SANFORD - Area employers and agencies are invited to Business Services Connections 2012, an information-filled event showcasing how the Triangle South Workforce Development Board and JobLink Career Centers can benefit them.

The event takes place 8 a.m.-10:20 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, 1801 Nash St., Sanford. Admission is free.

Central Carolina Community College operates the Workforce Investment Act programs and Workforce Development under the direction of the Triangle South Workforce Development Board, which consists of board members who are selected from the counties the agency serves. The office is located in the college's Lifelong Learning Center at the W.B. Wicker Business Campus, in Sanford.

Those who can benefit from the Business Services Connections event include local business owners or managers and human resources managers and staff, as well as educators, media, community leaders, government representatives, and private and non-profit organizations.

Business Services Connections can help build partnerships between chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, non-profit and private agencies, and the TSWDB.

"It is important for local area businesses and employers to know that the Triangle South Workforce Development Board offers an array of no-cost services through our JobLink Career Centers that are situated in Chatham, Harnett, Lee and Sampson counties," said Rosalind Cross, TSWDB/WIA director at CCCC. "The purpose of this event is to increase awareness and understanding of these services and how they relate to the workforce development board."

The Triangle South Workforce Development Board Vision states that it envisions an efficient labor market offering well-paying jobs for area residents, providing a well-educated and well-trained workforce for area employers, and attracting new businesses and facilitates economic development.

TSWDB services include: job listings posts; information on active job seekers, job markets, employment and wage levels, and layoff assistance; access to conference and interviewing facilities; use of online computers and workspace; testing and assessment; and other services.

Shana Overdorf, "Get not out of your life" campaign manager, will be at the event to present information on how agencies and employers can help increase literacy awareness in their communities.

If interested in attending Business Services Connections and/or interested in a table to showcase the business services that your organization provides, contact WIA Adult Services Coordinator Tiffany Swenson by Feb. 21 at (919) 777-7711 or tswen443@cccc.edu.

Event agenda:

• 8 a.m.-8:10 a.m. - Opening comments from CCCC President Bud Marchant and TSWDB Chair Bud Schlademan.
• 8:10 a.m.-8:20 a.m. - Introduction to Business Services offered by TSWDB by Director Rosalind Cross and WIA Adult Services Coordinator Tiffany Swenson.
• 8:20 a.m.-8:30 a.m. - Presentation of employer services available at JobLink Career Centers and Division of Workforce Solutions offices by Josephus Thompson, Division of Workforce Solutions and JobLink Career Center manager for Lee and Chatham counties
• 8:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m. - Break/networking opportunity
• 8:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m. - Information Session: Government, private, and non-profit agency representatives provide information and answer questions about the business services they offer to employers in Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties.
• 10:15 a.m.-10:20 a.m. - Closing Remarks