More people taking advantage of paid training programs

Tools

Story Published: Jan 12, 2009 at 5:38 PM MST

Story Updated: Jan 13, 2009 at 2:26 PM MST

By Wes Horrocks

Video

POCATELLO - The unemployment rate in Southeast Idaho has doubled in the last year, and the Department of Labor is trying to get people into new jobs with extra training.

Thanks to some federally-funded programs the Department of Labor can help people learn new skills while being paid. Marsha Wright, Department of Labor Supervisor said, "I've seen some big changes in people's lives."

In the last few weeks the Department of Labor has seen a big increase of new clients.

One problem they've had in helping people find new jobs is that many are lacking essential skills. Wright said, "A lot of times people such as the older population may not have worked for a long time, and now they're forced to go into the work world to pay for their bills."

One way to get people up to speed is with the Workforce Investment Act.

It's meant to help low-income youth, and adults, or people who struggle finding jobs like offenders get needed training. "Which is a win-win situation because the worker gets paid while they're learning a skill," said Wright.

People can get their training on-the-job, with the employer getting reimbursed, or they can go to a place like the College of Technology. Wright said, "The dollars are really limited, but we partner a lot with ISU to develop training opportunities for people."

The training has to be completed within two years, and there are several approved training centers across the state.

The program can't solve every unemployment problem, but it does help. "Unemployment has been in the news a lot and we do that-we do that very well. But we want to make sure people have the skills and the resources to get back to work too," said Wright.

The Department of Labor does have other programs to help you find a new job even if you don't qualify for the Workforce Investment Act.

Current Weather

Current Temp 36.0 °F

Overcast

Video

More Weather

Current Weather

More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.