With Motivation, Job In Fast Foods Poesn’t Have To Be A Dead End £• By Audrey C. Lodato •! Post SUff Writer N CFast f<>od Jobs are often •disparaged as dead-ends or at least Wow starts into the world of * meaningful employment.’! But that’s not necessarily so. •I Like many high schoolers, Anton ^Huntley worked for a couple of fast 'food companies during his senior •year. When he graduated, he stayed ;on at Bojangles’ as an outside •Maintenance worker. Now he’s unit ^manager of the Wilkinson Blvd. ;Bojangles' restaurant. •I “ll’» a good career," Huntley advised. “As long as you put something in, you’ll get something out. There’s no limit; it’s up to me.” When Bob Raspanti took a job at •(he biscuit table at the Central ►Avenue Bojangles’ seven years ago, ►*e was just looking to make some Jdxtra money while a math and •computer major at UNCC. £ Now he’s director of training for jone of the fastest growing chains in •America. And he’s all of 25. J- Kim Archer also started at ►Bojangles’ while in college. •Although she had never thought of ^making a career in fast foods, with a •little help from the company she Svorked up through the ranks to her H>resent position as unit director of •the South Blvd. store. * While still in high school, Steven •Robinson began working on the grill !at the New Hope Rd. Bojangles’ in •Gastonia. He stayed on after •graduating, with plans to eventually •go into the Army. But after a year, jk ' Robinson said, “They asked me if I wanted to go into management.'* Now he's senior co-manager of the Sugar Creek restaurant. And, he added, “I’m real happy with it" These are not isolated instances. With over 300 company-owned and franchised units in operation in 20 states and the District of Columbia, district supervisor John McCain cited 16 in the Charlotte area alone who began as “crew" and are now in management for the company. The ability to move from crew into management is dependent on two major components: the company and the employee. Huntley pointed out, "The moment you're interested in any position, they’ll teach you. I took a stab at all of them." He was helping train others in biscuit-making when he asked his unit manager about moving into management. The manager replied that he could if he would develop a “businessman attitude." But the unit manager didn't leave it at that. “He let me run shifts to help me get ready," Huntley recalled. Training is an important com ponent of Bojangles’ program. According to Raspanti, it’s “designed to make people at the crew level work their way into management. It’s easier to take a crew member who knows all the positions and make him or her management than it is to train a person from the outside." Obviously, however, not every person behind the counter at a Bojangles' restaurant is going to wind up managing the store. What makes the difference?? While "It’s there for the taking,” Raspanti remarked, "you have to be willing to work a little harder. You have to be willing to step beyond what I call the ‘comfort zone’ and be willing to reach out to learn and grow. If you’re afraid to do that because others might think you’re dumb or stupid, you won’t make it.” Robinson commented, "The more you know, the more valuable you are. I was pretty good at making biscuits, and I was training every body. I guess I impressed someone.” But, he admitted, “If they hadn’t helped me, 1 would’t have made it.” Archer also credited the company with being very helpful, noting that she was encouraged in her desire to move from the biscuit table to master biscuit maker and on up. Now, she’s helping one of her crew people who wants to move up. Huntley, too, has helped crew members advance. He explained, "The more we train, the easier it makes our position." Many other people in fast foods management changed from one company to another on their way up. And people who became successful in other fields got their first taste of the business world behind the counter or grill of a fast food restaurant. So don’t knock the fast food industry. The end is as alive as you make it. As Robinson put it, withmotivation, "You can make a career out of it.” Martin Proclaims March “Older Worker Month” Special To The Post Z, Raleigh - Governor James G. Jflartin has proclaimed March, 1986, •as Employment of the Older Worker CMonth in North Carolina. £ In his proclamation, the Governor stated that “Many North Carolina ^business leaders have pledged their ^commitment to hiring middle-aged -and older workers because they Ibnng both experience and maturity jto the labor force. It has been found Shat older workers have high per formance rates and low ^absenteeism.” >- Human Resources Secretary ^Phillip J. Kirk Jr. joined the Governor