The Las Cruces Bulletin

Southwest Connection“The Workforce Experts ConnectingEmployers with Employees”

Inside this issue

NMDVR...............................2

Deming Workforce Center .3

Prove It ...............................3

Employment Expo ..............4

WIA Success Stories............4

Deming Job Fair..................5

Chair Report .......................6

Special points of interest

25 Years of Service

DACC Awards

Dates to Remember

Employment Summary

Owners of The Las Cruces Bulletin David and Jaki McCollum are helping to stimu-

late the local economy by hiring individuals from within the community. The Las

Cruces Bulletin started with 5 associates in 2003 when the McCollum purchased

the newspaper. Now they have 23 associates with over half of being hired out

of Dona Ana Community College or New Mexico State University. You may ask

how is this growth possible in such hard times? The Bulletin gives some of the

credit to the New Mexico Workforce Connection in Las Cruces, NM. With the

proactive attitude of the Workforce Connection Center towards helping the Bul-

letin, growth was easily attainable. “My first experience with the Las Cruces

Workforce was great; they explained the On the Job Training process and

helped with the paperwork.” Mr. McCollum stated.

On the Job Training (OJT) helped the Bulletin bring in new full time associates

without the financial risk. Employers participating in On the Job Training pro-

gram may be reimbursed up to 50% of the new associate’s wages to offset the

extraordinary cost of training workers. OJT will help workers become proficient

in needed skills more quickly, which will serve to encourage employers to hire

workers sooner than perhaps initially planned, facilitating the private sector

hiring of well-qualified individuals to contribute to their bottom line and spur

economic recovery.

The screening and interview process from the Workforce Connection Center

helps in finding candidates that take pride and ownership in their positions with

the Bulletin. The Bulletin has found that the associates that have gone through

On the Job Training are stronger, harder workers. “The associates that take the

time to go through the OJT process are worth hiring because if they can handle

the process they will have no problem handling the daily deadlines of the news-

paper.” Mr. McCollum explained. The Bulletin has 12 associates currently that

have been trough the OJT program, including 6 graphic designers. “Service is

always great no matter who you talk to at the Las Cruces Workforce Center” Mr.

McCollum expressed.

If you’re interested in the OJT program please contact your local New Mexico

Workforce Connection Center by visiting www.employnm.com.

25 Years of ServiceMs. Rachel Tais started working for New Mexico Workforce Connection on July

29, 1985 in Silver City, NM. Ms. Tais is the Floor Supervisor and handles the

Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) program. The TAA program helps workers who

have lost their job because it has been outsourced to another country.

Continued on page 2.

April-July 2010Volume 1, Issue 2

Rachel Tais, Supervisor Silver City

Workforce Connection

David and Jaki McCollum, Owners of

The Las Cruces Bulletin

25 Years of Service con-tinued from page 1.

Ms. Tais is helping 283 peo-

ple from the Silver City area

with the TAA program. Her

first job was handling the

Job Training Partnership Act

program, followed by Wag-

ner Peyser intake, Unem-

ployment Insurance, Trade

Adjustment Act program, to

the current position of Floor

Supervisor. “I love my job

and I love helping people”

stated Ms. Tais. From all of

us at the Southwestern

Area Workforce Develop-

ment Board Thank You, Ms.

Tais for all of your hard

work and dedication to the

Silver City Workforce Con-

nection.

Awards earned this Fiscal Year by DACC Adult Education Division

Awarded to Sylvia Duran Nickerson, DACC-Adult Education DivisionDean, by the New Mexico Adult Education Association- Oct. 2009Adult Basic Education Director of the Year

Awarded to Lora Ross (DACC/ABE) by the New Mexico Adult Educa-tion Association- Oct. 2009 Employee of the Year

Awarded to Vaughn Patterson (DACC/Adult Education Student) bythe New Mexico Adult Education Association Oct 2009- GED Studentof the Year (now enrolled as a college student)

Awarded to Yanette Jimenez of DACC/Adult Education Division) bythe New Mexico Adult Education Association Oct. 2009- ESL Instruc-tor of the Year

Awarded to Sylvia Duran Nickerson, DACC-Adult Education DivisionDean, by NMSU- 2009 Millionaire Research Achievement Award

Exemplary Initiative Award for Student Transition and Transfer Ef-fectiveness to DACC Adult Education Division by the National Councilof Instructional Administrators at the International Conference onCollege Teaching and Learning, April 2010

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have alreadymastered, you will never grow” Ronald E. Osborn

