LIHU‘E — At a recent meeting of the county Workforce Investment Board, Kaua‘i’s Workforce Development Department Manager Bill Grier said his office was overwhelmed by the number of local residents seeking assistance with job placement services. “Because of staffing cuts,
LIHU‘E — At a recent meeting of the county Workforce Investment Board, Kaua‘i’s Workforce Development Department Manager Bill Grier said his office was overwhelmed by the number of local residents seeking assistance with job placement services.
“Because of staffing cuts, we just didn’t have the time to provide the one-on-one assistance many of our clients needed, especially with the computer skills necessary for resume preparation and on-line job-searching,” Grier said.
He may soon be getting some help.
The day after the meeting, Kaua‘i Community College Chancellor Helen Cox had the college working on a plan to provide assistance.
“KCC is part of the community, and when the community needs help, we have the resources to fill gaps in service,” she said.
Cox tasked the college’s Rural Development Project, a federally funded program sponsored by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, with developing a course designed to bridge the gap between the assistance Workforce Development can provide, and the assistance many residents need to jump back in to the job market.
Within days, Program Coordinator Dawn Wooten had developed a two-day, 15-hour course tailored to the needs of Workforce Development’s clients.
“We cover things like Basic Computing, Interview Skills, On-Line Job Searches, and Resume Building. Some of our students have never touched a computer before, and others just need a little help with creating a resume,” she said.
The course is presented in one- or two-hour blocks, Smorgasbord style. Students only take the portions of the two-day class they need.
“Our classes are small, 6 people maximum,” said Assistant Instructor Donna Efhan. “We give them one-on-one assistance and by the end of the course every student creates their own resume, loads it into the Workforce Hire-Net system, and has five printed copies they can take with them.”
Jan Miyamoto, Kauai’s Workforce Investment Act Administrator said, “This is a great example of how different agencies come together to help fill a critical need for people on Kaua‘i.”
“The course is free,” Cox said, “its KCC’s way of giving back to Kaua‘i.”
Classes begin on Wednesdays and conclude on Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact the Rural Development Project at 241-3365.
