A publication provided by Workforce Solutions South Plains Business Services Unit
BUSINESS Workforce Solutions South Plains Business Services Unit (BSU) Representatives provide a wide array of services designed to help South Plains employers remain competitive in today’s global economy. Our Primary Goal: “To Help Meet Employer Needs”. To help us achieve this goal, we depend on WorkInTexas.com, Texas’ largest electronic labor pool, to match the region’s job openings to qualified applicants. And, the majority of our services are provided at no cost to employers and job seekers. ⇒ EMPLOYEE
SCREENING, MATCHING & REFERAL We post and advertise your job openings on www.WorkInTexas.com and screen all applicants by matching your requirements to a pool of available workers, referring only those applicants who are qualified to perform the job. Simply call, email or fax your job requirements, and leave the rest to us! ⇒ JOB & HIRING FAIRS
Our customized hiring fairs are conducted throughout the year to help increase the number and quality of available workers. We are also the primary sponsor of the South Plains Job Fair, held bi-annually at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, which historically draws more than 1,000 of the region’s job seekers and more than 50 employers. We also participate in the region’s Career Fairs, hosted by area high schools, colleges, technical schools and universities.
SOLUTIONS ⇒ RAPID RESPONSE
In the unfortunate occurrence of a sudden layoff or business closure, our Rapid Response services are available to assist the affected employees by providing helpful information and resources to reenter the workplace. For example, we provide current labor market information to help them identify which work skills are considered ‘in demand’ by the region’s employers, what the average salary is per occupation, and what education and training levels are required for certain occupations. We also help them with registration at WorkInTexas and provide must-have information on education and training assistance available through our On-The-Job-Training and Texas Back to Work programs. ⇒ TRAINING,
MEETING INTERVIEW FACILITIES
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For those small employers who may not have access to the space needed to host meetings, training sessions or interviews, we allow our employercustomers to utilize our meeting space, fully equipped with internet access and state-of-the-art audio visual equipment. Simply ask your BSU Rep to schedule the space for your upcoming functions.
For more information about these and other employer-driven business services, call us toll-free at 1-866-765-5038 or visit your nearest Workforce Solutions workforce center.
CEO’s CORNER “At Workforce Solutions South Plains, employers are our primary customer and all of our services were designed to ensure the region’s employers have the skilled workers they need in order to compete in today’s global market. One example is the Skills for Small Business Training Grants, which are available to employers with fewer than one-hundred employees. The grant was created to help employers enhance the skills of current workers and prepare newly hired employees for industryspecific job requirements. The occupational training is provided by
South Plains College or the Texas Engineering Extension Service, and employers are given the opportunity to identify the existing training curriculum that best suits their needs. Tuition and fees are funded up to $1,450 per newly hired fulltime employee and up to $725 per full-time incumbent employee, and Workforce Solutions South Plains’ Business Services Professionals are available to assist in the application process. If your business lacks the qualified employees needed to remain profitable, we highly recommend the Skills for Small Business Training Grants.
Martin Aguirre, CEO For more information about our customized work skills training resources, contact our Business Services Unit. We look forward to hearing from you soon!”
EXTREME ENTREPRENEURSHIP TOUR Workforce Solutions partnered with the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration to host the “Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour” (EET). The EET was created to inform the region’s Youth Zone participants of the
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benefits to owning a business, and helped attendees identify available resources and create a business plan. Seventy youth and nine employers participated in the event, which was hosted in Plainview and Lubbock. One of the tour speakers is a local
sophomore who started her own photography business. By the end of the program, participants had created their own, individual action plan for starting their own business.
HELP FOR THE UNEMPLOYED Anyone who has lost a job can relate to the emotional drain that inevitably occurs following a layoff, termination, or, for that matter, divorce. In the months of April and May, Workforce Solutions hosted a series of regional workshops designed to encourage and motivate those individuals who have been dislocated from the workplace. Presented by “Coach D” Darrell Andrews of Bear, Delaware, the “Turning Passions Into Careers” passion-mapping workshop helped attendees assess their personal value and realize new and exciting job and career opportunities based upon their existing skills, talents and abilities.
Coach D. presents to a group of dislocated workers in Lubbock.
“In order for job seekers to successfully increase their value to the ever-changing marketplace, it is imperative that they assess their passions and transferrable skills with the goal of increasing their job opportunities.” - Darrell Andrews, Darrell Andrews Enterprises, Inc.
A second workshop, entitled “It’s Time To Move On...Finding That Next Job”, challenged participants to let go of the old job and manage their search for a new job. The workshop presenter, Gerry Hoeffner of Personnel Dynamics Consulting of Fort Pierce, Florida, helped attendees learn how to prepare for the job search, discover a variety of resources to find area job openings, how to create a marketing approach and techniques to motivate themselves and successfully continue their Gerry Hoeffner explains “Good people lose jobs. search for employment. It’s up to you to determine what steps you take next.”
“Gerry Hoeffner provided some very valuable information concerning the job interview process. The workshop was informative, direct and practical.” - Rustin Tabr
UPCOMING EVENTS
East Lubbock Employer Seminar TBD
TEXAS BACK TO WORK Work and training funds for employers and job seekers “Texas employers are standing strong during tough economic times. Businesses small and large, can earn Texas Back to Work incentives to expand their operations and offer new opportunities to unemployed Texans.” – Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst Texas employers can receive a wage subsidy for hiring unemployed workers under a two-year, program promoted by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and funded by the Legislature last session. Texas Back to Work offers employers a wage subsidy of up to $2,000 for hiring qualified outof-work Texans. Employers interested in participating should contact the Workforce Solutions South Plains Business Services Unit toll-free at 1-866-765-5038. Employers also are encouraged to take advantage of WorkInTexas.com, Texas’ largest online job matching website where more than 250,000 employers are registered to post their job openings and find great employees.
Texas achieved over 18,980 placements in this program year 2011. Workforce Solutions South Plains exceeded it’s target goal.
Workforce Business Services Unit Business Services Unit 1218 14th Street * Lubbock, TX 79401 * Tel 806‐765‐5038 www.spworkforce.org
Workforce Rural Center Locations Levelland 1102 Austin (806) 894-5005
Littlefield 1700 Hall Avenue (806) 385-7897
Plainview 1001 N. I-21 ste 228 (806) 293-8566
Muleshoe 203 Main Street (806) 272-7540
Brownfield 1321B Tahoka Rd (806) 637-4234
Crosbyton 224 S. Berskshire (806) 675-7307