WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA received millions of dollars of
stimulus dollars to help train and find employment for local job
seekers. Learn more about our strategy and programs funded by these
dollars on our Stimulus
Dollars at Work Web page. These dollars have impacted our
community, employers and your neighbors. We’d like to share some of
their stories with you.
Comments & Quotes from Employers and
Interns
“The Washington Park Branch Library is thrilled to have Don
Blackshear as part of our team! Don has been a tremendous help to
our staff and patrons. He is an excellent worker, always showing
interest and dedication in performing his job duties. Don displays
a team player attitude. He is a go-to person, showing genuine
interest in the success of the library. At any given moment, you
can find Don shelving a cart of returned materials, helping a
customer locate a particular item, or helping someone in need of
computer assistance. When assigned new projects or duties, he
accepts them willingly and completes them thoroughly. Don has been
instrumental in allowing the Washington Park Branch Library to
complete several key projects for our staff and patrons.
With a few weeks left in the program, Don continues his
commitment to the library. He is much appreciated by all staff and
has made a positive and lasting impression. His bright personality
and strong work ethics will be valued wherever he continues his
career journey, and we wish him the best in his future
endeavors!
I would like to also add that it has been a pleasure working
with Ms. Rosemary Smith. She has definitely been very
responsive to any requests that we have made. She has
answered any questions that I’ve had regarding Don and his
Workforce employment.
My Workforce Re-Employment Connection experience has
definitely been a positive one and I look forward to working with
Workforce again in the future, if such an occasion arises.”
Patsy Williams, Washington Park Branch, about
Re-Employment Connection intern Don
Blackshear
“I would like to take the time to comment on the success we
have found with the Re-Employment Connection program. Eneida
Oquendo has been such an asset to our organization. It was not
until we had the opportunity to have an additional employee through
this grant that we realized the gap that was going unfulfilled
within our work environment. It is because of this that at the
conclusion of Eneida's time with the Re-Employment program that we
realized we could not let her go. We decided to hire her as our new
development assistant. This is such a wonderful match and we have
this program to thank for it.”
Kimber Threet of ITNOrlando about
Re-Employment Connection Intern Eneida
Oquendo
“We have hired ‘Yaritza Marques Tirado’ as a part time Spanish
teacher. She was one of our participants that began as a 'teacher's
aide' in March 2010. Our students worked great with her last year
so much so that we asked her to return for the 2010-2011 school
year.
Another blessing to Agape Ministries International has been
LaVonya Robinson. She began the program in June 2010 as financial
coordinator aide and has been key in helping us track our finances
better and maintain our QuickBooks application. We have extended an
offer for employment and look forward to working with her in the
future.
In addition, we are also using another participant Jill Simms
as a development trainer. She will be contracting with us for staff
development. Jill Simms also brought a lot of human resource
experience,
which helped us align our HR department into a more
streamlined department and made us better able to handle a larger
capacity of employees.”
Ahisha Moyet of Agape Ministries
International on Re-Employment Connection Interns Yaritza
Marques Tirado, LaVonya Robinson and Jill
Simms
“Enterprise Florida, Inc. is a partnership between
Florida's business and government leaders and is the principal
economic development organization for the state of Florida.
Headquartered in Orlando, Enterprise Florida’s mission is to
diversify Florida’s economy and create better-paying jobs for its
citizens by supporting, attracting and helping to create businesses
in innovative, high-growth industries. In pursuit of its
mission, Enterprise Florida works closely with a statewide network
of economic development partners and is funded both by the State of
Florida and by private-sector businesses.
Tim’s role was to update the database of Florida-based
companies and U.S. companies in targeted sectors.
‘Tim proved invaluable to the BR&R team while researching
and compiling company bios that our president and CEO and our
senior vice president used in preparation for their meetings at
Farnborough. His attention to detail was first rate and was a
huge help. Tim is also involved in researching companies that
will help to define and strengthen our industry specific target
sector plans,’ per Rob Sitterley, vice president, business
development.
We sincerely appreciate Tim’s value added contribution.
Although we don’t have an open position, we are moving Tim to a
temporary agency at this time where he will still continue to
leverage his talent and add value to Enterprise Florida Inc.”
Sharon Blake, Enterprise Florida on
Re-Employment Connection Intern Tim Johns
“Aislinn’s role was to track media to identify positive
Florida stories, search news and company websites, resize online
banner ads and update marketing materials. This role not only
required MS office proficiency but an understanding of basic Web
HTML programming and basic principles of graphic
design.
