RAVE

In This Issue:

• CNC Boot Camp is

Highly Successful

• Hiring Event

Summaries

• Grainger

Foundation

Donates to WIOA

Youth Program

“I said to myself (as a child) ‘I’m gonna work there (correctional facility) some day’.”

---Andrew Wiersma

Rav

Check Inside:

Brian Eells

Keeps Driving

Forward 2

CNC Boot

Camp Photos 4

Business

Solutions Team

Sets 2017

Job Fairs 6

All nine participants

in the SWWDB-sponsored

Computer Numerical

Controlled (CNC) ‘Boot

Camp’ class completed the

nine-week course, the first

time in several years all of

the participants completed a

Boot Camp course. The

program ran from September

26 to December 2, 2016.

The Boot Camp is

designed to train and

educate unskilled workers in

a trade in a relatively short

period of time so they can

qualify for well-paying jobs

with decent fringe benefits in

fields that have worker

shortages and/or have

excellent employment

opportunities. In addition to

CNC, prior Boot Camps have

been held in the areas of

welding and culinary arts.

“We usually have

one or two students that don’t

complete a particular Boot

Camp, but this group was

unusually highly motivated

and goal-oriented,” said

program manager and

SWWDB Job Developer

Dana Melahn. “Considering

the backgrounds and barriers

some of these students had

to overcome, it was

extremely satisfying that they

persevered and completed

their goal.”

.

The participants

came from a variety of

programs, including FSET

(Foodshare Employment

and Training), the WIOA

(Workforce Innovation and

Opportunity Act) Adult and

Youth programs, along with

Manpower and Community

Action. Partners included

Rock Valley College and

Beloit Memorial High

School, where the CNC

hands-on classes were

held.

The completers

earned several

certifications, including a

TechWorks’ FastTrack

certification as a CNC

Machine Set-Up Operator

from Rock Valley College,

National Institute for

Metalworking Skills

Certification as a CNC

Turning Operator and

certification in

Measurement, Materials

and Safety, and a National

Career Readiness

Certificate.

During the final

week of the course,

graduates were able to

engage in ‘mock

interviews’ with area

business reps not only to

hone their interviewing

skills, but to hopefully lead

up to potential

employment opportunities

with the companies.

Among those were

Janesville companies SSI

Technologies, Inc. and

Prent Thermoforming;

Basin Precision

Machining, Jefferson; TST

Coating, Sun Prairie;

Regal-Beloit Corporation,

Clinton; and North

American Tool, South

Beloit.

December 21, 2016

Volume 8, Issue 7 SWWDB Update A publication describing matters of interest regarding the services and programs of the

Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board

ALL NINE STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM

CNC ‘BOOT CAMP’

L to R: Instructor Gordy Blaisdell, Vesal Kong, Ryan Quinn, Wuthy Yao, Anthony Lowery, Ben Hadgecock, Richard Robinson, Maxson Chan, Dave Swanson and Lavonne Milsap. (See more photos on Page 4)

SWWDB Update Page 2 of 7

BRIAN EELLS KEEPS DRIVING FORWARD Brian Eells thought

he had a good long-term

truck driving job with Autri

Transport in Indiana. He

was there for four months

when they suddenly closed.

“There was no warning…it

just came out of the blue,”

Brian said.

Fortunately, Brian’s

friends told him about the

WIOA-sponsored Dislocated

Worker (DW) program. “I

had no idea what it was or

that it even existed,” Brian

said. He was placed

working with Cyndi Pohl,

Career Specialist, and he

was able to move quickly to

get back into the labor

market, which led to his

current job at Indiana

Transport.

“Within two weeks I

was able to get into school

to earn my CDL license

update through the Sun

Prairie truck driving school,”

Brian said. “I was told if you

had your CDL, Indiana

Transport would hire you,

and that was true.”

The 40-year-old

single father of two children

had been a welder and CNC

machinist before taking the

Autri job. He drives larger

trucks, taking RVs to

various locations and

hauling back cars. His

routes vary, but in the first

couple of weeks he had

been to every state in the

contiguous U.S. except

Washington State and a

couple of northeast states.

