Tri-Valley One-Stop Career Center Offers Many Helpful Services for Employers and Employees

The Tri-Valley One-Stop Career Center is one group that has not been caught unaware by the lagging economy. In fact, it has been just the opposite. The center's staff have been ramping up their services for employers, employees, and job-seekers in the Tri-Valley for quite a while. And by offering free training in high-demand skills like popular computer programs and medical terminology, the One-Stop is also focusing on workers who still have jobs but are concerned about the future of their industries.

The One-Stop in Pleasanton, at 5020 Franklin Drive, is one of several sister centers located throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The group is a member of EASTBAY Works, a regional partnership designed to coordinate employment activities in both counties and funded by the Department of Labor and the State of California. There are also many community-based partnerships in place, involving local cities, chambers of commerce, community colleges, employers, and other organizations.

All the centers offer resources to the general public for the purpose of seeking jobs, training, or education, as well as more specific services for job seekers and special populations. They also provide the business community with a wide range of resources and services, many of which are available at no charge.

Pat Donovan is the Business Services Representative at the Pleasanton One-Stop. "I look at myself as a broker between an employer and the clients coming through," she says. Among the services under her umbrella are: human resources consultation, including assistance with employee skills assessments, outplacement services, and labor market information; help locating business funding, such as small business funding, On-the-Job Training (OJT), and Welfare-to-Work; and assistance locating local business resources such as SCORE and SBA representatives. Assistance filling job vacancies, with no-charge or low-cost resources including on-site recruitment services, is available through a special hotline, (888) 411-HIRE. Information about salary reimbursements for employers working with OJT participants is also available at this number.

The One-Stop Centers also administer the Incumbent Worker Program, a provision of the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The program makes grants to fund training so employers can upgrade the skills of their employees, making them more productive and allowing the business to operate more efficiently.

The Rapid Response Program is a downsizing resource designed to develop employment transition services in the case of a layoff or facility closure. Made up of representatives from the Workforce Investment Board and the state Employee Development Department, the Rapid Response Team provides guidance for both employers and employees. "I have been privileged to go out and talk about the services of the One-Stop and the workshops we provide before a plant closes," Donovan comments. "Some of the larger employers out here had big layoffs, and we have been very successful in getting additional training funds into our area from the Workforce Investment Board."

The Franklin Street center is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; Wednesday from noon to 7:00 pm; and Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. For more information call Donovan directly at (925) 485-5264 or visit www.trivalleyonestop.com.

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