Student Interns Share Their Experiences with the Community
Last week, 13 high school students from the Opportunity Internship Program (OIP) presented a tradeshow highlighting their summer work experiences. The program aims to serve low-income students with internships or pre-apprentice experience that leads to more work, further education and a career pathway in a high-demand, high-wage field.
Each student had 30 hours of workplace readiness classes before spending 90 hours in an internship. Additionally, they met every Friday at the Next Generation Zone to discuss their experiences. The group also attended a financial literacy course and took career exploration assessments using Inspire Washington.
More than 60 community members came to the tradeshow where each student had a display. Viviana, a senior at North Central High School, interned at the New Leaf Bakery and Cafe. She is now considering studying business to open her own coffee shop someday. "This has opened so many more doors for me," she said. "I've met so many people."
Learn more about OIP and see testimonials from students around the state. |
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On-the-Job Training Funds Help Candidate Rise Above the Rest
When Richard Maguire was laid off from his electrical engineering job in 2007, he thought perhaps the economy would recover while he went to graduate school. No such luck.  | |
Richard Maguire with WorkSource staff member Stephanie Benefield. |
With the job market still weak, he turned to the services at WorkSource and was suprised at what he found. He took workshops on resume writing, interviewing and labor market information. The information was localized and timely. "Their advice was fantastic," he said. The staff also discovered he was eligible for On-the-Job Training funds, which helped him in interviews. Ultimately he was hired as an engineer at Avista. Since his engineering experience wasn't an exact fit, having funds available to reimburse the company for his training time was a big plus. "It took me over the edge," said Richard. "I am very grateful for this process." |
| Washington Department of Transportation Awards $75,000 to SAWDC
The Washington Department of Transportation recently awarded $75,000 to the Spokane Area Workforce Development Council to provide pre-apprenticeship training and supportive services for minorities and women who wish to enter the highway construction trades.
The SAWDC will work with the Apprenticeship & Nontraditional Employment for Women (ANEW), the Inland Empire Electrical Training Trust and WorkSource Spokane to recruit interested participants into the pre-apprenticeship program. This project will run through November 2012 and will serve at least 25 people. This project is the first of its kind in Eastern Washington. For more information, please contat Seth Dyson at sdyson@wdcspokane.com. |
SAWDC Honors Two Retiring Board Members
Executive Director Mark Mattke presented plaques to two retiring board members at the August SAWDC meeting thanking them for their service. Pete Casimir, retiring as Administrator of Spokane WorkFirst CSOA with the Department of Social and Health Services, represented the public assistance system. Jennifer MacKay, from Boeing, represented labor on the board. 
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We're Moving!
Please note, as of August 28th our new address will be on the Spokane Community College Campus:
2000 N. Greene Street MS 2158 Spokane, WA 99217
Our new phone number will be: 509-533-8480
We might be difficult to reach the week of August 27th due to the move. We appreciate your patience! Read more about our move
__________________ Upcoming Events August 24 9 a.m. - noon WorkSource Spokane 130 S. Arthur Spokane, WA 99202
Air Washington
Enrollment Rally August 28 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. WorkSource Spokane 130 S. Arthur Spokane, WA 99202 Spokane Valley Tech Groundbreaking Ceremony August 29 11 a.m. 115 S. University Road Spokane Valley, WA 99206
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Quick Links
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Inspire Washington
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