Remarks at recent opening of Career Professional Center

1. Thursday, March 25th at 930 a.m. Grand Opening of the Career Professional Center Central Piedmont Community College President Dr. Tony Zeiss kicked off the event. CPCC Harris Campus in the Harris Conference CenterPlease review the link below for Linda Hickle’scomments to the audience. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=career+professionals+center&search_type=&aq=f

2. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 25, 2010Contact: Jessica Graham, 704.330.6660, jessica.graham@cpcc.edu New Career Professionals Center to help local dislocated workers Center to offer free assessments and counseling for displaced professionals and paraprofessionals Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) announced today the opening of a Career Professionals Center on its Harris Campus to help dislocated, unemployed and underemployed professionals and paraprofessionals identify their job skills and match those abilities to industries that are still strong, like healthcare and energy. The Center also helps participants identify any skill gaps and then find training. The initiative is being funded by a two-year Wal-Mart Brighter Futures grant; CPCC was one of eight community colleges from across the country selected to participate in the Wal-Mart Brighter Futures Project led by the League for Innovation in the Community College. CPCC President Dr. Tony Zeiss, together with a representative from Wal-Mart and a participant who has benefited from the Center’s services, gathered at CPCC’s Harris Campus to make the announcement during a special press conference event. CPCC’s new Career Professionals Center offers a variety of services to displaced workers and includes: Assessments: Competency-based and occupational interest assessments will be used to help participants determine their transferable skills and abilities, and identify their vocational interests.

3. Industry-specific competency models: The Center is working with healthcare and energy industry employers in the Charlotte region to develop competency models; this information will help participants determine which skills are important in these industries. Competency mapping workshops: Each participant’s transferable skills will be matched to industries where job growth is anticipated; these sessions will also identify any skill gaps and then counselors will link participants to appropriate CPCC and community resources for training. One-on-one sessions: Counselors will discuss participant’s needs, while interpreting their assessment results and creating an action plan. Stipends: Eligible participants fill out an application and may qualify for financial assistance for training/education. Computer stations: Computer work stations will be offered in the Career Professionals Center and Harris Campus Library.

4. “Mecklenburg County is experiencing double-digit unemployment – at its highest level in at least 20 years – therefore residents are more focused on gaining the right job skills that are relevant for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Dr. Tony Zeiss, president of CPCC. “Our new Center will not only help connect professionals to jobs in growth industries like healthcare and energy where employment opportunities abound, but it will also demonstrate CPCC’s continued commitment to serving the community during today’s challenging economic times.” To learn more about CPCC’s Career Professionals Center, please visit www.cpcc.edu/changingcareers or call 704.330.4664 to schedule an appointment. Central Piedmont Community College is the largest community college in North Carolina, offering close to 300 degree and certification programs, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes. CPCC is academically, financially and geographically accessible to all citizens of Mecklenburg County. In 2002, the National Alliance of Business named CPCC the Community College of the Year for its response to the workforce and technology needs of local employers and job seekers through innovative educational and training strategies. This release prepared by Mallory Benz, 704.330.6613. An archive of CPCC news releases is at http://www.cpcc.edu/college-news.

5. Jan Walker, Wal-Mart, Dr. Zeiss, and Dana McDonald, CPCC, and Linda Hickle