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Dec. 17th, 2008; Raleigh, North Carolina; Dr. Linda Ray, director, HRD, at Wake Technical Community College announced today the continuation of the new Avadon Career Latticing Series training program that has been helping middle-income professionals regain the strong career foothold they once had.

Said Dr. Ray, “There’s no denying it, the ongoing changes in the global market and workplace, combined with the current economic crisis, have eroded the job safety once enjoyed by middle-income professionals. And, with technology in a constant state of flux, and needed skill sets changing by the minute, we at Wake Tech began to wonder what experienced career professionals had to do to protect their jobs and livelihoods, and how we could help them.”

Soft skills and workforce development pioneers The Avadon Group, along with the Cary Employment Security Commission (CESC), also wondered what they could do. Through long-standing partnerships between these three organizations, a more concerted private-public partnership was formed. It is a collaboration that can step outside all boundaries and maximize the abilities and talents of each organization to better help individual workers.

The result of this ideal collaboration has been the creation of the Avadon Career Latticing Series (CLS). Said Avadon founder Norma Owen: “CLS is focused on the specific needs of those middle-income professionals facing a changing world and the potential or current loss of their jobs. The training series is designed to ensure that those in career transition have the fundamental and foundational skills needed to survive and succeed — no matter what change occurs in the global job market and workplace.”

In the last quarter alone, the collaborative Wake Tech-Avadon-CESC program has helped more than 800 personnel from UPS, the News & Observer, Nortel, and GlaxoSmithKline — and they can help you too. If you’ve recently lost your job, or are about to, you’re entitled to attend the CLS program free of charge. And, because CLS focuses on helping individuals get a better understanding of themselves and how they can maximize their value, this series can help businesses become more efficient and profitable too!
In a pioneering move, to respond to the growing number of displaced professionals in the Raleigh area, Five Star Staffing & Accounting Recruiters has joined forces with The Avadon Group, in co-operation with Wake Technical Community College, to bring a premier career transition series to the community. Through six, tailored class sessions, Avadon’s Career Latticing Series (CLS) provides each student with the key competencies crucial to succeeding in today’s global marketplace.

“At Five Star Staffing and Accounting Recruiters, we are constantly striving to improve the services we provide and maintain sensitivity to the ongoing needs of those we serve by providing avenues for resources based on those needs,” stated Cindy Heath, principal.

The firm’s core competencies: responsiveness, motivation, accuracy, credibility, and strategic thinking, are a powerful foundation from which to offer Avadon’s CLS. Tying into Five Star's core competencies, this leading-edge program covers global job trends, branding and marketing yourself, and the power of a contractor mentality, in today's turbulent and fast-paced work environment.

Said Norma Owen, Avadon Group president: “We are proud and honored to be a part of this groundbreaking collaboration between the public and private sector. Five Star Staffing and Accounting Recruiters continue to show leadership in their industry. It is not a surprise they have taken a leading position to help during an enormously challenging time of unprecedented unemployment.”

This special, six-session series will be held the at Five Star's new location, beginning on November 17th. This is an invitation-only event valued at $600. The first session of the Career Latticing Series is Find Your Perfect Career.

For more information on this special series, contact Five Star Staffing and Accounting Recruiters at 919-854-4488.

About FiveStar
Five Star Staffing and Accounting Recruiters is a locally owned staffing firm with more than 13 years of service to the Triangle area. This woman-owned firm specializes in the placement of temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire employees in the administrative and accounting fields. Principals Donna Y. Peery and Cindy S. Heath have more than 37 years of combined industry experience offering outstanding customer service and support to its clients and candidates. Five Star supports the community through affiliations with professional organizations such as The Triangle Society for Human Resource Management, Raleigh Wake Human Resource Management Association, and The National Association of Women Business Owners. In addition, it supports various charities and community outreach programs. To find out more, visit the company's website at www.FiveStarStaffing.com.

About Wake Tech
Wake Technical Community College is a two-year, public institution, providing an open door to education and training for the citizens of Wake County and the surrounding communities. Known as “College for the Real World,” Wake Tech provides a comprehensive array of learning opportunities. It features: curriculum (for-credit) programs in more than 168 academic, vocational, and technical specialties, two-year associate degrees in science, applied science, the arts, and general education; university transfer programs for entry into four-year institutions; and diploma and certificate programs that prepare workers to succeed at jobs in high demand in the community. The college also offers a broad scope of continuing education courses, including training for entrepreneurs and small business owners, public safety officer training (fire, rescue, and law enforcement), high school equivalency classes, and non-credit courses for personal and professional development, as well as customized workforce training for new and expanding industries and a co-operative education program that interfaces with the corporate community. To learn more, please visit: www.waketech.edu.

About Avadon
The Avadon Group is an agency of experts dedicated to engineering workforces and workplaces for rapid reinvention and dominance in the global marketplace through training, facilitation, and consulting. Avadon’s processes work because they bridge the specific gaps and disconnects that occur between each business and its personnel; and on a larger scale between business, government, education, and the community. By forming alliances between all concerned parties, Avadon’s efforts can help ensure the long-term success of entire regions.

Led by founder Norma Owen, a 2005 Business Leader Magazine Woman Extraordinaire, The Avadon Group is a recognized leader in the world of 21st century work dynamics.