Steve Armstrong perked up when he heard about temporary jobs for the U.S. Census Bureau at a community jobs forum hosted by local state legislators Feb. 20 at Kent City Hall.
Armstrong, of Kent, has been unemployed for nine months. He came to the free event along with about 100 other job seekers to find out what jobs and training opportunities might be available.
“It’s been really hard,” Armstrong, 58, said about trying to find work. “There are a lot of applicants for most jobs.”
The Census Bureau is hiring census takers to go door-to-door next month, a spokeswoman for the agency said. The jobs could last anywhere from two weeks to two months and pay $17.50 per hour.
“Anything,” Armstrong said of the type of job he wants. “I’m interested in being a census taker, even though it’s a temporary job.”
Armstrong worked for about a year as an airport screener for the Transportation Security Administration at Sea-Tac Airport before being laid off because of cutbacks. He also has a background in warehouse work and electronics.
State Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, and state Sen. Karen Keiser, D- Kent, hosted the event. State Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, did not attend the jobs forum because he had the flu, Keiser said.
“The idea was Upthegrove’s to have a jobs forum rather than a town hall meeting,” Keiser said in an interview at the event. “At a town hall we would talk about taxes and other issues. This is much more real and has long-term value.”
Representatives from WorkSource, Port Jobs, Highline Community College, Green River Community College, Renton Technical College, the Veterans Conservation Corps and the U.S. Census Bureau set up information tables and talked with job seekers.
“I was thrilled to see all of the agencies that came to provide information,” Keiser said. “It was very gratifying to see this level of commitment.”
The legislators from the 33rd District designed the forum to give attendees a chance to connect with state and nonprofit agencies that do job placement, training, counseling, and similar services.
“There are a lot of people who are unemployed and we have some excellent resources for them,” said Antje Koenig, in charge of special projects for WorkSource of Seattle-King County.
WorkSource is a state agency that has resource centers in Auburn and Renton where job seeks can have free use of computers and take free workshops and classes about writing resumes, interviewing skills and other topics designed to help people find work.
Many people are going to community colleges or technical schools in an effort to develop new skills.
“People are looking for worker retraining and others need to update their skills,” said David Grant, an outreach coordinator at Renton Technical College, who ran an informational table at the jobs forum.
Andrew Orr, a representative from the Workforce Education office at Green River Community College in Auburn, said the tuition-assistance program attracts numerous applicants.
“Business is booming,” Orr said as he handed out pamphlets about the program. “We have a really high caseload. I meet with about 100 students each week to help them look for money and about half register for classes.”
Just as with the jobs forum at City Hall, Orr said the people looking to go to community college cover a spectrum of ages.
“There are people in their 30s, 40s and 50s,” Orr said. “I even met a gentleman who is 67. That is how deep this economic crisis has cut.”
Job-seeker contacts
WorkSource: www.go2worksource.com
Community and technical colleges: www.checkoutacollege.com
U.S. Census Bureau jobs: www.2010census.gov/2010censusjobs or 1-866-861-2010
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