Aislinn’s track with us was cut short due to her starting a
prior track which gave us less than two months to evaluate
her. WCF offered us an opportunity to pick up another intern
in the next track; however, leadership was so pleased with
Aislinn’s contribution, we made her an offer for a paid internship
as Aislinn is going back to school in the Fall. Aislinn will
continue on with her internship while a student.
We are truly fortunate to have found Aislinn.”
Sharon Blake, Enterprise Florida on
Re-Employment Connection Intern Aislinn Lujan
“Jeannie’s role was to assist with establishing an electronic
archive system to maintain the organization’s records. Jeannie
is easy to work with, observant, listens to what is being said and
comprehends. She has the ability to take on tasks given,
focus and handle tasks effectively and efficiently. While
talking with Jeannie she mentioned she learns something new
every day working at EFI. This information will be valuable
when she takes on the outside workforce when applying for
jobs. She is no longer afraid of computers and learned our
programs with ease,’ per Jana Kay, coordinator contract
administration.
We sincerely appreciate Jeannie’s contribution. An
office environment was very new to Jeannie, and she did well. We
will miss her.’
Sharon Blake, Enterprise Florida on
Re-Employment Connection Intern Aislinn
Lujan
“The job seeking process can be a shattering experience – you
start to question yourself. There have been so many
opportunities that I’ve applied for that I knew I was capable of
performing, yet I received no responses from employers. My
participation in the “Re-Employment” program, especially my
placement at Orlando Tech, has enabled me to have a renewed self
confidence knowing that I have the intelligence and skills to
perform on the job, and the capability to learn anything I put my
mind, time and energy to. I am absolutely positive that I
possess the qualities and skills to be a productive associate and
an asset to any organization. It’s not just a statement that
I’d put on my resume because I think it sounds good.
I don’t feel that I have learned a new job-seeking skill or
technique, but I feel re-energized and refocused, and optimistic
and confident that my unemployed status (which I find myself in now
and again) will not go on as long as it did before I joined the
program. The WORKFORCE staff has been encouraging and
supportive, and … my career specialist has been very
helpful. I will keep using the resources and programs
available to me at WCF as I continue to seek that illusive career
opportunity.
Being placed at Orlando Tech was an excellent experience for me. I
was able to work in an atmosphere that fostered continual learning
and growth. I gained knowledge and skills that I will apply in my
future career. I’ve been exposed to technologies and resources that
have helped me acquire marketable skills in this evolving job
market. For example – I am now a Certified Microsoft Office
Specialist in Word 2007.
I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to work within the
Digital Media Departments at Orlando Tech, and for being able to
participate in the WCF Re-Employment Connection. “
Oscar Valentin, Intern for Orlando Tech
“I would like to take this opportunity to share with you our
successes here at INViSiON Industries with our newest WCF
employees. The INViSiON staff is quite pleased with the results
obtained from our newest employees. We were able to establish a new
‘reman’ group, consisting of all WCF people. This new group is
responsible for the diagnosis of defective DVD players used in our
products, repair of these units after the diagnosis has been
determined, and testing of the units after the repairs have been
made to assure quality. The final product is what we’re calling
‘reman,’ short for remanufactured. These products allow us to
better match the market demands from customers that desire a lower
cost unit, while we maintain a high level of quality. The training
process was absorbed well by all WCF employees. The learning curve
- associated with anything new - proved to be short and
painless.
All of the WCF employees show a high work ethic, good attitude and
attention to detail with their given tasks. I feel that the
knowledge these people have obtained will surely help in possible
career paths associated with electronics and entertainment systems
in general.
INViSiON Industries has, and always will be, conscious and aware of
talent, drive and ability that makes a good employee. This program
offers benefits for us as an employer, to be able to screen
applicants for potential future employees, as well as for the
employee, to be able to determine if our company is one that they
would consider for long-term employment. Employees also benefit by
gaining valuable experience working with and understanding high
tech electronics in an ever changing and demanding world of modern
technological devices.”
Brian T. Roll, INViSiON INDUSTRIES on
Re-Employment Connection Interns Leo Camonayan, Sharice
Kibble, Leonard Clement, Dwayne Cofer, Donya Smith, Debbie
Bolton.
