Workforce News & Resources

brought to you by the Shoals Chamber & the ShoalsWORKS! Council

 

Presented by

 

July 5, 2023

[Failed to launch.  Sent July 10]

 

Issue 13

 

Find archived issues HERE.

 

    EQUIP    

Through CONNEX? Alabama, Alabama manufacturers can connect with each other, find local suppliers, discover new business opportunities, and manage their supply chains.

FALL  JOB  FAIR

Join Our Team!

SAVE  THE  DATE!

Wednesday, November 15

8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

 

8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

High School Seniors

 

2 - 5 p.m.

Open to the Community

 

STAY  TUNED 

FOR  REGISTRATION  INFORMATION.

 

To be added to the Job Fair Interest list,

contact snewland@shoalschamber.com

Recruitment Events & Information

for Fall 2023 at UNA:

• September 5 - Accounting Meet the Firms (registration is open).

• September 21 - Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions Recruitment Day.

• October 2 (week) - L.E.O. Week (job-shadowing).

• October 18 - Business Management Fair is (registration is open).

• November 9 - Teacher Recruitment Day.

• November TBD - STEM poster presentation and panel discussion.

• November TBD - Kinesiology and Exercise Science alumni panel and networking.

• If you are not registered in Symplicity or need to update your Symplicity account, please do so here: What type of user are you? (symplicity.com)

• We will also begin using HandShake in addition to Symplicity to connect students with employers so be on the lookout for that invitation very soon.

For more information contact:

    Rickey McCreless 

    Assistant Director External Connections & Student Success
    UNA Career Center

    256.765.4277

    rjmccreless@una.edu

(Check out the new NWSCC logo!)

Find Your Next Employees through

NWSCC Career Center

The Career Center at Northwest-Shoals Community College understands the value of transforming high-quality education into gainful employment. Our services prepare students to make informed decisions about their strengths and values as they discover future paths for success.

 

For more information contact;

     Amanda Peters

     Career Center Coordinator

     256-331-8062

     amanda.terry@nwscc.edu

FuelAL's Summer Interns

Converge on The Shoals in July

 

About FuelAL

FuelAL, in partnership with Innovate Alabama, helps university students understand the range of opportunities available across Alabama by connecting them to communities and community employers. Through interactive events, such as industry treks, community service projects, social mixers and more, FuelAL helps young talent explore beyond the 9-to-5. With FuelAL, young professionals can make connections across the entire state and reap the benefits of living and working in Alabama. We believe that connecting talented students with communities and employers in every corner of the state is key to the success of Alabama’s economic future. We are committed to providing a platform for students to discover the many opportunities available to them and creating meaningful connections between students and employers throughout the state.

Chamber Partner Program

Your Money, Your Life! / Reality Check​

VOLUNTEERS  NEEDED!

Reality Check / Your Money, Your Life is a personal finance simulation that gives students a taste of what it is like to make ends meet each month. Students are tasked with budgeting based on a given monthly income related to their preferred career choice. The students move through the simulation and “purchase” various needs and wants at different volunteer-staffed stations such as housing, cars, insurance, groceries, clothing, daycare, banking, insurance etc.

​

Two (2) remaining opportunities are coming up to help students learn how their education is connected to their career path, which is connected to their future finances, which is connected to their future quality of life. Join this fun, educational, personal finance simulation and help our future workforce learn how to budget their money!

 

Your Money, Your Life is a program of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, coordinated by the Lauderdale County office.  The Shoals Chamber partners with Extension to recruit volunteers and implement the program.

​

Details of each upcoming event date are listed on the volunteer registration sites linked below:

 

To find ATN's most recent newsletters, Network News,

chocked full of Training and Networking resources

Click HERE 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 ATN provides many FREE monthly 

Environmental Health & Safety Webinars 

Click HERE

for more information. 

Chamber Partner Program

DONATTIONS  ARE  ALWAYS  NEEDED  &  APPRECIATED!

 

All donations are tax-deductible, made to the

Shoals Area Chamber Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

 

Cash for new supplies, gently used school & office supplies, equipment,

furniture, etc. are  needed to assist our educators in the classroom.

 

For more information, contact:

Mary Beshears, (256) 710-1436, jbeshears@yahoo.com

YouScience is a science-based, skills assessment to determine students' natural abilities and guide them to educational pathways and local careers that match their God-given talents. When assessed, most students have technical skills they never knew they had! See "Case Studies" below for evidence-based research.

