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Local Award Winners Honored At The 2006 Workforce Investment Banquet

The staff of Madison County Employment and Training along with the Madison County Workforce Investment Board, Madison County Board, and other local agencies celebrated local customer, business, collaborative, and innovation solution successes at the 2006 Workforce Investment Board Awards Banquet held recently at the Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville.

Following a presentation by local keynote speaker Keith Neuber, President of I K.A.N. Presentations and CEO of Alton Day Care and Learning Center, eleven (11) local awardees/programs were honored for their outstanding achievements. Mr. Alan Dunstan, Madison County Chairman, along with Madison County Workforce Investment Board members Dr. Gary Giamartino, Dean of SIUE School of Business and Mr. Charles Juneau, President of Juneau Associates Inc. P.C. presented the awards.

Madison County Board Chairman, Alan Dunstan said, “These award winners are the proof of the success we have in serving the community through the programs provided by the Madison County Employment and Training Department. With the counsel of the Workforce Investment Board, we have seen great accomplishments in serving both business and the workers in our area.”

Six (6) customers received an Individual Achievement Award recognizing the determination and perseverance of participants enrolled in the federally funded Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program. Each honoree has overcome significant barriers in order to reach academic and career goals. Individual local honorees included Ethel Ellison (Alton), Bobbie Greer (Collinsville), Amanda McLain (Alton), Linda Methvin (Greenville), Jenna Miller (Granite City), and Vonzetta Sykes (Madison).

Gateway Packaging Company was recognized with a Business Leadership Award for making significant contributions to workforce/economic development activities. Over the past 20 years, the business has flourished, most notably being the first to introduce new packaging technology in the US and providing jobs for approximately 300 workers.

Three (3) Collaboration Awards was also presented. Recipients of this award have demonstrated their ability to collaborate and coordinate with diverse types of organizations resulting in exemplary outcomes. One individual, Marty Brawn, Director of Workforce Development with Lewis and Clark Community College, was honored for the outstanding services she provides to Employment and Training staff in assisting customers with support services, training services and career goals. The Madison County Energy Assistance Program and the Madison County Financial Education Program (FLLIP) received the second and third Collaboration Awards. The Energy Assistance Program staff partners with Employment and Training staff to provide customers not only with assistance with energy bills but with job search and career planning as well. The FLLIP program is a free 12-hour course designed to help low-income workers get the skills they need to effectively manage their money. It has launched and flourished in Madison and Bond Counties thanks to the collaboration of thirteen (13) entities: The Madison County Employment and Training Department; TheBANK of Edwardsville; Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law; Grand Victoria Foundation of Chicago; Coldwell Banker Brown Realtors; ADECCO Staffing Services; Midwest Office Equipment; Granite City Department of Human Services; AARP Foundation/Senior Community Service Employment Program; Metropolitan Employment and Rehabilitation Services; East Alton Department of Human Services; Department of Human Services-Division of Rehabilitation Services; and a local federal prison.

The final award of the evening was the Innovation Solutions Award. This award recognizes innovative workforce development projects that contribute to the economic/workforce growth of a community. The Madison County E-Learning Pilot Program was honored for the successful implementation of an on-line Internet based high school diploma program to dropout and credit recovery students with built-in career and workforce development components.

David Stoecklin, the Executive Director of the Madison County Employment and Training Department, said, “All of these winners have shown great dedication in achieving their goals. The individuals, businesses and agencies have worked hard to attain the results we honored here this evening. It was due to their dedication to success that we are able to recognize them this evening.”

The Madison County Employment and Training Department has offered services to both business and job seekers in Madison and Bond Counties for 35 years. The county department is federally funded through the Workforce Investment Act and various other grants. They provide quality assistance in job search, career counseling, job training, resume writing, and offer a diversity of workshops to the unemployed, those who desire career advancement or those needing help in making career choices. Employers may utilize the department to find, test, and interview prospective employees at no cost. Area businesses may benefit from labor market facts and tax incentive information readily available through the Department.

The Department has offices in Alton (88-90 North Port Drive), Granite City (544 Niedringhaus, Building 102, Rivers Edge Complex), and Greenville (305 South Third) to serve local residents and businesses and is open Monday through Friday. Their website is www.mcetd.org