“I am pleased to announce another success here at INViSiON
Automotive. We were able to retain 66 percent of our last group for
permanent employment! The relationship between WCF and INViSiON has
proven to be beneficial to all parties involved, and this is
another example of how well the program is working. Our ability to
retain these people is a direct result of the Re-Employment
Connection program at work. As an employer, it’s a positive way to
determine if a employee meets the standards of a company, and with
this last round, we have found some great employees that we don’t
want to lose due to the limitations of the program.
The employees have shown a dedication and commitment to us,
and we are happy to welcome them to our family here at INViSiON.
The Re-Employment Connection program has the ultimate goal of
getting unemployed people back into the workforce, and this is a
great example of how well things are working for us and our newest
employees.
I look forward to working with the Re-Employment Connection
team in the future. Rosemary Smith and Shemille Cox have been in
close contact with us, and are always available to help and assist
with any matters that may arise.
The support from these two have created a strong relationship
between us, and we will all surely benefit from this in the
future.”
Brian T. Roll, INViSiON Industries on
Re-Employment Connection Interns Debbie Bolton, Leonard
Clement, Dwayne Cofer, Sharice Kibble
“With our latest track in full swing, our newest participants
in the WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA program are doing great! Knowing
and expecting the candidates for our positions will have little to
no knowledge of our products, or high tech electronics, our
training sessions have been a complete success story in itself, but
I’m writing this because of the personal successes that our
employees have had. Our latest group showed the eagerness and
willingness to learn in the interview process, and this is what got
them here. Our training to get the group up to speed proved to be
beneficial to us as well as them. The training went smoothly and
quickly – about one week and everybody was working on their own.
The training involved taking our returned or non-working products
(DVD players for automotive headrests), diagnosing the problem,
determining if the product is worthy of repair, making the repair,
and testing the products once the rebuild process has taken place.
… … The participants are able to make their own call on appearance
and operation of the units. If they feel that a player isn’t going
to make it through the quality checks we have in place, they can
then determine which components in the player are useable or what
exactly needs to be repaired. The ultimate responsibility falls on
each employee to make sure our products are the best in the world!
… … The experience and knowledge gained through the WORKFORCE
CENTRAL FLORIDA Re-Employment Connection program has surely given
all involved something to be proud of. The ability to expand and
develop new talents is an asset with anyone currently in the modern
day workforce, and will have a long lasting effect that has
unlimited potential for the future. Our relationship with WORKFORCE
CENTRAL FLORIDA is pleasant and beneficial, and we here at INViSiON
hope it will progress and be long lasting.”
“PS: Our past WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA participants that we
HIRED from the last session are doing great. We have a past
participant “leading” up the current group and helping out the
crew. The others are doing great also. We definitely have plans to
retain members of our current group when this session ends in early
June.”
Brian T. Roll, INViSiON Industries
“My name is April Henson and I really really enjoy the
experience and the knowledge that I have obtained from the
Re-Employment Connection program. When I first applied with the
program, I thought that I was not going to be able to finish,
because I had just had a son and when I went to orientation, my son
Anderson, was only three or four weeks of age. Needless to say, I
went through all the steps in order to complete the program. The
day came for the job fair and I was so nervous, but I was
determined because I had been unemployed for a year and I had
little success with applying to different places. I had my resume
handy and ready to get a job. I went to one table and it did not
work out but when I got to the next table, THEY ACCEPTED ME FOR THE
POSITION. The job was for clerical staff at Orlando Day Nursery. I
felt so comfortable with the organization. I started working and I
caught on very well. Three months had passed and I thought that I
was getting ready to be unemployed again, but THEY KEPT ME. I am
currently still at Orlando Day Nursery and loving every minute of
it. I am so thankful to the people at WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA,
because they worked with me and was patient with me and they are
the reason that I am still employed today. Thanks so much. This
program is a true blessing."
April Henson, Intern for Orlando Day
Nursery
“It is my pleasure that I write this letter of success on
behalf of Michael Clark. Central FL PAL and WORKFORCE CENTRAL
FLORIDA Re-Employment Connection began a partnership on March 15,
2010 with the agreement to provide employment to Michael Clark for
a three-month period. In his role as enrichment coordinator,
Michael has taken an entrepreneurial concept and developed it into
our R.E.A.D.Y. (Rearing Entrepreneurs Assisting Dedicated Youth)
Program. This program will address the problems found in inner
cities and in low-income areas that can be alleviated by business
education, particularly emphasizing the teaching of
entrepreneurship to the economically disadvantaged and at-risk
youth. Similarly, he also has taken the initiative of going into
the community to speak about his Enrichment programs that include
organizing guest speakers for local schools and nonprofits and
recruiting girls ages 5-8 for PAL Girl Scouts Troop beginning in
the fall. Michael exhibits honesty and dependability. He has a
special talent for helping youth and fostering long term positive
relationships with anyone he meets. On a daily basis, Michael sets
goals and work timelines that ensure his work is detailed, accurate
and completed in a timely manner. His job performance reflects a
sense of accountability and ownership. He has been committed to
putting in additional research and time to ensure efficiency and
willing to continue learning. Mr. Clark has certainly proven to be
an asset to our organization and the community in this short time.
