WIXLIB

Grow Dothan LeadsWorkforce DiscussionGrow Dothan Chairman Mark Saliba recentlyled a discussion on workforce development withofficials from Panhandle Converter Recycling,Wallace Community College and Alabama IndustrialDevelopment Training.Saliba, along the Chamber’s Director of ExternalAffairs Dean Mitchell, organized the meeting andjoined in the discussion on the variety of options,programs and ideas to assist Panhandle as it looks toexpand the company’s growing workforce needs.Panhandle Converter Recycling is an industry leaderin PGM recovery and catalytic converter recyclingwithin the United States. Panhandle is also the leaderin the urban mining and knowledge refining business.For more information on: Panhandle Converter Recycling, visit www.panhandleconverters.com; Wallace Community College, visit www.wallace.edu; AIDT, visit www.aidt.edu; orChamber, Area Officials HoldGrow Dothan Press ConferenceOfficials from the Dothan Area Chamber ofCommerce, City of Dothan and Houston Countyrecently held a press conference to announce the launchof a three-year economic development campaigncalled Grow Dothan. A revitalized economic arm ofthe Dothan Area Chamber, the campaign goal is toraise 2 million over a three-year period to assist witheconomic growth and development within the region.Grow Dothan, formerly known as Dothan byDesign, is a public/private partnership for economicdevelopment for Dothan, Houston County and theWiregrass. The mission is to work with businesses,governmental entities and citizens to build a thrivingregional business network.“The Chamber, city of Dothan and HoustonCounty are all committed to help with economicdevelopment,” explained Mark Saliba, Grow Dothanchairman and past Chamber chairman. “It’s aboutcreating jobs and getting everyone involved from thelarge to smallest businesses, all the way down to yournext door neighbor. It is through team work thatprogress and growth take place.”Through support from public and private capital,Grow Dothan is focused on creating jobs in threeimportant ways: 1) recruitment of new businesses; 2)retaining and expanding existing businesses; and 3)enhancing business infrastructure.“Over the last 20 years, Grow Dothan has had asignificant impact in the Wiregrass area’s businessinfrastructure,” said Chamber President Matt Parker.“The accomplishments include 1 billion in totalinvestments, the creation of 17,000 plus jobs and 34million in infrastructure investment.”It’s important that individuals invest in GrowDothan. The area must compete in a global economy,and investing in Grow Dothan will ensure our regionhas the resources to turn economic opportunitiesinto reality. By participating in Grow Dothan, youare partnering with the strongest business advocacyorganization in the area - the Dothan Area Chamberof Commerce, and equipping it to build a strongerbusiness environment.For more information about Grow Dothan andhow you can make a difference, contact the DothanArea Chamber of Commerce at (334) 792-5138 orvisit www.dothan.com/growdothan. Grow Dothan, visit www.dothan.com/growdothan.Grow Dothan Chairman Mark Saliba (far left) leads a discussionon workforce development with officials from PanhandleConverter Recycling, Wallace Community College and AlabamaIndustrial Development Training. Pictured (l-r) are DeidreFrith, Panhandle Converter’s vice president of marketing andpublic relations; Saliba; Kevin Taylor, AIDT training manager;Vincent Vincent, Wallace Community College; and SteveTurkoski, Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce’s project manager.WITH STROKE,TIME LOST IS BRAIN LOST.SAMC is the region’s first hospitalto earn the prestigious Gold PlusStroke Award from the AmericanHeart Association and AmericanStroke Association.Michelin RecognizesChamber ForDedication AndSupportSAMC IS THE REGION’S GOLDSTANDARD FOR STROKE CARE.In celebration of the company’s 35–year history in the Dothancommunity, officials from Michelin North America Inc. presentedthe Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce with a crystal appreciationplaque in recognition of the Chamber’s dedication and support.Pictured (l-r) are Matt Parker, Chamber president; MartaBarberre, Michelin T-Warehouse manager; Ron Woods, Michelinsupply chain manager; Kenya Lester, Michelin Business Unitleader; Marcel Leclerc, Michelin’s Dothan plant manager; AllenGrimsley, Michelin quality/process tech; Hope Johnson, FriendBank and Chamber Board of Directors chair; A.B. Farrington,Michelin prep manager; Chairman Mark Culver, HoustonCounty; and Holly Cothern, Michelin industrial engineer.PROVIDING PATIENTS THEHIGHEST LEVEL OF ADVANCEDSTROKE CARE.Top 10% in nation for patient safety4From the area’s first respondersto SAMC’s highly trained stroketeam of physicians, nurses andclinical team members, patientsreceive the latest stroke careavailable.This means a coordinated andquicker response time, which inturn means less damage causedby the stroke.1108 Ross Clark CircleDothan, Alabama 36301334-793-8111 samc.org

