JOBLINK—Follow-up Coordinator/Case Manager Alan Wyatt takes a moment to speak with clients (from left) Casey Hamm and Roxanne Arnold.

JobLink offerings highlighted

Alleghany JobLink Career Center, which chartered in the county in December 2004, has several partnering agencies in place to better serve its clients in search of a new career path or higher education. Through the center's agencies, individuals are able to access information regarding job listings, job placements, market and career information, career assessments, as well as information regarding educational or training opportunities.

WIA Director Ginger Shaffer provided information regarding the JobLink Career Center system. The vision of the system, according to the information, is to improve the economy of the state by developing a system that offers "labor market information, provides access to career training and job placement services and serves a the connection between employees and qualified workers."

The Alleghany JobLink Career Center's partnering agencies include the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Get Resources, Employment, Advancement and Learning (Get REAL), the Employment Security Commission (ESC), Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), the Department of Social Services and Wilkes Community College Human Resources Development (HRD). According to information provided by Alan Wyatt, who serves as a follow-up coordinator/case manager, most of the programs have scheduled hours to serve the public. However, DSS hours have yet to be determined.

WIA

Wyatt commented he took the position of follow-up coordinator/case manager in December 2006. In his full-time job, he works for Wilkes Community College and Ginger (Shaffer).

Summarizing the work of the WIA, Wyatt said, "We're basically helping adults and dislocated workers who want to go back to school, get a degree to better themselves. Some of them may have never been (in school) at all. It's just to get them back into the job market and get them ready to go back to work. The ultimate goal of the program is for people to be successfully employed at a level of self- sufficiency."

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