Trident Workforce Investment Board Annual Awards Ceremony

Oct. 20, 2008 - PRLog -- The Trident Workforce Investment Board recognized three area companies and four One Stop customers at its 18th Annual Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Customer Awards Ceremony held in the Trident Technical College Complex for Economic Development.

Janet Cappellini, Vice Chair of the Trident Workforce Investment Board, welcomed everyone for “joining us in expressing our appreciation to the award recipients and in celebrating their accomplishments and contributions to workforce development in the Trident Region.”

“As Chair of the Trident Youth Advisory Council for the last few years, I had the distinct and wonderful opportunity to interact with One Stop staff and TOSCS partners, Palmetto Youth Connections and the Adult Education offices of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties.  Our partners do an excellent job of educating and preparing our youth for employment in sustainable careers because they genuinely care; Caring truly makes a difference.”

After a few brief words from Daniel Davis, Berkeley County Supervisor; Colleen Condon, Charleston County Council; and Larry Hargett, Chair Dorchester County Council, Cappellini, with the assistance of Paul L. Connerty, TWIB Executive Director, and Terry Kinder, immediate past TWIB Chair, proudly presented the awards.

“Outstanding Customers of the Year” awards were presented to La’Quana Crawford, Teresa Roumillat, Jahbrisha Pennick, and Dawn Schmit.  

Berkeley County Water and Sanitation, Port City Glass & Mirror, and Computer Network Enterprises were honored as “Outstanding Business Customers of the Year”.  

After the presentation of awards, Connerty added his congratulations and appreciation to the award winners by saying, “We value each of you as a customer of the Trident One Stop Career System, and want to continue to help you achieve success.”  He also added that the One Stop Career Centers saw a 33% increase in services from last year.

Connerty expressed thanks and gratitude to retiring TWIB members, Dr. Jim Jones and Coleman Glaze, for their many years of service to the Trident Workforce Investment Board and to the community.  He then thanked the TWIB for its “vision and leadership to create a competitive workforce advantage for our region”, and the staff of the One Stop system, adult and youth program staff, Palmetto Youth Connections, One Stop partners, and the Charleston County Grants Department for their “hard work, professionalism, and commitment to the team.”

A raffle to benefit the C. deVineau White Scholarship Fund ended the day’s events.  The C. deVineau White Scholarship, established in 1996 honoring the memory of former employee C. deVineau White, is awarded each year to a deserving youth attending Trident Technical College.

The mission of the Trident Workforce Investment Board is to develop the region’s workforce by providing high quality workforce development programs and services to our customers.

To accomplish our mission we’ve created a market driven and user friendly workforce system investing workforce funding to recruit, prepare, and  train workers with the skills needed to support existing industry and attract new industry to our region.

The Trident Workforce Investment Board (TWIB) provides funding for programs to develop the regional workforce training workers with advanced skills to meet regional workforce challenges through the Trident One Stop Career System.  The Trident One Stop Career System is a nationally recognized workforce development system staffed by some of the best trained workforce professionals in the nation.

The Trident One-Stop Career Center is located at 1930 Hanahan Road in North Charleston.  Satellite Centers are located in Moncks Corner, Summerville and Charleston.  For more information on available services and programs or to find the center nearest to you, call 843-574-1800.

More information on the recipients:

La’Quana Crawford: After completing her GED through the Palmetto Youth Connections program, Ms. Crawford entered the Pharmacy Technician class offered by Palmetto Training.  Waiting to begin the class, she completed the work readiness and customer service training class.  Ms. Crawford passed the National Retail Federation’s Customer Service exam, completed her Pharmacy Technician Training class, and is prepared to take the national certification exam for pharmacy technicians.  Ms. Crawford is currently working at Bi-Lo as a cashier, and when she obtains her Pharmacy Technician National Certification, she will transfer to a position in the Bi-Lo pharmacy.

Teresa Roumillat:  Ms. Roumillat entered the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Program and enrolled in the Manufacturing Certification Training Program.  Upon graduating as a top candidate, Ms. Roumillat accepted a full-time, permanent position with Global Aeronautica in their Quality Assurance Department.

Jahbrisha Pennick:   After achieving her high-school diploma through the Palmetto Youth Connections program, Ms. Pennick entered the Community Healthcare Training Program to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).  Ms. Pennick successfully completed her CNA training and began working at Mt. Pleasant Manor as a Dietary Aide, while waiting to take her Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Service (NACES) exam.  She also enrolled in the work readiness and employability skills training course through the Trident One Stop Career System. Ms. Pennick successfully passed the NACES exam and was promoted to a CNA position at Mt. Pleasant Manor.   She has been accepted at Trident Technical College where she plans to complete her pre-requisite courses before transferring to the College of Charleston to earn her bachelor’s degree in elementary and early childhood education.

Dawn Schmit:  Ms. Schmit and her 10 year-old son moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma to South Carolina in August of 2007.  Faced with the challenges of being new to the area and having limited work experience, Ms. Schmit enrolled in the WIA program for assistance.  After successfully completing the Manufacturing Certification Training Program, Ms. Schmit was offered an On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program position with Vought Aircraft Industries.

Berkeley County Water and Sanitation: Berkeley County Water and Sanitation has supported the WIA program by working closely with WIA staff to fill employment vacancies, including special requirements for potential candidates.  They have also hosted several job fairs at the Berkeley One-Stop Career Center.  Berkeley County Water and Sanitation has always been diligent in providing follow-up information when requested by WIA staff, and has worked closely with WIA customers who are seeking employment.  

Port City Glass & Mirror:  Port City Glass & Mirror has hired and retained WIA participants and continues to rely on the Trident One-Stop Career System for assistance in identifying qualified employees.  They provide On-the-Job (OJT) Training to WIA program participants, teaching them to become skilled as glaziers.  Jeff Smith of Port City Glass & Mirror believes that by employing TOSCS-screened and referred candidates, he assists the individual and the community by giving someone real-life work experience and training.

Computer Network Enterprises:  Computer Network Enterprises owner Roger Swanson learned of One Stop programs through the South Carolina Employment Security Commission (SCESC).  CNE gave a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) participant an opportunity to learn a new trade through the On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program.  This not only provided an invaluable learning experience for the customer but also increased his wage earnings. CNE also received  Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Program funding to train their existing workforce.