Jeanne Hough is new STEP Executive Director

The Board of Directors of Siskiyou Training and Employment Program, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeanne Hough as Executive Director. Eugene Schumacher, Ed.D, Board President, said that “Jeanne is a long-term employee who has served us well in a variety of situations. She is very knowledgeable of all the facets of our organization and we believe she is an excellent choice.”

Jeanne graduated from Simpson College with a dual bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management and Psychology. Jeanne, who took officially took office September 10th, has 16 years of experience with STEP and has been acting as Interim Executive Director since July. Prior to that, she was the Financial Services Manager. She was also honored as the STEP Employee of the Year for 2000, and is a 1999 graduate of the Leadership Siskiyou Program. She is currently active on the Weed Chamber of Commerce as well as various other community committees.

A lifelong Siskiyou County resident, Jeanne lives in Weed with her husband Mark, and sons, Jordan and Griffin.

Emergency Response Enhancement Project

The September 11, 2001 attacks prompted urgent reflection about the issues concerning public safety. In the fall of 2001, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors commissioned a study to determine the Emergency Response and Protection Needs of Siskiyou County. This task force, named the Blue Ribbon Committee, and the subsequent Training and Education Subcommittee produced an action plan that was the basis of a WIA grant proposal called the Emergency Response Enhancement Project. Although this was a countywide effort, the City of Weed, because of its centralized location and a proven capacity for successful grant administration was the grantee for this project.

Due to the growing concern over the shortage of qualified emergency response personnel and it’s impact on the County’s ability to handle potential emergencies, the grant money received ($887,275) will be used for equipment and training individuals in the areas of Firefighter and EMT-Paramedic. The training is offered through College of the Siskiyous Fire Technology Program and EMT-Paramedic Program.

STEP will provide training and technical assistance to ensure successful tracking and documentation of the project in addition to offering WIA support services to those individuals that qualify. This proposal was the result of a strong, dedicated collaborative consisting of several local agencies including the local WIA provider, STEP (Siskiyou Training and Employment Program), Workforce Connection, College of the Siskiyous, county and city municipalities, California Department of Forestry, and the United States Forest Service.

Building Your Business by Building Your Employees

Siskiyou County business owners and managers filled seats in Weed and Yreka for the Building Your Business by Building Your Employees seminar, sponsored by the Workforce Connection Employer Resource Center. The seminar is part of a quarterly series of programs to assist and strengthen businesses.

Thomas Mosley and Kim Egan from “The Center for Talent Retention” out of Denver, Colorado, provided each attendee with a Talent Resource Kit of tools. Business owners and managers were led through a variety of interactive exercises designed to help them retain employees. Egan opened the seminar with a quote from Anita Rodrick that Egan said tells the story of the problem employers have in finding good help. “I went to hire employees and people showed up instead.”

Josephine Wyatt, Community Coordinator, and seminar coordinator stated that “the techniques that were presented work with companies of all sizes. Retention is even more critical for small businesses: when a company only has three employees, each one is vital to the company.”

The seminar topic was the result of a small business “needs” survey that was distributed to the business community in Siskiyou County. Local businesses identified that one of their most critical needs is hiring and retaining successful employees.

The next Workforce Connection Employer Resource Center seminar (cosponsored by Siskiyou/Modoc Regional Department of Child Support Services) is scheduled for October 30, 2002 and is on “Payroll Reporting Requirements.”

Leadership Siskiyou County

Leadership Siskiyou County (LSC) recruits current and emerging community leaders of varied backgrounds and provides them with the necessary skills to increase our community’s capacity to navigate through a changing world. Participants will gain awareness of community problems, increase their capability to influence decision-making, and extend their network of contacts with other community leaders.

In July of this year, I had the opportunity to apply for acceptance to Leadership Siskiyou County. I received an interview and was notified that I had been accepted into the Class of 2003 along with 16 other participants.