“WIOA really

helped me a lot,” Brian said.

“I was out of a job for a

month and couldn’t afford

schooling. WIOA helped in

that regard, plus covered

my DMV and transportation

costs.” He graduated in the

top 95% of his Sun Prairie

class.

“Brian was a great

client,” Cyndi said. “He

always made his

appointments, completed his

paperwork and other

requests on time, and he is a

natural!”

Brian Eells has the

perseverance and ‘drive’ to

keep moving forward. We

wish him the best for the

future!

Above (left)---Combined Insurance Agency of Madison was seeking Sales Representatives for their organization. Lower (left)---WIS International of Cedar Rapids, Iowa was seeking Travelling Inventory Associates and Drivers.

STAFF HIRES, CHANGES AT SWWDB, FSET Several staff changes and hires have recently occurred at the SWWDB.

Rebecca [Krause] Granath is the new FSET Program

Supervisor, replacing Jennifer Oas, who resigned in September. Rebecca had served as FSET Case Manager from March, 2015 and prior to that as WIOA Case Manager in 2012. She also served as Military Advisor with CEC Corp. and is a veteran.

Beth Capstick is the new part-time administrative

assistant, working about 20 hours a week. Beth, who lives in Beloit, graduated from Turner High School and Beloit College in 2014

Ashley Turner, from Fort Atkinson, is a new FSET

Case Manager at the Beloit Office. Ashley, who has her B.A. degree in social work from UW-Whitewater, had worked as a W-2 Case Manager for two years and a shelter worker for the homeless in Madison.

Kris [Case] Kuhnle is also an FSET Program

Assistant at the Beloit office. Kris was a WIOA Case Manager for Manpower for about six years.

In addition, Pam LaFave now covers Lafayette as well as Iowa County as FSET Specialist and Emily Hermanson’s

new title is Quality Assurance Coordinator.

Rebecca [Krause] Granath

Beth

Capstick

Ashley Turner

Kris [Case] Kuhnle

Pam LaFave

SWWDB Update Page 3 of 7

HIRING EVENT, NOVEMBER 16

HIRING EVENT SUMMARY

The November 16, 2016 Hiring Event at the Rock County Job Center attracted 42 employers and 174 job-seekers.

Photos at right---

Top—Mercy Health Systems were seeking to fill entry-level positions such as medical assistants, CNAs, and autism techs (with OJT provided)

Center left—A job-seeker speaks to a rep from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which was seeking a Child and Family Service Specialist

Center right—Morgan Truck Body of Janesville was looking to fill positions for material handlers, welders, painters, and production associates

Bottom—Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen was a popular booth as they sought shift managers, crew members and cooks

For the year of 2016, the 12 major hiring events in Rock County attracted 1,610 job-seekers, while the five other hiring events in Green County and the southwest region attracted 323 job-seekers, for a total of 1,933. That number does not include the myriad events held for one specific company or organization.

SWWDB Update Page 4 of 7

ALL NINE CNC BOOT CAMP STUDENTS COMPLETE COURSE

Left Photo—Working on setting up a CNC machine are (L to R) Ben Hadgecock, Richard Robinson and

Dave Swanson. Right Photo: (L to R) Lavonne Milsap, Maxson Chan and Wuthy Yao.

Left Photo---(L to R) Vesal Kong, Anthony Lowery, Wuthy Yao. Right Photo: Chris Comella of Prent Corporation ‘mock interviews’ Richard Robinson

Left—SSI’s Angely Francis interviews Vesal Kong (back) while (front) Prent’s Kora Bentz speaks to Dave Swanson. Right---Brad Harrison (facing camera) of Basin Precision Machining interviews Ryan Quinn.