 

YouScience provides EMPLOYERS a FREE platform to get your brand in front of your local future workforce.

 

In addition, you can use the new (paid) feature to list specific job titles to reach students who have the specific skills you hire, helping you build and maintain a sustainable talent pipeline that is critical for an organization's future performance.

 

The YouScience program closes the gap that exists in many industries by nurturing the pipeline with ready-to-work candidates. 

 

Currently in the Shoals, Florence City Schools, Muscle Shoals City Schools and Tuscumbia City Schools use YouScience, as well as Russellville City Schools.

     EMPOWER     

ShoalsWORKS! Council

JOIN  THE  DISCUSSION!

 

The Shoals Works Council, convened by The Shoals Chamber, works to guide policy and curriculum to ensure skills held by the local workforce match the needs of employers. 

 

Participation is open to business leaders, educators, training providers and community organizations interested in workforce-related issues.

 

Those interested in participating in the council may email shoalsworks@shoalschamber.com.

Network each month with other HR Professionals

 

Shoals SHRM

2nd Thursday of each Month

11:30 - 1:00 

First Metro Bank

Pine Street, Florence, AL

 

Lunch:  $10 Members;  $15 Non-Members

 

RSVP to shoals.shrm@gmail.com

 

Meetings & Events page:

 https://shoalschaptershrm.shrm.org/events

Chamber Member Job Board

Attention Employers!

 

Remember to use your free Job Board benefit

to post your job openings.

 

Contact the Chamber if you need assistance.

256-764-4661, snewland@shoalschamber.com

 

Current Job Listings

• CB&S Bank - Human Resources Generalist
  Human Resources
• ENT Center of Northwest Alabama - Allergy/Clinic Staff: RN + LPN
  Healthcare
• ENT Center of Northwest Alabama - Allergy/Clinic Staff: Medical Assistant
  Healthcare
• ENT Center of Northwest Alabama - Allergy/Clinical Staff: Front Desk + Receptionist
  Healthcare
• Keep The Shoals Beautiful - Programs Assistant, Keep the Shoals Beautiful
  Environment
• Southern Hospitality - Southern Hospitality
  Food Industry and Restaurants
• United Treating and Distribution, LLC - IT Programmer/Technical Support Specialist
  Information Technology

Statewide Job Board

Alabamaworks.alabama.gov is a great resource for Alabama citizens and businesses.

• List jobs
• Look for jobs (searchable by zip code or city)
• Research careers and pathways
• Information to help you move your career forward

For more information, contact:

     Alabama Career Center (Sheffield) 

     Sheffield@alcc.alabama.gov

     (256) 383‑5610

     500 South Montgomery Avenue Suite 102 Sheffield

     EDUCATE     

The Shoals Chamber of Commerce is again providing an opportunity to recognize the incredible educators across The Shoals. 

 

Each month throughout the school year, a teacher, educator, aide, counselor, administrator, or staff member will be recognized as the “Shoals Teacher of the Month” based on nominations received. 

 

 

Nominations for next school year, fall semester (August - December) can be found here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TOTM-Nominees 

 

Nominations for the winter / spring semester (January - May) will open in December 2023. 

 

 

Northwest-Shoals Community College is the presenting sponsor of this initiative, with Lost Pizza and Treehouse Children's Dentistry sponsoring middle / high school and elementary school teacher awards respectively. 

 

We love our educators and want to do our part to help recognize them for the incredible work they do for our children's future and the future of the Shoals community!

 

For more information, contact the Shoals Chamber, 256-764-4661.

 

 

Thank you for your support and recognition of the amazing educators in The Shoals!

 

Career Expo for all North Alabama 8th graders,

including Colbert & Lauderdale students.

 

SAVE  THE  DATE!

