By Tim Leeds
The Havre Area Workforce System will hold an open house on Thursday, May 3, to show the partnerships and services available in the system.
The system, operating under the federal Workforce Investment Act, involves 12 agencies that serve Havre and the surrounding area. Workforce systems are being formed around the state and are known under the JobLINC logo.
The public is invited to come to the Havre Job Service Workforce Center at 160 First Avenue, District IV HRDC at 111 West 11th Street, or the Havre Office of Public Assistance at 302 Fourth Avenue between noon and 4 p.m., or the Havre Adult Learning Center in the Robins School at 425 Sixth Avenue between 1 and 4 p.m.
There will be a free lunch at the Job Service at noon, with desserts at the other three locations. There will be door prize drawings at each location and a grand prize drawing.
The workforce system will link the twelve agencies to provide the appropriate service to people seeking help entering or re-entering the workforce. The Havre Job Service, HRDC, the Office of Public Assistance, the Small Business Development Center, AFL-CIO Project Challenge, Rural Employment Opportunities, the Green Thumb, the Montana State University-Northern Educational Opportunity Center, the Department of Commerce, the School to Career program, Vocational Rehabilitation and Job Corps are the twelve organizations in the Havre workforce system.
Al Eckblad, coordinator and case manager for Project Challenge in the area, said a result of the Havre workforce system will be a "no wrong door" policy. He said anyone approaching any of the agencies will be referred to other agencies if their services would be more appropriate or would be of additional help.
Eckblad said the systems are set up with local agencies to more appropriately deal with the special needs of a region. The job service said in a press release that the goal of the system is to "meet the employment related needs of north central Montana by providing high quality, meaningful services in seamless, effective, and comprehensive employment and training partnership."
For more information, contact the Havre Job Service at 265-5847.
