Open for business

After completing a seven-month renovation of its office in Carson City, Nevada JobConnect is continuing its push to get employers to use the center.

The refurbished office at 1929 N. Carson St. includes a couple of conference rooms whose design was shaped by the needs of employers conducting job fairs and other hiring events.

And a new private office is available for employers who want to conduct interviews at the JobConnect office, says Center Manager Michele Petee.

The remodeled and newly furnished center, she says, is intended to make a statement to employers about the quality of services offered by JobConnect.

Even though the unemployment rate remains low and employers say they struggle to find good workers, traffic at the JobConnect office has grown steadily.

In April, Petee says, 1,461 jobseekers came through the doors. In May, the number had grown to 1,612 and both month's figures were double those recorded a year earlier.

The JobConnect center provides one-stop shopping for jobseekers and employer alike. Among the agencies offering services in the center are JOIN Inc., the state Employment Security Division, and the state's vocational rehabilitation program.

For jobseekers, the new center offers 12 computers twice as many as previously along with an employee whose sole job is helping patrons use the computers.

A training center, meanwhile, provides classes in basic office-related computer skills and helps students prepare for the high school equivalency exam.

The center's staff, meanwhile, continues to keep itself visible to employers through participation in business organizations and calls on individual companies.

A major event on the center's calendar, Petee says, is a chamber of commerce breakfast scheduled for October.

The Carson City center, which serves Carson City, Douglas County and the Dayton area, employs 26.