2015 career resource guide - ocala starbanner/ocala.com

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CAREERRESOURCEYOUR GUIDE TO

SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2015

Published by the

Marion County

What jobs are most available?

By Jim RossManaging editor

Registered nurse, truck driver, retail sales worker, retail sales supervisor and nursing assis-tant are among the jobs that employers in this region are most eager to fi ll these days, according to the state Depart-ment of Economic Opportunity, which tracks employment trends throughout Florida.

Marion County’s unemploy-ment rate stood at 6.7 percent in February, with 131,920 people in the labor force and 123,052 employed.

Of those Marion residents who are employed, the biggest sectors include medical, retail sales, food and offi ce/clerical, according to the state.

For those who aren’t em-ployed, as of April 12 there were 7,194 jobs in Marion advertised on employfl orida.com, an online tool for job seekers and employ-ers.

In the three-county area of Marion, Citrus and Levy, the top employers with online job listings in March included Community Health Systems

(Munroe Regional Medical Center,) Ocala Health System (Ocala Regional Medical Center and West Marion Community Hospital, among others) Winn-Dixie, Pizza Hut and The Centers.

That list refl ects what Career-Source Citrus Levy Marion sees in the local market. Marion County has an “ongoing and continuing need” for medical workers, especially registered nurses and physical and occupational therapists, said Kathleen Woodring, chief operating offi cer for the workforce group.

Considering the growth in the medical fi eld in general,

Woodring said, “any of the occupations that exist within a healthcare facility” also will be in demand.

In other words, not just hands-on caregivers but also supply managers, information technology specialists, fi nance and such.

In the Citrus/Levy/Marion market, there were 5,287 online job ads posted in March. The top job advertised was registered nurse with 561 ads, an 88 percent increase over March 2014.

The second most-advertised job was heavy and tractor-trail-er truck driver. There were 210

Medical, trucking, retail top the list

TOP 10 JOBSIN MARION COUNTY

NAMEHERE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Registered nurse Priscilla Gregory, checks a patient’s heartbeat at Ocala Regional Medical Center in 2014.

ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/FILE

FILE PHOTOS

Trucks on Trucks on Interstate 75 Interstate 75 in Ocala.in Ocala.

JOBS on Page 7

#1

#8

#6

Ocala National mean mean hourly hourlyOccupation Employed* wage** wage**

#1 Retail sales 4,440 $10.64 $12.38

#2 Cashier 3,350 $9.38 $9.93

#3 Combined food prep/serving workers 3,070 $8.86 $9.19

#4 Offi ce clerks/general 2,490 $12.30 $14.82

#5 Customer service representative 2,300 $14.05 $16.29

#6 Secretary/administrative asst.*** 2,110 $13.50 $16.59

#7 Registered nurse 2,080 $29.81 $33.55

#8 Wait staff 1,770 $9.73 $10.40

#9 Stock clerk/order fi ller 1,520 $12.09 $12.20

#10 Retail sales supervisor 1,490 $19.02 $20.28*2013 employment; **Wages are for 2014; ***Does not include legal or medicalSOURCES: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The following list shows the 10 fi elds with the most jobs in Marion County, with the number employed and the mean local and national wages:

2 | SUNDAY , APRIL 26 , 2015 CAREER RESOURCE OCALA STAR-BANNER | www.ocala.com

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Connecting employers with qualified, skilled talent and jobseekers with employment and career developoment opportunties.Contact us to learn about fee-free solutions that work for you.

By Richard AnguianoBusiness editor

Meeting employ-ers’ demand for skilled workers is a challenge for

just about any community in the United States.

Ocala and Gainesville are no exceptions, and the business and educational communities in both Marion and Alachua counties have been active in introducing new programs and efforts aimed at narrowing the skills gap.

Alachua County’s pressing needs are in the areas of software and information technology, according to Susan Davenport, vice president of economic development for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Gainesville Chamber formed the Gainesville Technology Council and in one year, the group, made up of local tech profession-als, has conducted two “hobNobs,” events aimed at connecting local companies with up-and-coming IT and program-ming talent.

“With the university and Santa Fe College, we’ve got 70,000 students here at any given time,” Daven-port said. “We have some of the best and brightest. We just need to retain them better.”

The council has also formed the Gainesville Dev Academy, which offers technical training to businesses and individu-als.

“It’s to help develop the right skill training opportunities to quickly

and effi ciently shore up a workforce in that area,” Davenport said.

IT needs are also a priority in Marion County, said Kevin T. Sheilley, president of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, which recently took the Ocala IT Professionals networking group under its umbrella.

“It’s 100 different IT pros who get together and discuss issues, training,” Sheilley said. “They are addressing the skills gap directly among them-selves.”

