ProNet News & Annoucements

"Energy Careers for a Bright Future" Event at CPCC's Harris Conference Center Aug. 3

Contact: Jessica Graham, 704.995.2769 (cell), jessica.graham@cpcc.edu

"Energy Careers for a Bright Future" Event at CPCC's Harris Conference Center Aug. 3
A chance to learn where the opportunities are and what it takes to land a job in the energy industry

Join representatives from local energy businesses, colleges and employment associations at "Energy Careers for a Bright Future," a day-long information event Tuesday, Aug. 3 to learn how to connect with opportunities in energy-related career fields. The event is designed to benefit individuals in career transition with or without energy-related experience. They will learn whether they already have the background skills suited to this field or what they may need to do to get the necessary skills.

Attendees will discover what opportunities are available in the energy industry and how they can best match or develop their skills in order to land a job in one of the fastest-growing sectors in the Charlotte region. Representatives from local energy businesses, colleges and employment associations will be on hand as exhibitors with table-top displays and for networking.

Ronnie Bryant, president and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, and Dr. Tony Zeiss, Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) president, will welcome the participants at 8:45 a.m. The event kicks off at 9 a.m. with a 45-minute panel discussion featuring local energy leaders who will provide an overview of the energy industry. Seminars offered throughout the day will focus on topics including: job growth projections in traditional and nontraditional energy businesses; career possibilities within the energy cluster; and an exploration of skill sets required by energy-related industries. The day will close with an afternoon panel presenting a "Human Resources Perspective in the Energy Industry."

Sponsored by the Charlotte Regional Partnership's "Charlotte USA - The New Energy Capital" initiative, the event is supported with help from the following organizations: Areva, Celgard, CPCC, Centralina Workforce Development Board, Inc., Charlotte-Mecklenburg Workforce Development Board, Duke Energy, Harris Conference Center, Lee Hecht Harrison, Piedmont Natural Gas, Shaw, Siemens and York Technical College.

The event will be at CPCC's Harris Conference Center, 3210 CPCC Harris Campus Drive, on Tuesday, Aug. 3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The registration fee of $25 includes lunch. Individuals interested in registering should call CPCC at 704.330.2722 or register online at http://www.cpcc.edu/energy/event. Registration is limited to 250 people. This event is not a job fair and résumés will not be accepted.

Updated: July 15, 2010

White-collar jobless find good place to relaunch

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/03/1540936/white-collar-jobless-find-good.html

Updated: July 03, 2010

LinkedIn Photos are in!

http://www.photo-edge.com/pronet.php

Updated: June 30, 2010

Jim De Piante presentation

http://drop.io/compost

Updated: June 09, 2010

Work-force effort wins N.C. cash

Steve Partridge needs to get used to being called Mr. ProNet.

ProNet Charlotte, the work-force recovery group Partridge leads, has received state funding to keep the organization running until at least summer 2011.

The program launched last summer as a networking and support group for laid-off professionals, and it opened an uptown career center in the fall with cash from the federal stimulus bill. That money will run out June 30, but Gov. Bev Perdues office has set aside $140,000 from stimulus and work-force development funding to keep ProNet in business.

It has already helped so many people, says Partridge, managing director of the Charlotte Regional Work Force Recovery Initiative. Ive had people yell, Hey, Mr. ProNet at me from across the aisle at Costco just to say thank you.

Partridge says the ProNet career center uptown has served 1,500 unemployed Charlotteans since it opened in October. More than 100 of those individuals told organizers it was the main reason they found a new job.

The center, at 525 N. Tryon St., was opened with stimulus dollars and donations from dozens of local businesses. Bank of America Corp. has leased the 10,000-square-foot office space to the group at no charge.

The bank and many of the other donors have agreed to continue supporting the program.

Organizers wanted the career center and other programs to feel like a business environment, not a government agency. Job-seekers are given free access to conference rooms, cubicles with personal computers, fax machines, and seminars and networking groups aimed at the unemployed white-collar worker.

The goal is to meet the needs of professionals who wouldnt usually seek help from a traditional unemployment office.

At the center uptown, you instantly feel like youre clocking in to go to work, says Cassandra Whitlow, a ProNet participant who used the resources after she lost her job at Duke Energy Corp. in October. Its a place that gives you a feeling of hope and camaraderie.

Whitlow started working this spring for a staffing company recruiting employees for Time Warner Cable. She credits ProNets motivational seminars and personal-branding workshops for invigorating her job search. And Whitlow, a former recruiter at Duke, also volunteered to counsel other job-seekers.

Partridge says ProNet will soon expand the career centers hours to 40 hours per week from 32. And discussions are under way to offer satellite services in Ballantyne and the Lake Norman area. The original ProNet networking group still meets at the Harris Campus of Central Piedmont Community College.

