Job Clubs and Career Ministries: On the Front Lines of Getting Americans Back to Work
Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012
Time: 1:00 PM — 4:00 PM
Registration Time: 12:30 PM
RSVP: http://s.dol.gov/N0
Location
Redeemer Covenant Church
6951 Hanna Lake Ave SE
Caledonia, MI
Directions: Located in North Gaines Township (SE Kent County) South of M-6 and East of US-131.
Please join Jay Williams, Director of the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers and the Department of Labor's Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships for a symposium on the important role of job clubs and career ministries in getting Americans back to work. Participants and attendees will include job club coordinators, workforce development officials, faith leaders, nonprofit leaders, employers, and job seekers and workers who will discuss the various ways job clubs and career ministries support communities to help the unemployed regain their footing and transition back to the workforce.
Job Club and Career Ministry programs based at religious institutions, community colleges, and community-based organizations offer an opportunity for unemployed individuals to come together and share professional networks, learn the latest job search techniques, and receive emotional support. The Department of Labor's Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships recently launched a new project to connect with job clubs and ministries and facilitate partnerships between job clubs and the workforce investment system, including One-Stop Career Centers, community colleges, and nonprofit service organizations.
Speakers
Confirmed panelists and speakers include:
- Maureen Downer, Area Community Services Employment and Training Council/Michigan Works!
- Alesia Brown, Workforce Development Agency, State of Michigan
- Kevin Murphy, Corporation for National and Community Service
- Kelley Losey, Cascade Engineering, Cascade Consulting Group
- Dan TenHoopen, Heart of West Michigan United Way
- Ken Soper, EaRN Employment and Resource Network
- Anita Leal & Larry Wiersma, Central Wesleyan Church in Holland
- Earlene McMichael-Rutherford, Kalamazoo Crossroads Career Network at New Genesis Education Center
The half-day symposium will highlight the work of job clubs, provide information on the valuable resources offered by the public workforce investment system, and explore partnership opportunities among job clubs, the workforce system, and others. This event is open to the public. Please attend if the issue of jobs is important to you, if you are a workforce development professional or volunteer, if you are currently coordinating or interested in starting a job club or career ministry, and/or if you are interested in collaborations and partnerships.
For additional questions contact Ashley Gerwitz at gerwitz.ashley@dol.gov or 202-693-6031
Update
Thanks to everyone who made the Phoenix Job Clubs Symposium a fantastic event. Click on the links below for information from the event:
