Partnership Initiatives
Regional Workforce Assessment Center
The Regional Workforce Assessment Center works cooperatively with the Crater Region's nine public school divisions, as well as major employers, to assess high school students to determine their employable skills and evaluate their learning needs. The Center uses the Work Keys system to provide a "Work Keys Profile" that is then used to develop "individual career development plans" for students. The Work Keys system also assists employers in identifying specific skills required for a particular job.
In addition to individual assessments, the school divisions have been provided educational software (PLATO) for their computer labs to support basic skills computer based training.
A direct result of the initiatives of the Regional Assessment Center has been the establishment of two student apprenticeship programs, one by Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc., in partnership with Petersburg High School, and the other a statewide program by Dominion Generation in partnership with Virginia's community colleges.
In July, 2001, partnering with the Crater Regional Partnership and the Wakefield Virginia Foundation, John Tyler Community College opened the Wakefield Career Center, in the Town of Wakefield, in Sussex County. Services available include career counseling, information on skill - building programs and college courses, and Work Keys assessments. Additionally, computer skills classes are taught at the Center.
A cooperative working relationship has been established with the Crater Regional Workforce Investment Board through which the Work Keys system of assessments is now being utilized in the one-stop centers as a part of the career counseling provided to clients.
Skill Streams for Success
With financial support from the VA Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, the Partnership commenced its third year of the "Skill Streams for Success" program at Rowanty Technical Center and the Wakefield Center in September, 2003. Basic skill level courses are offered to both high school students and adult learners and they provide pathways into higher level training programs.
The courses offered at the Rowanty Technical Center include: Industrial-Manufacturing, Building Skills/Construction, Medical Skills - Health Care, Automobile Inspection and Introduction to Welding. Computer classes are offered at the Wakefield Center.
Each applicant will be Work Keys assessed in Reading for Information, Applied Math, and Locating Information. Assessment results will be provided along with recommendations for skill-building strategies.
Additional information and applications are available online at www.skillstreams.com.
Crater Small Business Development Center
The location of the Crater Small Business Development Center of Longwood University in Petersburg in 1998 was a joint initiative of the University, the Crater Regional Partnership and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance. The purpose of the Crater Small Business Development Center is to provide education, counseling and economic research for existing and potential business owners, in order that those businesses may prosper and increase job opportunities. The center, established to serve the entire Crater Region, is one of three branches of the Longwood University Small Business Development Center in Farmville, Virginia. It offers assistance to those considering a business start-up or expansion, or experiencing business-related problems, through the use of full-time staff and other college resources, such as faculty and students. Assistance is provided via one-on-one counseling, as well as sponsoring seminars and workshops on a variety of relevant topics. The following services are available:
- Capital Formation - evaluation and qualifications for various financing sources
- Networking Assistance - identifying sources of information and services
- Business Planning Workbook - developed for use in start-up efforts
- Workshops - a variety of relevant topics
- Export Assistance - provision of information
- Presentations - conferences, civic groups, classes
- Information Source - comprehensive library
- Productivity Improvement - expert resources re: relevant information
- Industry, State and Regional Economic Comparisons - specific profiles and comparisons prepared
- Federal Procurement Assistance Center - resource available through Crater PDC
For more Information on these services, contact:
Crater Small Business Development Center
1964 Wakefield Street, Petersburg, VA 23805
804.518.2003 (phone)
804.518.2004 (fax)
