Eye On Community | Eastern Shore November 2009
By Marie Thomas
 The Dorchester Career Center Staff, Maeve Hart-Morrison, Carl Dentinger, Gene Theroux (Dorchester Supervisor), Sandra Moore-Brown, and Dave Prossner.
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If your organization offers members of the community a valuable service or program, or needs volunteers on a regular basis, contact Events Editor Marie Thomas at
mthomas@whatsupmag.com or 410-267-9390. This month, we feature two programs offered by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR)/Division of Workforce Development: Maryland Workforce Exchange (MWE) and One-Stop Career Centers.
It’s no surprise that the unemployment rate in the United States is still on the rise––from a national average of 5.6 percent in June of 2008 to 9.5 percent in June of 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the situation in Maryland is not as bad as it is in a number of other states––Michigan holds the record high with 15 percent––our unemployment rate nonetheless increased by 3 percent between June of 2008 (4.3 percent) and June of 2009 (7.3 percent).* But many Marylanders aren’t aware that there is help––for both job seekers and employers.
Under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 (amended in 1998), programs that serve job seekers and businesses are offered at public employment offices nationwide as part of a “one-stop services delivery system.” The WIA reformed federal employment, training, adult education, and vocational rehabilitation programs by creating this integrated system of workforce investment and education services for adults, dislocated workers, and youth.
 The Talbot Career Center Staff, Doris Mason (Labor Exchange Administrator for the Upper Shore), Brooks Long, Elaine Parks, Mike Neal, Constance Todd, and Clyde Jenkins.
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Cotina Murray, Business Resource Representative for the DLLR, summarizes the programs that are available through the State of Maryland for job seekers and employers: “In these tough economic times, we are attempting to be as creative as possible to serve the public and the business community in order to improve the quality of life for our residents.” Murray adds, “We have come to realize that ‘work’ is far more meaningful to the success of our families here than simply the income [which they need for sustenance]. But often a family’s self-worth is tied to adequate employment.”
The Maryland Workforce Exchange provides local businesses with the opportunity to manage their entire hiring process online at no cost. Employers can browse the applicant database for potential employees, post multiple job openings online, research current economic and local job market data, and obtain information on assistance programs. The MWE connects agencies, programs, and services electronically, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It even offers electronic, online renewals of occupational, professional, and financial regulator licenses.
Also free of charge, the MWE enables job seekers to create a personal folder for writing and updating resumes; editing job preferences and salary requirements; searching occupational training providers and their locations; and researching career resources, such as information on universities, colleges, and other workforce training programs.
Maryland’s One-Stop Career Centers—a network of more than 40 offices throughout the state with programs that are tailored to meet local labor-market demands—are equipped to provide job-search assistance and training for job seekers. These centers are administered locally by Workforce Investment Boards––comprised of business, government, education, labor, and community leaders (WIB)––to ensure individual communities’ specific needs are being met.
“Given the tough economic times which we have experienced in the Upper Shore, we hope to reach out to small and large (new and old, mainstream and innovative) businesses to offer our support, and to let the public know that we are here as a versatile, cutting-edge, expert resource,” says Doris S. Mason, Upper Shore Regional Director at the Maryland DLLR.
For more information on how you can benefit from these programs, visit the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s website at
Dllr.state.md.us/employment; the Maryland Workforce Exchange’s website at
Mwe.dllr.state.md.us; or call 800-827-4839.
One-Stop Career Centers in the Mid-Shore Region:
Caroline County Career Center
300 Market St., Denton
410-819-4500
Dorchester Job Center
627 Race St., Cambridge
410-901-4250
Kent Family Support Center
601 High St., Chestertown
410-778-3525
Queen Anne’s County Job Center
125 Comet Dr., Centreville
410-758-8044
Talbot Career Center
301 Bay St., Easton
410-822-3030
Tags:
Unemployment
Maryland workforce exchange
Career
WIA
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