UMass Donahue Institute

CareerWorks, the one-stop career center serving the Brockton, Massachusetts region, provides workforce services to thousands of local residents each year who are in the process of or considering career transitions.

One of center’s services is providing a free orientation session several times a week that explains all the center has to offer. Attendees are typically those who attend as a mandated part of receiving unemployment benefits or those who voluntarily seeking out the center’s services.

The orientation opens with a brief overview of the center’s services then going into more detail about how the center assists job seekers with their search including matching one’s skills with jobs, directing them to job search resources and showing the benefits of tracking their job search.

While some of the center’s clients are looking for employment similar to what they currently do or previously did, other attendees may be looking for a career switch. That’s why the orientation includes an introduction to trends in the current national and local labor market (www.mynextmove.org) to give job seekers an understanding of what careers are in demand and which are not. 

For those clients that are in need of more than just employment assistance, the center staff tell orientation attendees they are able to assist with connections to community resources including a food pantry, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), fuel assistance, and transitional assistance.

Towards the end of the orientation, center staff discuss the “next steps” including listing the workshops available at CareerWorks including computer/internet basics; resumes and cover letter writing; interviewing skills; career exploration; and guidance on starting a business.

Orientations are held on Monday and Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday and Friday mornings. CareerWorks is one of 32 career centers located throughout Massachusetts. View the CareerWorks calendar for more information.

December 17, 2015