by Mary Russell, Workforce Development Division Director

In yesterday’s post, I discussed the downturn in the economy and how difficult it is for some people to get a job. Today, we’d like to tell you how the Jefferson County Workforce Center can help you. JCWFC offers an abundance of free services for job seekers to help them find the position that's right for them.

Here is what the center is doing to help in this time of need:

• Citizens may be eligible for training or retraining. This might include skills training, education, licensure or certification in a multitude of fields. Currently, there are over 750 citizens both Youth and Adults enrolled in some form of training to include: truck driving, education, medical coding, nursing, accounting, bookkeeping, energy efficiency and energy auditing, process technology, and more.

• The Jefferson County Workforce Center helps local businesses meet growth objectives, dramatically decrease costs and increase profits with little to no out of pocket cost. For example, there are 21 people currently working in wage subsidy programs. In exchange for training of new skills, the salary of the employee is paid by the center through the program. This enables businesses to survive.

• The Career Center located in the Laramie Building, provides free access to computers, the internet, fax machines, copiers, scanners and phones. They offer over 34 standard workshops on job readiness, resume writing, networking skills, and more. In the last six months, more than 3,000 citizens have attended these workshops. New workshops teach job seekers about Social Networking, Job Search Strategy and Financial Aid. Classes are also offered on Microsoft Word and Excel, basic requirements for people to go to work.

• The Jefferson County Workforce Center is a great partner. One example is with libraries where the center is delivering the "Right Mindset; Right Career" workshop focusing on the emotional and tactical ways to manage job loss and career transition. They are also partnering with St. Anthony's Hospital and the Passport Program, by offering workshops and training for the Boomer population. This partnership has allowed the center to bring the Boomer Job Club and Professional Job Club to the Colorado Mills Mall once a week.

• They are also great partners with local economic developers including Jefferson Economic Council and the local Chambers of Commerce. In an average year, the center serves more than 700 businesses. Although they are not giving as many job orders that they have in the past, the center is still working with them to see how the center can help them. For example, incumbent training. A local electrical company needed to have electricians trained in green energy competencies and in solar panel installation. This was critical for the electric company to remain competitive. The Workforce Center was able to provide some of the training funds.

• The center continues to host job fairs and hiring events. Ameristar recently had a hiring event at the center and interviewed over 40 people. From the candidates, they hired 3 dealers and 1 cashier. Dealers can make $100k if they are really good at what they do.

• One of the most exciting programs is the Career Ready Certificate. This will enable employers to match the skills of career seekers to jobs. Six local businesses large and small have signed up to participate in a pilot program in Jefferson County. This will become part of larger statewide initiative expected to be launched this July, with Governor Ritter's signature.

For more information, you can visit www.jeffcoworkforce.org or call 303-271-4700.