For Immediate Release - May 16, 2007 |
Life After the Layoff Campaign Offers Hope
Laid off workers get help and support through community campaign
Redwood City, CA – In spite of continued low unemployment rates, San Mateo County has seen close to 2,200 laid off workers since July 1, 2006, prompting a repeat of last year’s community campaign to support area job seekers. The increase in global competition and a dynamic business climate are forcing employers to consider staff reductions or closures more than ever before. Most recently, San Mateo has seen closures in the professional, scientific and technical services industries, as well as retail. In response to these trends, the San Mateo County Workforce Investment Board and PeninsulaWorks is hosting a community awareness campaign called Life After the Layoff. The goal of the campaign is to enhance community awareness about the many County resources that are available to help laid off workers and those looking for jobs.
PeninsulaWorks is part of the local workforce investment system responsible for deploying employment and training services for both San Mateo County businesses and job seekers. The Life After the Layoff Campaign mobilizes community resources to help those laid off, and to assist those businesses that want information about tapping into a diverse labor pool, avoiding layoffs, or re-structuring their staff effectively.
The campaign is supported by local educational organizations and boasts a campaign Web site with toolkits and resources for both job seekers and businesses. A special community event will take place on May 30, 2007 to orient laid off workers to the many resources available through PeninsulaWorks.
“We had great success last year with our community outreach efforts,” said Fred Slone,
Workforce Development Manager, San Mateo County. “Our Career Center team, the Job Squad, provided very fast-tracked orientations and consultations to over 200 participants that attended our 2006 community event. Over 40 job seekers received benefits by enrolling in training, while others opted to take advantage of job search assistance and our dynamic workshops. We expect an excellent turnout this year, due to the dislocations we have seen in our county.”
PeninsulaWorks has been very successful in applying public funding and resources to the community and getting laid off workers re-connected to the world of work. Eric Tse, a former Northwest Airlines mechanic was laid off, and found hope through PeninsulaWorks. The PeninsulaWorks Job Squad connected Eric to an exciting employment opportunity with Cell Genesys Inc., a local biotechnology firm. Eric accepted a position as a Facilities Maintenance Technician earning a higher salary than he did during his fourteen years at Northwest Airlines.
The Life After the Layoff campaign is focused on improving community awareness about the many services available at PeninsulaWorks and creating more success stories like Eric Tse. For more information on the May 30th event, call the Campaign Hotline at (650) 802-6500, or go to www.LifeAfterTheLayoff.org.
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