Many recent efforts to address the need for skills in Marion County’s workforce focus largely on manufacturing. In 2014, CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion began offering training in computer

numerical control, or CNC — a key manufacturing skill — at College of Central Florida, Marion Technical Institute and Community Technical & Adult Education.

MTI, the public school system’s vocational school, has an academy in robotics, automation and design. CF has a special-ization in automation as part of its engineering technology associates degree program, and its XCEL-IT program, funded through a federal grant, recently began offering a certifi cate program in simulation and automa-tion.

Meanwhile, Career-Source CLM and the Marion Regional Manu-facturers Association have created a program to offer apprenticeships in three key areas for manufactur-ers: CNC operator, CNC programmer and indus-trial maintenance techni-

cian, according to Rob Adamiak, MRMA execu-tive director. Career-Source and MRMA are hoping to get a Depart-ment of Labor grant to assist with the start-up costs of the program.

“I’m hoping the appren-ticeship program will start this fall or early next year,” Adamiak said.

Another new XCEL-IT program at CF focuses on logistics and supply chain management — the movement of goods from one location to another — and addresses another key need of Marion County’s workforce, said Todd Reiland, XCEL-IT out-reach director. Reiland said the program is planning to form an advisory committee in September.

“This is a chance for the employers to give us input into our program and make sure what we’re doing with the program is

meeting the needs of the employer,” Reiland said.

Adamiak said develop-ing an adequately skilled workforce in areas like manufacturing involves changing perceptions. He said MRMA has begun an outreach with local schools “getting word out that manufacturing isn’t the dirty business of your grandfather.”

Students obtaining certifi cations in manufac-turing can pursue imme-diate job opportunities, and at the same time the certifi cations can count toward an associates or bachelor’s degree, according to Adamiak.

“It’s not that unusual for someone starting off in an apprenticeship program and learning a skill to work their way to being a CEO or COO of a manu-facturing company,” he said. “You see that all the time.”

ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/FILE

Students tour the welding area at Winco as part of Manufacturing Day in Ocala. The manufacturer makes medical furniture.

Programs aim to fi ll skilled-workers gap

www.ocala.com | OCALA STAR-BANNER CAREER RESOURCE SUNDAY , APRIL 26 , 2015 | 3

More and more workers are ‘solopreneurs’By Anthony ClarkStaff writer

Motivated by the desire for more control over their work or a lack of jobs in their fi eld, more

people are working indepen-dently by starting their own companies or freelancing on the side, according to a report by MBO Partners.

In its 2014 State of Indepen-dence in America Report, MBO fi nds that 17.9 million “solopre-neurs” spend at least 15 hours per week working independent-ly, up 12.5 percent from its fi rst report in 2011, and expects that number to grow to 24.5 million by 2019.

MBO also reports that 12.1 million people are “side-gig-gers,” spending less than 15 hours per week on recurrent independent work.

Philip Geist, consultant area director for the the University of North Florida Small Business Development Center North Central Florida offi ce in Ocala, said that during the Great

Recession and subsequent slow recovery, he noticed a lot of “lifestyle” type workers such as handymen, landscapers and home-care providers going solo.

“That was because you had people who worked for compa-nies that provided those services that didn’t have enough busi-ness to keep those folks em-ployed, and because people had skills and in many cases had their own equipment,” he said.

Over the last year, he said he has seen a shift to more people who provide services to busi-nesses, such as Web developers, software programmers, even architects who freelance for architectural fi rms.

“It’s tying in with businesses watching their costs and outsourcing the services where they can’t justify a full-time position for it,” Geist said.

Angela Pate, chief information offi cer for CareerSource North Central Florida, said the trend has slowed in Gainesville as more traditional jobs have opened up.

On the other hand, more college graduates every year are interested starting their own business or doing contract work, especially in the technology startup community.

Several resources are available for people interested in indepen-dent work.

Pate came up with the idea for OwnForce.com as a solution to too many people searching for too few jobs by creating the tools people need to create their own jobs.

The website offers an online exchange for people to fi nd work

or hire workers for tasks. The company also provides services people need to start and run a business such as help incorpo-rating, creating logos and business cards, payroll and accounting services, and a health insurance exchange.

Similar services are offered through Bacv.org/gigunion, FreelancersUnion.org and Outsource.com.

Pate said people are often afraid to make the leap but going into business is not as daunting as they might think.

“My advice is just to stop talking about it and actually do

it and see how it goes,” she said.Geist said the SBDC typically

sees people who have already gotten started but need help with a marketing plan to grow their business. He recommends seeking networking opportuni-ties such as industry associa-tions to meet potential clients.

“I think the most important thing is that they need to be able to generate a relatively steady cash fl ow to meet their personal living expenses and any related expenses for the business or activity they’re starting,” he said.

