Cassadaga Job Corps Academy earns high rankings again
By ALPHA HUSTEDArticle Photos
CASSADAGA - It's a big year for the Cassadaga Job Corps Academy, where students and staff are celebrating the center's 30th anniversary with tall achievements in job training and in community service.
For starters, the 2008 Job Corps program ended on June 30, with the academy - one of the nation's 122 Job Corps campuses, ranking second in terms of performance. In addition, a campus safety survey, completed by students, shows the Cassadaga Job Corps "rates very high in safety."
Academy Director Ann Anderson's announcements this week drew an enthusiastic response from members of the Cassadaga Job Corps Community Relations Council and guests during a council dinner meeting hosted at the Job Corps campus on Glasgow Road.
Before addressing the academy's ranking, Anderson also came up with other good news. The American Culinary Association has endorsed the Job Corps' nationwide culinary arts training program, the director said. "This adds more to our culinary arts students' credentials.''
The academy's ranking, Anderson said, is based on performance of the staff who train students for job placements, as well as on student performance in preparing for jobs.
"There have been many changes since the (local) job corps opened in 1978,'' the official said. "Since that time, our Job Corps has graduated more than 7,000 young people.''
Today's students are encouraged to gain more skills by following up on initial training programs through the development of a "regional ladder/lattice system" that provides opportunities to pursue more advanced skills, the director said. When students are recruited, they are not limited to the Cassadaga center. After initial training at the Cassadaga campus, they often go on to other Job Corps centers for advanced training in specific job training areas.
Moreover, the Job Corps works at providing a national and/or regional employer to partner with Job Corps students in efforts to meet hiring needs. Training programs focus on certification standards, on preparing students for careers - not just jobs - and on training that best meets job market needs.
"It's very clear that the greatest employment demands today are in the health care field," said Anderson, noting that three of the academy's seven training programs are related to health care careers. "This past year, we trained 120 CNAs (certified nursing assistants), and, when our current class opened, we had 23 students in the LPN (Licensed Practical Nursing Program. The class is now down to 16. This only shows how difficult and rigorous this program is. Students will complete the program in September, and the fourth class will start in October.''
The LPN program is a cooperative project involving the Job Corps and Erie 2- Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES.
"The Job Corps is very proud of its CVS Pharmacy Technician Program, a training program made possible by a company who works with our young people," the director said. "Who could have imagined back in 1978 that we would reach this level of progress...''
Other information on the pharmacy technician program was presented by Mary Jo Valvo, the academy's career technician training manager; Deni Trippi, pharmacy training instructor; and Kathy Szalkowski, the CVS Buffalo District pharmacy trainer.
Trippi said Job Corps students are currently working at CVS stores in Jamestown, Dunkirk, Buffalo, and Erie.
"I love what I do at CVS and I love Job Corps,'' said one student, Ernest Batchlor, who along with two other pharmacy technicians - Amanda Brooks and Laura Zadzilka - talked briefly about their work as pharmacy technicians.
Special guests included Gregory Schmidt, CVS manager of Workforce Development at the CVS corporate headquarters in Rhode Island, and Bryan Drost, Buffalo district CVS pharmacy superviser.
Later, Schmidt presented a $500 check to Job Corps students who had competed in the Relay for Life, a recent fundraiser for the American Cancer Society hosted at the State University at Fredonia. The funds will be donated by the students to the Relay for Life.
At the close of the meeting, Job Corps students' volunteer work at the Sinclairville Free Library Manager was recognized by Lisa Greeley, library manager. The library official commended students who over the past year have helped with mailings, a book sale, and fundraisers including the recent Victorian Tea.
"I received as many compliments on the students' work as I did on the (Victorian Tea) program,'' Greeley said. "It's so nice to know that we can call on these skilled young people.''
The library official then presented certificates of appreciation to each volunteer including: Wayne Howard, Tansey White, Kelisha Barber, Jaquana Thomas, Dain Blair, Pierre Pierre Jr., Patricia Miceli, Qunaysha James, Kendall Marin, Mandy Charles, Raquel Hill, Erica Rotondi, Angel Rodriquez, Jospeh Gallina, Shawn Brown and Davaughn Brown.
Council member Carol Baker then came up with more plaudits for volunteers. Baker said the local American Legion Auxiliary had raised more than $1,600 during this year's Poppy Sale, a fundraiser for military veterans. "We could not have done it without the students' help,'' she said.
Janet Forbes, the Job Corps community and business liaison, ended the session with a special invitation to council members and other area residents to take part in the academy's 30th year celebration on Aug. 21. The event will include campus tours at 1 p.m., ceremonies at the recreation center at 2 p.m., and an outdoor reception.
