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Keeping Connected
Closing our Year in Service to our Community
The month of September is Workforce Development Month. This celebratory month was established in 2005 by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals to bring awareness to the importance of the workforce development industry in our growing national economy.
As part of a highly specialized profession, workforce development workers provide a crucial link between job seekers and businesses in our area. As such, it is important for our staff to build and maintain strong community relationships. To foster these connections, Workforce Solutions East Texas staff volunteered their time for various projects across our 14-county region. Some individuals donated items or money, while others donated their time to our community partners.
"Our staff thoroughly enjoyed each moment of their volunteer work," stated Rachel Lovvorn, Outreach Specialist for Workforce Solutions East Texas. "One of the key job characteristics in our industry is a giving heart, and I think we demonstrated this well this last month. Our partners expressed happiness with our work, asking us to come back anytime, and we hope to do so again very soon."
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Bountiful Blessings From Above Inc.
A Childcare Facility with a Special Purpose
It's a familiar struggle for parents across the nation; finding a daycare facility that you trust to take care of your little one. But what happens when your precious one has special needs? The struggles that come with caring for children with disabilities are a feeling that certain parents know all too well. Parents want to see their children thrive, but parents of children with special needs face obstacles to accessing proper care for their children.
Like a superhero in the comic books, in comes Bountiful Blessings From Above Inc. Located in Palestine, this facility offers services including childcare and schooling for children with disabilities and has been serving its community since 1995. Through caring staff and carefully selected accommodations, this facility gives parents of special needs children in the area a feeling of relief.
Despite the ever-increasing need for such services, Bountiful Blessings From Above Inc. remains the only special needs childcare facility in East Texas. During the recent Anderson County Social Services Round Table hosted by Hope Station, local community partners and programs gathered to exchange information on their companies and services. Among them is Joenequia "Nikki" Beckworth-Smith, the Special Needs Director/ Assistant Director of Bountiful Blessings From Above. As she spoke about the services provided by the facility, community members were in shock.
Nikki advised attendees, "We specialize in children with or without disabilities. Quality childcare and development of children. Our children get tutoring and extra support to help build skills. Children that have been in the program for years exceed the expectations of school standards."
Rachel Lovvorn, the Outreach Specialist of WSET, remarked that everyone in the crowd seemed surprised. "You could see it in their faces. They were moved by the role this facility plays in their community. And to find out that their city holds the only specialty facility in East Texas, I believe that only great things can come with that knowledge. The other community leaders in Anderson County will surely show support to Bountiful Blessings From Above as they continue to provide these essential services to East Texas," she said.
When asked what makes Bountiful Blessings From Above different from other facilities, Nikki said "What makes us different is bringing in more trained professionals to help develop children with disabilities in childcare. We make IEP goals to help them successfully transition into public schools." Nikki told Workforce staff that what makes the facility members happiest is seeing the progress in their children and community. "To see them better than they were before. We're also happy when we help them with school supplies, food, clothing, gifts, hugs, and kisses. It makes us all happy, which is rewarding.
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Working Shoulder to Shoulder With Our VIPs
One Team Member's Commitment to Encourage Participant Success
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As the Fiscal Year came to a close, Workforce Solutions East Texas descended on Rains County in search of more partners to meet our goal. Carolyn Garrett, the WSET Partnership Manager, met with a program enrollee to discuss employment options in the area.
"Dedicated, independent, professional," said Cheryl Newton, Deputy Director of WSET."She has a gift of heart-based salesmanship."
After reviewing potential businesses, Ivan Smith's Furniture offered to take on the client with no interview. Carolyn could tell that the participant was nervous about the new job.
"After spending only a brief time getting familiar with Ms. Reed, I was able to determine that she had reservations about working in a new environment/different industry," said Carolyn.
Carolyn knew she needed to do something to help the client become more confident in her new role. So, without hesitation, Carolyn told the participant that she would see her on the site for work the next day.
"In order to further instill trust and nurture the newly established relationship, I thought it necessary to display one of our core values- “We only ask to do what we are willing to do ourselves”. I wanted Ms. Reed to know that I would not ask and/or place her in an environment that was not suitable nor did I want her to experience this new setting without support," Carolyn said.
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The next morning, Carolyn donned her boots and jeans and spent her work day building furniture right next to the client!
Angelia Snow, the Director of Workforce Solutions East Texas, praised Carolyn during an end-of-the-year meeting. "She's motivated to help in any capacity. She will do whatever it takes to get stuff done."
Carolyn's help secured the final enrollment needed for one of the yearly performance measures. We are incredibly proud of our staff!
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Highlight a Community Member!
Do you have a heartfelt story you'd like to share? We love to hear from our community! Click the link below to submit your story, and you may be featured in next month's newsletter.
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Workforce Services
A monthly highlight of workforce programs that help the community
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Support Services
For many, starting a job may be just as hard as not having one. Many individuals may be left pinching pennies until their first paycheck, and the financial burden of finding a new job can be overwhelming! Workforce Solutions East Texas offers support services for our program enrollees. Support Services can be provided as a person engages in work or work-related activities. Currently, our support services include child care services, transportation and gas assistance, and the payment or reimbursement of work-related expenses such as boots or tools. Our goal is to eliminate any obstacle to success and to promote full, self-sustaining employment for our program participants in any way we can!
Want to learn more about our programs? Visit our website here!
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Child care is essential for working parents, and in many cases, its significance can be the difference between keeping a job or losing one.
Workforce Solutions East Texas Child Care Services (CCS) helps low to moderate-income families with assistance in paying for child care while parents work, attend school, or participate in a training program as they become more self-sufficient.
