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Grassroots Efforts Put People Back to Work A Win-Win for Employers and Employees Whenever the economy takes a downturn, we hear our representatives in Washington drone on about the importance of getting people back to work and improving our economy. With the jobless rate in our area hovering at around 9%, getting people back to work is paramount. “But,” you ask, “how can a community make a dent in unemployment — even at the local level?” The answer is a grassroots professional non-profit organization that uses an array of tools to help match trained, professional candidates with employers. Natalie Provenzale, Executive Director of Passaic County’s One-Stop Career Center, leads a dedicated team of professionals who have the right experience, the right tools and the right resources to match qualified candidates with employers. Natalie’s background as a social worker makes her an excellent fit because she understands people from all socioeconomic backgrounds and is empathetic about their situations. Natalie and her staff work hard to match employers with job seekers. One key to the Center’s success is the fact that they work with employers to help them find the employee who is best qualified to fill the available position. Services are provided at no cost to employers and through the Center’s On the Job Training Program (OJT) which is a supervised, paid training program that takes place at an employer’s worksite at no cost to the employer. OJT enables employees to build and/or upgrade any skills that may be needed for their new positions. The One-Stop Business Resource Center (BRC) is the hub for the connection between employers and the qualified workforce. The BRC holds employer recruitments for individual employers and career resource events with multiple businesses. Employers can post job openings, access customized training programs, find help in business planning and development, learn about tax credit programs, and labor market information. The BRC helps connect employers to appropriate economic programs and government resources. Provenzale explains, “In this economy, companies frequently refer employees to us, rather than to an outplacement service. As a federally funded non-profit organization, we can offer the same services without a fee to either the employer or job seeker. To the Page 14 Business Matters individual who has become unexpectedly unemployed, being able to find technical and emotional support, job search assistance and training in one place can feel like finding a life preserver in a hurricane. Natalie Provenzale, Executive Director, One-Stop Career Center While the Center offers programs for workers who need training, they also see talented people with advanced degrees who are looking for positions. In some cases, job seekers may need career counseling, help with resumes or a refresher course on technical skills. Selling oneself in a challenging marketplace can be very traumatic. Certified career counselors work with candidates to minimize the trauma in a job search. Provenzale explains that a common misconception about their organization is that they only serve unskilled laborers. Especially in this economy, the Center is working with many professionals, some with advanced degrees, who have been downsized. The policy and planning partner of the One- Stop Career Center is the Passaic County Workforce Investment Board (WIB). To facilitate the relationship between the employer community and the job seekers, Charles Featherson, Passaic County’s WIB Director, is spearheading an employer roundtable at William Paterson University. Congressman Bill Pascrell will be addressing the employers to connect the resources to help business grow, stimulate the economy, and get people back to work. The event will be held June 29th, 2011 at 1600 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ. For additional information feel free to contact the Passaic County WIB at 973-569-4020 or One-Stop Business Resource Center at 973-340-3400 ext. 7212. Advertisers’ Directory AVE – www.aveliving.com Clifton Savings Bank – cliftonsavings.com Cupo Agency – joe.b@cupo.com Lyndhurst Moving Inc. – Lynhurstmovers.com Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest – crawfishfest.com North Jersey Federal Credit Union – njfcu.org On Track Chiropractic – doctordavidmoore.com Spencer Savings Bank – spencersavings.com Styretown Shopping Center – Clifton, NJ Synetek Solutions – syneteksolutions.com Business Matters is published quarterly. Visit us on the web at businessmattersnj.com For advertising, contact Naoma Welk at (973) 762-6243 or Naoma@welkink.com
SAVOR at Preakness NJRCC members and guests gathered at Preakness Hills Country Club on March 7 for the Chamber’s annual SAVOR Food Festival. Restaurant owners enticed attendees with their specialty dishes that included steaks, fajitas, sashimi tuna, shrimp, baby back ribs and scallops. The final course offerings featured a host of dessert items including favorites such as Italian mini pastries, milk chocolate fondue with strawberries, brownies and assorted cheesecakes. Restaurants that tantalized guests with hors d’oeuvres were Lalezar Turkish Restaurant, Rosa Mexicano and Party Connections – Creative Catering. Purveyors of main courses included Assembly Steak House, Blue Moon Mexican Café, Bonefish Grill, Castalia Trattoria, Chart House Restaurant, Passaic County Technical Institute, Preakness Hills CC, Southern Belle, Toscania, UNO Chicago Grill, Encore and Hamilton & Ward Steakhouse. The desserts that just seemed to hop right from the tray to diners’ plates came from Cake Specialty, Inc., Marc’s Cheesecake and The Melting Pot. Beverages of all kinds were offered by CATB Liquor Import, Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, Stew Leonard’s Fine Wines and The Fine Grind – A Coffee Bar which served frozen hot chocolate and hot coffee. Once again, the SAVOR Committee, chaired by Howard Bersch and Sharon Zahn did a fantastic job of organizing this wonderful evening. Event sponsors included, Investors Savings Bank, Nicholas Martini Foundation, Spencer Savings Bank, Oritani Bank, Synetek Solutions, North Jersey Orthopedic Medicine, Great Eastern Energy, Hudson Horizons, M&T Bank and the Title Sponsor, Columbia Bank. L-R: ProActive Sports Therapy’s Marketing Director, Brenda Galliano and her husband, Raul. L-R: Uno Chicago Grill’s Kim West, Paul Rankin, Vice President and Bonnie Bowers L-R: Investors Savings Bank’s Debbie Woods, Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager – Clifton Main Avenue Branch and Ada Melendez, Vice President, Director of Community Development.
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