Chamber

Morgan County Workforce Development Resource Guide

Decatur/Morgan County Chamber of Commerce

Mission: To promote business and commerce for the Decatur and Morgan County area through volunteer leadership in economic, political and social development

Workforce Development Coalition Mission: Enhance the development of our existing and future workforce through local and regional partnerships to provide a globally competitive business environment for the Decatur‐Morgan County area. Expand the existing public/private effort to train the emerging workforce, the unemployed, and the underemployed. Develop workplace skills necessary for placement and advancement. Provide a clear pathway for the emerging workforce to obtain the work skills necessary to meet the growing demands of local business and industry.

Website: http://www.dcc.org/

Contact Information: Charlotte McKelvy, Director of Workforce Development and Education

charlotte@dcc.org th 515 6 Avenue NE Decatur, AL 35601 Phone: 256.353.5312 Scott Landgraf, Vice Chairman of Workforce Development

Ascend Performance Materials, HR Manager Seland@ascendmaterials.com

Program/Services: • Career and Workforce Expo: Workforce readiness is a need that has been identified repeatedly among employers in our area. This event is an effective way to reach young people to encourage them to begin preparing to fill the jobs of the future by developing the skills they will need. Hundreds of students from across the four county areas of Morgan, Limestone, Lawrence, and Madison counties will attend the Expo, and business and industry participation is very important. Students complete brief Expo related assignments that encourages them to ask exhibitors questions and become more engaged with the event. o

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Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: High school students in Morgan, Limestone, Lawrence and Madison counties.

Companies in the Classroom: Offers opportunities for business professionals to spend “face to face” time with local high schools students in the classroom. This program encourages open conversation with both students and teachers regarding career and workforce needs and opportunities in our community. o

Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: Companies who are Chamber members are invited to participate in the program. Currently, the program is offered to all 9th graders at West Morgan and Falkville High Schools.

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Morgan County Workforce Development Resource Guide

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Minority Development: As a sub‐committee of the Workforce Development Coalition, Minority development focuses on assuring that everyone in our community has the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills to succeed in the workforce of the future. The Committee also celebrates successes of minority business owners and minority development through an annual dinner. o

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Partners in Education: This program develops partnerships between business and public school systems to establish a best practice to share available talents and resources to maximize the development potential of our youth and provide an overall awareness of business and industry in our community. o

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Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds? 9th‐12th grade girls.

The Leader in Me: see description contained on Decatur City Schools programs and services o

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Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: All schools in Morgan County have partners currently.

SWeETy Camp: The Chamber partners with Calhoun to present the Summer Welding and Electrical Technology camp. This free summer camp experience is available to the top twenty applicants from the city and county high schools in Limestone, Madison, and Morgan counties. The camp provides hands‐on experience in welding and electricity and will help students develop problem solving skills and teamwork as they participate in instructor‐led projects, field trips, and interact with women role models during industry sponsored lunches. Students are challenged to break down stereotypes that may deter girls from pursuing technical professions by introducing them to women who currently work in nontraditional fields and by offering them a number of convincing reasons why girls should consider technical careers. o

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Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: Any Chamber member can become a member of the Minority Development Committee. Nominations are taken from the general public for selection in honoring successful minority business owners at the annual dinner.

Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds? Elementary students attending Decatur City Schools.

Workforce Communication Plan: The Chamber works to develop and administer a proactive communication plan to promote the Workforce Development Efforts in our area by informing community groups and organizations about how we can work together to better prepare our current and future workforce. A monthly workforce e‐newsletter is a part of this plan. This Resource Guide is a result of the communication plan. o Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: All community citizens and companies.

Edge Student Leadership: Edge is a nine‐month program for high school sophomores and juniors in Morgan County. You should apply during 9th and 10th grades (applications can be picked up from your guidance counselor or the Chamber’s website), so you’ll be in the appropriate grade when the program starts. The program is designed to develop a group of informed and qualified young leaders to step up and take on

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Morgan County Workforce Development Resource Guide

leadership roles in their schools and communities. As a participant, you’ll get to meet students from other schools and learn about what it means to be a leader. You’ll be forced to step outside your comfort zone and be asked to think outside the box. You’ll learn valuable leadership skills that you won’t find in the classroom. o

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Executive Leadership Program: The Executive Leadership program was designed for upper level management and offers unique opportunities for networking. The program gives attendees access to top leaders from across the state. o

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Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: Participation in leadership programs is open to all members and member businesses employees. You can download an application for the program at: http://www.dcc.org/default.aspx?id=32.

Web Job Posting Page: The Chamber hosts a job posting page through its website. The job listings can be found by clicking the “Job Postings” link under “Quick Links” on the Chamber’s homepage listed above or at: http://decaturmorganctychamber.chambermaster.com/directory/jsp/jobs/Search.jsp?c cid=447 Chamber members can post any job listing they have for free. Your member number is required to post jobs through this site. Contact Charlotte if you need your member number.

Job seekers can search the page based on a number of criteria for available jobs in the greater Morgan County area. o

Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: Participation in leadership programs is open to all members and member businesses employees. You can download an application for the program at: http://www.dcc.org/default.aspx?id=32.

Excellence in Leadership Decatur‐Morgan County: The Excellence in Leadership Decatur‐Morgan County program is the flagship program of the Chamber’s Leadership series. The program was designed to identify, orient, develop and network existing and emerging leaders with the goal of enhancing positive growth in the area business community. o

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Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds?: This program is offered to students in Decatur City Schools, Morgan County Schools, Hartselle City Schools, Private Schools, and Homeschoolers. Students must have an overall “C” average for the school year, and submit two references. One reference should be from an adult at your school (a teacher, coach or counselor) and one should be from an adult outside your school (youth pastor, family friend, etc.). Students also have to submit an essay along with your application.

Who Qualifies for these Services or Funds? Any Chamber member can post jobs free of charge and applications can search for and apply for jobs free of charge as well.

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