NMDVR New Office

DACC Adult Education Division

The New Mexico Division of Voca-

tional Rehabilitation (NMDVR) in Las

Cruces, NM has a new location at

3381 Del Rey. The previous location

for the last 10 years has been lo-

cated at 201 Nevarez St. NMDVR

had an Open House at its new loca-

tion on Wednesday July 28th from 1-

3 pm. The Open House had a ribbon

cutting ceremony sponsored by the

Chamber of Las Cruces and the His-

pano Chamber of Commerce de Las

Cruces and honored the two dec-

ades of the Americans with Disabili-

ties Act. Ms. Shirley Gonzales the

DVR program manager stated “The

move has been a lot of work, but it’s

worth it.” The purpose of the New

Mexico Division of Vocational Reha-

bilitation (NMDVR) is to help people

with disabilities to find and retain

work. To find out more about

N M D V R p l e a s e v i s i t

www.dvrgetsjobs.com.

2

Prove It

Submitted by Millie Bessey

Silver City Workforce Center

We recently started usingthe Prove It assessmentsystem for one of our em-ployers who had difficultyjudging a candidate’s abilityto distinguish between sev-eral factors when filingcomplex documents.

When this particular busi-ness initially called to placethe job order with us, it wasmentioned that we couldtailor a testing componentthat would be a require-ment for referral and subse-quent application with theirplace of business. In es-sence, we would be assess-ing a candidate’s abilityprior to going through theinterview process.

The client was so happywith our service that theyposted another positionwith us and additionallyutilized one of our otheroffices to conduct the sameseries of tests for a similarposition in that communityas well.

They commented that ourservice saved them an im-measurable amount of timeand money as they knewthat every candidate thatwe recommended met atleast the minimum stan-dards for the job and leftthem with just the task of“finding the perfect fit” fortheir staff.

Deming Workforce Center

During these hard economic times you would expect to see high Unemploy-

ment Rates in your local area, but Deming, NM in Luna County takes the cake

with an Unemployment Rate of 21% in May 2010. Luna County Unemploy-

ment Rate is ranked first in the State of New Mexico. Why is Luna County

Unemployment Rate so much higher than the State Unemployment Rate of

8.4 in May 2010? The Luna County area depends on Production and Agricul-

tural jobs, which most of the time these jobs are seasonal. So during this

time of year most of your Agricultural workers are unemployed until harvest

starts.

The Deming Workforce Center is doing their part in trying to help the areas

unemployed with reemployment. Nickolasa Casillas a Business Services Con-

sultant at the Deming Workforce Center works every day with Businesses and

Job Seekers to help lower the unemployment rate in this area. Ms. Casillas

has worked with On the Job Training (OJT) with Local businesses like Baca’s

Funeral Chapels, Lester’s Pluming, and Compass Components to help place

locals in the community in new exciting careers. “We work with local Busi-

nesses to help screen the applicants, so we can be confident that we send

them the best applicants for the job” stated Ms. Casillas. The Deming Work-

force Center also loans out its conference room to regional employers who

have no office in the area for interviewing and screening. Ms. Casillas feels

that this area needs a Manufacturing Company that has employment all year

long, from low to high skilled jobs to help supplement the Production and

Agricultural jobs, will in turn help lower the Unemployment Rate.

Whether you’re a Business or Job Seeker looking to the future make sure to

visit the Deming Workforce Center on 322 E. Oak Street and ask for Ms. Nick-

olasa Casillas, she will help you with all your employment needs.3

Ms. Nickolasa Casillas, Deming

Workforce Center Business Service

Consultant

Dates to Remember

Visit www.employnm.com

for the up to date calendar.

August 5th Regular Chief

Elected Officials Meeting

August 10th Provider

Training in Las Cruces

September 6th Labor Day

September 7th MVEDA

Luncheon

September 9th Governor

Richardson’s Southern NM

Job Expo

September 16th SAWDB

Meeting

September 21st-22nd

NMSU 26th Career Expo

September 28th-30th One-

Stop Silver City 100% Moni-

toring

Spring Employment Expo 2010

Submitted by Linda Griggs

Mr. Polanco was unemployed and receiving unemployment insurance bene-fits, which was his main source of income. The only other source of incomethat he earned was from odd jobs. He had not been steadily employed since2007 when he had quit his job. The place of business shut down shortly afterhe left. He attended and completed CDL training in 2009 receiving his com-mercial drivers license. After he completed training he obtained employmentwith a local company as a driver. In the past year and a half that he has beenemployed he has been given two pay raises and has recently been promotedfrom a driver to a supervisor.