WANT TO FREELANCE?Sources for fi nding and posting

freelance jobs, and business services:

Bacv.org/gigunion ■

FreelancersUnion.org ■

Outsource.com ■

OwnForce.com ■

Practical advice on how to face impending job layoff sBy Liz ReyerTribune News Service

Q: My company is going through a large layoff. Not

much information has been shared, but I think it’s likely that my team (including me) could be affected. In the meantime, we have a lot of work to do. What advice do you have to help us keep moving forward?

A: Try to remain grounded in the present while making

plans for a variety of futures.

The Inner Game“Put on your own oxygen mask

fi rst” is a cliche, but it’s true in this case. If you’re falling apart, you can’t help your team. So start by facing your fears. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You lose your

job? If that happens, you’ll survive; in fact, I’ve talked with many who ended up in a better role than they had before. Or you keep your position, but your friends and co-workers are gone, and you’re overworked? Understand your fears so you can demystify them.

Now consider what you actually know, and your options for gaining more clarity. Check to see what your boss knows (or can share) and take advantage of information that your company may be sharing. Ask questions whenever you can; you have little to lose by being inquisitive, and it could help you put a realistic plan in place.

Notice how well you’re doing with managing the stress of the situation, and be sure to practice great self-care. Have some fun,

get some exercise, eat good food, get enough sleep.

Check in with your team, and determine how they’re doing. Keep in mind that people will have different reactions and different needs. They will also have unique ways of showing their stress, so be attuned to that.

The Outer GameRealistically, each person on

the team “including you” needs two plans: one for if you keep your job and one if you’re let go.

If you stay at your company, recognize that it won’t be the same place. If the layoffs are driven by a fundamental shift in corporate direction, you may need to adapt to new expecta-tions. Further, you’re going to

need to be able to accept the new normal and have a positive attitude. That is going to be harder for some people than oth-ers, and it’s because of this that some people choose to leave even if they were not laid off. To be blunt, if you won’t be able to be happy or feel secure, you should explore new opportuni-ties.

Anticipating that you may be laid off, now is the time for exploring new opportunities,

connecting with folks in your fi eld, and having an updated resume. Don’t wait until the company announces your fate — be laying the groundwork.

And, even though it’s diffi cult, you need to keep doing your job as well as you can, living up to your own standards of profes-sionalism. Focus on having positive energy and helping your co-workers stay positive, too. Consider using your regular staff meetings to address both the positives and the negatives together so that your team is a support to all of you.

The Last WordThere is a great deal outside

your control, but acting on what you can control will help you get through this challenge.

There is a great deal outside your control, but acting on what you can control will help you get through this challenge.


By Anthony ClarkStaff writer

With construction work picking up again, con-tractors are faced with a shortage of skilled

workers since many left their fi elds during the downturn.

Several apprenticeship programs in Alachua and Marion counties aim to fi ll the void by providing night classes while students get on-the-job training by working full-time for sponsoring contractors.

Santa Fe College in Gainesville offers two- or four-year pro-grams in electrical, heating and air, plumbing or carpentry programs, while electrical apprenticeships are also available through the Florida Electrical Association Tri-Coun-

ty Apprenticeship program at Career Technical & Adult Education in Ocala and through the Gainesville JATC (Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee).

In the Gainesville area, construction work is picking up with numerous projects on the University of Florida campus, large developments such as Celebration Pointe and the Butler Plaza expansion, and new home building.

The Builders Association of North Central Florida sponsors the apprenticeship program at SF College. Classes start in the fall in conjunction with the SF College school year, and there is an orientation session in the fi rst week of August.

People interested in applying

can email Coordinator Justin MacDougall at [email protected] to set up an appointment and get referrals to participating contractors to try to line up a required job.

“If they have a hard time I do what I can to try to fi nd some-thing,” he said of the job search. “Now people are having pretty good luck fi nding a job.”

MacDougall said the 2012 graduating class, which started during the recession in 2009, had just four people, but the program is up to 105 total now with big fi rst-year classes coming up and efforts underway to add classes for trades such as masonry. In addition to the apprenticeship program, SF College is adding a vocational

certifi cation class in plumbing in the fall to go with welding, and heating and air classes to meet job demand.

Gary Crandon, coordinator of the Tri-County electrical program in Ocala, said when the bottom fell out of the economy, “a lot of guys went to different things.”

The program didn’t start any new apprenticeships for a couple years but is up to 31 now as new home construction has started to come back and the Ocala area has seen several commercial building projects such as the new 400,000-square-foot FedEx facility, he said.

Interested applicants submit their resumes to Crandon, who then distributes them among the 36 contractors in the program in

Marion, Sumter and Lake counties. Apprentices attend school two nights a week while working full-time for four years. Graduates earn $17 to $28 an hour to start, depending on the employer, he said.