This program strives to educate parents about the availability of quality child care, enhance children’s early learning, and support early learning programs working to improve the quality of child care services.
We serve Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties.
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CCS offers:
- Child Care scholarships for financial assistance while you work or go to school.
- Access to programs that meet your needs.
- Options for a family member to care for your child.
- Access to workforce supports and other resources.
- Information about quality educational opportunities for your child to attend.
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Workforce Solutions
Monthly updates of the workforce in our area
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Want to view a job opening in this field?
Click each job title to view posting details!
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Anderson County
Palestine, TX: Caregiver
Gregg County
Longview, TX: NDE Assistant
Gregg County
Longview, TX: Hotshot Driver
Gregg County
Longview, TX: Counter Helper
Gregg County
Longview, TX: Bookkeeper
Henderson County
Athens, TX: Personal Care Attendant
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Marion County
Jefferson, TX: 2ND Shift Supervisor
Rusk County
Henderson, TX: Single Hand Welders
Rains County
Emory, TX: CNA
Van Zandt County
Canton, TX: Commercial/ Residential Cleaner
Wood County
Mineola, TX: Store Manager
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Looking for Work?
Let us help! There are many ways that Workforce Solutions East Texas can
assist job seekers with navigating their career path!
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Work In Texas
WorkInTexas.com is the state's official job-seeking platform. These job postings are monitored and updated daily. Search for work anywhere in Texas from the comfort of your home.
Sign in or register today!
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WIOA Program
Are you interested in training? Do you need help with going to school or getting a certification? We offer free training and work experience for those who qualify! Take our pre-screening survey, and a member of our staff will contact you to discuss your eligibility.
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Managing Change
A WIOA Success Story
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Sara Whitaker felt as if the job just fell into her lap. The President of the Chamber of Commerce in Marion County contacted Sara's mother to offer her employment, but her mother was unavailable, so Sara was offered the position.
With Sara being enrolled in a Workforce Solutions East Texas program, WSET staff enrolled in a Work Experience agreement with the Marion County Chamber of Commerce.
Sara is in charge of many different job duties in her role as the Office Manager. "People want to know about Jefferson. They want to know what there is to do here, what's available, and how to find resources and businesses, so I do serve the public in helping tourists," Sara advised. Although Sara helps guide tourists and visitors, her job duties extend past being a tour advisor. "We are a Chamber of Commerce, so we function as an office, and our primary goal is to serve our members."
During a recent interview, Silas Taylor, the Technical Director of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, remarked on his experience with the Work Experience agreement and Sara's involvement in the program.
"Workforce is an amazing resource. Companies that want to grow or fill a vacant space, they can do so on an intern-type situation where the cash to pay for the training, the trial, and the interview is not coming out of their resources. That the state is supporting the organization or business like the Chamber," said Silas.
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Pictured above: Sara Whitaker, Work Experience Participant and Office Manager of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce | |
Silas ended his interview with praise for the program. " I'm benefitting from the program, the Chamber is benefiting, Sara is benefitting. I don't know anyone that's coming up on the short end of this. It works!"
Overall, Sara couldn't be more pleased with how her Work Experience has turned out. "It was just really the best of both worlds that they needed someone to start basically the next day, and I was available. So, I'm very thankful."
Watch the full video of Sara here!
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Employee Spotlight
Take a bow...You've earned it!
This month's employee spotlight is Ka'tavia Chilton. Ka'tavia is over the data entry for our CHOICES program. From her bright personality and amazing humor, Ka'tavia is a joy to be around!
"When Ka’Tavia started at the Athens office, it didn’t take long for her to settle in as a member of our work family," Jessie Hicks, the QA for CHOICES and SNAP, remembers meeting Ka'tavia for the first time. "Watching Ka’Tavia learn, grow, and communicate, it has become very apparent that Ka’Tavia processes many of the traits needed to prevail in this field; compassion, thoroughness, and eagerness."
Ka'tavia goes above and beyond her job role and can often be found taking on extra tasks to assist her co-workers.
Tarsha Alexander, the Remote Services Manager, and Ka'tavia's direct supervisor praised Ka'tavia by saying, "whatever I have asked of her she has gone above and beyond and never has complained. It is truly a pleasure to work with her, and I appreciate all the hard work that she does. She has an awesome personality and a great attitude."
Workforce Solutions East Texas is staffed with hard-working individuals, and we can count Ka'tavia among the best. WSET is proud to have Ka'tavia as a member of our work family!
Know someone that deserves the spotlight? Submit their story by clicking here!
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Upcoming Events
What's on the calendar for this month?
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October 11: Dirt Cheap Distribution Center Hiring Event
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October 20: National Disability Employment Awareness Month Event (Employer Event)
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November 10: Red, White, and You! Statewide Job Fair
To view more upcoming job fairs and hiring events, visit our website by clicking the button below.
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Schedule WSET to Speak at Your Next Event
Workforce Solutions East Texas offers no-cost services to area employers and job seekers! Let us help you serve and grow the workforce of tomorrow in East Texas. We are available to speak to your group on education, funding, workforce, TWC programs, employment services, and more! For scheduling and booking events, please get in touch with Kim Stacy or Khaleelah Waalee at 903-561-8131.
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Register for our Newsletter | |
Our monthly newsletter is released on the first Thursday of every month. We look forward to providing you with local workforce news! | |
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Equal Opportunity Employer/Program
Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech-impaired customers may contact Relay Texas: 800-735-2989 (TTY) and 711 (Voice)
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