The 2010 New Mexico Workforce

Connection and Bravo Mic Commu-

nications Spring Employment Expo

was the premiere staffing and re-

cruiting event. The Employment

Expo was held on Tuesday, May 11th

from 10:00 am till 6:00 pm at the

Days Inn and Suites in Las Cruces,

NM. The event had over 20 local

and regional businesses. Some of

the businesses present included

Whit Sands Federal Credit Union,

Bravo Chevrolet, Advanced Care

Hospital of Southern New Mexico,

Aflac, and Dona Ana Community

College.

“The turnout has been great at the

Expo, and I already have 20 appli-

cants for the Sales Account Execu-

tive position” Ms. Patricia Martinez,

Comcast Human Resources stated.

All businesses had immediate open-

ings they were looking to fill. White

Sands Federal Credit Union was

looking to fill an Assistant Branch

Manager position, Convergys had

open positions in Customer Service,

and Days Inn and Suites was looking

to fill Management and Sales posi-

tions. Over 150 job seekers visited

the Las Cruces New Mexico Work-

force Connection exhibit to receive

help on resumes and job searches.

4

Las Cruces New Mexico Workforce

Connection Exhibit

WIA Success Stories-Silver City, NM

Ms. Oakes was attending WNMU full-time majoring in Nursing. She was work-ing PRN and her husband worked for the local mine. They had four children inthe home. Shortly after starting her last year of her education her husbandwas laid off from his job. She continued to work PRN and go to school fulltime. They were barely making ends meet. She successfully completed train-ing on May 14, 2010. She received the Spirit of Nursing award during theNurse Pinning Ceremony. At her job she was upgraded from PRN to a full-time graduate nurse receiving a pay-raise nearly double what her previoussalary was. She will be taking her licensure exam this summer and upon pass-ing, she will be a Registered Nurse.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the oppor-

tunity in every difficulty. “ Winston Churchill

The Workforce Connection Center held a Job Fair in Deming, NM at the Mim-

bres Valley Learning Center on Wednesday, July 14. Local and regional em-

ployers were on hand for the Job Fair. The Job Fair included private and pub-

lic employers from a variety of industries including law enforcement, manu-

facturing, construction, and health care. Some of the employers present in-

clude the following: Deming Police Department; Compass Manufacturing;

James Hamilton Construction; Southwest Wines; and U.S. Security Associates.

Job seekers were able to meet with perspective employers who had immedi-

ate job openings to fill. Cindy Capanna, Human Resources Director for South-

west Wines “The Job Fair has had an excellent turnout”. Southwest Wines

has job openings in Safety Administrator, Receptionist, and Truck Drivers.

Over 100 Job Seekers attended the Job Fair.

Released July 22, 2010

New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.2 percentin June 2010, down from 8.4 percent in May but up 7.1 percent a yearago. The national unemployment rate dropped to 9.5 percent.

The rate of the over-the-year job growth, comparing June 2010 withJune 2009, was negative 1.8 percent, representing a loss of 14,200 jobs.

Two of the State’s 13 industries posted year-over-year job growth, while11 others reported employment declines.

The educational & health services industry added the most jobs, up3,500 since this time last year. The leisure & hospitality industry alsoadded a large number of jobs, up 3,200 over the year.

Government employment is starting to look a little less secure thesedays, reporting overall losses of 1,000 jobs.

The following industries expanded employment since last June:- Educational & Health Services- Leisure & Hospitality

5

Deming Job Fair

Employment Summary

I would Like to welcome all of the new members and all the returning

“experienced members” which were recently appointed to the Southwestern

Area Workforce Development Board. Although this year has begun with

some difficulties I am confident that we are now on track to again providing

great WIA services to our communities. This is due to the fact that all newly

appointed board members have devoted a considerable amount of time and

effort in the last few weeks.

Thank you to all the Southwestern Area Workforce Development Board,

Mr. Roque Garcia, SAWDB Chair

Chair ReportSouthwestern Area Work-force Development Board

The Southwestern Area Work-

force Development Board’s mis-

sion is to empower individuals in

the region by providing them

with the tools and training they

need to acquire higher paying

jobs based on the needs of local

businesses. With an emphasis on

economic and employer-driven

goals, SAWDB’s cooperative

programs will cater to the re-

gion’s unique employment

needs, allowing for more effec-

tive distribution of federal funds

and serving local employers by

cultivating a highly skilled work-

force.

PLEASEPLACESTAMPHERE

Southwestern AreaWorkforce DevelopmentBoard

c/o Jessica Johnson

Public Information Officer

P.O. Box 1072

Elephante Butte, NM

87935

Phone: 575-744-4857

Fax: 575-744-5021

www.employnm.com