Job Hunters Can Get Help At Free ‘One Stop Career Center‘

By MAGGIE MCMURRAY

Moapa Valley Progress

One of the most valuable resources any job hunter could want has come to Mesquite and Moapa Valley and is all ready for business. One Stop Career Center is part Salvation Army, part Las Vegas Clark County Library District, and part Nevada Workforce Connections all rolled into one fantastic resource for local job seekers.

Even though the center is located in Mesquite and operates out of the Mesquite library, it includes Moapa Valley as its territory. The center is offering educational, advisory, and financial support to all job seekers in the area.

The services at the center are not only free of charge, but the center also pays for job training or education as well as any costs that may stand in the way of people receiving that training.
One Stop Career Center was established through a grant from Nevada Workforce Connections. The center’s focus is providing training in STEAM related fields. STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, and is a job field that is growing rapidly in today’s computer driven society. Jobs in STEAM-related fields also tend to pay higher wages that allow employees to make a liveable income.

Eligibility requirements to participate in the program are simple. Applicants must be unemployed, have the proper credentials to work in the US, and be a Nevada resident. They must also be able to provide their own transportation to and from Las Vegas, or have access to reliable transportation because the trainings currently all take place in Las Vegas. Once all those conditions are met, center counselors help applicants overcome any other obstacles that stand in the way of them getting the training they need.
“We try to help people get past any barrier that is preventing them from getting a job that can provide a liveable income,” said center counselor Shawn Hotch. “We provide gas vouchers that pay fuel costs for travel to classes in Las Vegas, we can pay for child care, and, of course, we cover the cost of the actual classes.”

There are hundreds of class choices including everything from nursing and accounting, to many types of computer programming; even barber school. A complete list of training prgrams can be found at nvworkforceconnections.org.

One Stop Career Center can also help prospective employees get the prerequisites they need, such as a GED, and help applicants find what they would best be suited for.
“We have many resources available to help people find what they would be good for such as personality assessments, academic assessments, and even exploration assessments that help people discover what they are most interested in,” Hotch said.

Once applicants have chosen a prospective career, Hotch suggests they go to the institution they have chosen for training and familiarize themselves with the program to make sure it is something they want to pursue. Not only does Hotch help applicants get started in the program, she helps them for a year after they complete training as a career coach.

Despite all of these benefits, response so far to the program has been light. Hotch encourages people to take advantage of this program before the grant money goes away.
“This is a wonderful program,” Hotch said. “It’s important that people take advantage of it now because there’s no guarantee that the money will be around forever.”

One Stop Career Center is open during business hours for the Mesquite Library. Hotch encourages people to call the center and make an appointment before coming in. The Mesquite library is located at 121 W First North Street in Mesquite and is open M-Th from 10am to 7pm; F-Sa from 10am-6pm, and Sunday from 1pm-5pm. The number to call to make an appointment is 702-507-4093.