Salem, Ore. — WorkSource Oregon has launched three mobile service centers – vans outfitted with workstations, computers, and secure internet access – to bring free career support directly to job seekers in rural and frontier communities across the state. Job seekers can check the public schedule to learn when the mobile centers make regular stops in the following areas:
- Western Oregon: Alsea, Clatskanie, Estacada, Grand Ronde, Mill City, Molalla, Monroe, Vernonia
- Central Oregon: Chiloquin, Christmas Valley, Condon, Lakeview, La Pine, Maupin, Warm Springs
- Eastern Oregon: Boardman, Elgin, Halfway, Heppner, Huntington, Jordan Valley, Mission, Vale
The Oregon Employment Department (OED) worked with Oregon’s nine local workforce development boards and local workforce service providers to add these communities to the mobile service schedule. A key consideration was the distance from one of the state’s 37 physical WorkSource Oregon centers. For some rural Oregonians, the average round trip to visit a center is four hours.
“The goal is to reach people in communities that do not have a brick-and-mortar WorkSource Oregon center nearby or experience other barriers to accessing OED’s service,” said Andrew R. Stolfi, director of the Oregon Employment Department. “These mobile centers are another way we and our WorkSource Oregon partners are adapting to meet our customer’s needs by making our free job-seeker services more accessible, including our rural communities.”
Each mobile center visits the communities on their routes two days a month, for two to seven hours at a time. Everyone is welcome to drop in for assistance. Appointments aren’t required. The WorkSource Oregon staff who drive the vans provide job seekers with personalized support finding employment and preparing for long-term career success.
“Whether you live in Western, Central, or Eastern Oregon, our new mobile WorkSource Oregon centers make it easier to connect with staff who can help you take the next step in your job search, whether it’s help filling out online applications or advice about advancing your career,” said Jim Pfarrer, director of OED’s Workforce Operations division.
Veterans will receive priority access to services in the mobile centers, just as they would at any other WorkSource Oregon center. This support includes referrals to veteran-specific programs and additional services to help veterans achieve their employment goals.
Some of the many services all job seekers can expect when they visit a mobile center include:
- One-on-one career coaching
- Workshops on resumes and interviewing
- Information on which regional industries and local employers are actively hiring
- Access to free training to advance professionally or learn skills for a new occupation
- Information about paid internships, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, GED programs, and college classes
- Referrals to benefit programs that help job seekers with transportation, childcare, internet access, tuition, textbooks, school fees, identification, work clothes and tools, food, and more
The mobile centers are sponsored by OED in partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS).
Oregonians who receive food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Oregon and who have received an Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) notice from ODHS can access free employment and training through the mobile WorkSource Oregon centers to meet the work requirements and stay eligible for SNAP. People who receive an ABAWD notice must complete 80 hours a month of work or other activities like volunteering to keep their SNAP food benefits for more than three months.
“For some SNAP participants, getting to a WorkSource center can be a real challenge because of transportation, distance, work schedules or other barriers,” said Jessica Amay Hoffman, SNAP director at ODHS. “Most people who receive SNAP are already working but may be looking for new employment, increased hours, or opportunities to build new skills to support their career goals. ODHS and the Oregon Employment Department work closely together to connect people with employment and training support that can help them move toward greater stability and opportunity. These mobile centers help bring those services directly into communities and make it easier for people to get support closer to home.”