Crandon said the program appeals to almost anybody, including a surprising number of college graduates who can’t fi nd work in their fi eld of study.

New classes start the week of Sept. 7 after Labor Day, but apprentices working on feder-ally funded public projects can start their apprenticeships at any time.

Gainesville JATC is a fi ve-year program for electrical appren-tices. As an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers program, apprentices work for union contractors in return for union benefi ts, which include full family health insurance and a retirement plan at no cost to the worker.

Director Shawn Graves said the program now has 70 apprentices, a low from around 115 to 130 during good years, but work is recently starting to pick up for union electricians as more commercial and industrial facilities are investing in maintenance, repairs and safety upgrades.

The program is accepting applications through the end of May for classes starting in August.

JOHN FREEMAN/CORRESPONDENT/FILE

A construction worker removes the scaff olding from the food court windows at the Reitz Union at the University of Florida as renovations continue in 2014.

MATT STAMEY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/FILE

Adjunct instructor Wade Ring explains components of a current transformer during a fourth-year Electrical Apprenticeship class at Santa Fe College in January.

As construction picks up, shortage of skilled workers felt by industry

APPRENTICE PROGRAMSSanta Fe College: two- or

four-year programs in electrical, heating and air, plumbing or carpentry, http://www.sfcollege.edu/constructionFlorida Electrical Associa-

tion Tri-County Apprentice-ship program: Career Techni-cal & Adult Education in Ocala, www.fea-fl orida.comGainesville JATC: Joint

Apprenticeship & Training Com-mittee, gainesvillejatc.org


-an equal opportunity college-

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Anticipated start date is August 2015

The college is seeking an experienced instructor to teach

courses that will prepare students with the qualifications,

knowledge and skills to demonstrate competencies and

meet the growing health information technology needs in our

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Minimum Requirements:

• Master’s in Health Information Management required. A

minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching

discipline required. RHIA or RHIT certification by the

American Health Information Management Association

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• Three years of experience in profession or teaching

Health Information preferred.

• Ability to plan and prepare course content and

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A copy of transcripts from an accredited institution and

copy of required certifications must be submitted with the

electronic application or send via e-mail to [email protected] or fax

to 352-873-5885.

For more information about this position and To APPLY please go to

www.CF.edu and click on Job Opportunities.Submit an electronic application, pool authorization card and copy of

unofficial transcripts. Transcripts may be emailed to [email protected] or fax to

352-873-5885.

3001 SW College Road, Ocala, FL 34474.

CF is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Make skills work in new fi eldBy Erin JesterStaff writer

It seems obvious, but one of the most impor-tant steps in looking for a new job is know-

ing what your skills are. “And a lot of people don’t

know,” said Phyllis Marty, director of operations for CareerSource North Central Florida.

Figuring out your skill set and how to transfer it to a new profession can be tricky, but there are several ways experts say jobseekers can fi nd the jobs that are best suited to their skills and keep them.

First of all: Find out what you’re working with.

Marty recommends taking skills assessments, which is one of the free services federally-funded CareerSource offers.

Counselors go over the results and help jobseek-ers fi gure out what types of jobs they’re suited for.

Once you know your skills, a strong resume is a must, said Kathleen Woodring, chief operating offi cer for CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion.

“It’s your major tool for being able to get in and see the employer,” she said.

Woodring recommends tailoring the resume for each different job applica-tion rather than creating a one-size-fi ts-all document.

The top of the resume should showcase a

jobseeker’s major skills and any relevant experi-ence.

If someone has been out of the workforce for a while, or if they’ve had the same job for many years, Woodring said learning some specifi c skills could help quickly beef up a resume.

A common requirement is the Microsoft Offi ce suite — programs such as Word, Excel and Power-Point — for which there are training programs available online.

It’s also important to make sure the resume refl ects the job descrip-tion.

If you’re changing fi elds, be sure to study up on the correct technical terms for the job you seek and use your cover letter to show a potential employer where there might be links between your old job and the new job.

Most people will change careers a couple of times, so it’s all in communicat-ing how you can make that change work for the employer, Woodring said.

“You may have some skills the employer never thought about that could really be a benefi t to them,” she said.

That idea resonates with Karen Smith, who jumped from the military to being a morning radio show host, then became a police offi cer, and 14 years later decided to become an educator.

With each career change, Smith said she saw an opportunity and seized it.

“Everybody has hidden talents,” she said. “I think a lot of people are just afraid to step out of their comfort zone and go for it.”

Smith is now the director of forensic education at the CSI Academy of Florida and an adjunct professor of forensic science at the University of Florida.

She said she started on that path out of forensic police work by fi nding other people who’d been successful in the fi eld and fi nding out their trajec-tory.

Now, Smith shares her secrets of success with others.

‘Everyone should really think about what makes them happy, makes them satisfi ed,” she said. “If there’s something that interests you, I’m pretty sure there’s a job out there that will cover that.”

