Establishing the Foundation for a Successful 2013

Culpeper Star Exponent Business Monday January 28, 2013 Jim Charapich

 

January has been a busy month. The Chamber has been involved in several projects and issues that help to shape our local economy in significant ways. There a few that I would like to share with you.

First, the Chamber is a big supporter of the E Squared Program. This program offers educators and the business community an opportunity to collaborate in a very unique way. The Program is designed to educate high school students on the principles of entrepreneurship. Students work in teams to develop a business plan for a product or service. The team with the best business plan is given scholarship dollars for advancing their education. The program kicks off at Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center on Wednesday January 30^th from 9 AM – 10:15. Businesses that are interested in the program are invited to Germanna for the program Kick Off. The full program time line and sponsorship opportunity information can be found at www.ESquaredCulpeper.com.

We have been busy planning the final touches of the Professional Development Conference on February 7^th. The Conference will be held at the Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center. Registration begins at 7 AM followed by one hour sessions from 8 AM – 4 PM. Our Keynote Speaker is Chic Thompson – His message will edu-tain you!!! The Conference is designed to “Strengthen the Business of Non-Profits & Small Business”. The sessions range from Fiduciary Responsibilities of Boards to Google Apps, and Protecting Your Online Reputation. The sessions are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to education. Thus, having the program at Germanna is a foreshadowing of the potential opportunity to advance your educational interests. Germanna credit and non-credit courses are the obvious next step to develop your educational growth. Go to

 www.ProfessionalDevelopmentConference.com or www.CulpeperChamber.com to register for the conference today.

 The Chamber has been working with the Career Resource Center  in Culpeper and the Piedmont Workforce Network to bring attention to a very powerful tool for employers. The tool is the Career Readiness Certificate (aka: CRC) which is administered by the Community College System in Virginia. The Career Readiness Certificate is a test that can be taken by those seeking jobs in order to demonstrate proficiency in several areas of work place skills. The Certificate in its most simple terms provides a credential at a Bronze, Silver, and Gold level. At a minimum, employers can recognize the credential for hiring as the jobs support the different levels of credential. The test takes 3 hours and costs approximately $45 to take. There are prep tests available online for practice.

Why is this important? The credential helps by revealing the likely skills capacity of the individual. The credential is also portable between industries. Applicants coming out of an industry with diminishing job prospects can show potential for opportunities in other industries. Thus, as unemployment decreases and the demand for talent increases, the credential can be very useful to open opportunities for employers and job seekers. Go to http://crc-gcc.com to see the latest webinar on the CRC.