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Archive for the 'General News' Category
The annual Festival of Friends in Carthage has gained a reputation of connecting different cultures and showcasing their uniquesness as well as similarity. The Carthage Multicultural Committee has opened the festival for local businesses and non-profit organizations to exhibit and connect with the participants. The festival is slated for 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 15th at Central Park in Carthage. For more information, contact Kate Massey at 417-359-8181 or send an email to cvb@ecarthage.com.
Comments (0)An upcoming seminar in Joplin focuses on the valuable information that businesses need to handle unemployment claims. This important seminar covers how to prepare, what materials to make available, and what to expect in the process of an employment appeals hearing.
Enhanced Enterprise Zone Tax Credit incentives are part of the economic development package that’s resulting in 30 new jobs with an average wage of $46,166 and a $6 million new investment from a Carthage-area manufacturer. Gov. Matt Blunt announced that the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) has approved $246,691 in Enhanced Enterprise Zone Program tax credits for Leggett and Platt, Inc., in Carthage.
Cingular Wireless, now the New AT&T, is proud to be a part of the Joplin area. Cingular employs over 300,000 people across the globe, providing a multitude of services. With over 66 million land line customers, over 61 million wireless customers, and a growing broadband customer base, the new customer service call center in Joplin is slated to emply more than 600 Four-State area residents. Read the rest of this entry »
Officials with O’Sullivan Industries in Lamar announced their plant closure. More than seven hundred employees would be affected by the closure. The Workforce Investment Board is allocating extensive resources through the Missouri Career Center’s Rapid Response Team to assist the community and affected workers with workforce/economic recovery efforts. Following a meeting with community leaders, the team will develop an array of strategies, which might include securing additional grant resources through the U.S. Department of Labor and the Missouri Division of Workforce Development.
Tri-State HR Association Releases 2007 Event Calendar and New Website
Posted by blog @ 4:04 pmThe Tri-State Human Resources Association, which serves the corner communities of Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas, and Northeast Oklahoma, has released a new website through its affiliation with the Society on Human Resource Management. Check it out online at www.tristatehra.shrm.org. The SHRM affiliation gives the website a convenient gateway to SHRM resources and intelligence. The new website also features a dynamic lineup of events and presentations for 2007.
Meetings are the third Wednesday of each month (except November 2007) and are held in Conference Room 2 at St. John’s Regional Medical Center Conference Center, 2727 McClelland Boulevard. Cost is $5.50 for lunch.
The 2007 Workforce Summit of Southwest Missouri was held in Joplin on April 4th. Surveys of the event indicate that the Summit was well-received. Participants found the content timely and engaging with strategies that are relevant and useful.
A panel on Workforce Competitiveness kicked off the Summit event. The panel featured Rob O’Brian of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, Rod Nunn from the Missouri Division of Workforce Development, and Roger Wagner from Crowder College.
Jasen Jones, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board, showcased new innovations for Workforce Competitivess. The presentation included a demo of the interactive Alchemy Training SISTEM, occupational planning and work readiness assessments from WorkKeys, web-based applicant screening through the Virtual Video Interview system, new talent development strategies with industry sector consortiums and cross-state partnerships underway with neighboring workforce regions in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
Pictured above is Ray Uhalde, the keynote speaker for the Summit. Ray’s keynote provided a thought-provoking blueprint to rethink education’s role to prepare students to thrive in a global economy. Ray is the Director of the Workforce Strategies Group at the National Center on Education and the Economy.
Copies of the presentation slides are available for download as a PDF. Click here to download the presentation by Jasen Jones on New Tools for Workforce Competitiveness. Click here to download Ray Uhalde’s keynote presentation, Tough Chocies or Tough Times on the New Commission for American Skills in the Workplace. Both documents contain slides from the presentations converted to PDF files. Podcasts of audio presentations from the Summit will be posted soon in our Podcast section of WorkforceZone.com.
Career Morning events held twice annually at the Missouri Career Center in Joplin are taking on a new look and feel for Spring 2007. Career Center officials are planning a three-day Career Fair Extravaganza with each morning showcasing a specific business sector. The new focus helps employers zero in on applicants looking for opportunities in a specific sector, rather than merely getting a job in general.
The Career Fair events are set for 9 a.m. to Noon May 9th, 10th, and 11th at the Center, located at the corner of 8th and Wall Streets near Memorial Hall in Downtown Joplin. Wednesday, May 9th the focus is on Healthcare. Manufacturing careers comprise the event for Thursday, the 10th. On Friday, May 11th, the event highlights job opportunities in the Transportation and Logistics sectors for Southwest Missouri.
Booth tables are available for businesses to meet with prospective applicants throughout the event. There is no charge to participate, but interested employers should pre-register with John McLean at the Missouri Career Center by calling (417) 629-3000 or through email to john.mclean@ded.mo.gov. The Career Fair Extravaganza events are co-sponsored by the Missouri Employer Committee and the Missouri Career Center in Joplin, the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Division of Workforce Development, the Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Missouri.
The increasingly-popular Alchemy Training SISTEM, a powerful workforce training solution available to businesses through the Missouri Career Center, underwent an upgrade recently to add new training modules by popular demand. Modules on Customer Service, Business Etiquette, Attitude/Motivation, and Goal-Setting are among many new highlights in the soft skill training offerings through SISTEM.
The new Basics of Customer Service module helps trainees understand the importance of good customer service through six key elements needed to improve a customer’s experience. Learners identify specific methods to provide exceptional customer service and processes to effectively handle a customer complaint.
An entry-level Business Etiquette module covers the importance of making a good impression through appropriate professional dress standards and good hygeine for men and women in work environments. The training helps participants understand the impact of body language when meeting new people as well. Building on the first module, a Professional-Level Business Etiquette module addresses customary behavior when meeting new people and expected protocol for conducting meetings and making calls for work. The module also covers appropriate behavior for dining with business associates.
Defining attitude and the benefits of a good attitude at work lead off the Positive Attitude and Motivation module. By understanding the different ways people are motivated, trainees can identify factors to influence their ability to motivate and modify behaviors to create an atmosphere of positive change in the workplace.
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 4th
Continental Catering Center
2728 N. Rangeline Road [Map]
Joplin, MO
The future of Southwest Missouri’s economic prosperity is in its workforce. The Workforce Summit of Southwest Missouri, is a half-day conference officially set for April 4th, to debut trends and workforce improvement solutions for business executives and community leaders.
The theme for this year’s event centers on Workforce Innovation as a Competitive Asset. The event is sponsored by the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Southwest Missouri and showcases the potential for the region to thrive economically as businesses and communities team up to enhance the skill and productivity of the workforce.
The WIB has tapped Ray Uhalde to provide a thought-provoking keynote address on a blueprint to rethink education’s role to prepare students to thrive in a global economy. As Director of the Workforce Strategies Group at the National Center on Education and the Economy, Mr. Uhalde brings employment and training insights from his 15 years as a senior executive with the U.S. Department of Labor and his role in developing the current framework for the one-stop career center system.
The event is planned for 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4th at the Continental Catering Center (located behind Granny Shaffer’s Restaurant), 2728 N. Rangeline Road, between Joplin and Webb City. More information will be released here at www.workforcezone.com.