Lancaster: On Wednesday, December 5, 2012, more than 60 Lancaster County residents graduated from Ready2Work, a workforce readiness program that is sponsored by the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County at a ceremony held at Liberty Place. Community partners include the Spanish-American Civic Association and the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit #13.

Those graduating included Abel Alvarez, Adam Kossove, Adam Lefever, Alaysha Larue, Anna Harsh, Anthony Craighead, Ashley Sypniewski, Bhanu Dhimal, Brittany Sanger, Clark Merrifield, Dana Wagner, Daniel Talbot, Devon Reed, Doug Yager, Edwin Lacoot, Eileen Wood, Francis Wilson, George Marker, Gloribe Lopez, Holly Muston, Israel Sanchez, Jack Strothers, Jaime Rivera, Jamel Simmons, Jasmine Anderson, Jeff Smith, John Thomas, John Ware, Joline Castillo, Joseph McNeal, Joshua Hart, Joyce Frane, Julie Zug, Julissa Fernandez.

Also, Julius Richardson, Justin Perry, Kathy Nolt, Kenneth Melusky, Kevin Vann, Lorraine Mabe, Marcos Mendez, Mark Barlieb, Mark Fillmore, Melinda Styer-Campbell, Michael Henry Jr., Mike McKinney, Moise Ya, Nicole Been, Noraima Rivera, Patricia Novak, Patricia Shirer, Patricia Tommasi, Ramon Veras, Raymond Rota, Robert Magill, Roberto Gutierrez, Roxanne Linkey, Samuel Clark, Scott Sierocinski, Sherry Rodgers, Solomon Badjie, Stephen Spiese, Terry Huss, Tiffany Kellenberger, Todd Sheffield, Travis Leakey, Trish Blankenship, and Zacha Alvarez.

Participants completed a program that usually takes from one-six weeks which includes career counseling; assessement foundational skills; remediation in reading, mathematics, and using charts and graphs; and a review of work skills around attendance, managing conflict, working with others, being prepared for transportation and child care emergencies, managing time and money, and other important issues. Participants receive a Career Readiness Credential from the Workforce Investment Board and the Lancaster Chamber upon completion of the WorkKeys standardized test of workforce skills.

Some of the graduates have gone on to other skill training programs in construction, welding, machine operation, printing, and food safety.

Counselors with the PA CareerLink help graduates make connections with Ready2Work employers who guarantee people with the Career Readiness Certificate a job interview if their skills match jobs that might be available. The list of 35+ employers which includes manufacturers, insurance agencies, long-term care facilities, and others is diverse and grows by dozens each month.

Future classes run continuously. Contact the PA CareerLink at 717-509-5613 or 717-391-3570 (TTY) for enrollment information.

Lancaster: On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, more than 60 Lancaster County residents graduated from Ready2Work, a workforce readiness program that is sponsored by the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County at a ceremony held at Liberty Place. Community partners include the Spanish-American Civic Association and the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit #13.  Graduation preceeded the Job Fair.

Those graduating included Jabez Abreu, John Andes, Nancy Angelini, Damon Avery, Ashli Baber, Kirk Bauer, Bobbie Bell, Andrea Berube, Richard Bitner, David Booher, Kelsey Boos, Lydia Cancel-Clemente, Jesus Chacon, Malissa Cole, Cheryl Condi, Fellisite Cooper, Jackelyn Cotto,Todd Daly, Eric Davenport, Tracy David, Ada De Oleo, Amanda Deckert, Kami Delatte, Christina DeSormes, Alan Dumas, Khadijah Dunn, Rickey Engle, Ashley Erb, Ashley Estevez, Joshua Foster, James Frey, Jasmine Fuentes, David Gallagher, Michael Gerlitski, Tyreek Glenn, Michael Goldy, Antonio Goyco, Crystal Guajardo, Rachelle Hall, Christopher Hertzog, Gary Hill,Tommy Hills, Larry Hinkelman, Steven Hornblower, Denise Hugar, Kyle Hughes, Ariana Irizarry, Samara Jimenez, Jason Johnson, Chanisse Jordan, Todd Keener, Daniel Keim, Bethany Krauss, Rizman Madatov, Michael Maree, Laura Margarito, Esther Marrero, Michael McBride, Analicia Medina, Delia Medina, Scott Michael, Corina Miller, John Monek, Michele Moran, Kellys Nieves, and Jeremy Oatman.