in urging business, indus try. and government to make a special effort to hire the older adult. • “Age should not be a criteria for Jobs,” Kirk emphasized. “Research Jias proven that older workers generally perform as well as ^younger employees eand, in some leases, noticeably better. The fact is >that many older adults want to work, Sand need jobs to make ends meet.” J Elaine Stoops, Assistant Secretary of the N.C. Department of Human Resources' Division of Aging point ed out that North Carolina provides ■free employment programs to help The older citizen. They include the •Title V Senior Community Service ^Employment Program, the three ^percent Job Training Partnership •Act (JTPA), and the Employment ^Security Commission Service which , ..'.V ; j , »,* ‘ , , , ■ ' .v has a network of offices serving all 100 counties. The N.C. Division of Aging ad ministers Title V of the Older American's Act, a federal employ ment program for low-income older adults. The purpose of this com —mtmtty—service—program-is’ to employ people 55 years of age and older whose income is 25 percent below the nation's poverty level. Currently Title V provides over 1,600 older North Carolinians with part time work each week, regard less of their age. Approximately 300,000 older North Carolinians are eligible to partici pate in the Job Training Partner ship Act. The N.C. Division of Aging awards grants to public and private agencies who wish to take ■•part in JTPA. The grants are ear marked to train people 55 and over for jobs in private business and industry. These are citizens who are economically disadvantaged, under employed, or unemployed These jobs include homemakers, home health aids, inspector packers, fast food operators, medi cal secretaries, and many more. Some older citizens will be paid while receiving on-the-job training, and there is no age limit to partici pate in the program. David T. Flaherty, Chairman of the Employment Security Commis sion of North Carolina, explained that the agency has a statewide network of Job Service offices which provide job counseling, testing, and referral. In some cases, new skills can be acquired through training in community and techni cal colleges. The Employment Security Commission and the .Community College System work closely together for the benefit of older job seekers and employers. This training develops skills that lead to employment. There is also an older worker specialist in each Job Service office. During the period of October 1, 1984 through September 30,1985, more than 12,000 adults over the age of 45 have been placed in jobs. There are currently 835,000 North Carolinians (aged 45 and over) in the work force and 390,000 (aged 55 and over) actually employed. “Employer participation is essential to the success of older worker programs and services,” Flaherty emphasized. “I feel that it is good business to employ the older worker.” SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS MIN'S VOTED SUITS *84“*^ Compare at *169°° SPORTCOATS ,S3m«up Compare at *99°° Specialized Group Orders Fait Expert Altwalltw Arallablf • Loy-Awoys Invited Unit manager Anton Huntley pours tea for customers at Botanies’ Restaurant on Wilkinson Blvd. (Photo by Audrey Lodato) De-ratic Women The Democratic Women's Club of Mecklenburg County is sponsoring a forum with the U.S. Senate hopefuls who are running in the May primary. The forum will be held at the County Office Building, 720 E. Fourth St., fourth floor, on Tuesday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m. Fountain Odom, Bill Belk, Milton Croom, Betty Wallace, and Katherine Harper have promised to be there. The other Democratic senatorial candidates have also beer invited. The forum is open to the public. Pot Luck Supper Women Helping Women: The WomanReach Monthly Networking Pot Luck Supper will be held Tuesday, March 11, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the WomanReach Center Bring a dish and beverage to share, and a friend! Doris Cromartie will be sharing "herstory" of struggle and triumph. The WomanReach Center is a United Way Agency. The facilities are handicapped accessible and ser vices are freely given and freely received. For more information, call a WomanReach peer counselor during Monday - Thursday 10-9 p.m., Fri day, 10-4 p.m., Saturday, 10-3 p.m , at 334-3614 Support Our Advertisers Colinda Howard Continued From Page 1A and 1 think I act like her. So when you see someone who you think is like you in so many ways, you can’t hfelp but like them," Colinda reasons. Colinda’s mother, Wialillian is at the tip-top of her favorite people list. "She can give me a hard time. That's the truth. 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