SWWDB Update Page 5 of 7

GRANT WILL HELP SWWDB TO ASSIST THOSE AGING OUT

OF FOSTER CARE

The Southwest WI Workforce Development Board (SWWDB), South Central (SC) Workforce Board and the Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington (WOW) Workforce Boards were awarded, in partnership, an Independent Living Grant from the State of Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF). The resources within the grant will directly support the WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) youth efforts that the Boards have been growing over the past year and provide additional resources to advance opportunities for young people who are aging out of foster care at 17 ½ or have aged out and are 21 years of age or younger. Regions were developed by the State of Wisconsin DCF to leverage and organize existing services and supports with a collective goal of creating a pro-youth service network across the regions that promote successful adult living with positive outcomes for youth aging out of the Foster Care System. DCF seeks to ensure availability of an array of local services so that every young adult exiting OHC (Out of Home Care) has the

opportunity to access education, employment, housing, health care, and other supports as well as connections to lifelong caring adults in order to meet their personal goals and live successfully as adults. Regions will begin working with youth eligible for Independent Living services as of January 1, 2017 with a total of seven regions across the state of Wisconsin. The partnership between the SWWDB, SC and WOW workforce boards will be considered as Region 5 in this effort. All youth in OHC are to receive Independent Living/Life Skills development opportunities that are individualized, developmentally appropriate, and adequate with their age, abilities, strengths and needs. The boards involved in the partnership of services for this grant will co-enroll all youth eligible for Independent Living Services are also eligible for the DCF Scholarship and ETV (Employment and Training Vouchers) through this grant.

Eligibility for the DCF Scholarship and ETV funds include:

A Wisconsin youth who left a court-ordered out-of-home placement (foster home, group home, residential care center or court-ordered Kinship Care) at age 18 or when they graduated from high school, or entered into court guardianship or were adopted after their 16th birthday from an out-of-home placement;

And

You have been admitted to an accredited or pre-accredited institution or program of high learning (i.e., technical college, 2- or 4-year university or college);

And

You are under age 21, unless already enrolled and attending a postsecondary program and participating in

(Continued on Page 6)

SWWDB Update Page 6 of 7

INDEPENDENT LIVING GRANT (Continued from Prior Page)

the scholarship or ETV program on your 21st birthday (extending eligibility to age 23). The purpose of the DCF Scholarship and ETV funds is to provide financial assistance to help former foster youth receive the education, training, and services necessary to obtain employment.

Ron Coppernoll and Nicole Allen will be the Independent Living Coordinators for the SWWDB counties. Nicole, the Youth Services Coordinator, will work closely with Rock and Green County to administer Independent Living Services. Ron, the

Internal Services Manager, will coordinate services in the other four rural counties. Since October, the regions and partners administering the Independent Living Grants have been in the planning stages with DCF to put the steps in place for a successful transition of services.

Ron Coppernoll can be reached at r.coppernoll@swwdb.org

Nicole Allen can be reached at n.allen@swwdb.org

DAWN BROWN FINDS HER PERFECT JOB

When you work at a job you don’t like, it can be miserable. Fortunately for Dawn Brown, that’s not a problem as she can’t wait to get to work. “This job is a perfect fit for me. I really love what I do,” she said. Dawn was hired in April as a part-time, 24-hour per week cashier at the Salvation Army in Beloit. But don’t let her title fool you. She does almost everything in addition to her cashier work. She opens and closes, inspects clothing, cleans…you name it and she does it. Part of the reason she enjoys it so much is that she is a natural extrovert, interacting with customers and making them feel welcome. “Customer service is the most favorite part of the job for me,” she said.

Considering Dawn hadn’t worked in over 10 years, it is amazing how well she’s adapted. The FSET program provided bus passes, gas vouchers and assistance with her application, resumes, and interviewing skills shortly after Dawn enrolled in FSET in January, 2016. “Dawn always had the potential to excel…we just inspired her to go out and actually do it,” said her FSET Employment and Training Specialist Nancy Alseth. “She has done so well. She’s accomplished what she set out to do.” Dawn’s gap in working was mainly due to a series of personal hardships. She was married in 2006 but it turned into an abusive relationship. She also had brain surgery in 2007 and in 2014 was hit by a car. But she didn’t let that keep her down.

