The Mission of the Literacy Committee of the Camden County Workforce Investment Board is to promote the awareness and communicate the impact of literacy; enhance coordination among residents, employers and service providers; advocate for lifelong learning with the goal of leading Camden County residents to become economically self-sufficient individuals, responsible family members and contributing members of the community.
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Literacy Committee Minutes
December 3, 2009
Attendees:
Terri Ballard, CCWIB
John Biondi, I.B.E.W.
Ken Brahl, Ravitz Shop Rite (joined by phone)
Cathy Brown, Camden County College
Jackie Mintz, Mintz & Associates
Frank Shaw, Camden County One Stop Career Center
Jeffrey Swartz, CCWIB
Welcome:
Jackie Mintz welcomed members to the meeting and gave an update on assignments given at the last meeting. She made contact with Genesis (Elder Care Firm) and will meet with them on 12/16 to discuss our concept already used by ShopRite. A representative from Genesis in Maryland is coming to the meeting to see if the concept can be expanded throughout the system. Unfortunately, representatives from Walmart, Home Depot and Target have been too busy with the holiday shopping season to participate at this time.
John Biondi forwarded the letter Shop Rite has been using to applicants who do not pass the test for employment to his superiors and they are interested in using something similar. Their test is more advanced than the test used by ShopRite and includes trigonometry and algebra. Frank Shaw stated that the One Stop test goes up to 12.9 grade level, but will check to see if it includes higher math. John will forward a copy of the booklet given to potential test takers to Cathy and Frank for review. The One Stop could taylor a program for Local 351.
I.B.E.W. Local 351 has approximately 800 applicants taking the test for only 40 positions. If only 20% of those who do not pass the test are interested in assistance from the One Stop, it will be a significant number. John said that many of those who do not pass ask if there is something they could do to improve their chances of passing. Lately, they have seen a shift with more people failing the reading comprehension portion of the test than the math portion.
The committee decided to continue the same strategy that is in place for Shop Rite with other companies who decide to participate. Any person who does not pass the company test will receive the letter notifying them of the assistance they can receive from the One Stop Career Center in Camden, even if the individual is from another county.
Ken Brahl was not able to present the concept to other members of the Wakefern Food Corporation, but he has one group in North Jersey interested.
The Committee discussed the possibility of obtaining a grant to help people with computer aid at the Learning Link. Cathy Brown advised that there is a $400,000 grant opportunity available later in the winter (she will get the exact date) for “Learn & Serve”. This would engage students at the college to serve as teachers to those going through the classes at the One Stop. This is different from an internship because the student is learning as well as teaching, not just helping a company.
Jackie Mintz suggested that even if we don’t apply for the grant, perhaps a teacher from the college would agree to allow their students to participate. The Committee will continue to explore the possibility of obtaining a grant through the CCWIB.
In closing, the next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, January 21, 2010, 9:00am at the WIB office in Bellmawr. Jackie will personally contact Jennifer from Target as well as Home Depot and Walmart representatives.
Respectfully submitted by,
Terri Ballard
Office Administrator, CCWIB
Literacy Committee Minutes
November 5, 2009
Attendees:
John Biondi, I.B.E.W.
Ken Brahl, Ravitz ShopRite
Kathy Brown, Camden County College
Carole Dann, Camden County College
Sherriea Gorden, CCWIB
Beth Kitchen, Kitchen & Associates
Jennifer Lozano, Target
Tanya Mansuy, Ravitz ShopRite
Jackie Mintz, Mintz and Associates
Ginny Sulpizio, Ravitz ShopRite
Jeffrey Swartz, CCWIB
Welcome:
Jackie Mintz welcomed members to the meeting and round table introductions ensued.
Jackie turned the meeting over to Ken Brahl who gave a powerpoint presentation on the ShopRite, WIB and One-Stop Partnership. The presentation will be used to solicit participation from other employers. Ken will make the presentation to other ShopRite members of the Wakefern Food Corporation.
Powerpoint Presentation, One-Stop referral letter and math test is Attached.
Additional conversation surrounded industries that utilize assessments to determine qualifications and aptitudes for hiring. Beth Kitchen suggested senior living facilities, local large box stores that hire floor salespersons, cashiers and employers with logistic positions.
Nest Steps:
- Jennifer Lozano will forward a hard copy of the test used by Target.
- Jackie Mintz will continue to talk with area employers regarding participation. Walmart representative was unable to attend this meeting but expressed interest; Sharon is the contact at the Cherry Hill store (856.665-5430).
- Carol Dann agreed to have a few of her students apply on line at ShopRite and analyze the test
- Beth Kitchen agreed to reach out to Senior living facilities.
Next Meeting:
The next committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 2009, 9:00 AM at the WIB office in Bellmawr.
Submitted by,
Sherriea Gorden
Executive Assistant
Literacy Committee Minutes
October 1, 2009
Attendees:
John Biondi, I.B.E.W.
