Missouri Career Center provides job skill training, more

Everyone who walks through the door of the Missouri Career Center at 1514 S. Glenstone has a tale to tell.

Usually, it's a sad one about job layoffs, poverty, lack of work skills, or dropping out of high school. Whether age 14 or 70, they all need work and are frustrated in their job searches.

"We serve anyone who walks through our doors," said Jaydean Miller, work force development supervisor at the center. "When someone comes in saying he hates his job or she's having trouble finding work, we serve them."

Clients' needs

The center, formerly the Job Council of the Ozarks, offers different levels of service depending on clients' needs, Miller said. First, the job seeker registers with the state labor market program, Missouri Works, to begin a computer search for opportunities.

"If they need more than that, they are interviewed by an intake staff member who tries to find out what is going on with them," Miller said. "Do they have computer skills? Where are they having problems in their job search? We help them make a career assessment and determine which area is best for them. If they need help making these choices or in getting training, they are assigned a case manager to work with."

Miller said that even college graduates come in to attend workshops on job-seeking skills, and usually they leave feeling they've enhanced their chances of finding work.

But for job seekers with few skills, or with skills no longer in high demand, the training program can mean the difference between minimum-wage, dead-end jobs and a start on a new career.

GED program

The center has two full-time GED teachers, June Dillard and Jackie Adams, who offer year-round classes. Students work at their own pace and receive one-on-one assistance from teachers as necessary. Because of high demand, computer training lasts for eight weeks; however, a GED student may attend for as long as it takes to prepare for the GED exam. Miller stressed that the center is "not a job-training facility, but we can teach job-readiness skills."

For job training, caseworkers help clients apply to Ozarks Technical Community College or Gibson Tech in Reeds Spring, according to Patricia Pendleton, a work force development professional.

Pendleton works in the Dislocated Worker Program, helping those who have lost jobs through no fault of their own.

"I assess their history, skills and interests, and help them figure out if training is an option for them," she said. "Clients need to be financially stable during their training time which might mean a spouse's income or unemployment benefits and if they are, we'll provide funding for tuition. Our job is to help them with self-discovery throughout the decision-making process; to open the door for them to understand what they have to consider. They need to fully understand the impact of staying out of the work force during training and what it means to enter a new career."

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Pendleton said that although there is no formal agreement between the center and the training schools, the center provides documentation to schools guaranteeing tuition, and the schools create a training plan for each individual, estimating costs so that the center can budget and "obligate funding."

She pointed to a former client, Debbie Davis, as a classic success story. At 31, Davis was the department manager of ladies' wear for the local Venture store when the store closed. With counseling from Pendleton, she began OTC evening classes to train as a medical claims analyst. She found employment as an insurance claims clerk at United Health Care at a higher salary with a steadier work schedule and the potential for promotion.

Most clients seem to lean to toward jobs in clerical and computer work, or careers in allied health fields, such as LPN, surgery or respiratory technicians, according to Pendleton.

Young people, often high school dropouts who are living on their own or who need incomes even while at home, also come to the center looking for work.

According to Chuck Matthews, the center's youth services director, the center "assists them to get a GED, and helps them find jobs while they attend the classes. We shy away from fast food, unless the person wants that, because we emphasize employment with an occupational future. When they've got the GED, we can assist with funding for college or vo-tech training. We've had kids who found work at radio stations, hospitals, Habitat for Humanity's warehouse. We want them to get actual job skills they can use to get and keep employment."

As to the programs' rate of success, Miller said, "I wish we had a bell we could ring every time someone gets a job. Sometimes I think we're working ourselves out of our jobs."