Missouri Career Center unveils 'business-friendly' expansion

“It has a much more business-friendly atmosphere,” said Bill Dowling, the city of Springfield’s director of work force development, who oversees the Missouri Career Centers in Springfield and Branson.

The center, 2720 Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, moved from a downstairs area of 2,300 square feet to an upstairs space of 4,200 square feet with the ability to expand later. Renovations created a larger resource room, a business-service center and phone bank, a 30-seat classroom and additional computers. Dowling said the changes give the Branson career center the ability to offer more comprehensive customer service to both its business employers and job seekers.

“We basically doubled the space we had,” he said.

Dowling said the Ozark Region Workforce Investment Board received $181,556 from the Missouri Division of Workforce Development in July through a competitive grant opportunity. The funds were split between the Missouri Career Centers in Springfield and in Branson; both are managed by the city of Springfield.

Dowling said that because of the additional office space, the Branson career center has also been able to hire two additional staff members for a total of nine full-time and two part-time employees, including Tom Leonard, the center’s acting manager.

The Missouri Career Center in Branson will hold an open house and ribbon-cutting 1–4 p.m. March 5. The ribbon-cutting will take place at 1:30 p.m. The center is open 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, contact the Branson career center at (417) 334-4156 or visit www.ozarksjobpath.org.

Missouri Career Center Services

• Interview rooms and testing space

• Labor market information

• Tax credit information

• Training assistance

• Job fair partnering

• Layoff and closure assistance

• Access to low-cost business seminars[[In-content Ad]]