DES/DTE Partnership Project Update Hopkinsville DES Office First to Report on “KY Tech Student Career Placement Program”

1. DES/DTE Partnership Project Update Hopkinsville DES Office First to Report on “KY Tech Student Career Placement Program” Pictured above from left: Dave Rigsby, DTE internal policy analyst; Lisa Lewis, Hopkinsville DES employment services specialist and Arthur Dunn, Caldwell Co. ATC principal look over student materials. Pictured Left: This is a look at the job listings on the Hopkinsville DES office website. Right: Lisa Lewis and Arthur Dunn discuss job opportunities with a group of seniors.

2. In January CWD Secretary Allen Rose announced a new project sponsored by the Departments for Employment Services (DES) and Technical Education (DTE) called the KY Tech Student Career Placement Program. The goal of the agreement was to bring the two agencies, area technology center (ATC) principals and local DES offices together in an effort to better prepare KY Tech students for employment in the workforce upon graduation. Now, the fruits of labor from all the parties involved are being realized with the budding relationships between ATCs and local DES offices across the state. According to Dave Rigsby, DES/DTE partnership coordinator and Paul Keibler, Kentucky assistant director for field services, the Caldwell Co. ATC has reported that 70%

3. of its seniors have registered with the Hopkinsville local employment office. Carolyn Balthrop, Hopkinsville office manager, has enlisted the help of Employment Service Specialist Lisa Lewis to provide ongoing services to the school by way of job market counseling. She has established a rapport with the students through regular visits and become known as one they can turn to for help in their workforce endeavors after high school. Ms. Lewis is currently creating student user IDs and PINs to enable access to local, state and national job orders on the Hopkinsville local office website. Another resource in Hopkinsville is the One-Stop Center which provides an opportunity for students to become acquainted with services including testing, resume writing and

4. application assistance. As seniors identify job opportunities and share their desire to interview with the local office, DES will provide them with job referrals. “This help from Ms. Lewis and DES is just what our students need to prepare for getting a job or furthering their education,” said Arthur Dunn, Caldwell Co. ATC principal. “We also plan to provide registration opportunities for the remaining seniors in the near future.” Mr. Dunn plans presentations with Ms. Lewis on interviewing and employability skills. The Hopkinsville office has certainly been a leader in the implementation of the DES/DTE partnership, but local offices from all over the state have been reporting marked progress in their efforts as well.

5. Progress from Around the State Georgetown Harrison Co. ATC Principal John Hodge has been assisted by Ted Beebe, Georgetown DES field office manager, to help educate and work with KY Tech students on services provided by DES. “This is a new opportunity for our students to get connected with a world of meaningful employment and locate employers they might not have been aware of before,” said Mr. Hodge. “Mr. Beebe has been invaluable in making arrangements with Eva Renaker to provide sessions for our use of the DES online system at the Maysville Community College Licking Valley Center.” (Renaker is continuing education coordinator at the center.)

6. “Students now have a better chance of locating a job tied to the occupational training they receive at our school,” said Mr. Hodge. The center, conveniently located next door to the ATC, will be the site for a May 1st student training session. Paducah Gina Triplett, employer relations representative at the Paducah DES office, has provided partnership information to the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, Paducah Leadership Class 2003 and Alumni Board as well as the chamber’s Business and Education Committee. During the January meeting of the Paducah/McCracken County Steering Committee, Paducah DES office Assistant Manager Rhonda Fulkerson discussed the placement plan and provided copies to principals, counselors and teachers. Paducah ATC Principal Don Rowlett attended a Workforce

7. Investment Board meeting in March and discussed project goals with Kathy Gullett, director for field services. Rowlett and Paul Friedlander, field office manager for the Paducah DES office, discussed plans for seniors and some juniors to visit DES in April, register for work and learn how to use the resource area. Ginger Counts, Mayfield DES manager, has contacted Mayfield ATC Principal Roger Pierce to discuss future program plans. Counts, Friedlander and Lana Riley, Mayfield DES assistant field office manager, attended an April 16th meeting with the Mayfield ATC Spring Steering Committee to promote and discuss the placement plan. “The Paducah and Mayfield DES offices are providing services to all the local ATCs,” says Friedlander. “We are all working together to make this effort a success.”

8. Prestonsburg Deborah Allen, DES Prestonsburg field office manager has been working with both the Martin Co. and Floyd Co. ATCs. She has begun sending the ATCs a daily job listing via e-mail and loaning them employability videos for students to view. “When these seniors graduate, they will be registered with and knowledgeable of the services offered through DES,” says Allen. “We can also provide the students with ‘how to’ training of the America’s Job Bank.” For more information, please visit its website: http://www.ajb.org/.

9. Registering of seniors by self-registration prior to the end of the school year is being planned along with training sessions for teachers. One of the most visible outcomes at the Prestonsburg DES office has been the addition of a co-op student from the Martin Co. ATC office technology program. Nikki Goble, a senior, is working 2 ½ hrs. twice a week with the Veteran’s Program for the DES Prestonsburg office. “She is a tremendous asset and provides excellent service for our veterans,” says Allen. “We are delighted with the services provided by DES,” says Martin Co. ATC Principal Charlie Six. “Nikki will continue to grow as a result of this experience and can broaden her employment horizons.”

10. As more DES offices and ATCs from around the state blend their efforts to implement the DES/DTE partnership, the success of the program will show through the successful outcomes of the students it serves. Editor’s Note: As local reports continue to develop and become refined, we plan to pass along progress. Please keep us informed of your successes. Good News Flash # 21 April 22, 2003 (Click on the logo to go to the Technically Speaking Page)