Greetings from Return to Roots!
In the past few months, Return to Roots SWVA has sent you letters and E-Blasts informing you that the program continues to find people who have left Southwest Virginia for other prospects, as well as others who are looking to come back to the region for new career opportunities. For two years, many of you have been registered on the website as Employers, and we sincerely thank you for registering on our site. However, we need more than just the support of your businesses and organizations—we need your career opportunities. We realize that many of you do not have current positions open, but if you do, we strongly encourage you to go to www.ReturntoRoots.org and post those opportunities.
The Return to Roots website, www.ReturntoRoots.org, is the key communication vehicle for developing an extensive database of potential employees and linking them to Southwest Virginia companies and organizations like you. The existence of available career opportunities on our site is more important than ever before. We simply ask that you and other employers refer persons who have recently lost their jobs, are at risk of losing their jobs, or are looking to return home due to the recession to the Return to Roots website. Every month, Return to Roots is very excited to offer you statistics about the potential employees from 45 states and the District of Columbia who are registered on our site. The number of registrants is increasing daily—in fact, during the first week of February alone, we had an influx of over 90 registrants to the website. Now, more than ever, it has become imperative that any current positions you have are posted to our site. Our goal is to make sure that those experienced and educated workers existing in the area are not forced to relocate out of the region, and those who are looking to move home are not discouraged to do so because of lack of employment opportunities.
Our registrants show they have skills to fill positions in the following fields:
Accounting/Auditing; Administrative and Support Services; Banking; Computers, Hardware; Computers, Software; Construction, Mining and Trades; Customer Service and Call Center; Education; Engineering; Healthcare; Human Resources; Information Technology; Internet/E-Commerce; Manufacturing Production; Marketing; Sales; and more…
Do you have a need for individuals with those types of skills?
Please help bring them home by posting your positions on Return to Roots for approximately 2,304 job seekers to access.
Simply go to www.ReturntoRoots.org and post your career opportunities, as well as search for potential employees with specific skill sets in our job seeker database. This is your opportunity to build your workforce with experienced professionals who are not only seeking a new career, but longing for a new and better lifestyle. Post your jobs now and help Return to Roots’ registrants return to their roots—Virginia’s Great Southwest! |
Blue Ridge PBS JobQuest
Join Blue Ridge PBS in a community service partnership addressing the employment challenges facing our citizens. JobQuest—a monthly one-hour program broadcast live from the Blue Ridge PBS studio– make job seekers aware of job openings in our region.
The program is a partnership with Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc., the Return to Roots program and other organizations and area business resources. Employment experts and local leaders are on hand to share their insights on the local job market. Human resource experts from the area are in the studio to take viewer calls and offer tips on the hiring process. JobQuest is a high-definition production of Blue Ridge PBS.
To learn more click here.
The next hour-long program will be aired on Tuesday, March 17th at 7:00 PM.
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For contributing $250.00, you can become a member of the “Purple Shirt Brigade.”
Below are some of the marketing benefits that stem from a $250 contribution:
Your logo will be featured on a separate 2009 Purple Shirt Brigade page on the Return to Roots website. It will be included on a Purple Shirt Brigade PowerPoint slide in the Return to Roots presentation that we will be delivering to every chamber and civic organization throughout the 21 counties and cities included in the Return to Roots region.
You will be acknowledged at the Return to Roots Executive Committee and Strategic Partners Meetings (comprised of 50 local business/civic leaders) during our updates each six weeks.
Lastly, you will receive a Return to Roots “Purple Shirt Brigade” Purple Long Sleeved T-Shirt. To become a member, you can make check payable to:
Return to Roots
P.O. Box 3768
Radford, Va. 24143
or contribute directly, via our website, www.returntoroots.org. |
Send Us Your Success Stories!
We are continuously looking for success stories to feature on our website. We would love to hear from you if you have interviewed or hired anyone from the Return to Roots program since registering with us.If you have a success story, please email Carl Mitchell, Program Manager, cmitchell@vebinc.org.
Direct Job Seeker Outreach
New to the Return to Roots website is our Job Seeker Notification Program. The program was put into place on 11/25/08 and notifies Job Seekers of job postings that fit the categories they selected when they registered. We have sent out over 2,200 emails to alert potential employees of new job postings! Only 5 people have chosen to unsubscribe to the notifications signifying the helpfulness of these alerts. In 2009, we plan to add an employer notification to notify you of potential employees.