Also, Andrea Ogden, Glorimar Pagan, Marc Palmer, Nemesis Perez, Marcus Phillips, Harry Philpot, Jose Regalado, Vickie Rineer, Lindsay Robb, James Rose, Rafael Santiago, Yanela Santos, Mica Saunders, Dale Showers, David Sourbeer, Cleveland Spain, Laura Splain, Christina Stoltzfus, Eugene Strickler, Harold Strickler, Jason Tetorka, Marcus Trust, Andrew Tuzzino, Randolph Ulrich, Hector Vargas-Gonzalez, Mary Vargas, Victor Vassor, Chris Waite, Walter Wallander, Frederick Watford, James Wertz, Jeremy Whitaker, Mick Williams, James Wilson, Matthew Wisor, Anthony Wohlfeil, Brett Worley, Bobby Wright, and James Wright.

Participants completed a program that usually takes from one-six weeks which includes career counseling; assessement foundational skills; remediation in reading, mathematics, and using charts and graphs; and a review of work skills around attendance, managing conflict, working with others, being prepared for transportation and child care emergencies, managing time and money, and other important issues. Participants receive a Career Readiness Credential from the Workforce Investment Board and the Lancaster Chamber upon completion of the WorkKeys standardized test of workforce skills.

More and more, we find that employers are much more concerned in hiring a person with skills that can be documented rather than diplomas which may reflect general knowledge but little ability to perform.  The PA CareerLink of Lancaster County has been following this trend for years and has responsed with a number of programs which provide occupational skills that can lead to jobs that are on the Top 100 Hot Jobs List.

Manufacturing

In mid-October, the manufacturing community in Berks and Lancaster Counties converged on the campus of Reading Area Community College (RACC) for an announcement from representatives of two national-level manufacturing organizations. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) endorsed training in industrial maintenance offered through RACC and the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) which can lead to careers as industrial maintenance and mechatronics technicians.

This announcement comes at the same time as the launch of an Introduction to Manufacturing course offered through the PA CareerLink's pre-employment trainings. This course is a 40-60 hour training program that prepares people for work in manufacturing jobs including material handling, machine operation, assembly, and industrial maintenance. Those interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing can use this course as a foundation for entering the certificate courses offered through RACC and the LCCTC.

The first Introduction to Manufacturing course saw two individuals complete and receive job offers with the remaining participants continuing in supplemental training programs. The next course starts on January 28, 2012. All participants must have a Career Readiness Credential from Ready2Work prior to starting the training.

Customer-Focused Selling

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal listed clear communication skills at the top of the list for sought-after skills for 2013. Having solid communication skills is foundational to being able to provide excellent customer service, a skill which many companies are requiring.

Customer-Focused Selling is another pre-employment training course at the PA CareerLink.  It is designed to teach participants the basic elements and application of professional selling principles and techniques. The course will teach the required knowledge and skills to obtain employment and successfully perform as a sales representative in retail and outside sales positions. This course is intended to be taken by customers of the CareerLink who have already completed the following prerequisite training classes: Customer Service and Workplace Writing.  To view the next available course listing, click here.

Writing for the Workplace

Employers have told us that writing skills from many prospective employees need to be improved. They receive cover letters and resumes with errors in grammar and spelling. This skill is foundational to many jobs, where reports and emails are part of the daily task list. It's very important to not only have proper comma placement, but to also wield your words to convey the intended meaning.

So if you have trouble going from writing this, "C U @ the mall 2 buy shoes" to writing a formal cover letter, this course is going to be helpful.

CareerLink's new Writing for the Workplace pre-employment course will help you confidently write cover letter, resumes, and thank you letters. Participants will explore components of effective workplace writing including grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary. From learning the difference between conversational and academic language to mastering commonly confused and misspelled words, participants will develop their writing skills through web and print-based resources.

Writing for the Workplace will be held at the PA CareerLink from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the following dates: April 15-18 & 22-25, 2013  Training will be held in IU13 Classroom. Ready2Work is not a requirement of this training, but WIA Eligibility must still be established.

For more courses, please click here.