With a local unemployment rate of 11 percent, The Pinon Project in Cortez is sponsoring a weekly job club for area residents seeking work to come together for support and job training.
According to the latest figures from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Montezuma Countys unemployment rate was 11 percent in January, up from 9 percent in December 2010. Dolores County has the highest unemployment rate in the state with 20 percent of residents out of work in January, compared to 18 percent in December 2010.
The first Job Club meeting was held Friday and will be open for all community members from 9 a.m. to noon every Friday at The Pinon Project, 300 N. Elm St.
Were giving an opportunity for job seekers to come together for support and networking, Pinon Project Family Advocate Karen Silliman said. We have the technical expertise of our job specialist here (Ken Deginer) who will, at a set time during the morning, be able to offer one-on-one training for resumes or search the computer to look for work online.
The Job Club is semi-structured and will begin each week with participants introducing themselves and giving an idea of what kind of work they are looking for. There will then be a networking time where they will talk about what has worked and what hasnt as far as job seeking, along with jobs they know about that they are not interested in and can be passed along to other people. Participants will then move into an approximately 20-minute training with Deginer on how to build a resume or maybe how to present themselves in a job interview. The rest of the morning will be informal where participants can continue to meet with other people, talk with Deginer about their resumes or use the computers and get on the Internet.
Thats an issue for several people that I have talked with is not having (Internet access) at their own home, Silliman said. They can go to the library, but this is a complete work center.
Not only will the Job Club focus on job skills, it will also try to match each persons personality with a job thats suited to their temperament by using the Meyers Briggs assessment test or the Keirsey personality test. In this job market, those who are unemployed would more than likely settle for any job. The drawback to that is finding a job thats not suitable for them. For example, someone who cant stand to see animals who are hurting or passes out at the sight of blood would not be suitable as a veterinary technician. Or someone who is shy and likes to keep to themselves would probably not do well as a salesperson who has to be outgoing.
(The tests) are just to help people understand themselves better and find what kind of jobs fit with their style, Silliman said.
Silliman also works with the Montelores Emergency Assistance Coalition that represents social services, Good Samaritan, the Salvation Army, RENEW and United Way. She said anyone who is involved with the coalition is being notified about the Job Club, and they are expecting a wide variety of people coming each week.
With the Job Club, people will leave when they get employment, so well always be looking for new people in the club. Thats why theres leadership to keep some consistency there, but the club is going to be participant driven, Silliman said.
For more information on The Pinon Projects Job Club, call Silliman or Deginer at 564-1195.
Reach Paula Bostrom at paulab@cortezjournal.com.