Business Outreach Phone Calls
Each week we contact Businesses who have had Job Seekers apply for positions. Since September 30, 2008, we have had over 132 Job Seekers apply for more than 42 different positions through 40 different registered companies. We have had two hired and around 10-12 calls for interviews. We have had 99 jobs posted and reposted and over 30 jobs extended on the site.
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Virginia’s Great Southwest
Are you or someone you know interested in returning to or living inVirginia’s Great Southwest? Be sure to visit www.swvaonline.org. This website provides information for locals, tourists, visitors and for newcomers relocating to Southwest Virginia.
Entrepreneur Express Workshops
Radford University
February 26, 2009
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Homecoming Week Activity
Radford, VA
Register Here!
Smyth County
March 19, 2009
9:00 AM to Noon
Smyth Career and Technology Center
Seven Mile Ford
Register Here!
Wythe/Bland
April 30, 2009
9:00 AM to Noon
Wytheville Meeting Center
Wytheville, VA
Register Here!
Local Events of SWVA
Barter Theatre Presents:
Of Mice and Men
This captivating tale of two traveling workers, George and Lennie, illuminates their quest for the American dream. But as all too often happens, "the best laid schemes o' mice and men" go awry in this timeless American masterpiece.
To buy tickets, visit www.bartertheatre.com or call 276-628-3991 for Reservations
Blue Ridge Backroads at the Rex Theater
Visit the Historic Rex Theater in Downtown Galax every Friday evening for a unique Live Radio Show featuring Bluegrass and Oldtime Bands performing on stage. Blue Ridge Backroads Live is presented by a group of area Volunteers and has been taking place at The Rex Theater since 1999. It is broadcasted live on WBRF 98.1FM. Call for more information.
Rex Theater
113 East Grayson Street
Galax, VA 24333
Telephone:
Phone: (276) 238-8130
Email:
info@visitgalax.com
Website:
www.visitgalax.com
Mountain Music Jam
Every Wednesday evening at the Historic 1908 Courthouse! Come to play. Come to listen. Come to dance.
Experience a true mountain music jam, where you will hear acoustic, unamplified music as it is played when folks seek only to entertain themselves and each other.
Historic 1908 Courthouse lawn
Main Street
Independence, VA 24348
Telephone:
Phone: (276) 773-2000
Website:
www.graysoncountyva.com
Budget Reductions Topic of Open Forum
On Thursday, March 5, President Penelope W. Kyle will host an open forum to discuss legislation passed by this year's session of the General Assembly that will affect Radford University and the impact of the state-mandated budget reductions on RU. The forum will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Bondurant Auditorium in Preston Hall. President Kyle will be joined by Provost Wil Stanton and Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration Evelyn Wilson. All members of the Radford University community are invited.
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A series of entrepreneurial business and management workshops are being held across Virginia to assist new business startups and existing small businesses!
These workshops are designed to provide information on available business resources and deliver practical, hands-on training covering key elements of business practice. Workshop segments will include information on how to start and operate a business, growing an existing business, marketing strategies, financing and available resources.
In addition, participants will receive a resource directory that will provide "how to" information for many types of businesses including tourism-related businesses, agricultural businesses, and retail operations.
Admission is free to all events. Please check the dates and locations section of this site for a list of dates and venues where this workshop will be held.
You may register for the workshop you wish to attend by clicking the registration link under the desired workshop on the Dates and Locations page and by completing the registration form. Please note advance registration is required to attend.
Please also visit http://www.vastartup.org/sellva for Selling to the Commonwealth workshop events and http://www.vastartup.org/training for Entrepreneur Express Fundamentals Education and Training workshop events. To register for any Entrepreneur Express workshop or for more information, visit http://www.vastartup.org
Bristol Virginia Only American City Named to
2009 Top 7 List of Intelligent Communities
BRISTOL, Va. – Bristol Virginia is the only American city to make the Top Seven list of “most intelligent communities” worldwide. The announcement was made Wednesday during the international PTC’09 conference, sponsored by the Pacific Telecommunications Council in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Bristol Virginia and its 64-year-old utility company, Bristol Virginia Utilities (BVU), were honored for their pioneering work in the area of municipal broadband, both in the city and throughout remote areas of Southwest Virginia during the past five years. BVU is acknowledged as the first municipal utility in the United States to deploy an all-fiber network offering the triple play of voice, video and data services.
“To be selected as one of seven finalists, and the only U.S. city from a field of more than 450 international applicants for this prestigious technological award, speaks volumes about the professionalism and foresight of our personnel and their dedication to the improvement of the quality of life for Bristol and the Southwest Virginia region,”
Bristol Virginia City Manager Bill Dennison says.