If you’re changing fi elds, be sure to study up on the correct technical terms for the job you seek ...


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By Taylor GainesCorrespondent

Vivian Lang could have easily re-acted with anger at her unfortunate

circumstances. She could have lost hope.

But with a husband and an adult son, she knew she had fi nancial needs that had to be met. And she knew that she had to keep working to keep a positive state of mind.

Still, Lang’s path back from unemployment was a calm and measured one.

She had gone to Career-Source of North Central Florida in Gainesville for her mandatory unemploy-ment appointment in the winter of 2011 after being laid off from her job at the post offi ce.

While visiting Career-Source, she fell in love

with the environment.“The people were so

helpful and warming,” she said. “Once you came in, they knew you by name.”

She was familiar with the work CareerSource does advising the unem-ployed, and when she found herself helping other people during her visit, Lang came to a realization.

Volunteering at the

center could help her continue a daily routine of getting up and going to work while also giving her an opportunity to help other people.

Scot Quintel, president of United Way of Marion County, said the organiza-tion uses more than 900 volunteers per year and that volunteering is a great option for those struggling to fi nd work.

“They use the opportu-nity to build skills and learn about opportunities in the community,” he said, “to make themselves more marketable.”

“They provide a great service to the community as well.”

United Way of Marion County and United Way of North Central Florida both offer a 2-1-1 line that can connect callers to

possible volunteer pro-grams and services.

Phyllis Marty, director of operations at Career-Source of North Central Florida, said that volun-teering also minimizes the gap in your unemployment period. It gives you something to offer future employers by working on your skills and staying dedicated.

“Employers tell me they’re willing to train people because they want someone reliable and dependable,” she said.

Two months after her

mandatory unemployment appointment, Lang was on board with CareerSource as a volunteer. After a month, she was offered a temporary job as a receptionist.

She worked for 16 months before being laid off again. About fi ve months later, she was back with CareerSource as an employment security representative.

“I knew (unemployment) wasn’t going to last always,” she said. “As long as I was determined and had hope that something

was going to happen.“Even when life throws

you a curve, you still have to keep going. If things don’t happen when you want it right away, you still have to be determined and have hope.”

Lang now works fre-quently with the unem-ployed at CareerSource, providing help with completing re-employ-ment applications or answering questions about unemployment payments.

“I am very thankful every day when I get up that I’m here to do what God wants me to do,” she said. “Experiencing (unemployment) makes me better able to speak to the people that are in a similar situation.

“I feel like a lot of it with me is just being empathet-ic and having compassion. My purpose is to serve and help others.”

Volunteering a way to sharpen skills between jobs

THE BENEFITSShows employers ■

initiativeEnhances skills ■

Keeps you in a routine ■

and positive frame of mind

Helps the community ■

Makes you more ■

marketable

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

such ads, about 10 percent more than posted in March 2014.

Woodring said the latter number could be a refl ection of the big distributor companies in and around Marion County, such as R+L Carriers and Cheney Brothers.

“Ocala is in a really good location when it comes to goods being sent from elsewhere in Florida” and then distributed statewide, Woodring said.

Looking ahead, the 2015-16 Regional Demand Occupation list for the three-county area predicts that RNs (139) and LPNs (68) will have the most job

openings.The state also expects 91

openings for retail sales supervisor, 74 for truck drivers, 57 for sales representatives and 53 for bookkeepers in the coming year.

For Marion County, most of the major industry sectors gained jobs in March compared with the year before. Leading the way was education and health services, with about 3,400 jobs added. Manufacturing also has been a strong performer.

Identifying which jobs are available is one part of the puzzle for job seekers. After that, those who need help landing a job can go to CareerSource, where placement specialists offer

resume preparation/posting assistance, educational and training opportunities, networking events, job fairs and referrals.

Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, told a United Way gather-ing earlier this month that Marion has one of the nation’s fastest growing economies.

“We know what a bad job market looks like,” he said, referring to the days of double-digit unemploy-ment.

Now, Sheilley said, the effort is to build and attract jobs that pay above the county average.

JOBS: Nursing demand to growContinued from 2


By Richard AnguianoBusiness editor

Programs and resources in Marion and Ala-chua counties indicate a growing number of people are opting to create their own jobs through entrepreneur-ship.

Marion County is home to a fairly new business incubator that is about at capacity and has plans to expand to nearby buildings, while Alachua County has a collaborative array of incubators, each with a different industrial or profes-sional focus.

Educational institutions in both counties offer training and outreach programs for budding entrepreneurs. Other groups provide mentoring and counsel-ing services, many of which are free of charge.

Some entrepreneurs, like Michael Anderson in Ocala, have had the passion for running a business for a long time.