The program has been so successful that Perdue, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and BofAs Charlotte market president, Charles Bowman, all praise the effort in a video on the ProNet website. Supporters hope it will become a permanent part of how North Carolina assists job-seekers. Partridge says a few other states have contacted him about ProNets success.

This started as a kind of six-month experiment, he says. Now were hoping to roll it out.

Updated: May 23, 2010

ProNet Success

http://news14.com//Default.aspx?ArID=625540

Updated: May 06, 2010

ProNet Meetings

Due to the success of our ongoing ProNet meetings held each week at CPCC's Harris Campus, ProNet is going to continue the meetings at CPCC Harris Campus and expand to offer ProNet Meetings at the following times/locations:

Thursdays, 10 am - 11:30 am
CPCC Harris Conference Center
Harris CPCC Campus
3216 CPCC Harris Campus Dr. (formerly CPCC West Campus Dr.)
Charlotte, NC 28208
Near Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
For more information, contact Debra Dixon at 704.336.3951 or at dddixon@ci.charlotte.nc.us

Wednesdays, 10 am - 11:30 am
Gaston College
East Campus Career Center

Various Times - See Calendar for Schedule
Professional Career Center
525 N. Tryon Street, 2nd Floor
Charlotte, NC 28202

Preferred Parking is generously offering a discounted rate of $3 per day for career center visitors at 616 N. Tryon. This lot is located behind the Rustic Martini. Please enter off Phifer Street as the North Tryon entrance is managed by a separate Company. The discount is available between the hours of 7:00 am and 5:30 pm Monday-Friday. Visitors to the Career Center should place a note on the dash of their vehicle that says "Career Center" and then insert $3 in the slot associated with their space number. The Professional Career Center is located less than a block away at 525 N. Tryon Street on the Second Floor.

Updated: October 15, 2009

The Professional Career Center Opens in Uptown Charlotte

The Professional Career Center, Charlotte's newest resource for displaced professionals, is an uptown work environment designed to help displaced professionals network, attend workshops and receive individual counseling and expert advice right in the heart of Charlotte's business district.

The Center is located at 525 North Tryon Street, 2nd floor, Charlotte, NC  28202.  The hours of operation are Monday - Thursday, from 9 am - 4 pm, and Friday, from 9 am - 1 pm.  There is a wide variety of workshops at the Center designed for professionals who are facing a career transition.

Preferred Parking is generously offering a discounted rate of $3 per day for career center visitors at their 616 N. Tryon lot. This lot, located behind the Rustic Martini has an entrance off North Tryon and another off Phifer. This discount is available between the hours of 7:00 am and 5:30 pm Monday-Friday. Visitors to the Career Center should place a note on the dash of their vehicle that says "Job Fair" and then insert $3 in the slot associated with their space number.  The Career Center is located less than a block away.

Specific Services at the Center will include:

• Entrepreneurial (SCORE, SBTDC, CPCC)
• Networking (ProNet Charlotte)
• Workshops (Resume writing, social networking, networking 101, innovation & creativity, stress management)
• Career Counseling (CPCC career counselor)
• WIA Displaced Worker Certification
• Computer workstations
• Telephone access
• Conference/meeting room space available

Look for the Center to offer timely workshops designed to meet the needs of professionals facing career transition.

Updated: October 14, 2009

UNC Charlotte offers new Accelerated Certificate and Career Development Program in Project Management.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte through its Department of Continuing Education, Extension, and Summer Programs will offer its first program under the University Workforce Development Certificate Programs and Assistance project.* The Project Management Accelerated Certificate and Career Development Program is designed for the displaced professional who is interested in obtaining a new transferable skill set in a short period of time through coursework in Project Management. The program provides additional support through a Career Development component. Program content assumes that participants have a baccalaureate degree or significant, relevant work experience.

Individuals who are unemployed may be eligible for funding for this program and are asked to consult with their Workforce Investment Act (WIA) resource person prior to registering for a Program Information Session.

For more information and to register for a Program Information Session, you may contact the program manager, Holly Gryder, at 704-687-8956. Course descriptions are available on our website: http://workforce.uncc.edu/.

*This program is funded in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the North Carolina Department of Commerce Division of Workforce Development, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Workforce Development Board.

Updated: October 14, 2009

Interested in starting your business. The Small Business and Technolocy Development Center at UNCC can help.

The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center provides advice, resources and support for new and existing small businesses. 

Updated: April 22, 2009

Apply for unemployment insurance online

Visit the North Carolina Employment Security Commission website to apply online.

Updated: April 22, 2009