In a long effort to help unemployed state residents, the Alabama Department of Labor and Alabama Career Center System will open its 50th career center’s doors this week.
The new career center in Choctaw County fills a void that the state had in serving the community, said Fitzgerald Washington, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor.
The career centers work to serve unemployed state residents by offering help with creating and building resumes, job searches, GED preparation, job guidance and more. They are also open for employers to host free job postings, pre-screenings and more.
“We offer a plethora of services,” Washington said. “A lot of times, job seekers will not have prepared a resume in a long period of time. The career centers help assist them in preparing a resume or knowing what to say or what not to say in an interview.”
The placement of the 50th center has brought an underserved community a new resource for lowering the unemployment rate, which was just released by ADOL as an historic low of 3.7 percent. The other 49 centers have brought in many job seekers that have successfully found employment thanks to the services.
“People right now that want a job can get a job,” Washington said. “We documented that there are little over 82,000 people that are unemployed (in Alabama).”
They have concluded that there is a percentage of those unemployed currently are in need of assistance in training to find a job that will translate into a career.
“Just in 2018, there were over 400,00 people that accessed services in our 49 career centers,” Washington said.
The center is opening a partnership of Coastal Alabama Community College with ADOL and the Alabama Career Center System.
“They made this opportunity possible,” Washington said of CACC. “Our site is actually on the campus there. We are thankful for the partnership.”
The grand opening of the Choctaw County center in Gilbertown at 251 College St. will be March 28 at 1 p.m. However, the career will be open Wednesday as well from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