Ken Brahl, ShopRite
Carole Dann, Camden County College
Sherriea Gorden, CCWIB
Jackie Mintz, Mintz and Associates
Jeffrey Swartz, CCWIB
Welcome:
Jackie Mintz welcomed members to the meeting.
Jackie turned the meeting over to Ken Brahl who provided an update.
Ken shared with members since the pilot started in May, two hundred twelve applicants have passed the test and 43 have failed the math portion. He noted that the Mt. Laurel store has the highest failure rate followed by Marlton with 52 passing and 15 failing, and finally, the Evesham store with 75 passing and 3 failing. The total number of applicants referred to the One-Stop Career Center was 27 and of the 27, five returned to ShopRite and four were hired. Ken indicated he would like to continue the pilot and expects positive results.
Ken advised members that store managers were initially reluctant to disclose to applicants that they had not passed the test, but, when able to present applicants with a referral to the One-Stop, they found while applicants are disappointed, most are receptive to the news and the referral.
John Biondi added that the IBEW sees approximately 235 applicants for a possible 40 apprenticeships. John advised members that approximately one half of all applicants fail the math portion of the test which includes algebra. Once an applicant passes the test they are interviewed by a six member panel for selection to participate in the program.
Carol Dann suggested the creation of a literacy skills gap course at the college to address the math gap of applicants, similar to the literacy skills offered at the One-Stop. Members thought this was a good idea and John Biondi indicated a certificate of completion would be accepted allowing the applicant to move to the next step in the process. Committee members will draft a letter of referral to Camden County College for applicants that do not pass to obtain the math level needed for the IBEW training for John to take to the IBEW for review and approval.
Nest Steps:
Committee members will reach out to other employers including Target, Chick-fil-A other ShopRite stores and Home-Depot to participate in the pilot expansion.
Invite the Camden County Adult Basic Skills Consortium members and the ShopRite HR Managers to the next meeting to obtain their input and share the pilot program details.
Research available literacy grants including Dollar General and Wendys.
Next Meeting:
The next committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, 2009, 9:00 AM at the WIB office in Bellmawr.
Submitted by,
Sherriea Gorden
Executive Assistant
Literacy Committee Minutes
August 13, 2009
Attendees:
Ken Brahl, ShopRite
Carole Dann, Camden County College
Sherriea Gorden, CCWIB
Jackie Mintz, Mintz and Associates
Frank Shaw, Camden County Resource Center
Jeffrey Swartz, CCWIB
Cynthia Giambrone, Race Track ShopRite
Welcome:
Jackie Mintz welcomed members to the meeting and round table introductions were made.
Jackie turned the meeting over to Ken Brahl who provided an update on referrals, returning and hiring for ShopRite Pilot Program.
Ken reported twelve referrals were made to Camden County One-Stop Career Center Resource Center. Frank Shaw indicated that of the twelve referred by ShopRite, he received six follow-up calls and three people came to the Camden County Resource Center with two successfully retesting and sent back to ShopRite.
Frank noted the two individuals that returned to the One-Stop were surprised that they did not pass the test and one likely did not read the instructions. The pilot is off to a good start and the results are positive. The pilot will continue for an additional two months.
Frank Shaw discussed the possibility of Camden County providing reverse referrals to ShopRite and other retailers of students completing the College’s GED program. All agreed this would be a positive next step for both the student and ShopRite. Additional investigation on the process and procedure will take place with Carol Dann at a future meeting.
The committee discussed expanding the pilot at other ShopRite stores with Ken Brahl initiating contact with the owners of the other Camden County ShopRite’s including the Brooklawn and Berlin locations. Once the program reaches a notable success rate additional expansion will be made to include other retailers such as Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Kmart and WaWa.
Jackie Mintz opened discussion on taking a targeted employer approach to establishing a speakers bureau and asked members to bring ideas to the next meeting. The committee will continue the discussion at the next meeting.
Other Items:
Jeff Swartz mentioned the fact that the state is now addressing ways to handle the expected increase in customers at the One-Stop Career Center since approximately 40,000 individual’s state wide will exhaust their unemployment benefits within the next 30 days. The committee discussed using transferrable skill sets to place individuals in occupations that would allow limited training to acquire the skill set for employment in an alternative occupation such as individuals from banking or computer technology into tutoring positions within One-Stop Career Centers as unpaid internships. Recent college graduates and those participating will gain letters of recommendation, along with the ability to network and job search simultaneously.
Noting the obvious need for monetary compensation; discussion continued on this subject and Carol Dann suggested that investigating AmeriCorps and Vista funding might be a viable source allowing payment of stipends to individuals under such a program. Further discussion will take place at the next meeting.
The next committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 2009, 9:00 AM.
Submitted by,
Sherriea Gorden
Executive Assistant
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