February 2011

This Year’s Annual Awards of Excellence Banquet was a Success!

Workforce Solutions hosted its Annual Awards of Excellence Banquet on January 20th at the Phoenix Ballroom in Downtown Waco. With nearly 140 attendees, this year’s event was one of the largest turnouts in recent memory. For the fourth year in a row, Ann Harder, Channel 25 News Anchor, emceed the banquet, along with Ted Taveras, Chairman of the Heart of Texas Workforce Development Board. Special guests included––in addition to award recipients––Chief Elected Officials, Board Members, and Workforce Solutions Center Staff, and Board Staff.

Award recipients included the following exceptional businesses and individuals:

• Employer of the Year: Pilgrim’s Pride
  
• Employer of Excellence for Bosque County: Double B Foods
  
• Employer of Excellenc for Falls County: Falls Community Hospital & Clinic
  
• Employer of Excellence for Freestone County: The Giving Tree Christian Day Care Center
  
• Employer of Excellence for Hill County: Holiday Inn Express – Hillsboro
  
• Employer of Excellence for Limestone County: Green's Custom Services
  
• Employer of Excellence for McLennan County: Associated Hygienic Products
  
• Outstanding Child Care Service Provider: Aunt Rosie’s Day Care Center
  
• Outstanding Program Participant: Jennifer LeFevre
  
• Outstanding Youth Participant: Jody Hall
  
• Outstanding Workforce Professional: Ula Davis
  
• Honorable Elenor Holmes Service to Community: Johnette Hicks

The event was made possible, in part, due to the generosity of the following sponsors:

Gold Level – EOAC Head Start / Early Head Start;

Silver Level – TSTC, MCC Corporate Training, and NRG Energy; and,

Bronze Level – Wes and Diane Cowan for ExperienceWorks, Falls Community Hospital and Clinic, and Tejas Logistics.

To view the event photo album, and learn more about this year’s event, please click here.

back to top

Refreshed Workforce Solutions Website Begins Phasing In

Beginning earlier this month, and continuing into February, Workforce Solutions will be slowly phasing in a refreshed website. The overall goal, based on user feedback, is to improve the accessibility of employer and jobseeker information, offer a more user-friendly interface, and consolidate and better organize the many valuable resources available on the website. To date, a completely redesigned home page has been unveiled, and the Jobseeker and Intranet sections are completely redesigned. Additionally, all of the Quick Links have been enhanced for improved functionality. In the next few weeks, the Employer, Child Care, and Veterans sections will also be redone. To see the new site, please click here.

back to top

Free Tax Prep Assistance Program
Back in Effect

Free tax preparation assistance is now available, thanks to the partnership between NeighborWorksWaco and Workforce Solutions. There are four locations offering free services, including A.J. Moore Academy, NeighborWorks Waco, South Waco Community Center, and West Waco Library and Genealogy Center. Dates and times vary by location. For full details, click here.

back to top

Business Services Launches New “Strictly Business” Brown Bag Lunch Series

In an effort to provide additional outreach to employers in our rural communities, Workforce Solutions Business Services is now offering a “Strictly Business” Brown Bag Lunch Series at each of our five rural Workforce Solutions Centers. Topics include Skills Development Grants, Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), Generational Differences in the Workplace, Project RIO and Fidelity Bonding for Businesses, and TWC Business Services. For full details, contact Rene Clayton at (254) 296-5388, or via email at rene.clayton@hotworkforce.com. You can also view dates and times for the “Strictly Business” Brown Bag Lunch Series by visiting the Workforce Solutions online calendar here.

back to top

Registration Now Open for the
2011 YES! Expo

The 2011 YES! Expo has been scheduled for May 10, 2011, from 9 AM to 2 PM at the Extraco Events Center (formerly the Heart ‘O Texas Fair Complex). Registration is now open for Exhibitors, Sponsors, and High Schools. For full details about this year’s event, and to download the registration packets, click here.

back to top

Jobseekers Benefit from Enhanced
Facebook Page

In an effort to provide more timely and targeted job search services to Heart of Texas jobseekers, the Workforce Solutions Facebook page began providing daily “HOT Jobs” to all fans. This information is in addition to the job search tools already available on the Workforce Solutions website. Each day, a new job listing, pulled from WorkInTexas, is posted to the Facebook page. Job opportunities vary across numerous industries, and capture jobseekers from all six counties in the Heart of Texas region. Since launching this new services January 1st, Facebook participation has already increased 11%.

back to top

Noteworthy Items of Interest

• The Workforce Solutions 2010 Impact Report is now available online. Simply visit the Workforce Solutions website homepage, click on the “Publications” tab, and you’ll see the Impact Report at the top of the list.

• New resources have recently been added to the STEWARD website on the topic of starting and running a successful Farmers Market. Be sure to check back regularly.

back to top