CullmanTimes.com, Cullman, Alabama

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October 24, 2008

Economic groups honor CAWS

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By Tiffany Green

STAFF WRITER

Cullman Area Workforce Solutions (CAWS) recently received the Community Economic Development Award by the Economic Development Association of Alabama and won the regional award presented by the Southern Economic Development Council.

“It is a privilege to accept this award on behalf of the CAWS partnership,” said Peggy Smith, Cullman Economic Development Agency director. “This program is helping to address the needs of our local business and industry community by educating the citizens on the jobs available and the skills required to obtain these careers without having to travel to support their families.”

CAWS began in Cullman in the fall of 2006 as a partnership between business/industry, economic development, industrial relations, education and social services in order to enhance and improve workforce development outcomes in the Cullman area.

One of the aspects of the program is a teacher exchange, said Dale Greer, assistant director at the economic development agency.

“The more opportunities the kids have to see what is expected of them in the workplace, the better all of us will be,” Greer said.

The teacher exchange program is held annually with the help of local industries.

“Once the teachers see and work in a workplace, it’s easier to teach,” he said.

The purpose is to help educators gain an understanding of the workplace by working in the industry for two weeks. The teachers were paid $20 an hour with half of the money coming from grant money provided to CAWS and the other half provided by the industry.

The teachers were then asked to provide to their students two lesson plans based on the work experience and how they relate to the classroom.

“It lets teachers see what is available and allow the kids to have really solid futures,” he said.

Another program is Keep It Real. It teaches students life skills that relate to employment, cost of living and budgeting. The ninth graders at all the county schools and the city high school are involved in the program.

This is a two-day program where the students are randomly given a job or are selected as a drop out. They are given a monthly salary, and the students have to then “pay” their monthly bills, buy food, and whatever else is needed for their household.

“The kids are able to see real life experiences,” Greer said.

Susan Eller with the economic development agency goes to the schools for this program.

“A lot of kids have never been exposed to information and have no knowledge of a degree needed, so they never think about their future,” she said.

Eller said the program teaches students they can do for a living what they are already doing and enjoying.

“We use the example of MySpace. I let the kids know they created a Web page if they have a MySpace and that they can do this as a job,” she said.

She said she tells the students they can still have a high quality of life, even if they choose not to go to a four-year college.

“Factories are not a dirty place to be. They can be a clean, comfortable environment,” Eller said.

For more information on the CAWS program, visit www.cullmancareers.com.

‰ Tiffany Green can be reached by e-mail at tgreen@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 221.

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