Just hire the guy/gal!

Just in: Employment Training Results

[Just now I received the following report on the employment progress made by our most reent graduates from our "Build4Success" construction training program.  I must say, it is very gratifying! LJ]

 

Team-

On Wednesday, May 7^,  15 students graduated from the Build4Success training.  The goals for the class: enrollment 18; graduate 15 (80% of 18); placement 13 (85% of 15). The placement update is as follows:

6-employed by CLP/TrueBlue--they started on May 14^th at $12.00 per hour

2-left the program early for employment, one is employed by Garden Ridge Distribution Center at $9.50 per hour; one is employed by On Stage at $11.00 per hour

1-is waiting for the Clinic to perform his Department of Transportation (DOT)  physical for a truck driving job. We will provide you with salary as soon as he is processed.

4 more placements are need by the end of July to meet OAI requirements for funding for 2013-2014. We are very optimistic that in the next 30 days the other 4 will be employed.

These are awesome numbers for the week after graduation. Daniel and Joe worked as a team and did an outstanding job assisting the graduates with placement assistance. If you have any questions please let me know

 Patricia Smith-Harrington

Director
WorkPaths
CitySquare

Workforce training at CitySquare

CitySquare’s WorkPaths is now enrolling for our 3 training programs. WorkPaths equips low-income adults with hard and soft skills through intensive CitySquare’s WorkPaths is now enrolling for our 3 training programs (please see attached flier for more detail) WorkPaths equips low-income adults with hard and soft skills through intensive pre-employment training programs designed to increase functional skill levels—enhancing employment ability to continue with additional training or education toward a living-wage job offering a career path and benefits.  All classes are at no out of pocket expense and DART transportation assistance is provided.

WorkPaths offers 3 training paths:

•Build4Success – 12-week program in commercial construction and environmental remediation made possible by partnership with OAI, Inc. Build4Success includes fundamentals in electrical, plumbing, welding, blueprint reading, and basic carpentry, as well as “workplace” life/soft skills such as positive communication in the workplace and how to be a great employee. OSHA 30, HAZWOWPER 40, Lead, Mold, Asbestos Worker Training and First Aid/CPR/AED are also part of coursework.

•Path2Success - a 10-week computer and business fundamentals program, is designed to equip participants with computer competencies in Microsoft Office's Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and Explorer. The training is made possible in part by a grant from Microsoft and in partnership with Bill J. Priest/El Centro College.

After graduation, WorkPaths’ staff members continue to work with program graduates to resolve outstanding "life" issues hindering individuals from getting and keeping a good job. WorkPaths’ staff interfaces with employers of program graduates to monitor their progress and works with the employer to address any issues that may arise. Post graduate training continues through CareerPaths, a post-graduate program employing job matching, until successful employment is achieved in order to continue to strengthen employability skills.

•Drive2Success - 9 month long program designed to train individuals in different aspects of the auto body industry. If you are accepted into the program you will take classes such as Basic Metal Repair, Basic Refinishing, Color Analysis and Paint Matching. There are also classes in Collision Repair Welding, Damage Repair and a host of other classes designed to help you become an auto body professional.

Please feel free to call our offices at 214-823-4409.  Please forward to your email contacts and other service providers who could benefit from what we are now offering!!! 

Dallas Business Journal spotlights new "Opportunity Center"

CitySquare celebrates construction launch
Dallas Business Journal by Bill Hethcock, Staff Writer
Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 1:31pm CST

Construction is under way on the $12.5 million CitySquare Opportunity Center at the southeast corner of Interstate 30 and Malcolm X Blvd. in Dallas.

Public officials including Mayor Mike Rawlings and other project supporters will get a bus tour of the site at a breakfast Thursday to celebrate the start of construction.

The 52,000-square-foot campus will include a food distribution center; a teaching and production kitchen; a wellness center; and a large employment training center that will house new offices for Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas and CitySquare’s WorkPaths employment training department. The center also will house the AmeriCorps headquarters/offices and a staging area for a summer and after-school lunch program funded by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
The services are all under one roof with easy access by Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

The opportunity center, scheduled to open in 2013, will serve low-income residents of East and South Dallas. The center has been a dream of CitySquare’s President and CEO Larry James, a longtime leader in efforts to end poverty in the heart of Dallas.

"The opportunity center will create both enhanced synergy among a vital group of nonprofit partners and convenience of access for the neighbors who come to us seeking to take positive, proactive steps toward a better, more stable life for themselves and their families," James said.

About half of the $12.5 million in development funds for the facility has already been raised, and a public fund-raising campaign is under way.

Omniplan provided the architectural design and Con-Real serves as general contractor for the Opportunity Center.

Bill covers health care, law, education and nonprofits.

Work--Part 2

This is the second in a 3-part series about participants in CitySquare's Build4Success hard skills, construction training program. 

Michael McCall – Michael was in the Build4Success class with Sam (see previous post on 3-25-2011). They became friends during the training and have remained good friends since then. Michael was a leader in the class and was quick to help his fellow classmates if they were struggling with any course work. He even tutored some in math. A few months after completing training, Michael went to work for Humphrey & Associates electrical contractors and is now in his second year of electrical apprenticeship at CEF. After he had been on the job for a few months, Michael had saved enough to purchase a new truck; he called me and asked me if I thought it would be ok if he gave his old car to Sam (Griffin). He said it wasn’t much of a car but it was better than none and maybe Sam could use it as a stepping stone into a better vehicle. I told him that would be between them but wanted him to make sure he transferred the title and did all the paperwork, he did. (This car helped Sam get into his truck – longer story on this than I want to write here). After Sam’s shooting, Michael has continued to prove to be the kind of friend all of us hope to be. He picks up Sam for dinner occasionally and is there to help Sam however he can. Michael also participated in tryouts as an evaluator this last time with Sam.