FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 11, 2019
Contact: Nina Sims, CCWA
nsims@ccwa.vccs.edu; 804-356-3962
Employment Signing Day for
Prince George County High School Graduates
Local company offers full-time positions to certified logistics specialists
Prince George, VA — Three 2019 graduates of Prince George County High School, offered full-time employment with Standard Motor Products, Inc., will be honored at a "Signing Day" ceremony at the Hopewell/Prince George Chamber of Commerce, June 11, 2019 at 12:30 p.m. The students, who have also earned the Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) credential from the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA), will sign their Letter-of-Intent to accept entry-level employment as order fillers with Standard Motor Products, Inc. in Disputanta.
"The CLA provides candidates with a broader understanding of a significant portion of our business as well as the world economy," said Mark Hanlon, Human Resource Manager at Standard Motor Products. "More importantly, we utilize the CLA training as a development tool for our team leaders - the first level of leadership within our facility. Candidates with the certification have a 'leg up' if they are looking for long-term career opportunities with us."
Standard Motor Products, the Community College Workforce Alliance, and Prince George County Public Schools partnered to provide a credentialing program in warehousing and distribution logistics during the academic school year. The program provided participants with a workplace readiness skills certification, the CLA credential, employment with Standard Motor Products, and served as a sustaining a workforce development program for the company.
Hanlon added, "Our partnership with CCWA began as a method of providing internal training. As our relationship has grown, our desire to make an impact on the local community grew and CCWA has been an integral part of our outreach efforts. Recently, we partnered with the CCWA, Crater Workforce Development Board, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, and Prince George County Public Schools to create a taskforce that led to this pilot workforce development program in warehousing and distribution."
Evan Monger, Nathan Beiro, and Jamal Berry II completed the coursework and examinations to earn a Certified Logistics Associate credential, a program created by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSS). These students will also graduate from Prince George High School on Saturday, June 15.
Student, Evan Monger, said he learned a lot about the industry in the CLA class. "While I was taking the class, I thought it would just be a good addition to my resume," he said. "I passed the exam with flying colors but I never thought it would lead to immediate full-time employment." He added, "logistics is more than forklifts and pallet jacks — there is a lot of technical information."
The CLA course trains individuals for a wide range of skills necessary for success in the logistics industry. Through this program, individuals learn safety, material handling, quality control principles, supply chain management, receiving, storage, and workplace communication skills.
"The CLA certification was developed to create a pipeline of qualified applicants in order to decrease the skills gap in the logistics workforce, and to meet the employment demands of the logistics industry, said Dana Newcomer, CCWA's Apprenticeship Coordinator. "With the CLA certification, students not only gain training in logistics, they also earn a nationally-recognized industry credential positioning them as qualified and competitive candidates for frontline positions in the logistics industry."
CCWA offers the CLA course throughout the year to meet the business and employment demands. Since program inception, nearly 200 individuals have earned the CLA certification at CCWA.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE ALLIANCE
Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) is the workforce development partnership between Reynolds Community College and John Tyler Community College. The organization provides short-term training, individual and custom-designed instruction, consulting, skills assessments, job training, and career development programs. Offering online registration, customer support, and courses delivered by faculty with related industry experience and expertise, CCWA supports thousands of businesses and individuals with workforce development services. CCWA also works with employers and community partners to serve individuals who require skills development or an alternative path to the workforce in weeks or months, including many industry certifications in transportation and logistics, construction and trades, health care and manufacturing. Many of these programs are supported with tuition assistance at low cost or no cost and offer career coaching and job connections. ccwatraining.orq
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