“For 15 years at least, I’ve been entrepreneurial and on my own,” he said.

Anderson, 52, recently signed a non-compete agreement when he sold a company in his native Jacksonville. He scouted several cities and chose Ocala for his next startup, 77 Clouds Corp., which provides cloud-based “business continuity, disaster recovery and cybersecurity” and is a resident of the Power Plant Business Incubator.

When asked what he likes about being an entrepreneur, Anderson replied “Just the ability to chart my own course. I love building new stuff and

making things happen.”However, the economic

downturn that began around 2007 made the entrepreneurial path a necessity for others, including laid-off workers, graduates facing a poor job market and others needing to supplement what income they had.

“Even down economies create certain types of opportunity,” said Dug Jones, associate vice president for economic develop-ment at Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Jones oversees two of Gainesville’s many business incubators, the Center for Innovation and Economic Development, known as CIED, and Gainesville Technology Entrepreneurship Center, known as GTEC.

“For some people, it was just the nudge that they needed to give something a try that maybe they’d been considering for some period,” Jones said.

Ocala’s business incubator is relatively new to the scene. The Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership, known as the CEP, opened the

Power Plant with help from the city of Ocala and Marion County in February 2012. The facility is home to 13 resident startup com-panies, like Anderson’s 77 Clouds, and seven affi liate members. An acceptance committee selects residents, who rent space at the Power Plant for between $200 and $600 per month and have 24-hour

access to the facility. Affi liates pay $100 per month for member-ships that include a cubicle they may occupy during regular business hours and must empty upon leaving.

Angela Busler, director of the Power Plant, said resident entrepreneurs must be innova-tive and coachable and have the potential to produce jobs. She

said residents are subjected to benchmark evaluations in fi ve to seven categories every six months during their three-year terms.

“It’s very important people know we’re not doing this by the seat of our pants,” Busler said.

The Power Plant is named for the original function of its city-owned building, construct-ed in 1916. Busler said the facility will soon occupy a total of three city-owned buildings and with the CEP, will be part of an “economic development campus” in Ocala’s Historic District.

Ryan Lilly, the CEP’s director of business creation, said he’s asked Power Plant residents what they value most about the experience and they say “a certain camaraderie, a certain energy of collaboration that happens here at the incubator between the companies. They’re able to share ideas, challenges.”

Lilly said the Power Plant differs somewhat from most incubators, particularly those on college campuses.

“We have some unique advantag-es from being part of a chamber that, say, a university incubator wouldn’t be able to provide,

namely, access to all of our CEP partners,” he said. “So as these businesses are going out and selling, we’re able to connect them to all our businesses in the community and help them gain market traction.

“Conversely, incubators on a university campus are benefi t-ting from the technology transfer, the research that’s coming out of those universi-ties,” Lilly said.

Startup companies and business incubators are nothing new to Gainesville. A partial list of incubators in Alachua County includes CIED and GTEC, as

ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Power Plant Director Angela Busler, left, and Ryan Lily, DEP director of business creation, pose outside the Power Plant Business Idea Incubator in Ocala on April 10.

ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Power Plant entrepreneurs, including Michael Anderson, center, founder of 77 Clouds Corp., meet for a status meeting at the Power Plant Business Idea Incubator in Ocala on April 10.

Jones

CREATE YOUR OWN JOB:PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES THAT CAN AID SUCCESS


well as the Sid Martin Biotech Incubator, the Florida Innova-tion Hub and Starter Space. Only the latter is private.

Jones of Santa Fe College said each of those fi ve has a different niche and contact and referrals between them is constant.

“Each place is just a little different and we all know there is more of this to be done than any of us can do, so we’re amazingly collaborative,” he said.

Meanwhile, budding entre-preneurs can choose from many academic programs in the area.

The Center for Entrepreneur-ship and Innovation at UF’s Warrington College of Business Administration, founded in 2000, is evidence of a “profound increase of interest in entrepre-neurship,” according to Bill Rossi, professor.

“When this center started, we had one course and we would teach maybe 40 students in entrepreneurship,” said Rossi, who was hired by the center’s founder, Arnie Heggestad. “We now have like 2,500 students a year that take our courses. And they don’t take our courses for the heck of it.

“The students are interested in controlling their own destinies, in controlling their own futures, not just interested in getting a job for themselves but creating jobs for others,” he said.

The Center has an academic function, conferring minors in entrepreneurship — some 200 last year, Rossi said — as well as offering a certifi cate program for MBA students and a master of science in the discipline.

It also offers outreach pro-grams including a business plan competition; a program to help disabled veterans get into entrepreneurship; missions to help entrepreneurs in South Africa and Haiti; and GatorNest, a program in which companies enlist students in problem-solv-ing.