November 8 & 9

Von Braun Center, Huntsville

 

Contact Johnita Romine for more information

jromine@northalabamaworks.com

Connect with Your Future Workforce 

through Career Tech Educators

Colbert County Schools

• CTE Director - Emiley Crisler, (256) 386-8565, ecrisler@colbert.k12.al.us
• Career Coach - Lattoria Jones, ljones@colbert.k12.al.us
• Co-op Coordinator - Emiley Crisler, ecrisler@colbert.k12.al.us

Florence City Schools

• CTE Director - Layne Rinks, (256) 768-3000, blrinks@florencek12.org
• Career Coach - Jordan Fuller, tjfuller@florencek12.org
• Co-op Coordinator / LAUNCH - Jessica Flanagan, jmflanagan@florencek12.org

Lauderdale County Schools

• CTE Director - Scott Jones, (256) 757-2101, robert.jones@lcschools.org
• Career Coach - Leta Bishop, leta.bishop@lcschools.org 
• Career Coach - Brandi Walton, brandi.walton@lcschools.org
• Co-Op Coordinator - Cindy Davis, cindy.davis@lcschools.org

Muscle Shoals City Schools

• CTE Director - Dennis Connor, (256) 389-2660, dconnor@mscs.k12.al.us 
• Career Coach - Amy Dodson, adodson@mscs.k12.al.us
• Co-op Coordinator - Tiffany Stonecipher, tstonecipher@mscs.k12.al.us

Sheffield City Schools

• CTE Director - Stephanie Wieseman, 256-389-2660, x 212, swieseman@scs.k12.al.us
• Career Coach - Autumn Dickerson, adickerson@scs.k12.al.us
• Co-op Coordinator - Stephanie Wieseman, swieseman@scs.k12.al.us

Tuscumbia City Schools

• CTE Director - Heather Mize, (256) 389-2900, hmize@tuscumbia.k12.al.us 
• Career Coach - Emily Edwards, eedwards@tuscumbia.k12.al.us
• Co-op Coordinator - Dr. Melody Murphy, dmurphy@tuscumbia.k12.al.us

NEWS  &  RESOURCES

Upcoing Events

Don't miss all the great events, activities & workshops at the Library!

Keep the whole family busy & learning!

 

See the Upcoming Events at the top left on the Home Page.

Find them on Facebook here.

Calendar of Events

Whether you or your kids are into workforce education, farming, food safety, financial education, gardening, 4-H Club, raising chickens, keeping bees, learning archery, or so much more, the Lauderdale County Cooperative Extension office has a program for you!

 

Check out their Calendar of Events for the myriad of events and workshops that might be of interest.  Keep a check on their Facebook page as well. 

Southwire Florence Expanding, Adding 120 Jobs

FLORENCE, Alabama ? As part of ongoing modernization efforts, Southwire, one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers, announced plans for an expansion of its manufacturing campus in Florence which is expected to increase production capacity by 30% and create approximately 120 jobs.

Each employee who doesn't have access to quality Child Care can cost your company $1,640 per employee per year in lost productivity and increased absenteeism. You can eliminate Child Care as a barrier for employees this Summer with TOOTRiS!

 

Four reasons you need to take action NOW:

1. Improve Employee Retention: Companies that offer Child Care Benefits see a 94% retention rate for employees who use the benefit.
2. Increased Productivity: When employees have access to Child Care, they focus better, miss less work, and improve overall productivity by 63%.
3. Improved Recruitment: 85% of employers report that providing Child Care options improved employee recruitment.
4. State Incentives: Companies may be able to further leverage their Child Care Benefits by taking advantage of state/federal tax credits and incentives.

Don’t let your employees be distracted with care responsibilities! Add THE benefit that will provide valuable ROI this summer and beyond.

The new statewide AlabamaWorks website is now live,

with resources for

Employers, Job Seekers & Students.

 

Check it out!

www.alabamaworks.com

2023 Classroom to Careers, career education for educators, is in the books!

 

Post-event survey quotes from this class include:

   "Hands down no comparison. Best PD out there!"

   "This was the BEST."

   "This is the best professional development ever done."

 

Twenty-two northwest Alabama educators participated in 7 days of industry tours to better understand the skills and education their students need to be successful in today's workforce.  Although some careers require it, not every student needs a four-year degree to be successful, but every student needs skills and training to qualify for high-pay, high-skill professions.  These industry tours explored all of these career paths from no experience required to  short term certifications to advanced degrees and some of which educators are not generally aware even exist.

 

The 19 tours included: Constellium,  TVA Power Service Shop, TVA Hydro-Electric Plant, Pettus Plumbing & Piping, PROJECTXYZ, DURA Automotive, Easter Seals workshop & training facility, Essity, Southwire's 12 for Life, Marriott Shoals Hotel, Spa & Conference Center, North American Lighting (NAL), Helen Keller Hospital, G&G Steel, TASUS, Shoals Business Incubator (SBi), Walker Family Farms, United Launch Alliance, AIDT's Robotics Technology Park (RTP) and Lockheed Martin (Courtland).