“You gotta believe in yourself before others will,” she said. “Now, I believe I’ve found my niche.” In actuality, the job may have never been offered to Dawn had she not been persistent. “I actually was a customer at Salvation Army, and mentioned one day that I was looking for a job. I completed an application but they hired someone else.” Dawn told them if their hire didn’t work out, to keep her in mind. When that person transferred, they hired Dawn.

Born and raised in Beloit, the 50-year-old Dawn has grown children and grandchildren. “I’m so grateful for FSET and Nancy. They’re wonderful to work with and really help you to succeed,” Dawn said. And now she has a job that fits her perfectly!

FSET Employment and Training Specialist Nancy Alseth (left) assists Dawn Brown with a computer application

SWWDB Update Page 7 of 7

Following is the tentative schedule the Business Solutions Committee has developed for Job Fairs and Hiring Events for the 2017 calendar year. (TBD=To Be Determined, Commun Act-Bel=Community Action-Beloit)

We’re on the Web!

See us at:

www.swwdb.org

The Southwest Wisconsin

Workforce Development Board

(SWWDB) serves a six-county

area in the Southwest corner of

Wisconsin. We are a dynamic

collaboration of private and

public leaders working together

About the SWWDB…

Southwest Wisconsin Workforce

Development Board

1370 N. Water Street P.O. Box 656

Platteville, WI 53818-0656

Phone (608) 342-4220

Rock County Job Center 1900 Center Avenue Janesville, WI 53546

PHONE: (608) 741-3400

FAX:

(608) 741-3528

E-MAIL: g.bosak@swwdb.org

(newsletter editor—

Gregg Bosak)

to promote innovation and quality

in local workforce development

activities.

The Board meets on a quarterly

schedule to address workforce

development issues and provide

oversight to the eight Southwest

Job Center offices located in the

area. Committee members meet

on an as-needed basis to

provide guidance and direction

on topical issues.

THE GRAINGER FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WIOA YOUTH PROGRAM

JOB FAIR/HIRING EVENT SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR 2017

The Grainger Foundation, an independent, private foundation located in Lake Forest, Illinois, recently donated $5,000 for use by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board (SWWDB) and the Community Action of Rock and Walworth Counties for its WIOA Youth program. Shown in the photo are (left to right) Adriana Flores (WIOA student), Rhonda Suda (SWWDB CEO), Nicole Pfundheller (WIOA Coordinator), Lavell Wilson (WIOA student holding sign), Nik Wasilewski (WIOA student in back), Gabriela Mendoza (WIOA student), Kari Gates (Grainger) and William Chatman (WIOA Program Manager).

Date & Time Event Location

Jan. 21, 9 a.m.-noon Sat. Hiring Event Rock Co. Job Ctr. Feb. 9, TBD Job Fair BTC, Monroe Feb. 15, 2-4 p.m. Hiring Event Commun Act-Bel March 14, 9 a.m.-noon Hiring Event Rock Co. Job Ctr. April, 2017, TBD Job Fair Richland Center April 12, 1-4 p.m. Hiring Event Rock Co. Job Ctr. May 11, TBD Job Fair BTC, Monroe May 18, 2-4 p.m. Hiring Event Commun Act-Bel June 13, 1-4 p.m. Hiring Event Rock Co. Job Ctr.

Date & Time Event Location July 11, 2-4 p.m. Hiring Event Commun Act-Bel July 27, TDB Job Fair BTC-Monroe August 17, 9 a.m.-noon Hiring Event Rock Co. Job Ctr. Sept. 2017, TBD Job Fair Richland Center Sept. 20, 1-4 p.m. Hiring Event Rock Co. Job Ctr. October 19, 2-4 p.m. Hiring Event Commun Act-Bel October 26, TBD Job Fair BTC, Monroe November 9, 1-4 p.m. Job Fair Rock Co. Job Ctr.