Maricopa County helps connect residents with jobs Community Commentaries
BY DENNY BARNEY
Calling all employers and job seekers! As you know, the job hunt can be a full-time job by itself. Maricopa County residents looking for a job or career change can get help at no cost just by coming to one of our career centers.
ARIZONA@WORK: Maricopa County (formerly Maricopa Workforce Connections) aims to provide services, without cost, to job seekers and employers. According to the state’s website, there are 52,576 available job openings and 17,284 resumes posted. ARIZONA@WORK is one of many great services Maricopa County offers, through our human services department, to connect employers and job seekers.
While Arizona unemployment rates have decreased, there are still too many people out of work. With local jobs being a cornerstone of our economic recovery, it’s critical that we do everything we can to help get people back to work, back in school, or retrained so they can start a new career of their choice. The more people who are working the better it is for the County and all of our residents. While statewide, ARIZONA@WORK has a location in the East Valley at 735 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 134, in Gilbert and can be reached at (602) 372-9700. At the career center, job seekers can meet with guidance counselors to find jobs that fit their skill sets, meet with coaches to help with their resumes, attend general and industry specific job fairs to meet and network directly with valley employers, as well as access other supportive services like transportation assistance and federal grant funds for training programs. Additionally, a free public computer lab is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, allowing access to high-speed Internet to aid in job searches.
Our centers also help military veterans connect to the many services available to them. We owe veterans a lot for their service. Sadly, too many come home and have a hard
time transitioning to civilian life. It is our duty to help them and make sure they have the tools to be successful in getting education, finding work, and returning to their lives.
The Genesis Youth Program specifically helps out-of-school or out-of-work youth ages 16-24 in furthering their education or finding employment. Enrolled youth participate in a year-round program where they receive tools to become successful, productive citizens. The program offers more focused assistance to help with any additional life challenges that may be barriers between them and education or employment. In our district, the Genesis Youth Hub is at the Tempe Escalante Center located at 2150 E. Orange St. They can be reached at (480) 350-5824 or (480) 350-5825.
Maricopa County is also committed to serving those with employment barriers such as justice involvement, limited work experience and those needing to improve basic work skills.
If you’re a business owner, Maricopa County serves employers by connecting them with the trained, skilled workers they need to grow their businesses and thrive in the 21st century. They offer customized recruitment services, training, labor market insight and employee development programs.
Maricopa County plays an integral role by partnering with federal, state and local governments all striving to serve the citizens of Maricopa County. With so many people set to retire in the not too distant future, it has never been more important to ensure that we have employees with the skills employers need the most. If you’ve ever thought about changing careers, now is a perfect time to reach out to one of our centers to get started.
For more information, visit www. ArizonaAtWork.com/Maricopa.
Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
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Libraries transform
BY BRENDA BROWN, CHANDLER’S DIRECTOR OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND MAYOR JAY TIBSHRAENY
A timid and shy little girl is behind her second grade peers in reading; she isn’t able to concentrate and read through an entire page of text. Her family is referred to the Read to Succeed program at Chandler Public Library. After weeks of tutoring sessions, she has blossomed. She is confident and reading chapter books. She is now smiling brightly instead of hiding her face. She has the superhero-like ability to read.
There are hundreds of stories like this one at the library; stories of individuals overcoming a challenge and discovering something new about themselves. Your local library is transforming lives and its community in more ways than you may be aware.
Code (the only one open to the public in the state), Minecraft Monday, Talk Time English language classes, citizenship classes, STEAM/MakerSpace workshops for tweens and teens, afterschool activities, films, author talks, music and much more.
April 10 through April 16 is National Library Week, which was first sponsored by the American Library Association in 1958. It is the perfect week to become reacquainted with Chandler Public Library and all it has to offer.
Let us share a few numbers that will illuminate Chandler Public Library’s reach:
• 3.3 million: The number of people who use the Wi-Fi made available at all four locations. For many, this is the only way they can access the internet for work or school because they don’t have the service at home.
• 266,935: The number of computer reservations in one year, made by adults and youth who need access to a computer for writing a résumé, looking for a job, doing homework, or having some down time.
• 122,198: The number of people who attended programs last year: story times for young children, Girls Who
preferred submission method, to Letters@ SanTanSun.com.
• 1.2 million: The number of people who visited Chandler’s library locations. That’s more than 3,200 people every single day (and, we can happily accommodate more)! Lina arrived in the United States with little money, but big dreams. Within 15 years, she had accomplished a master’s degree at ASU, but was still waiting for eligibility to apply for citizenship. After a fiveyear wait, her application was accepted and she took the 10week volunteer-led citizenship workshop through the library. She is now a citizen. From books delivered to senior care facilities and hospitals to STEAM programming delivered to schools, your Chandler Public Library has a significant impact by providing resources that some citizens might not otherwise have the ability to access. There is a job center, printer and copier, experts to help with research for school papers or genealogy projects, trainings on Lynda.com, and more than two million books, films and music albums—hard copy and digital. And, did we mention—it is all free!
We hope you will think back to a time when a library played an important role in your life. Celebrate that moment and rediscover Chandler Public Library during National Library Week. Stop by one of our four libraries or visit us online at www.chandlerlibrary.org. We guarantee you will be surprised by all that is available to you.
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Deadline
Editorial and Advertising
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Total Circulation
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Fifty square mile coverage area from Price/101 to Greenfield and from Frye to Hunt Highway.
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Denny Barney. Submitted photo
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