 

In addition, participants toured Northwest-Shoals Community College's career technical programs including:  Radiology Tech, Sonography, Salon & Spa, Industrial Systems / FAME, EMS / EMT, Medical Assisting Technology (MAT), Automotive Tech, Welding, Machine Shop / CNC, Alabama Career Essentials (ACE) & Manufacturing Skills Standards Certification (MSSC) and Design Engineering.

 

Participants are currently writing lesson plans tying the careers and skills they saw and heard about to their academic subjects, so their students will see the relationship to what's being taught in the classroom and real-world careers they may have in the future.

 

Classroom to Careers has been a foundational program of the Shoals Chamber's Workforce Initiatives since 2008.

UNA is the New Home to

South's BEST Robotics Regional Championship

May. 23, 2023

FLORENCE, AL ? The University of North Alabama has been named the new home of the annual South's BEST Robotics Regional Championship. BEST is the premier national middle & high school robotics program with 50 local competition sites in 18 states throughout the United States. More than 850 middle and high schools, and more than 18,000 students participate annually at local competition hubs, which then go to one of three regional championship sites, South's BEST, Texas BEST or Colorado BEST.

All Southeastern local hubs' top teams, generally around fifty, advance to South's BEST. The Championship is a two day event, with most teams bringing a number of family, friends and fans to cheer them on. The event generally brings in around 2,000 - 3,000 visitors for two to three days, so it will be a great new boost to the local economy, along with it's obvious educational and skills benefits.

“Being named the new home to the annual South’s BEST Robotics Championship is a win for the University as well as our region,” said Dr. Ross Alexander, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. “We are extremely proud of the work that went into securing this event, and it is absolutely fitting that UNA, as Alabama’s Workforce Development University, would have the opportunity to showcase our engineering, computing, technology, and even marketing programs; as well as our beautiful campus for teams from around the country.”

BEST, Inc., or Boosting Engineering Science and Technology, establishes the annual curricula and competition standards used nationwide in order to compete in the annual competition. The mission of BEST is to engage and excite students about engineering, science, and technology as well as to inspire them to pursue careers in these fields.

Through participation in BEST’s STEM program, students learn to analyze and solve problems using the Engineering Design Process, which helps them develop technological literacy skills that industry seeks in its workforce. 

 

Students receive only the rules & challenges for the game (which changes each year), controllers and electronics (which they must return post-competition) and a box of raw materials such as plywood, wire, screws, tape, PVC pipe, metal, etc., then design and build a competitive robot in just eight weeks.  They must work with only what they are given.  You might say it's a cross between MacGyver and Apollo 13.  Critical thinking at it's best!

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host South’s BEST Robotics Championship at UNA,” said Julie Taylor Yates, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management. “South’s BEST uses the excitement of robotics, and the electric atmosphere of a championship ball game, to teach engineering and business processes. UNA is excited to host students interested in multiple disciplines like STEM, Nursing, Education and Business. We hope to be able to offer varied scholarships to the winners. And, as Alabama’s Workforce Development University, South’s BEST is the perfect fit.”

Local competitions will take place throughout the fall at Colleges and Universities in the Southeastern region. The winning teams will then bring their best designs to the regional championship at UNA in early December. For the past twenty-five years, South’s BEST has been hosted at Auburn University.

EDITOR'S  NOTE:

The Shoals Chamber is thrilled for our area that UNA will be the new home of the South's BEST Regional Championship, formerly hosted at Auburn University!

Winning BEST Robotics teams from across the Southeast will now converge on the Shoals each December to compete for the coveted best of the BEST Award in robotics, engineering design and marketing!

Thank you especially to Kim Sheppard and Trent Allen from Northwest-Shoals Community College, co-hub directors of the local NW AL BEST Robotics hub, for their tireless efforts to make this transition happen.

And to the awesome UNA team who have enthusiastically embraced this new venture, we look forward to watching South's BEST flourish in its new home! CONGRATULATIONS!!

 

If you are unfamiliar with BEST, the 2 minute video below is older, but is still a great representation of what BEST looks and feels like!

Thank you to our ShoalsWORKS! Workforce Champion Sponsors!