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2014 CAREERS EDITION SW Washington Agency to Help Long-Term Unemployed Of The Skanner News D ave Josephson spent his career working in commercial construc- tion; until the jobs disappeared. He was laid off in October 2011. Out of work for nearly a year, Josephson had to learn how to job search, write a resume and highlight his transferable skills dur- ing job interviews. With a team of coun- selor and trainers at WorkSource helping every step of the way, Josephson found a new career path. Today, he’s the Assistant Fleet and Facilities Manager at Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Contact WorkSource in Clark County at 360-735-5000 “I was going to change my career path; I just did not know how to get there,” said Dave Josephson. “Thank goodness I stopped in to WorkSource to get an under- standing of the types of services they pro- vide.” WorkSource will use a $325,000 grant from the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council to pro- vide services to 75 individuals who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more. The money is part of a $4 million Rapid Response grant distributed to the state’s 12 workforce development councils this week by the Governor’s office to help get long-term unemployed individuals back to work. With the funds, WorkSource will pro- vide job placement services, coaching, work-based training (on-the-job training, supported work experience, internships), and short-term intensive skills training to individuals in Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties. On-the-job training and supported work experience offset some of the employer’s hiring costs. For example, OJT reimburs- es the company for a portion of the trainee’s salary as they learn skills cus- tomized to that business. Funds will also be available for new employees to obtain certifications or other trainings the busi- ness requires for them to be hired. “WorkSource has a vast array of servic- es available to job seekers and has suc- cessfully helped many long-term unem- ployed individuals find jobs,” said John Vanderkin, SWWDC Board vice-chair and president of Employers Overload. “But many continue to need assistance and these funds will help us provide serv- ices to additional individuals.” Individuals who have been out of work for several months sometimes face bias from employers. As President Obama mentioned during a speech in January, these individuals have significant educa- tion and experience and can greatly bene- fit a company. “Dave is a wonderful asset not just to our facilities department but to the entire district,” said Nancy Tessman, FVRL executive director. “We would have been happy to connect with a future employee like Dave no matter how he found us.” She continued, “But, we’re appreciative that WorkSource was there - as it has been for a number of our employees - to sup- port and encourage him in pursuing a position with us.” Businesses looking for employees can contact Darcy Hoffman at the Vancouver WorkSource office at 360-735-5038 or dhoffman@esd.wa.gov or Tina Cruz at the Kelso WorkSource office at 360-578- 4254 or tcruz@esd.wa.gov for free assis- tance writing job descriptions, posting job openings and screening candidates. Individuals looking for jobs should con- tact WorkSource in Clark County at 360- 735-5000 and in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties at 360-577-2250 to learn about no-cost programs that will help them gain the necessary skills to be competitive in today’s job market. We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. WSU continued from page 9 versity is renowned for its personal approach to education that enhances the intellectual, creative and practical abilities of its students. Campus resources The 351-acre campus features 14 build- ings that span out from the landmark Firstenburg Family Fountain and quadran- gle. Students benefit from state-of-the-art technology, fabrication labs, science research labs, group instruction labs, fine arts labs, a circuits and microprocessors lab, computer-aided drafting lab and writ- ing center. WSU Vancouver’s library has more than 800 journals in hardcopy and more than 9,000 full-text online journals and news- papers, a core collection of more than 30,000 books and access to more than 100 major bibliographic databases. The library participates in several local and regional library consortia. Student life There is currently no on-campus hous- ing, but WSU Vancouver offers many activities and events during the day and evenings. The school boasts an active stu- dent government and more than 50 recog- nized student organizations that make it easy for students to connect with others who share their passion. Student organiza- tions may be academic, cultural, political, recreational, spiritual, service-oriented, social or special interest. Weekend snowboarding/skiing, hiking and rock climbing trips, and intramural sports offer balance to academic pursuits. The campus also features six miles of pedestrian and biking trails, a fitness cen- ter and multipurpose court and sports fields. The opening of Firstenburg Student Commons in the fall of 2007 marked a change in student life on the campus. The Commons provides a central place for stu- dents to congregate. It is equipped with games and three 52-inch LCD TVs. A 25-year success story How well does WSU Vancouver serve its community and the local economy? These facts provide the best testimonial: Since its establishment in 1989, WSU Vancouver has graduated more than 9,500 alumni, of whom 75 percent currently live and work in the Vancouver/Portland area. Washington State University Vancouver vancouver.wsu.edu, 360-546-WSUV Captain continued from page 6 homeless kids attending the Community Transitional School. It always strikes me at that jail facility there is a multiracial community of employees that, even despite the difficult conditions they might work in, make a major effort to give back to local fam- ilies. Can you just talk about the community of people who work at the jail facilities? Peterson: It’s not just a black and white type of element. We have pastors, we have teachers to come here to get a job and make a difference among inmates, it’s one of those things that has attracted people from all over the place. We have people from countries such as the Ukraine, Romania, Panama, Eastern European Counties, and Cuba, as well as people across the United States. What they’re finding is this is a job, especially in corrections, that gives you a livable wage to be able to take vacations, take care of your family. A lot of people don’t understand that’s huge in today’s economy. So they get an incredible opportunity. TSN: What are some of the jobs there that people don’t realize exist? Peterson: Within just the context of the Sheriff’s office, we have EPTs, Auxiliary Service Equipment Property Technicians in our agency. These are civilian staff who are responsible for inmate property and inmate funds. They’re responsible for laundry deliveries of clean linen and cloth- ‘This is a job that gives you a livable wage to be able to take vacations, take care of your family’ ing for inmates and warehousing supplies for the entire Sheriff’s Office as well as running the commissary opera- tion to allow inmates to purchase personal items and snacks. The records unit, that’s another one that’s non-sworn. They put in warrants, they help with setting up prisoner transports, calculate release dates, monitor Federal prison- er, manage mug shot and create computer records for inmates. I work closely with the medical staff — a lot of people don’t know that there are actually doctors and nurs- es, CNAs and psychologist who help us make sure the inmates are healthy and doing well. There are jobs in human resources, finance, electronic services, facility secu- rity, counseling services for inmates along with office assis- tants that help with administrative duties. It’s been a really interesting 27 years. I never thought it would get to captain, but it’s a blessing and an honor. For more information about applying for jobs with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department, go to http://web.multco.us/jobs. Page 10 The Skanner News Careers Edition May 21, 2014