Without question, I believe that he will be an asset to Central FL
PAL after his three months serviced in the WORKFORCE CENTRAL
FLORIDA Re-Employment Connection program. We greatly appreciate the
resources and tools that the Re-Employment Connection program has
invested so that participants like Michael can be
successful.”
Taneka J. Mallory, Central Florida Police
Athletic League, Inc. on intern Michael
Clark
"The WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA intern that has been provided
to Keep Seminole Beautiful has truly enhanced our organization. She
has done every job with a smile; she’s helped with some new ideas
and insights. She’s treated our clients, members and partner
organizations with a professional attitude, a smile and a can do
attitude. I cannot thank your organization enough, and if ever
given another opportunity to participate in one of your projects,
we will jump at the opportunity."
Mike Barr, Keep Seminole Beautiful
"From day one, WCF Intern Joan Edinboro, came to City of
Maitland willing to work, eager to learn and ready to gain
experience. She continuously displays an eagerness to take on new
duties after she fulfills each task in a timely manner.
Additionally, she shows a positive attitude and appreciation for
the opportunity WCF provided and City of Maitland offered.
It has been a pleasure working with her during this short
period of time, and we wish her much success in her future career
endeavors.”
Vanessa Watts, City of Maitland Personnel
Department on intern Joan Edinboro
“Alpheus Isadore and Miguel Socorro have worked with grounds
maintenance doing invasive plant removals at Nina Canal as part of
our D.E.P Grant program. Due to their hard work, we have removed 80
cubic yards of invasive plants at that site and replanted 45 new
30-gallon trees and 75 3-gallon saw palms to complete the grant and
satisfy all requirements. In addition, they also assisted in our
beautification projects at City Hall, Maitland Avenue and Lake Lily
… Along with these projects they have also dramatically increased
our ability to maintain our city parks and complete work we would
not normally complete until February. We deeply appreciate their
skills, hard work and can-do attitudes.”
Mark Barton, City of Maitland Grounds
Maintenance Division on interns Alpheus Isadore
and Miguel Socorro
“I didn’t know what to expect from the Re-Employment
Connection Program when we signed up. Deborah Lorenzen has been a
pleasant surprise. Her background has allowed her to catch on
quickly. I am able to give her tasks and projects to do without
much supervision.”
Sharon K. Keeran, Greensleeves LLC on intern Deborah
Lorenzen
“Though seemingly shy and quiet at first, Stephanie soon came
out of her shell. She developed great interpersonal skills,
volunteer management experience and even food service management.
Stephanie can always be counted on to get the job done and has a
positive attitude when given any task. We are extremely thankful to
have her on the team! When looking down the road at employment
opportunities, we would happily hire Stephanie on a permanent
basis. Thank You WCF!”
Assereth Peachee, Give Kids the World on
Summer Intern Stephanie Moure
“My success story while working with Dr. Leslie Bartlett at
Bartlett and Johnston Chiropractic will be I’ve learned many things
while working here with her. I feel that I’m very fortunate because
not only working here teaches me good work ethics, but it also
gives me a head start in my career as a medical assistant. My
knowledge has expanded so much … she taugh us so much beyond the
basic front office duties.”
Rhonda Butler, Summer Intern with Bartlett
& Johnston Chiropractic
“I would like to share with you my working experience with one
of your Summer Inters, Sasha Josephs. Ms. Josephs is quite
possibly, one of the most professional young women I have met in
many years. She seems to require minimal instruction in order to
complete the tasks given to her. Additionally, Ms. Josephs
consistently demonstrates a willingness to take on new duties and
completes them in a timely manner. … I would not hesitate to
recommend this individual for future employment. I plan to keep her
resume on file, as well, for possible future employment
opportunities.”
