Education, workforce go hand in hand

Annual summit will help teens, young adults on path to employment

The American Job Center, a division of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, is helping at-risk, low-income or disabled teens and young adults learn the skills they need to find a job and keep it.

An annual summit is set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. March 26 at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

The center pairs clients ages 16-24 with free educational opportunities and/or work experiences. Eligibility is limited to youth who are low-income, parenting, disabled, high school drop-outs, in foster care, homeless, have an unfavorable background, or have several other “barriers” to employment.

Nypheteria Clophus, one stop operator/manager, said most of the barriers which AJC’s clients face lead them to live in a constant “survival mode.”

“Our goal is to get them to stability, and then once we get them to stability, then to success and then from there to significance,” she said.

Clients must complete a basic skills and aptitude test before they can access the center’s services. They are placed in a work site to get onthe-job training, and/or begin formal registration at partner educational providers.

Catherine Thomas, Louisiana Workforce Investment Act 51 monitor, said that each youth is monitored and coached throughout the process to help them stay on the path toward employment.

AJC’s occupational skills training provides formal education for high-demand jobs through colleges like Sowela Technical Community College or private providers, said Kendrick Celestine, human services technician. The program covers tuition and fees, along with the supplies needed to complete training.

The center also offers a time-limited, work experience opportunity for young people who have never held a steady job. The paid and unpaid work experiences with local partners help them build the skills needed to keep a job, while getting hands-on training in a specific field.

Brook LeBlanc, human services assistant, said clients in the work experience program can become full-time employees of the business in which they train. A product of the program herself, LeBlanc said companies benefit from having clients who take the work opportunity seriously because they’ve already invested the time in training them.

Thomas said the organization is not designed just for educating, but rather for employing.

“This is not a piecemeal type of thing,” she said. “You can’t just come here, go to school and do your own thing. We want you to go to school and get a job.”

For more information on any of the program’s opportunities or eligibility requirements, call 721-4010.

‘Our goal is to get them to stability, and then once we get them to stability, then to success and then from there to significance.’

Nypheteria Clophus

American Job Center

””Jobs

SportsPlus

Crime

2/10: Calcasieu Parish Sheriff announces arrest list

Local News

Trump says he has directed US Treasury to stop minting new pennies, citing rising cost

Local News

Eagles deny Chiefs a three-peat

Local News

Trump says he is serious about Canada becoming 51st state

Business

Names in the News: People shaping the future of Lake Area business

Local News

Crime & punishment: Amendment would allow more juveniles to be tried as adults

McNeese Sports

Garcia, Parker lead Cowboys

McNeese Sports

Lady Demons drop McNeese

Local News

Lottery registration for Louisiana Fortify Homes Program grants open Feb. 12

Local News

10 honored for contributions to music during Black History Month Breakfast

life

SW La. school lunch menus Feb. 10-14

Local News

Moss Bluff bicyclist killed in late-night collision

Jim Beam

Jim Beam column:Landry tries to pull fast one

Informer

The Informer: Historic Arcade Theater destroyed in 1985 Thanksgiving Day fire

Crime

33-year-old LC man accused of indecent behavior

Jim Gazzolo

Jim Gazzolo column: Parity no cause for concern

Local News

US taxpayer funds went to foreign competition for domestic shrimpers

McNeese Sports

Cowboys look to regain touch

life

Hobo Hotel for Cats charity auction set for Saturday

Local News

Firefighter training to be offered to high school junior, seniors

Local News

LCPD complaints delay vote to reappoint police chief

Local News

Karlee Campbell curates a classroom for students where they feel welcomed

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls suffer double loss

life

SW La. nightlife calendar: There’s always something to do