Stephanie Goodrich has a job, but deep down inside she knows she should be earning more. A concierge at a downtown hotel, she's ready to move on to bigger and better things -- she just hasn't known exactly how to get there.
Now, there's some hope.
A new skills-training program being rolled out at libraries throughout New Castle County is designed to help folks like Goodrich -- the unemployed and underemployed -- secure new jobs during this economic downturn.
Called "Re-Wire to be Re-Hired," the free workshops will be offered at seven county libraries over the next year, helping an estimated 700 people with resume preparation, interviewing skills, job searching, computer training, and help finding local career training opportunities to increase their competitiveness in the job market.
The Advanced Staffing Training Institute, a local staffing agency that also has business school certification from the state, will conduct the workshops.
| Re-Wire to be Re-Hired Workshop launch dates Nov. 20: Woodlawn Nov. 30: Garfield Park Dec. 2: Elsmere Dec. 3: Newark, Appoquinimink Dec. 4: Kirkwood Registration required. Call Corinthia Pierce at 302-395-5621 or capierce@nccde.org. |
"Our job is to identify flexible skills people can transfer to new employment, because in this day, people may not get the same kind of job back they had before," said Advanced Staffing CEO Patricia Troy-Brooks.
With many of the estimated 22,000 jobless county residents using libraries during their job search anyway, the workshops seek to maximize the time spent there.
"Our libraries are a great resource...and now we can take folks that have come to use that resource and connect them with training and staffing, to employers and to hope," said County Executive Chris Coons.
According to officials, $200,000 in federal stimulus money will fund the sessions through the First State Community Action Agency.
"Looking for a job can be challenging, frustrating and stressful even during the best economic conditions," said Anne Farley, who heads the county's Community Services Department. "Getting a job is not simply about getting an interview anymore. There's so much prep and skill involved."
For Goodrich, it's computer help she needs. She's confident she's got the experience and resume for a good job in the customer service industry, but she doesn't know how to upload that resume to the Internet - as is required at a lot of career sites.
"Hopefully I can get some new training and pick up some new computer skills that can help me in the job market," she said.