LSC participants make a time commitment of ten full-day meetings, beginning in September and ending in May. The programs and presentations at monthly sessions are designed to enhance personal leadership skills. They provide thought-provoking and informative interactions facilitated by experts in the topic area.

The program educates and exposes participants to current issues and differing points of view on topics relevant to Siskiyou County. Partial funding for Leadership Siskiyou County is through contributions from the Ford Family Foundation and The McConnell Foundation.

Employer Resource Center Assists Virtual Enterprise

After a recent Employer Services presentation to the Mt. Shasta Chamber of Commerce, the Employer Resource Center received a call from a student enrolled in Mt. Shasta High School’s Virtual Enterprise business class. The student, whose job title was Vice-president of Human Resources, requested assistance in developing an Employee Handbook as well as additional business related information. A meeting was set up to discuss employment policies and practices to be included in a handbook.

Mt. Shasta High School’s Virtual Enterprise (Virtual Designs) is a simulated business that is set up and run by students to prepare them for working in a real business environment. With the guidance of a teacher (“consultant”) and real-world business partners, the Virtual Enterprise students determine the nature of their business, its products and services, its management and structure, and then engage in the daily operations of running the business. The Virtual Enterprise places the students in the fast-paced environment of the modern business world.

Virtual Enterprise began in Europe after W.W.II and currently there are over 250 practice firms operating in the United States at secondary and post-secondary levels.

STEP is considering using the Virtual Enterprise model to develop a program and/or partner with the local high schools.

Gear Up for Youth

STEP Youth Services Specialist, Janie Gaither, and Josephine Wyatt, Community Coordinator, have been working closely with Kate Mahar, Project Coordinator for College of the Siskiyous, to fulfill the mission of the Gear Up project, which is to significantly increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post secondary education.

To accomplish the mission, the Workforce Connection Employer Resource Center will assist in identifying local business owners to serve as “Career Role Models” (mentors) to the students. Each role model will be asked to speak to the students regarding their career, goals, and how they have or have not achieved them, while providing guidance and support by example. STEP will also facilitate summer job placements for eligible Weed High School students and conduct career exploration workshops.

What’s Happening in Tulelake

The Tulelake Community Center that was just a dream five years ago is nearing reality. Construction of the $2.7 million building, formally known as “The Honker,” is moving toward early winter completion. Funding has come from a variety of sources, including $1.87 million from the California Department of Corrections, $300,000 from the Ford Family Foundation, and $115,000 from the Jeld-Wen Foundation.

When completed , the 17,000 square foot building will feature a regulation-sized gymnasium with folding bleachers, weight/exercise room, dining hall, commercial sized kitchen, music practice room, activity/recreation room, two multipurpose rooms, courtyard, video conference center, and offices.

There is a wide range of programs planned, from fitness programs for senior citizens, to youth basketball leagues, to video classes offered by the College of the Siskiyou in Weed.

Main Street improvements extend beyond the Community Center. In the downtown area, the former Tulelake Horseradish building is being converted into offices for the Tulelake Community Partnership, U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center, Rural Development, and the Workforce Connection One-Stop Satellite Office. The anticipated opening is scheduled for mid-October.

Downtown Tulelake is also expected to see an influx of visitors because it is part of the newly designated Volcanic Legacy All-American Road, which begins in northern Klamath County, includes Crater Lake National Park and passes through Tulelake and Lava Beds National Monument en route to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

The newest addition to the fairgrounds is a complex which includes a museum, gift shop, and fair office. Open weekdays year-round and weekends by appointment, the museum features a one-hour audio cassette tape tour. Visitors will hear through headphones the voices of the heroes they see in the displays.

Featured are the histories of Tulelake, Butte Valley, Malin, and Merrill. From volcanoes, Modoc Indian culture, reclamation, wars, POW & Japanese internment camps to homesteading, logging, and farming, this first-class museum will impress you!

Coming Community Events