Resources in the Region

  Career education has been provided by UcanB for several years – inschool – after school and in summer programs. May is Careers Month for #UcanB Students. Below is a list of upcoming events. Career Weeks,  Careers Days and Career Month !! May 7-10 is Career Week @ Sto-Rox High School. Mini Career Fairs will take place everyday in the school cafeteria from 11:00-12:30. Employers & schools will have tables set up. May 14-18 is Career Week @ Hopewell Junior High. In-class presentations every morning from 8:55-10:30. Speakers will present to back-to-back groups of 8th graders. May 21 is Career Day at CAPA. Seeking presenters to discuss Artistic Careers. May 23 is the Career Fair at Carlynton High School. Throughout the day in the school’s gym. May 30 is the Career Fair and Cookout at Clayton High in the North Side. Fair is from 10-12…cookout immediately after. May 30 we will also have #UcanB speakers at Career Day at Environmental Charter School.   Each school will share careers and also soft skill education for students provided by UcanB. The summary findings for the Allegheny Conference /US Chamber of Commerce report: Recent college graduates and employers agree that soft skills are important for workplace success. There is a gap between how prepared recent college graduates think they are, and how prepared employers find them to be. Recent college graduates and employers differ on which soft skills are most important. Recent college graduates and employers differ greatly on which soft skills merit training. Recent college graduates and employers agree that a  certificate course in soft skills training would be beneficial for college...

Building Bridges for Business’ Education Department provides career education and job placement to thousands of Western Pennsylvania’s middle and high school students via its #UcanB Program. The organization’s Workforce Development Department coordinates and/or participates in a number of community events designed to advance the careers of working adults throughout the region.   The Pittsburgh Community has rallied around the #UcanB Career Education Program. A vast array of organizations and individuals contributed time and resources to help educate youth in Western Pennsylvania. More than 50 guest speakers from more than 50 local organizations and businesses visited #UcanB classrooms thus far in 2018, participated in #UcanB events and hosted #UcanB students for tours. This allowed #UcanB the opportunity to expose students to a multitude of career paths and job opportunities. Students met with a diverse group of businesses representing government, retail, IT, entrepreneurship, military, media, advanced manufacturing and more! In addition, the Workforce Development Department received similar support in its efforts to provided services to working-aged adults. Businesses and individuals from Erie, Pa all the way to Charleston, WV contributed to this portion of Building Bridges’ mission. Building Bridges’ Career Fairs were fully booked within 24 hours. Over 1,500 adults received direct services through the Workforce Development Department even though the organization does not have a specific budget dedicated for these...

On Thursday, March 15, with Rep. Dan Deasy and in partnership with Building Bridges for Business and U.S. Probation & Pre Trial Services, Senator Fontana hosted a Job Fair for interested job seekers. The Job Fair was held in the Social Hall at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, located at 1810 Belasco Avenue in Beechview. The Job Fair featured local companies looking to fill positions now. There were also representatives who talked about apprenticeships and other technical training programs to help individuals gain information on acquiring new skills to become gainfully employed. Many job seekers face barriers to employment like issues related to a past criminal record, a suspended driver’s license, lack of high school diploma or necessary job skills. The Job Fair included three breakout sessions that address these barriers.   From 4:30-5 p.m., attendees can join a breakout session to learn more about the driver’s license restoration process. From 5:30-6 p.m., a session on pardons and record expungement will take place. Anyone wishing to learn more about improving job skills and short-term training programs can attend the session from 6:30-7 p.m. Hundreds of community members attended this...

Today’s episode of Coffee With focuses on careers, specifically career building and training. Joining our discussion is Mrs. Valerie Njie, the Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Bidwell Training Center (BTC). Bidwell Training Center is a non-profit career training school that has been changing people’s lives since 1968. At Bidwell, Mrs. Njie is part of an amazing organization that equips students with superb skills that can lead them to meaningful employment and empower them to become more confident, productive, and professional. Bidwell Training Center has almost 50 years of experience providing top-of-the-line career training and consistently attracts national attention for their innovative training programs. Beyond that, Bidwell Training Center is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and is a member of over 10 national and regional professional organizations. The majors offered at BTC provide learners with the hands-on skillsets they need to be prepared and competitive in the marketplace. Mrs. Njie has committed decades towards serving the Pittsburgh community and enriching the lives of others. In 2014, she was elected to serve as School Commissioner by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Mrs. Njie has been one of the ACCSC’s most active volunteers, and was selected as Volunteer of the Year in 2009. Beyond that, she has been honored with the 2009 Duquesne Light African American Leadership Award for Education as well as a 2006 Women of Influence designation from the New Pittsburgh Courier. Mrs. Njie’s outstanding dedication to the Pittsburgh community was most recently recognized in 2015 when she received the University of Pittsburgh’s Volunteer Excellence Award. The award annually recognizes Pitt alumni who have enriched the lives of others through extraordinary efforts in the...