In Ocala, College of Central Florida has been offering a certifi cate in entrepreneurship for about a year through its XCEL-IT program. About 20 CF students are taking the 12-cred-it-hour program in pursuit of the certifi cate, with other students taking entrepreneurship courses as electives, said Todd Reiland, XCEL-IT outreach specialist.

“It’s still fairly new and we’ve made some adjustments to it,” Reiland said. “We’re still making headway in getting the community acquainted with what we’re doing in the realm of entrepreneurship.

“We’re pretty excited to be offering it, that’s for sure,” he said.

There are also area programs outside of incubators and academic institutions to help entrepreneurs.

CareerSource North Central Florida in Gainesville offers Startup Quest, a hands-on

program that, according the Career Source NCF website, matches participants with successful entrepreneurs with a goal of “creating business plans to bring new inventions and technologies to market.”

Also offering mentoring, counseling and other types of assistance are organizations like SCORE, formerly Service Corps of Retired Executives, and the Florida Small Business Development Center at the

University of North Florida. Philip R. Geist is area director

and consultant for SBDC and his Ocala offi ce serves Marion, Alachua and several other surrounding counties. Geist said entrepreneurship trends he’s no-ticed since the downturn include downsized professionals establishing consulting fi rms and other displaced workers starting businesses ranging from lawn care companies to plumbing or electrical firms.

With the revival of the econo-my, many of those entrepre-neurs are seeking advice from the SBDC on adding employees, transitioning from home-run to offi ce-based businesses and similar topics, Geist said.

“I think a lot of businesses are looking to outsource a lot of the activities they shed when the economy started to slow,” Geist said. “Now as the economy comes back, it means the folks they’re working with have the opportunity to grow their little entrepreneurial businesses to meet the rising demand.”

Geist said he encourages all entrepreneurs to explore the many resources available to them in the area, noting a number are free.

“I think people need to take advantage of all of them,” he said. “They shouldn’t be decid-ing ‘Should I talk to SCORE or should I talk to the SBDC or should I talk to the Power Plant?’ They should be talking to everybody because they’ll glean more information that way. They’ll glean the specifi c information that each organiza-tion is more focused on and they’ll become better entrepre-neurs as a result.”

ERICA BROUGH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/FILE

Santa Fe College’s business incubator, the Center for Innovation & Economic Development in downtown Gainesville in 2009.

FILE PHOTO

Ryan Compton, right, the shop manager at Florida Tech Toybox, demonstrates a large drill press during a GTEC Open House at the Gainesville Technology Entrepreneurship Center in 2014.

Rossi

ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESOURCESCareerSource North Central Florida Startup Quest: http://ca-

reersourcencfl .startupquest.org/College of Central Florida XCEL-IT: http://www.cf.edu/xcelitFlorida Innovation Hub at UF: http://fl oridainnovationhub.ufl .eduFlorida Small Business Development Center: http://fl oridasbdc.

org/Power Plant Business Incubator, Ocala: http://ocalacep.com/

growing-jobs/business-creation/power-plant-business-incubatorSanta Fe College CIED: http://www.sfcollege.edu/cied/Santa Fe College GTEC: http://www.sfcollege.edu/gtec/SCORE: http://www.score.org/Sid Martin Biotech Incubator at UF: http://sidmartinbio.orgStarter Space, Gainesville: http://www.starterspace.comUF Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation: http://warrington.

ufl .edu/centers/cei/US Small Business Administration: http://www.sba.gov


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CareerSource can help you fi nd your next opportunityBy Brittany ValencicCorrespondent

Whether you are seeking employ-ment or have been eyeing that bigger

corner offi ce, CareerSource can help you fi nd your next opportunity.

CareerSource is a state resource network that aims to connect employers with qualifi ed talent and to connect job seekers with employment training and career opportunities, said Laura Byrnes, communica-tions manager at Career-Source Citrus Levy Marion.

“What we try to do at CareerSource is create matches that are going to stick so that the honeymoon phase of the job doesn’t fade quickly, that both the employer and the employee

are happy with the match long after it has happened,” she said. “That is our main goal.”

Job seekers can receive a variety of services, all at no cost to them. The ability to search online job listings, fi nd career and wage information, and take skills and aptitude tests are only a few of the resources available to individuals.

CareerSource is linked to the Employ Florida Market-place, an online job site that allows job seekers to search and apply for jobs.

There are also many different assessment tools

that can assist the job seeker with fi guring out one’s knowledge, skills and abilities and how these experiences translate into the labor market.

“Employers are now requiring before they even interview somebody that the candidate has demon-strated that what you say you can do on your resume, you in fact can do,” Byrnes said. “So many of our assessments have validated service skills, and that is a critical thing. This is the wave of the future.”

Staff-assisted services, which allow for one-on-one

CareerSource is linked to the Employ Florida Marketplace, an online job site that allows job seekers to search and apply for jobs.

