Labor Day: Workforce Alliance Provides Professional Services to Help High Number of Local Job-Seekers

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Labor Day is a day to recognize the contributions of American workers to the economic development of our country.  Due to the economic conditions of 2010, Labor Day is also a time to pause and recognize the fact that there are thousands of people who have the misfortune of being unemployed at this time.  In Palm Beach County, the latest reported unemployment rate of 12.2 percent means that over 72,000 workers in the County are out of work.

In view of the higher unemployment rate, Workforce Alliance is helping record numbers of Palm Beach County individuals reenter the labor force and helping the economy recover.  Workforce Alliance is also helping improve the economy by providing services to employers and funding training programs to ensure that current workers remain qualified for their jobs and avoid the necessity of further layoffs.  

In Palm Beach County, over 14,000 people a month are being helped by the professional services provided at no cost in the three Workforce Alliance Career Centers and the two Professional Placement Network facilities located in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Belle Glade.  The Centers offer free classes, workshops and opportunities for training, with the objective of getting people placed in jobs.  A variety of programs are available for all job seekers, whether they are professionals, recent graduates just entering the workforce, or someone recently subjected to a layoff.  

Kathryn Schmidt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Workforce Alliance, said, "We have programs to help businesses find qualified candidates for open positions, and scholarship grants for job seekers who meet the eligibility criteria to attend training classes at regional educational and training institutions.  As the economy recovers, we will help to ensure that the local workforce will be ready for the new jobs that are created."

The Career Centers offer over 100 classes and workshops each month on topics such as basic computer skills, how to search online for jobs, and resume writing.  There is no cost for the classes and the monthly schedules are posted on the Workforce Alliance website, www.pbcalliance.com.

Workforce Alliance, as the organization chartered by the State of Florida to develop a quality workforce system in Palm Beach County, has received Stimulus Bill funds to increase the scope of its services and to offer new services, such as the current Florida Back to Work Program.  This program, which ends this month, has placed 530 persons into employment in Palm Beach County since it started in May.  

Palm Beach County job seekers can obtain more information or assistance in finding employment at one of the Workforce Alliance Career Centers or Professional Placement Network offices in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach or Belle Glade.  The addresses and phone numbers are listed on the Workforce Alliance website, www.pbcalliance.com.

SOURCE Workforce Alliance