October 6, 2010
Minority & Small Business Week
Page 7
Job Support for Challenging Times
PCC Cascade’s
Pursuit of
Employment
Hundreds o f local job seekers
convened at the Cascade Campus
o f Portland Community College in
north Portland for something much
different from a job fair.
PCC's Workforce Development
Program recently held its second
Pursuit o f Employment at the cam
pus' Moriarty Arts and Humanities
Auditorium. The event, which oc
curs each term at the campus, is
designed to bring inspiration and
motivation to job seekers who may
have hit a roadblock in their search
for work and need encouragement.
Attendees get to hear from local
m otivational speakers who con
veyed their experiences.
One o f the speakers was Ken
Berry, a 40-year teacher and admin
istrator for Portland Public Schools
and a product o f Portland Commu
nity College.
"W eallneedaboost," said Berry,
iracee wells (trom left) and Rita White, employment specialists with Portland Community College’s
Workforce Development Program, meet Joyce Phelps, one of the participates at a ‘Pursuit of
Employment’job fair.
who runs the annual Martin Luther
King Jr. communitywide celebration
through Portland Public Schools.
"One thing I try to share with the
group is that we all have resources
around us and regardless o f what
our challenges are, our goals are
attainable. A lot o f people are going
through challenging times, but the
more individuals surround them
selves with others that are motiva
tional and provide support, the bet
ter."
Bennie Hill, in her 60s, attended
the PCC employment event and said
it indeed gave her a boost. Hill, who
works as a hairdresser and is inter
ested in becoming an entrepreneur,
has explored PCC to get more ad
ministrative skills and wants to learn
more about business plans. She's
been to both Pursuit o f Employment
get-togethers and has seen a tre
mendous growth in the concept.
Tracee Wells, who is an employ
m ent sp e c ia list w ith P C C 's
Workforce Development Program
and is a certified life coach, trainer
and career placement specialist, said
the Pursuit o f Employment fair gives
job seekers a way to build relation
ships and find support.
There were plenty o f connec
tions at the recent event. Commu
nity leaders and speakers included
Roy Jay o f the African American
Chamber o f Commerce and Project
Clean Slate; Melissa Ballard, a sup
portive employment coordinator;
Eddie Lincoln, PCC's Workforce
Network and Project Enterprise
Coordinator, April Johnson, a PCC
alumna; and Frank Harris, an asso
ciate facilities manager.
"Many times we limit how much
effort we put into ourselves when
we are working on a project yet we
expect a different outcome," Harris
told the crowd o f nearly 200." Know
the true value o f time. Be prepared.
Make every opportunity count. So,
in everything you do, be committed
to yourself and give it your best
shot."
Ken Berry, the 40-year veteran of
Portland Public Schools, emphasized
the power o f having an education in
that preparation for finding a job. He
worked at KGW radio as a disc
jockey while taking classes at PCC.
conneci wun us
City of Portland
Multnomah County
P rocure m e nt S ervice s
Sophia Cavalli, Procurement Supervisor:
Greg Wolley: 503.823.6860, greg.wolley@portlandoregon.gov
503-988-5111 x 26106,
Loretta Young: 503.823.6850, loretta.young@portlandoregon.gov
sophia.cavalli@co.multnomah.or.us
Gene Jackson: 503.823.9166, gene.jackson@portlandoregon.gov
h ttp ://w w w .c o .m u ltn o m a h .o r. us
w w w .p o rtla a d o n tin e . c o m /o m f/p u rc h a s e s
•H -& .
M i