MONROE - The Green County Job Center located at Pleasant View Complex on Wisconsin 81 north of Monroe soon will cease to have a Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Job Service staff member on a regular basis.
DWD Job Service staff is funded under Wagner-Peyser (W-P) federal funding. DWD partners with Job Service, providing labor exchange services, career assessment, advertising and training.
The Green County Job Service center serves the communities of Albany, Brodhead, Brooklyn, Browntown, Juda, Monroe, Monticello and New Glarus.
About 750 people registered to receive services at the job center in 2007. Other users of the center which may be helped by Human Services and Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) may not be included in the DWD count.
Green County residents will have access to two "brick-and-mortar" centers in southwest Wisconsin - Janesville and Fennimore. As of July 1, the job service staff that will serve Monroe will be stationed in Janesville.
DWD is redirecting job service and veterans staff in regional hubs throughout the state.
Dave Shaw, a DWD Job Service employee out of Janesville, has been working at the Green County center one day a week.
But staff soon will be "on the move" throughout the region, providing services to veterans, people with disabilities, all job seekers and employers in the area as needed. Staff may be meeting with citizens in technical colleges, libraries, community organizations and childcare centers, for example.
"Although we are moving to these regional hubs, we will continue to provide services to people all across the state. We will aggressively reach out to our customers wherever they may be," said Richard P. Jones, agency liaison for DWD.
Members of the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program will continue to provide services at the center as needed.
Art Carter, chairman of the Green County Board and a member of the Committee of Committees, said the county will try to keep "at least the computer center." But the job center future "depends upon the budgetary impact."
Except for providing office space, the county does not financially support the Job Center.
"It's up in the air right now," he said.
Carter said county supervisors are considering maintaining online computer services, if the DWD leaves behind the computers it has at the center, with the help of the Human Services office.
Greg Holcomb, Green County Human Services director, anticipates the county can provide a presence in the office without creating additional expense, by "folding in" the work with other human service employee positions.
Jones said redirecting staff to regional hubs can provide enriched services, while transforming the employment and training system, "bringing it into the 21st century."
DWD will be upgrading Internet capacity to allow for enrollment in workshops and other services.
"By taking this approach, it will allow us to save money that can be redirected to career advising, training and career advancement for workers," he said.
In the past 20 years, funding for job centers and other job training and employment programs has been cut by 56 percent. The state laid off about 40 staff members last fall, because federal funding no longer could support Job Service and state Workforce Investment Act staff.
Wisconsin established 78 job centers in the 1980s, when funding was higher and technological advancements, like the Internet, were not available. The centers helped people access federally-funded employment and training programs.
Since 2003, centers have been reduced to 39 "comprehensive centers." The budget package signed by Governor Jim Doyle in July 2003 cut funding to the DWD by $126 million over two years, from $2.28 billion to $2.15 billion.
According to state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, continued federal cutbacks have forced DWD to cut back on overhead costs, like rent and IT connection, in order to preserve staff.
Job Service now will have staff in one regional site in each of the 11 Workforce Development Areas.
DWD Job Service staff is funded under Wagner-Peyser (W-P) federal funding. DWD partners with Job Service, providing labor exchange services, career assessment, advertising and training.
The Green County Job Service center serves the communities of Albany, Brodhead, Brooklyn, Browntown, Juda, Monroe, Monticello and New Glarus.
About 750 people registered to receive services at the job center in 2007. Other users of the center which may be helped by Human Services and Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) may not be included in the DWD count.
Green County residents will have access to two "brick-and-mortar" centers in southwest Wisconsin - Janesville and Fennimore. As of July 1, the job service staff that will serve Monroe will be stationed in Janesville.
DWD is redirecting job service and veterans staff in regional hubs throughout the state.
Dave Shaw, a DWD Job Service employee out of Janesville, has been working at the Green County center one day a week.
But staff soon will be "on the move" throughout the region, providing services to veterans, people with disabilities, all job seekers and employers in the area as needed. Staff may be meeting with citizens in technical colleges, libraries, community organizations and childcare centers, for example.
"Although we are moving to these regional hubs, we will continue to provide services to people all across the state. We will aggressively reach out to our customers wherever they may be," said Richard P. Jones, agency liaison for DWD.
Members of the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program will continue to provide services at the center as needed.
Art Carter, chairman of the Green County Board and a member of the Committee of Committees, said the county will try to keep "at least the computer center." But the job center future "depends upon the budgetary impact."
Except for providing office space, the county does not financially support the Job Center.
"It's up in the air right now," he said.
Carter said county supervisors are considering maintaining online computer services, if the DWD leaves behind the computers it has at the center, with the help of the Human Services office.
Greg Holcomb, Green County Human Services director, anticipates the county can provide a presence in the office without creating additional expense, by "folding in" the work with other human service employee positions.
Jones said redirecting staff to regional hubs can provide enriched services, while transforming the employment and training system, "bringing it into the 21st century."
DWD will be upgrading Internet capacity to allow for enrollment in workshops and other services.
"By taking this approach, it will allow us to save money that can be redirected to career advising, training and career advancement for workers," he said.
In the past 20 years, funding for job centers and other job training and employment programs has been cut by 56 percent. The state laid off about 40 staff members last fall, because federal funding no longer could support Job Service and state Workforce Investment Act staff.
Wisconsin established 78 job centers in the 1980s, when funding was higher and technological advancements, like the Internet, were not available. The centers helped people access federally-funded employment and training programs.
Since 2003, centers have been reduced to 39 "comprehensive centers." The budget package signed by Governor Jim Doyle in July 2003 cut funding to the DWD by $126 million over two years, from $2.28 billion to $2.15 billion.
According to state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, continued federal cutbacks have forced DWD to cut back on overhead costs, like rent and IT connection, in order to preserve staff.
Job Service now will have staff in one regional site in each of the 11 Workforce Development Areas.