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I/O 1 t i t UAKVILLt BtAVUK Wednesday April z i , lyyy Business To reach this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Pho to by Peter C. M cCusker P O N Y P A R TY : The Ford Mustang is still a legendary car even after 35 years. Ford Canada's head office marked the anniversary of the car's launch last week with appropriate fanfare. Employees includ­ ing Christine Baxter of Sales Operatioons and Lynne Niepage of Finance dressed in beachwear. T h e Oak ville Beaver mil McGowan Insurance Services Ltd. S u p a C l u b s - ■Bentley* CLARINS To p u rc h a se y o u r tick e ts w ith Visa, M astercard o r A m erican E xpress p lease call D on o r J u lia a t (9 0 5 ) 2 5 7 -4135 • GRAND PRIZE - Caribbean Cmise with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. One week, two people, air from Toronto. • SECOND PRIZE SuperClubs, Breezes Golf & Beach Resort, Runaway Bay Jamaica. One week, two people, all inclusive, air from Toronto. THIRD PRIZE - Antigua, Royal Antiguan Beach & Tennis Resort. One week, two people, all inclusive. • FOURTH PRIZE SuperClubs, Puntarena, Cuba. One week, two people, all inclusive, air from Toronto. • FIFTH PRIZE - SuperClubs, Breezes Nassau Bahamas. Three or four nights, two people, all inclusive, air from Toronto. f> 0 EARLY BIRD DRAW! • MARCH 1 8 ,1 9 9 9 • Sun Care Gift Basket • Weekend Car Rental Number of Tickets Printed 15,000 Licence No. M555818 Draws will be held at the Burloak Canoe Club at 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on the following dates: Early Bird - January 21, 1999 March 18, 1999 Draws - May 13,1999 Tickets $10 available from: Lions Club Members & Community Partners Web site launched for those seeking apprenticeship data A vailab le c o u rs e s , jo b s , l is te d o n th e n e t By Am ber C larke SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Anew interactive web site designed for people interested in apprenticeship and training oppor­tunities in skilled trades has been launched in Halton. Apprentice.net is aimed at people interested in getting into the skilled trades field, employers looking for appren­ tices, and those already in the field looking for further train­ ing opportunities. The site contains three major sections: current job post­ ings and training opportunities offered by employers in Halton, personal skills profiles of apprenticeship candidates, and occupational profiles of apprenticeship trades. Apprentice.net was developed and launched by the Halton Industry Education Council (HIEC) Career Centre and Human Resources Development Canada. The HIEC Career Centre consulted with Burlington-based Menasco Aerospace Ltd. to get an employers point-of-view in the development of the site . Apprentice.net is specific to Halton Region. "We want to help promote opportunity in skilled trades and make the whole process easier," explained Kelly Hoey of the HIEC Career Centre. "Right now in our economy there are excellent opportunities available in skilled trades, and there is a shortage of workers. The demand is expected to continue. "The Auto Parts Manufacturing Association predicts 34,680 new trades people will be needed in the manufactur­ ing sector in Ontario between 1998-2007," said Hoey. Apprentice.net is the first web site to allow skilled trade employers to post job and training opportunities and choose from applicants who have completed a personal skills pro­ file. A personal skills profile lets an employer know how to contact a potential apprentice, and the individual's relevant paid and non-paid training and experiences. Hoey explained the average age a person pursues skilled trade work through an apprenticeship program is 28. "We want to make apprenticeship programs available for people at earlier ages. Apprentice.net will enable potential apprentices to make informed decisions about their future at an earlier age." said Hoey. "It's interesting work with good pay and a solid future." What will make the site unique is the ongoing matching system between employers and apprenticeship candidates. HIEC Career Centre employees will continuously monitor the site to make connections between employers and employees, and give feedback to both employers and poten­ tial apprentices. Apprentice.net also contains lots of links to skilled trade career and employment information. Operating m anual critical for your business By Dave Anderson SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER You've struggled long and hard to build a business and now you want to sell. Succession is one of the biggest problems any business must eventually face. When you go to sell, the problem is always the same. The people with the money don't know anything about run­ ning the business and the people who T h e ^ B u s in e s s^. D o c t o r ^ know how to run the business don't have any money. The key to selling your business effectively lies in preparing to sell long before you are ready to do so. Ray Kroc taught us the process. You may be famil­ iar with the business Ray built. It is called McDonalds. The key is to sell your business the same way McDonalds sells a franchise. When you buy a franchise from McDonalds, you buy a detailed recipe on how to run the business. There are man­ uals dictating everything. How to hire. How to advertise. How to run a sale. How to buy inventory. How to attract customers. How to cook a hamburger, etc. It's all in the manuals. In your business, it's all in your head. And because it is in your head, the indi­ vidual who has the money to buy would be crazy to do so. The instant you walk away, he's lost. If you want to sell your business with as little hassle as possible, you need to create a policies and procedures manual. You need a policies and procedures man­ ual that defines every operational detail of your business. Yes, I know. This is a big job, but isn't that big a job if you start now and do it each day, one page at a time. Get your people involved. Let them define the systems they use in their jobs. Dictate it into a tape recorder when you are lying on the beach and let a secretary type it up. Not only will the end product help you sell, but the exercise can help you find new ways to improve sales and pro­ ductivity right now. Setting it on paper will force you to analyze how and what you are doing and will stimulate you to look for a better way and more profitable way of doing it. Think about it. If you were going to put a million or two or five down for a company you knew little or nothing about, wouldn't it be reassuring if the seller handed you a set of manuals and said: "Here is how we run this company. Everything is defined and detailed." Dave Anderson is available for sales meetings and annual conferences, 705- 526-7661. th c ln 'l* *W*r«n* Upscale Social livcnls for SINGLUS T H E S I N G L E G O U R M E T www.thesinglegourmet.com Phone: (905) 827-5912. Toll Free: 1-800-874-5078 OAKVILLE www.oavkillehonda.com #/VKVILII PI.ACT www.oakvilleplace.com GEAR« Now Playing At www.interlog.com/~gear C A TC H IT A T (COSCOGI: wave* A C O G E C O P R O D U C T Local Business In te rn e t f l r J r J r n n n P , ' J n To advertise in this Feature please nOQlGSS uUluG contactRavsPeers845-3S24 ext.#286 e-mail: citv@worldchat.com LOCKWOOD K a C H R Y S L E R 845-6653 175 WYECROFT ROAD www.lockwoodchrysler.com OAKVILLE CHAMBER COM M ERCt www.chamber.oakville.on.ca chamber@chamber.oakville.on.ca KERR C A D ILLA C PONTIAC BU IC K INC. Optimum u s e d v e h ic le s B E S T P R I C E • N O H A S S L E V is it o u r w e b s ite : www.kerrcadillac.com T O W N E CHEVROLET OLDSMOBILE GEO www.townechev.com w w w .b ra n tflo ris t.c o m gifts@ brantflorist.com http://www.thesinglegourmet.com http://www.oavkillehonda.com http://www.oakvilleplace.com http://www.interlog.com/~gear mailto:citv@worldchat.com http://www.lockwoodchrysler.com http://www.chamber.oakville.on.ca mailto:chamber@chamber.oakville.on.ca http://www.kerrcadillac.com http://www.townechev.com http://www.brantflorist.com mailto:gifts@brantflorist.com