Unexpected Snow Fall

Early Tuesday afternoon in McMinnville the snow began to fall, and was a surprise to everyone. The site was active with youth, but when it seemed the snow was going to keep coming down, most headed home. The unexpected winter storm left several inches on the ground and made driving tricky.

Wednesday morning still lots of snow, but the roads are manageable and the temperature is slowly warming.

2009 going out with emphasis!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Wishing you and the people you care about a very happy holiday!!

xOUT: Pilot Employment Program for Ex-Offenders

The new program, called xOUT, was created to address the challenges faced by ex-offenders who are working toward employment and self sustainability. Our McMinnville site kicked off their program on December 14th. The Salem and Woodburn sites will begin xOUT on January 4th, 2010. xOUT is a three month program.

All participants sign an agreement demonstrating their committment to complete the work readiness requirements, the weekly tasks, record their accomplishments and to continue to earn trust and show respect. The expectations of the program are clearly defined, a few of which are; community service/volunteer work, completion of two Coastal E-Learning suites with a score of 90 or better in addition to the computer skills suite, attain three industry recognized certifications, completion of GED if needed, no recidivism, payment of restitution if required, as well as timeliness, neat, clean appropriate dress, regular job search activities and attendance when guest speakers make presentations to the group. Community members from education, business, law enforcement as well as local politicians are being invited to speak to the xOUT groups.

Finding permanent employment for program participants is the ultimate goal of the xOUT program. Employers who choose to hire xOUT participants can take advantage of a $5000 Fidelty bond which is available. In addition, employers may be eligible for a Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).

The response from the community to the xOUT program has been overwhelmingly positive. The need is there, the youth who particiapte are looking for a chance to turn things around and be positive contributors. Through their efforts and hard work they can overcome the mistakes of the past.

For more information contact the Arbor Education and Training site nearest you.

Salem:
680 Cottage St. NE Suite B Salem, OR 97301 503-991-5664

McMinnville:
723 NE Evans St. McMinnville, OR 97128 503-883-9210

Woodburn:
735 Glatt Circle Woodburn, OR 97071 971-983-3004

Thank you Arbor Oaks Terrace Memory Care Residence & Hillside Retirement Community

Thank you to Janie Kellet of Arbor Oaks Terrace Memory Care Residence and Bob Leblond of Hillside Retirement Community!

Janie and Bob participated in mock interviews on Friday December 11th in our McMinnville location. Both Janie and Bob said they were very impressed with the work we're doing and would love to join us for another round of mock interviews!!

Arbor Oaks Terrace Memory Care Residence is scheduled to open in April 2010 in Newberg, with a 48 bed facility especially for those people with memory challenges. Hillside Retirement Community is located in McMinnville. Bob is a resident there and an Assistant to Debbie Finn the Activities Coordinator.

Thanks again Janie & Bob!!

Coastal E-Learning Recently Added

Arbor has added a whole spectrum of e-learning suites to our work readiness preparation. Coastal E-Learning is now available to program participants who want to learn more about a specific area of interest. Completion of a suite of study gives our youth a clear advantage over other job applicants who have not trained or had work experience in those areas. The seven separate areas of study are:

Office / Retail (16 modules)
Industrial Arts (19 modules)
Construction (18 modules)
Electrical (18 modules)
Healthcare (21 modules)
Home Healthcare (24 modules)
Computer Skills (9 topics - 153 modules)

Some basic training covering Communication, Teamwork, Attitude, Customer Service, Safety etc. are included in all the suites. Each suite then covers information directly related to that area of learning.

Our participants are eagerly moving the through the suites, we have have a few who have completed the extensive Computer Skills suite! Congratulations to those successfully completing the Coastal E-Learning!!

What's new?

There's a lot going on in the world of work readiness! Each of our sites has created a monthly calendar of events. Every day of the week has activity... for example all sites offer Skills Lab almost daily. Events vary slightly from site to site, but there are weekly orientations, eligibility workshops, DMV study groups, First Aid/CPR, monthly Project C.E.O. training, assessment testing as well as more specific services available by appointment with a Career Specialist. For more information about the activities available at the Arbor site nearest you, see the contact info on the left, or go to http://www.arbororegon.com/ .

December is looking to be busier than ever, and that's great! It means we are serving more people who really need our help!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of our participants, business partners and employers who give their time, a very happy holiday. Enjoy a day filled with fun, laughter and good food with those you love. There's plenty to be thankful for!

Arbor Oregon has some exciting projects coming soon. Visit again in a couple weeks, we'll be sharing all of the details!!

Last day of Project C.E.O. November 2009

The Arbor Team is wrapping up another successful session of Project C.E.O.! The last day includes mock interviews which our participants find so valuable. Especially in the current job market, any additional preparation you can do to get the job may make the difference. Local business people come in and interview our participants to create a “real world” feel. This event generates positive feedback from participants as well as business people. One participant tells us through Project C.E.O. she learned how to recognize her strengths and weaknesses, which is important information to share with a future employer. Business people have commented how rewarding it is to see our participants working so hard to improve their lives and get on a positive track.

Thank you to business people how take time from their busy schedules to provide the support our program needs.

Thank you also to the participants who do the work to become independent, contributing members of the community.

Project C.E.O. November 16-20, 2009

Project C.E.O is a training designed to help our participants meet the needs of local employers and prepare participants for not just a job --- but for a career. In five days Project C.E.O. packs in a huge amount of valuable information! This is only the beginning: completing an application, a timesheet, creating / updating a resume, building a portfolio of accomplishments, learning about personal finance, business etiquette, professional dress, time management, job search and networking, interviewing, cover letters and thank you letters...and that's just the tip of the iceberg! Project C.E.O. particpants even spend a day building their own business and look at all aspects of business and hiring from an employers perspective. Very valuable!

To find out more about Project C.E.O. and all of the great things Arbor E&T is doing please contact the location nearest to you (see the contact info on the left). Visit our blog often to find out more. There are great things happening at Arbor Education & Training! Big and small successes everyday!

T-Mobile Employer Spotlight - Salem

Tuesday November 10th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm our Salem location will be hosting T-Mobile in this month's Employer Spotlight! Representatives from T-Mobile will be onsite to assist individuals interested in applying for Customer Service Representative positions currently available at their state-of-the-art call center in South Salem.

Arbor Education and Training's Salem office is located at: 680 Cottage St NE Suite B, Salem 97301. For more information please call (503) 991-5664.

Looking back to Summer 2009

Summer 2009 was a whirlwind of activity!! All three sites presented two sessions each of STEP (Stimulus Training & Employment Program) serving nearly 160 youth who completed the program. Each session STEP consisted of one week in class training and a three week work expeience opportunity. The photos below show just a few of the youth participants and the business people who generously give their time to be involved in our programs.


Yesenia V. with Juan Saldana & Anedelia Vasquez of Oregon Child Development Coalition in Woodburn

Mike Sumner of Case Automotive with Marvin C. & Salvador S. in Woodburn.

Debra H. and Shayley S. with Jon Ostling of Cascade Steel in McMinnville.

Adam D. at A.R.E. Manufacturing in Newberg.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new blog for Arbor Education & Training - Oregon!! This will be a place you can visit to find out what is happening at our sites in Salem, McMinnville and Woodburn. There is always good news emerging from our project, big and small successess happening everyday. Lots of activity too! Look for information about our new Skills Development Lab, Project C.E.O., success stories from our participants, endorsements from our business partners, and plenty of pictures. Stop by often! Investigate the links to the left to see how Arbor is making a difference in people's lives.