CAREERSOURCE


Temporary-jobs fi eldthrives as economy recoversBy Cody SmithCorrespondent

The lasting effects of the Great Recession can still be felt in the U.S. Many industries continue to recover, but one

fi eld in particular has experienced signifi cant growth.

The temporary job industry thrives as the economy recovers. Unlike a full-time position, a temp job runs for a designated amount of time. Temp jobs range from low wage to high-paying positions, and many companies have used them as they regain footing lost during the Recession.

Also known as contractual or interim jobs, temp jobs have grown 57 percent from 2009 to 2014, according to a study performed by job website CareerBuilder. Career-Builder also found that almost 3 million employees currently work in temp jobs, and 46 percent of employers plan to hire temps in 2015.

“Although the economy has improved, many employers are still cautious in adding on permanent staff,” said Erika Quirk, president of temporary staffi ng company Wal-Staf. Wal-Staf has locations in Gainesville, Lake City and Ocala, and operates by working with companies to hire workers for temp positions. The company client decides the duration of the employ-ee’s stay, and Wal-Staf facilitates the hiring process by conducting background checks, interviews and tests.

“Partnering with a staffi ng service such as Wal-Staf for short-term jobs is a way to keep core employment lean and fl exible,” Quirk said.

Quirk said she notices a wide range of workers aiming to join the temp job industry.

“Wal-Staf has every type of employee, from (University of Florida) graduates looking for a temporary job until they move to a new location to retirees looking to supplement their income.”

According to a study by Forbes, computer systems analysts, accountants, heavy truck drivers and registered nurses top the fi elds expected to add the most temp job positions in 2015. Qurik said that many companies have focused on outsourcing their human resources positions to temp job workers in an effort to “focus on their core business.”

While temp jobs can provide temporary relief from unemploy-ment, their short periods make it so that workers are repeatedly looking for jobs despite being temporarily employed.

“Now that employees have more choices and opportunities, if (companies) don’t make them a permanent job offer, they may continue the job hunt,” Quirk said. Wal-Staf aims to remedy this by interviewing applicants for several positions at once, which stream-lines the application process. However, Quirk says that a com-

pany may not put full stock into a temp worker as it would into a full-time employee.

“Sometimes a company won’t provide the same level of training to a temporary employee as to an internal hire,” she said.

“But it can still be a way to diversify your experience.”

With the recovering economy, companies are now more willing to promote temp workers to full-time positions. CareerBuilder found that 56 percent of employers now plan to move their temp workers to full-time gigs, up from the 43 percent fi gure measured in 2014.

“The temporary job industry will only continue to grow as the economy improves.” Quirk said.

“As unemployment continues to drop and it becomes harder to fi nd qualifi ed employees, companies will depend on their staffi ng service partners to help them meet those needs.”

FILE PHOTO

A Wal-staf manager interviews a job seeker.

JOB SERVICESCareerSource Citrus Levy Marion ■

www.careersourceclm.comEmploy Florida Marketplace ■

www.employfl orida.comCareerSource North Central Florida ■

www.careersourcencfl .com

SERVICES AVAILABLETHROUGH CAREERSOURCE

Career counseling ■

Job search assistance ■

Resume assistance ■

Interview practice ■

Skills and aptitude assessments ■

Access to Employ Florida Marketplace jobs listings ■

eLearning courses ■

Career and wage information ■

Online webinars ■

Job fairs ■

Resume building tools ■

Weekly workshops covering a wide array of topics ■

(budget management, computer skills, stress management, social media, networking, etc.)

One-stop career centers complete with computers, print- ■

ers, scanners, fax machines, phones and Internet accessOne-on-one staff assistance ■

career counseling, practice interviews and resume assistance, among many other services, are also available.

“Our staff really does go the extra mile,” Byrnes said. “We will work with you soup to nuts, whatever you need.”

Weekly workshops that cover a wide array of topics are also available to job seekers, said Phyllis Marty, the director of operations at CareerSource North Central Florida. Courses such as stress management, computer basics and budgeting are offered on a weekly basis.

The CareerSource Florida network has 24 different regional workforce boards around the state. Often, a regional board offers certain services that are particu-lar to that region.

For example, CareerSource North Central Florida offers several grant-funded programs such as Startup Quest, an entrepreneurship training program, and STEM Ready, a program providing employers and job seekers training, internships, paid work experience and job placement opportunities in health care, information technology, biotechnology and engineering occupa-tions.

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion offers a six-step Roadmap to Employment option that provides job seekers with direct assistance with job search and training.

CareerSource centers also offer programs for veter-ans, recent graduates and youths.

“I think we are helping the community grow, stay innovative and become leaders in the state of Florida,” Marty said.


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2015 career resource guide - ocala starbanner/ocala.com

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