The American Job Center in Rock Island will benefit from grant funding to develop its career programs.
Sarah Cleveland is the Business Services Manager for the American Job Center. “We need trades in our community,” Cleveland said. “They build our hospitals and our streets. They are what gives us our community.”
The American Job Center will use $195,000 in grant funding from the state of Illinois to improve services for people interested in trade jobs through pre-apprenticeship programs. “I think this is a big deal for both the job-seeker and the local trades,” Cleveland said. “The point of the program is to provide skills training for individuals and transition services into DOL apprenticeships.”
Lori Warren is Program Director for the American Job Center. She says younger people are becoming more interested in the trades recently. “I think people are starting to realize that you can get a good job,” Warren said. “You can have good skills and a good future and not have gone to college. I do think that there are some young people today that are choosing that path because there is a good market for it. It’s good, honest work, and you work hard, you get the great benefits that come from it.”
Warren says the money will help job applicants find employment, join unions and help the job center transition employees. “We work with historically marginalized populations,” Warren said. “We really try to make the best choices so that they can provide for their families or make a change for their future.”
Cleveland says the funding will go a long way in helping trade job candidates find and retain their jobs. “This program is going to be able to enhance our job seeker’s ability to get into the building and construction trades,” Cleveland said. “It’s going to enhance the number of apprenticeships within those programs.”
The American Job Center is getting part of the grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The money is being divided among 36 organizations.
According to the American Job Center’s website, “the One-Stop career resource center provides free access to computers with internet, printers, copiers and scanners. In addition, eligible job seekers are provided with high-quality career services, education and training scholarships and supportive services to obtain skills for high quality in-demand occupations. Businesses are provided with sustainable no-cost and low-cost strategies to recruit, hire, train and retain the skilled workforce businesses need to thrive.”
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