Contact:  David Mathis

UTICA Area workforce development officials will take their show on the road with a new approach to job searches for local residents, Oneida County Executive Ralph J. Eannace, Jr. and Workforce Development Director David L. Mathis announced today.

Eannace said the first in a series of Employment Seminars will be held on Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, 211 Square Street, Utica. The seminar is being co-sponsored by Oneida County Workforce Development, the Herkimer-Madison-Oneida Workforce Consortium, and the Private Industry Council/Workforce Investment Board.

The Employment Seminars won’t be typical job fairs matching job seekers with available openings, Eannace said. Instead, "our workforce development specialists will concentrate on evaluating the skill sets of individuals to ascertain what additional training or other services may be necessary for that person to compete for jobs in our community"

Mathis said, "We think that by performing this type of evaluation beforehand will prove to be a better way to match job seekers with prospective employers."

Eannace said that "even with central New York's improving economy, there are still pockets of our community aren’t able to take advantage of the increasing number of jobs available.

Much of the problem is that job seekers will show up for interviews lacking, for instance, a certain skill, proper credentials, or exposure to such implements as computers".

Sometimes the barrier can be as simple as the lack of a drivers license or automobile insurance, which limits the mobility of the job seeker he or she may be qualified but can’t get to the job site. We want to talk to these individuals on a one-to-one basis and find out the true barriers to employment for that person and then see if there are ways in which we can help the person overcome those barriers and either move into employment or move up on the employment ladder.

The intent of the Employment Seminars is not so much a job B any job but skills assessment and skills development, Mathis said. We want to focus on the individual, not just the job opening. We want to help the individual to focus on career development, not just entry-level employment.

Mathis said representatives from the Oneida County Personnel and Sheriffs departments will be on hand to discuss with interested individuals the skills necessary to qualify for position in government and law enforcement. In addition, Mathis said, representatives from area unions, including Plumbers and Pipefitters, Laborers, Bricklayers, and Operating Engineers, will be on hand to provide information on apprenticeship training programs.

Eannace said that future Employment Seminars are planned for Rome, Waterville, and Camden, and that additional dates are areas are planned in the next few months.

This is unique for our community, the County Executive said, and another of our on-going initiatives to grow our labor force as we continue to development our economy.

Eannace said the Employment Seminars will be free and open to the public. He said anyone seeking additional information on the Employment Seminar series can contact Mathis at Oneida County Workforce Development, 209 Elizabeth Street, Utica, 798-5908.