Cathleen E. Mark, Central Florida Child
Health Program on Summer Intern Sasha Joseph
“My success story would be about me being to overcome my lack
of communication skills. The employees here are all wonderful and
by them teaching me new things everyday I’ve really stepped up and
come out of my box.”
Shakyma Anderson, Summer Intern with Bartlett
& Johnston Chiropractic
“Luis came to work every day driving from Christmas to the
very southern tip of Orange County. This is just one of the
examples of his dedication to his work and his commitment to
excellence. Luis work in our branch was exemplary with his accuracy
and production being very high.”
Julie Ventura, Orange County Library System
on Summer Intern Luis Lopez
“The staff at the Urban League witnessed these two young
ladies stand out from the other interns. They constantly asked for
work and always asked if they could lend a helping hand. Both of
these young ladies have grown and matured in the short time we have
had them.”
David Thomas, Metropolitian Urban League on
Summer Interns Christina Roades & Tkeya
Branton
“Yumani has proven to be a team player who gets the job
done!”
Sharon Blake, Enterprise Florida on Summer
Intern Yumani Davis
“James, on more than one occasion, has saved us during our
gaming program for kids. James is very knowledgeable about gaming;
therefore he was able to teach the staff and kids how to play
Guitar Hero. He also fixed the DDR known as Dance Dance Revolution
before over 30 kids got a little angry at not being able to get
their dance on!”
Patrice Florance-Walker, Orange County
Library System on Summer Intern James
Cambridge
“From day one, Reggie was always eager to learn and willing to
work. Reggie not only exceeded our expectations for the variety and
quality of his work, but he raised the bar for future interns. On
behalf of the City of Sanford, I want to Thank WORKFORCE CENTRAL
FLORIDA for the great work you do with young adults in our
community and the opportunity for us to participate. Thank
you!”
Russ Gibson, City of Sanford on Summer Intern
Reggie Bellamy
“Dasia’s personal growth within a matter of seven weeks has
been tremendous. Her work ethic, communication skills and comfort
while working in a formal workplace environment are impressive for
a young woman her age.”
Graciela Noriega Jacoby, Orange County
Library System on Summer Intern Dasia
Whitfield
“We had the privilege of working with two competent and
positive interns this summer. Without their help, the School
District of Osceola County could not have accomplished what it did
this summer. They both proved to be strong, intelligent,
self-motivated young adults. I say with sincerity, we could not
have served our Principals, teachers and thus our students so
completely without the hard work and dedication of these
interns.”
Melanie Cleveland, Osceola County Schools on
Summer Interns Charna & Angel
Summer Job Connection Intern Letters to President
Barack Obama
With the overwhelming success of the local $4.1 million dollar
Summer Job Connection program completed, several of the 1,200
interns took a moment to send a thank you note to President Barack
Obama.
“…it is a great way to help keep kids off the streets and put them
in a great working environment to learn valuable lifelong skills
which we will all need to be successful in everyday life.”
–
Charna Johnson, Summer Intern
Read Charna’s Letter
“Thank you for giving me a chance to start to build up my resume …
to network myself and gain new contacts.”
–
Letha Desir, Summer Intern
Read Letha’s Letter
“Thank you for the opportunity to earn money while learning.”
–
George A. Russell, Summer Intern
Read George’s Letter
“The friendships I built with other Summer Job Connection employees
are irreplacaple. I’ve been able to use the funds I’ve received to
help out my family and also, most importantly, to save just in case
of emergencies.”
–
Bernice Senat, Summer Intern
Read Bernice’s Letter
“Because of this job I now know how to communicate and express
myself in a professional environment of the computer field that I
so very much enjoy.”
“I think the summer job program helped me especially, because I was
struggling with finding a job, living with my disabled father and
struggling to help him with daily tasks, take care of my younger
brother, and managing to find a way to provide for them, as well as
myself.”
“I think that the summer job program is important because it helps
unemployed people between 16 and 24 become employed, they acquire
more skills, and it gives experience in a field they may have never
worked in before.”
“With my pay from my summer job, I was able to help my Mom pay on
the rent. It wasn’t much, but it has kept our landlord from
kicking us out so far.”
“Invaluable knowledge has been passed to me about what is expected
of me and what’s to be expected from employers, a great deal of
which is not typically taught to those entering the
workforce.”
Intern Video, Produced by Interns
Hear first-hand from Summer Interns and Employers about their
experience in WCF’s stimulus-funded Summer Job Connection program
in this video.
Click here to view the video
