers have attended five WorkSource
sponsored recruiting and online
application events for help in
securing employment with the Boeing
Company. At these events, Boeing
recruiters shared information
about current manufacturing positions
and provided technical assistance
for effectively navigating Boeing’s
online application process. The
first groups of attendees have
completed the application process
and initial reports indicate that
WorkSource customers are being
hired.
This successful
effort was the result of a strong
partnership developed between
Boeing management, IAM 751’s
Quality Through Training Program
(QTTP), community and technical
colleges, and WorkSource. A committee
of representatives from these
four groups, including Janine
Quinichett with the college system
and Dan Bernard with WorkSource
Business Services, collaborated
to determine Boeing recruiting
needs and design a customized
strategy for filling open positions.
Part of this strategy included
a train-the-trainer session for
interested WorkSource and college
staff to better assist their customers
maneuver the in’s and out’s
of Boeing’s application
process.
Evaluations submitted
by Boeing representatives communicated
100% overall satisfaction with
the event and strong interest
in coming back. The sincerity
of those comments is reflected
in Boeing’s commitment to
hold four additional recruiting
events at WorkSource Seattle-King
County sites during the month
of October 2007. Refer to the
hiring
events page for more information.
MICROSOFT PARTNERSHIP
BRINGS COMPUTER SKILLS TRAINING
TO WORKSOURCE CUSTOMERS
At a recognition
event on August 31st, Microsoft
management presented the Workforce
Development Council of Seattle-King
County (WDC) with a plaque honoring
their joint “investments in
broadening digital inclusion and
creating an increasingly skilled
workforce where people can create
new economic opportunities and realize
their potential.” This was
in celebration of their successful
partnership in implementing a statewide
pilot of the Unlimited Potential
(UP) computer skills training program.
Microsoft donated
more than $330,000 in software and
curriculum in 2005 to offer ts Unlimited
Potential computer skills training
in WorkSource centers across Washington
State. The WDC oversaw the statewide
pilot, which has served more than
1,000 WorkSource customers through
instructor led and self-study classes.
Due to the pilot’s
success, Microsoft recently announced
donations of $3.5 million in cash
and software over two years to provide
Unlimited Potential in one-stop
centers across the U.S. The WDC
will receive $110,000 from this
donation to continue and expand
UP in Seattle-King County.
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