HR Partnership | May 31, 2009

In a recent survey conducted for the Association of American Colleges and Universities, more than 60 percent of employers polled said recent graduates lacked the skills needed to succeed in a global economy. In an environment where competition from abroad is rapidly increasing, well planned steps should be taken to better prepare today’s students to compete in an increasingly globalizing world.

Take the survey. This is your opportunity to provide guidance to those training your future employees.

https://survey.vccs.edu/ss/wsb.dll/s/41g6c4

Click to read more...

Category: Education & Workforce | No Comments »
Tags: Education, Hampton Roads, TCC

HR Partnership | May 30, 2009

by Joshua P. Darden, Jr.

Originally printed as an op-ed in The Virginian-Pilot on Sunday, May 10, 2009; reposted here in its entirety courtesy of Mr. Darden.

As we approach yet another gubernatorial campaign, it’s hard to believe that over six years have passed since a transportation referendum was held asking Hampton Roads voters to approve a 1 percent sales tax increase to fund urgently needed road, bridge and tunnel improvements. At the time, I was finance chairman for the Committee to Reduce Traffic Congestion, also known as The Yes Campaign. We raised nearly $2.2 million to inform voters about the advantages of creating a stable, independent source of transportation revenue and the serious consequences of not doing this.

Click to read more...

Category: Government & Citizens, Transportation | No Comments »
Tags: Civic Engagement, Darden, Transportation

HR Partnership | May 28, 2009

Michael Spar, a demographer with the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, recently appeared on WHRV Radio’s Hearsay with Cathy Lewis, to discuss the new cohort dropout rate. His publication, Understanding the New Methods and The Bigger Numbers, provides the new measures for high school dropout rates.

Click to read more...

Category: Economy, Education & Workforce | No Comments »
Tags: Education, Hampton, HamptonRoadsPerforms.org, WHRO

HR Partnership | May 27, 2009

by Victoria Cash, Director of Leisure at CI TRavel; Cruising Norfolk is the blog devoted entirely to Norfolk Cruises. It is published as a community service by CI Travel to connect travelers going on cruises from Norfolk to share comments, experiences, suggestions and tips for great things to do while on or off the ship.

Click to read more...

Category: Visit HR | No Comments »
Tags: Bermuda, CI Travel, Norfolk Cruise, Tourism

HR Partnership | May 27, 2009

Hampton Roads’ charities use the annual Pungo Strawberry Festival, the 26th celebrated in 2009, to raise money. The Lions Club sells strawberry shortcakes, money they raise to help kids with diabetes. Breast cancer survivors were raffling a Harley to help raise money to find a cure. Crowds in Pungo this Memorial Day weekend were looking for more they strawberries, they’re eager to help their community. All proceeds from our Festival are donated to non-profit community and service organizations.

Click to read more...

Category: Visit HR | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Pungo, Pungo Strawberry Festival, Tourism, Virginia Beach

HR Partnership | May 26, 2009

This past weekend (May 22-May 24), the boardwalk at the Virginia Beach oceanfront was bustling with excitement. In honor of Memorial Day and the start of summer, people crowded the area to take part in the Great American Backyard Barbeque.

Click to read more...

Category: Visit HR | No Comments »
Tags: Beach Street USA, Boardwalk, Great American Barbeque, Oceanfront, Virginia Beach

HR Partnership | May 26, 2009

In practical terms, the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement’s long-term goal is to change the way that public decisions are made in Hampton Roads.

For the Center, there are multiple underlying operating assumptions:

1. First, that the inclusion of citizens in the public choices related to their region’s quality of life and future enhances the quality and sustainability of public decisions and supports accountability and transparency.
2. And second, that citizens have both rights and duties to participate in the shaping of their community and all public decision making will be improved by the informed engagement of citizens.

To read more and see HRCCE’s first issue of their electronic newsletter: http://www.hrcce.org/publications/May2009Newsletter.html

Click to read more...

Category: Government & Citizens | No Comments »
Tags: Civic Engagement, Hampton Roads, HRCCE

HR Partnership | May 26, 2009

Governor Tim Kaine recognized May 24-30 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week and reminds Virginians that the Commonwealth will mark its second annual Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday from Monday, May 25, through Sunday, May 31.

“Hurricane season will soon be here and now is a good time to start thinking about what you will need if one of these devastating storms affects Virginia,” Governor Kaine said. “These tax breaks should help everyone buy the items they need to see them through the difficult days that follow the storms.”

Click to read more...

Category: About Hampton Roads, Business Community, Economy, Government & Citizens | No Comments »
Tags: Economy, Environment, Governor Kaine, Hurricane Preparedness, Tax Holiday

HR Partnership | May 26, 2009

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) presented a draft Six-Year Improvement Program for Fiscal Years (FY) 2010-2015 to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). The total proposed program is $7.4 billion, down from $8.9 billion in the revised FY 2009-2014 budget approved three months ago.

The FY 2010-2015 budget reflects $650 million in cuts to the highway program and $880 million in reductions to rail and transit. The highway declines are largely a result of continued state and federal revenue shortfalls, while the transit and rail declines are mainly attributed to the transition of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which reduced the program by $776 million.

Hampton Roads District Public Hearings will be held Thursday, June 4, at 6pm at the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23320.

Click to read more...

Category: Transportation | No Comments »
Tags: CTB, DRPT, Hampton Roads, Transportation, VDOT

HR Partnership | May 25, 2009

Click on the MSNBC Video Link above from May 25, 2009

(apologizes for the 15-second ad that plays before the news clip)

NBC Nightly News’ Memorial Day remembrances around the country included one in Hampton Roads’ Norfolk, Virginia on the deck of the U.S.S. Wisconsin sitting dockside at the Nauticus Museum.

Click to read more...

Category: About Hampton Roads, Military Bastion | No Comments »
Tags: Military Bastion, Tourism