http://https://buildingbridgesforbusiness.org/coffee-with/ The Coffee With Show is proud to have Dan Rice, CEO of Rice Energy, join us to tell us about his experiences with the energy industry. Dan Rice has served as the CEO of Rice energy since 2013, previously working with Transocean Inc. and Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co, LLC. Mr. Rice’s many years in the energy business gives him a unique perspective and understanding of why energy is one of the most exciting fields to be involved in. Mr. Rice has served in a number of positions at Rice Energy, starting out as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in October 2008. In 2013, he served as the Chief Operating Officer, and has been the Chief Executive Officer since October of 2013. Along with his responsibilities as CEO, Mr. Rice currently serves as a member of the health, environmental, and safety committees. Rice Energy is proud to be historically a family-owned and operated business. Rice Energy aims to lead the nation to energy independence while protecting the environment, provide the safest workplace for their employees and partners, and generate the best-in-class returns to their stakeholders. In doing so, Rice energy will illuminate the power of positive energy. In regions in Pennsylvania and Ohio, Rice Energy has been actively involved in the Marcellus and Utica Shale since 2010, and is a top 20 producer in Pennsylvania. Rice Energy operates with environmental awareness and sustainability as a cornerstone of their business philosophy, and never passes up a chance to give back to the communities in which they are involved. They are committed to partnering with organizations in their operating footprint that align with their giving initiatives of public safety, youth education and leadership, and community enrichment. From their annual festival and fundraiser “Marcellus Mania” to their volunteering organization The Blue Crew, Rice Energy is proactive in supporting communities. Before his involvement with Rice Energy, Mr. Rice served as an investment banker for Tudor Pickering Holt & Co., LLC, an integrated energy investment bank in Houston. Prior to his involvement at Tudor Pickering Holt, Mr. Rice was a senior analyst of corporate planning for Transocean Inc. where he was responsible for mergers, acquisitions, and business development. Mr. Rice has a BS in Finance from Bryant University. For Mr. Rice, the most exciting part of being involved with Rice Energy has been the development of natural gas, specifically the progress that the US energy industry has made from being a net importer of natural gas to the point of...

  U can B @ Clayton High School will conclude in May with ‘Career Days at Clayton High’! Career Days will begin with an Interview Competition on May 1th. This will be followed by an in-school Career Fair on May 20th. The Building Bridges for Business U can B Program, a series of career awareness classes aimed at high school and middle school students, launched its first classes at Clayton Academy in Pittsburgh’s North Side on March 2, 2016. U can B classes at Clayton were provided through support of the Verizon Foundation. Topics for middle and high school students ranged from Career Interests to STEM-related Careers to Job Readiness Classes. Students in the middle school were registered for FREE online career profiles via STEM Premier. Students in the high school at Clayton focused specifically on topics such as Work Readiness, Job Search, Interview Skills, and Networking in preparation for Career Days. May 11th Interview Day Students are currently working on resumes and cover letters as a class project. These will be completed and reviewed by Clayton teachers prior to the Interview Day. On May 11th, students will participate in a panel style interview. U can B teachers, Clayton staff, and volunteers from the community will make up three panels. Students will cycle through for individual interviews. A scoring rubric will be used by the panelists to assess students’ interview performance. Three Awards will be selected: Best Interview, Best Resume, Best Cover Letter. Certificates and prizes will be presented to the winners. Certificates of Participation are to be presented to all students who completed the U can B Program. Winners to be announced at the May 20th Career Fair. May 20th Career Fair The U can B team has organized a Career Fair which will take place at Clayton on May 20th between 10:00-12:00. The Fair will be followed by a cookout and celebration. Students, teachers, U can B staff, employers, and volunteers are invited to attend the cookout. Approximately 65 students are expected. Awards will be presented during the cookout and celebration. The Career Fair and Cookout will be a wonderful way to conclude the school year. Students have put a lot of time and effort into the U can B Program at Clayton, and the May 20th event is their reward for that hard work. In addition to the celebration, students will have the opportunity to discuss jobs and careers with representatives from several Pittsburgh-area businesses including but not limited to United States Probation & Pretrial Services of Western PA, Allegheny Health Network, IBEX Global, Career Talk on KDKA, Legal Shield, and Arias Agencies. Arias Agencies, a division of American Income Life, has agreed to participate and present certificates of completion to the students. Title sponsor of Career Talk on KDKA, Arias Agencies has been an on-going supporter and hiring partner of the...