New system greets job seekers

Feb 9, 2010 — Creston News Advertiser

Larry Peterson

Feb. 8, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- It's not business as usual at the local jobs center.

In fact, even the name has changed.

IowaWorks Southern Hills, 215 N. Elm St., features a new integrated system of services for job-seekers. Iowa Workforce Development and Workforce Investment Act (formerly known as Job Training Partnership Act) are now part of a "one-stop" center.

The IowaWorks office in Creston is one of just five of these one-stop centers in Iowa providing access to a full range of services pertaining to employment -- training and education, employer assistance and guidance for obtaining other assistance or education programs.

"It's a whole new service delivery model," said Barb DeVore, regional area coordinator for IowaWorks Southern Hills. "All of our services are under one umbrella now, from the (IowaWorks) law passed in 2008."

"We're being proactive in our approach, rather than reactive," said Todd Spencer, regional manager for Iowa Workforce Development.

Rather than walking in and waiting to talk to someone at a reception desk, visitors to IowaWorks now are greeted personally by staff near a pod of computers used to register them as "members" in the IowaWorks network. Their eligibility for a variety of federal and state programs is immediately established.

Remodeling inside the center also includes two skills labs, each with several individual computer stations. Walls were removed to allow easier access for staff members to assist clients in those areas. More attention is paid to anyone entering the center, to assure their access to any training or assessment program that could help them.

"The difference now is that two separate agencies (Iowa Workforce Development and Workforce Investment Act) are now working together in delivery of integrated services," DeVore said. "We didn't always offer our whole array of services and referrals in the past."

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is a federally-funded program to put displaced and laid-off workers back in the workforce. It was formerly known as Jobs Training Partnership Act (JTPA).

In the past, most people working with Workforce Development did so to gain their unemployment insurance, and get answers to questions about their claims. With the two agencies working together, someone asking for unemployment forms may also be asked if they need other services such as resume-writing, interviewing skills classes, or skills training such as computer operation.

"Once their skills are increased, we can match people with the type of job they are seeking, or with actual job openings we have from local employers' information," DeVore said. Some referrals are made to job training and education opportunities at Southwestern Community College, one of the partners of IowaWorks.

PROMISE Jobs, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation and veterans employment specialists are other IowaWorks partners.

"We have numerous workshops to help people get to where they want to go," DeVore said.

One of those people is Lucinda Lamb of Diagonal. She had worked 20 years in insurance billing, but recently found herself looking for a new job.

"My position was eliminated," Lamb said while getting help on updating her resume. "I'm looking for employment, hopefully in a business office."

"One thing we can do is try to match her with employers looking for her types of skills," DeVore said. "Lucinda came in and took advantage of everything we have to offer."

Career and job assistance, workshops and interviewing tips, and education opportunities are all part of the package now at these one-stop work centers.

The legislation was created as economic development officials recognized a looming shortage of skilled workers in Iowa. By 2012, it's estimated the state will have more than 150,000 jobs than available workers to fill them. Post-secondary education or training requirements for many occupations are increasing, just as Iowa's population remains stagnant, and the 'baby-boom" workforce enters retirement.

The integrated workforce system was designed to change traditional methods of unemployment and jobs-training programs, by combining their services for anyone out of work. This "investment in human capital," according to an IowaWorks campaign report, could raise the productivity of the state's available workforce.

If successful, fewer Iowa companies would be in the frustrating position of being unable to expand because of a lack of skilled workers. Improved coordination among IowaWorks programs and private companies can meet the needs of both job seekers and employers, DeVore said.

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