Workforce Solutions announces move, again
Published 6:15 pm Friday, August 22, 2014
A recent move by the local N.C. Division of Workforce Solutions has left many wondering where it’s gone, an issue the agency is hoping to clear up.
In June, Division of Workforce Solutions, formerly the Employment Security Commission, publicized its impending move from the office on West Third Street in Washington to another location, the Beaufort County Career Center (formerly known as JobLink), located within the Mid-East Commission office on John Small Avenue.
Two months later, however, it seems that many didn’t see the notice and are confused as to where to go for employment assistance, according to Jennie Bowen, service delivery manager with the Mid-East Commission.
“Division of Workforce Solutions has reorganized and moved the staff that were located on Third Street into the center on John Small Avenue,” Bowen said.
Bowen said the follow up was spurred by daily phone calls from job seekers and local employers saying they were unaware of the recent move. This week, owners of business neighboring the former Third Street location have lodged complaints about the number of people coming into their businesses to ask where the DWS office moved.
“The big thing that we want people to know is that we are still here,” Bowen said.
The recent relocation was made to consolidate services and improve efficiency in the wake of cuts to both federal and state funding, according to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
“We relocated to provide better services to our customers by consolidating and integrating our services,” Bowen said. “It just made sense to reorganize and put everybody else under the same building.”
Part of the services integration included in the reorganization was the launch of NCWorks Online, a free website that lists job postings culled from thousands of websites and allows employers to post job listings. The website was created in an effort to streamline the job search process, the DOC press release said.
The Beaufort County Career Center is located at 1385 John Small Avenue in Washington. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. For more information about NCWorks Online, visit www.ncworks.gov.