Workforce centers to change name, seek more one-on-one time with job seekers
But the St. Paul Workforce Center on
Gambucci soon enrolled in a free nonprofit program that trains workers for administrative jobs, and will begin a job shadow next week at
"This has been a game changer," Gambucci said. "Now I feel like I'm in launch trajectory."
Gambucci joined a who's who of public officials from
The newly-remodeled space in the
The three
They've taken some criticism over the years for directing unemployed workers to banks of computers and leaving them to fend more or less for themselves, outside of the occasional group resume workshop or networking event.
That's changing, said St. Paul Workforce Center manager
Partly as a result of new state and federal direction, Lang is emphasizing more one-on-one counseling, individualized resume help and other personal touches that aim to reduce the amount of time it takes to get the unemployed connected to the services they need.
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ON THE WEB: RamseyCounty.US/Workforce2017
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"It used to be way more focused on computers," Lang said. "Instead of 'Come back next week or next month,' it's 'Let's sit down and talk about your resume now.'"
In addition, Lang said a series of outreach events that are still being planned will meet workers in the community, instead of waiting for them to come to the centers.
The change in focus will become even more public in October when the 49 workforce centers across
"We're really looking at careers -- not just getting people to jobs," said
By day, Howard oversees restaurant and retail operations at
He's encouraging more employers to take note. Despite
City officials call the changes overdue.
MORE JOBS THAN WORKERS, BUT...
Between them, they served more than 11,000 job-seekers last year, including 4,800 at the St. Paul Workforce Center alone.
State officials note that
"We have more openings than we have people looking for work," said Shawntera Hardy, Commissioner of the
Nevertheless, there's often a mismatch between the types of jobs offering gainful employment and the experience and skill-set of the unemployed.
"It's about reinventing (oneself) and removing barriers," Hardy said.
Transportation challenges pose a common problem, especially for low-income workers in urban areas who have trouble accessing jobs in the suburbs and exurbs, said
He points to a
"We need people all around. Every job that I get, it's difficult placing," Perez said. "The pool is so small, it's like everyone is trying to go after the same seven people. A lot of the disconnect I see is with skills and experience. Companies don't like to take a risk and bring in people who are bald."
While
"There's people who have climbed the ladder but have no degree, and now have lost their job," she said. "They're not ready to retire. They want to get back to those levels, but it's harder without a degree."
She encourages job seekers to think about concise but flattering self-marketing.
After 15 years with a life insurance company,
"Most of her great work was on page 2, 3 and 4," said Lewandowski. "In the five-to-seven seconds an employer looks at a resume, most people wouldn't see it. ... We forget our accomplishments. We remember our mistakes."
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