Wayne Rollins, a senior business-services specialist for the local Workforce Development Board, described the Mid-East Commission as the best-kept secret in Beaufort County. In times like these, that’s got to change.

The Mid-East Commission is the administrative entity of Region Q’s Workforce Development Board. The organization’s vision statement is for “The citizens of Region Q will be well educated, highly skilled, life-long learners who enjoy a good quality of life.”

Though its JobLink program, Mid-East Commission offers training, professional development and access to the job tools needed to find your next job. Its offices have free computer and Internet access for jobseekers. Its staff can work with you to prepare a resume and assess your job skills.

The commission services Beaufort, Pitt, Martin, Bertie and Hertford counties. The commission’s staff and some programs specialize in helping veterans, older workers, migrant farm workers, former criminal offenders and young people looking for their first jobs find employment.

The commission also helps many small local governments with locating grants, developing land-use rules and planning for future growth and meeting demands that growth brings. Some small towns cannot afford to hire a planner, so that’s where the commission comes in. It provides people to help those small towns develop a subdivision ordinance or zoning regulations.

But helping area residents find jobs by furthering their formal education or providing specific training for certain jobs remains one of the commission’s most important functions.

Now that the secret is out, let’s put one of the county’s best resources for turning around the local economy to use.