The international competition is sponsored by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) based in New York City and involves a 10-month global search to find locations that are building “prosperity and social inclusion” in what the judges call an emerging Broadband Economy.
The win keeps Bristol Virginia in the running to achieve the highest designation – being named the 2009 Intelligent Community of the Year. Last year’s winner was the Gangnam District of Seoul in South Korea.
List of “Top Seven 2009”
Bristol, Virginia; 17,500
Eindhoven, Netherlands; 297,000
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada; 50,535
Issy-les-Moulineaux, France; 61,000
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada; 125,000
Stockholm, Sweden; 795,000
Tallinn, Estonia; 400,000
To read more, Click here...
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2009 Rural Health Summit
The Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy extends an invitation to you to the 2nd Annual Rural Health Summit, scheduled for March 10-13, 2009 in Abingdon, Virginia.
This meeting will continue the work of the State Rural Health Plan, which is a 3-5 year strategic plan designed to strengthen the health care infrastructure in rural areas. This plan cannot move forward or progress without collaboration with prominent stakeholders and partners like yourselves.
As you look at the agenda, March 12 is the actual Rural Health Summit, which will include a progress report of four councils that were established (Access, Data and Rural Definitions, Workforce and Quality). We encourage your attendance and participation with any of the councils of your interest.
Wednesday, March 11
Pre-Summit Roundtable: Rural EMS
Thursday, March 12
Annual Rural Health Summit
Post-Summit Expert Panel Discussion: Integrating Primary Care & Mental/Behavioral Health
Friday, March 13
Post-Summit Training: Models of Care - Primary Care & Mental/Behavioral Health Integration
To register and for more detailed information:
www.va-srhp.org/2009-rural-health-summit.htm.
There is no registration fee, but registration is required!
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Information Assurance Program
Offered by:
Southwest Virginia Technology Development Center &
University of Mary Washington College of Graduate and Professional Studies
The Southwest Virginia Technology Development Center is pleased to announce that Mary Washington University will be offering the Information Assurance Program in Lebanon, Virginia. “This program helps organizations ensure their systems are secure as well as compliant with the Department of Defense
Directive 8570.1 requirements.”
Certification Courses Spring 2009
CCNA Mondays, Feb. 2 - May 11
CISSP Tuesdays, Feb. 3 - May 12
CompTIA Network+ Tuesdays, Mar. 17 - May 12
CompTIA Security+ Wednesdays, Feb. 18 - May 13
All courses are held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the SVTDC at 141 Highland Drive in Lebanon, Virginia. To avoid a $25 late registration fee, please enroll
no later than 3 days prior to the start of class.
The Information Assurance Program provides an excellent way
to fulfill the directive’s training requirements. Your employment
category and skill level will determine the specific training and
certification requirements you will need. All courses involve a
combination of formal training and experiential learning.
To register, please call 276-889-8180 or visit www.svtdc.org.
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Upcoming Career Fairs
Directions Spring Career Fair
Date: March 17, 2009 10AM - 4PM
Location: Squires Student Center, Blacksburg, Va
For more information contact Debbie Wilson at 540 231-8131
UVA Wise Career and Internship Fair
Date: March 18, 2009 12PM - 3PM
Location: UVA at Wise
For more information e-mail wisecareers@virginia.edu or call 276 376-1005
Southwest Virginia Career Connection
Date: Wed., March 25, 2009, 9AM-1PM
Location: Southwest Virginia Community College, King Community Center Gymnasium
Route 19 (6 miles south of Claypool Hill intersection of Rte. 19 &460) Cedar Bluff, VA
Sponsored by: Southwest Virginia Community College, Southwest Small Business Development Center, Mountain Empire Community College and Virginia Highlands Community College
Hospitality and Tourism Management Career Fair
Date: March 26, 2009
Location: Virginia Tech
For more information contact Andrea Pitt at 540 231-8429
New River Valley Job Fair Expo
Date: April 2, 2009 10AM - 3PM
Location: New River Community College
Career Connections Job Fair
Date: April 8, 2009 9AM - 1PM
Location: Danville Community College
Bluefield State Job Fair
Date: April 8, 2009 9AM - 2PM
Location: BSC, Rt. 52, Bluefield, WV 24701
Co-Sponsored by: Bluefield State College, Bluefield College, Concord College, New River Community and Technical College, Southwest Virginia Community College and Wytheville Community College
Interstate Career Fair
Date: April 16, 2009 12PM - 5PM
Location: Holiday Inn, Exit 7/Interstate 81, Bristol, VA
Click here to see a complete list of participating companies, email sharon.peery@sw.edu or call 276.964.7544 |
