PANAMA CITY, FL —The Board of CareerSource Gulf Coast gathered Thursday to mark 28 years of service by the local organization at its annual luncheon with more than 60 attendees brought together to celebrate accomplishments and successes in workforce development.
CareerSource Gulf Coast is one of 21 regional workforce development boards in the State of Florida with offices in Bay, Gulf and Franklin Counties. Today, representatives from all three counties were on the campus of Gulf Coast State College to celebrate achievements, meet program participants, plan for the future, and adopt Executive Board appointments.
Attendees included Board members; Commissioners from Bay, Gulf, and Franklin Counties; state of Florida and CareerSource Florida officials; education, economic development and chamber partners; program participants; and workforce staff throughout the region.
It was a strong year of serving businesses and job seekers for the local workforce board, and Executive Director Kim Bodine reviewed performance highlights at the annual meeting. These include:
- Assisting 1,023 businesses to recruit and hire workers
- Providing 12,611 services to businesses
- Posting 3,075 job orders for businesses
- Providing training and employment services to 151 adults, dislocated workers, and youth under the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act
- Average wage of $26.79/hour at placement for training participants
- Assisting 4,236 jobseekers
- Providing 25,773 services to jobseekers
Programs delivered by CareerSource Gulf Coast extend across the three county-region, changing the lives of countless families. Numerous individuals who participated in a CareerSource Gulf Coast program shared the spotlight in the annual "Success Story" presentations, delivered by Executive Director, Kim Bodine. (NOTE: Participant summaries are located at the end of this release. Videos can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/@careersourceGC/videos
“These performance highlights showcase the tangible results of our collaborative efforts with employers, training providers, and community partners. I am grateful to our dedicated staff, partners, and the individuals we serve. Together, we make a real difference in the lives of our community members,” said Kim Bodine, Executive Director of CareerSource Gulf Coast.
“It warms my heart to see the stories of individuals whose lives we touched in such a meaningful and positive way,” said Elinor Mount-Simmons, outgoing Chair of the CareerSource Gulf Coast Board of Directors. “The stories we heard today are just a handful of the thousands of stories of the lives and businesses that we have helped through the workforce development board.”
The gavel was ceremoniously passed to incoming Chairman Joey Ginn, Market President of Centennial Bank in Bay County.
CareerSource Gulf Coast provides training and career development opportunities to job seekers and qualified, skilled talent to employers in Bay, Gulf, and Franklin counties, with the primary Career Center located in Panama City. We are a proud partner of the American Job Center Network.
Visit
careersourcegc.com to learn more about professional workforce development and job placement services, all offered at no charge.
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS STORY HONOREES
Training Programs
Amber Floyd completed the RN AD program at Gulf Coast State College with the help of a training scholarship provided by CareerSource Gulf Coast. She is now a nurse at the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Out-of-School Youth Internship Program
After Alexcia McNair completed high school, she excelled in a Summer Internship Program in Franklin County with a paid internship at the Franklin County Property Appraiser’s office. The experience prepared her with the skills for a full-time position at Franklin County High School, in addition to starting up her own business. She is also enrolled at Gulf Coast State College.
Charlie Clayton wanted work experience in a medically related field and completed a paid internship at the Digestive Diseases Center. Charlie is now enrolled at Gulf Coast State College in the Culinary Arts program with a goal to one day open her own bakery for those with special dietary needs.
Fostering Opioid Recovery Grant
Following completion of a recovery program, Ricardo Antoni was provided a paid internship to help him reconnect with a career and build his career skills in the hospitality industry. CareerSource Gulf Coast provided him with supportive services to help him succeed.
In compliance with the Stevens Amendment CareerSource Gulf Coast must provide percentages of total cost of programs/projects financed with federal money and non-governmental sources as well as dollar amounts of the federal funds for projects and programs. You may find this information on our website:
https://careersourcegc.com.
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