Workforced e v e lopm e ntDeveloping And Identifying A Skilled Labor ForceO*Net, the U.S. Department of Labor catalog/directory for occupations, classifiesoccupations in five Job Zones. Additionally, the O*Net system correlates Job Zoneswith the Social Security Administration’s Specific Vocational Preparation scale(From 20 CFR §656.3), which adds the dimension of training/preparation time.Employment security is based on demonstrable skillsets and skilled individuals enjoy much more economicsecurity than semi-skilled and unskilled individuals.To an individual, skills equate to pay and standard ofliving. Collectively, for a community the skill level of thelabor force is the primary consideration for site selectionconsultants.Area Development Magazine is a periodical dedicatedto the process of site selection for industry. Annually theyconduct surveys of consultants and corporate officers as toSteve Turkoski,the factors driving their decisions on location for start-upProject Manageror expansion and “skilled labor” tops the list. Knowingthis, it helps to understand what qualifies as “skilled labor.”There are two sections within Title 20 of The Code of Federal Regulationsthat define the terms “skilled work” and “semi-skilled work” and one that defines“unskilled work.” 20 CFR (Employee Benefits) Part 656 § 416.968 (Skillrequirements) contains the following definitions:Job ZonePreparation/Training Required For The JobSVP1Little or None e 8Specific vocational preparation means the amount of lapsed time required bya typical worker to learn the techniques, acquire the information and develop thefacility needed for average performance in a specific job-worker situation. Lapsedtime is not the same as work time. For example, 30 days is approximately one monthof lapsed time and not six five-day work weeks, and three months refers to threecalendar months and not 90-work days. The various levels of specific vocationalpreparation are provided below. Skilled Jobs/Occupations: More complex and varied than unskilled andsemi-skilled occupations. They require more training time and often ahigher educational attainment. Abstract thinking in specialized fields may berequired, as for chemists and architects. Special artistic talents and mastery ofa musical instrument may be involved, as for school band instructors. Practicalknowledge of machinery and understanding of charts and technical manualsmay be needed by an automobile mechanic. The president or chief executiveofficer of a business organization may need exceptional ability to deal withpeople, organize various data, and make difficult decisions in several areas ofknowledge.Level Skilled Work: Requires qualifications in which (1) a person uses judgmentto determine the machine and manual operations to be performed in orderto obtain the proper form, quality or quantity of material to be produced;or (2) dealing with people, facts or figures or abstract ideas at a high level ofcomplexity. Semi-Skilled Work: Work that needs some skills, but does not requiredoing more complex work duties. Semi-skilled jobs may require alertness,coordination and dexterity. Semi-skilled work is between unskilled and skilledwork.Time1Short demonstration2Anything beyond short demonstration up to and including 30 days3Over 30 days up to and including three months4Over three months up to and including six months5Over six months up to and including one year6Over one year up to and including two years7Over two years up to and including four years8Over four years up to and including ten years9Over ten yearsIt therefore seems logical to determine that “skilled work” in general terms,requires approximately two years of preparation and would equate to Job Zone3 and SPV 6 or 7 and individuals trained to this level may be classified as skilledworkers. An abundance of skilled workers should equate to a skilled workforce, andthat is what we want to promote.Having career-tech preparation in secondary school promotes career selection andreadiness for those that participate, and the technical programs in the communitycolleges do the same for those who enroll, but there are those that elect not toparticipate in career tech in high school, are not planning on attending collegeand will need to find a job. The question is, how do we prepare that group forskilled work? The answer seems to be emphasis on science, technology, engineeringand math (STEM). In today’s world a modicum of fluency in STEM subjects isimperative to functional literacy. In fact, Area Development Magazine lists “SkilledLabor Availability/STEM” as one of its main topics of interest under “WorkforceDevelopment” on the front page of their website www.areadevelopment.com/.The recently passed Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act defines basicskills deficiency as, “ the individual is unable to compute or solve problems, orread, write or speak English, at a level necessary to function on the job, in theindividual’s family, or in society.” This is the same definition used for “Literacy” inthe previous, now expired, Workforce Investment Act. In other words an individualthat is basic skills deficient is illiterate in today’s world. An illiterate individual issynonymous with unskilled.WorkKeys assessments are now being provided to all Alabama high schoolstudents and the old exit exam has been retired. This now provides a direct linkbetween student abilities and job requirements. According to a study by

interLinc mortgage services, LLc 1752 Whatley Drive Dothan, AL 36303 Courtney Andre (334) 836-0963 MORTGAGES crossfire cheer academy 135 S. Woodburn Drive, Warehouse #10 Dothan, AL 36305 Margaret Anne Parks (334) 796-9161 CHEER INSTRUCTION credentialing counts, LLc 419 Fuller Road D