BOISE, Idaho — Looking for a job can be hard.
Even harder, if you live in smaller communities.
That’s why the Idaho Department of Labor is changing the way it helps job-seekers.
Knowing that a lot of people looking for work can’t afford to travel sometimes lost distances to their local labor department office for help, the state is now setting up part-time offices in government buildings to make it easier for job-seekers to have access to the resources they need.
What officials are calling a new service model is now available in both the Meridian and McCall areas, providing direct person-to-person services to eight surrounding communities. “Our staff members are physically going out to outlying communities and meeting with (job-seekers) in outlying areas, rather than just in our McCall and Meridian offices,” Idaho Depart of Labor spokeswoman Georgia Smith explained.
Labor Department staffers will offer walk-in hours and appointment times in certain communities -– in locations that are more readily accessible to those living in outlying communities -- with the same services staff have traditionally provided. “Those services include resume writing, applying for jobs, filing for unemployment insurance benefits, mock interviews, connections to community resources, job training assistance and more. Staff will also continue to serve businesses with listing open jobs, collecting applications, connecting to resources, and assisting with recruitment,” Smith said.
Labor Department Director Jani Revier said many citizens who have not traditionally had easy access to in-person Labor services should be better served by this model. “Our footprint is larger than ever -- as we expand into new communities who have never had the opportunity for localized services,” she said. “This has only been possible because of the generosity of the community organizations providing needed space.”
Services for job seekers and employers are offered on the following regular schedule:
In the Meridian area:
Mondays – Meridian
Meridian Library District, 1326 W. Cherry Lane
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., office hours
Tuesdays – Eagle
Eagle Public Library – 100 N. Stierman Way
Noon-4 p.m., office hours
Wednesdays – Meridian
Meridian Library District, 1326 W. Cherry Lane
1 p.m.-4:30 p.m., office hours
Thursdays – Kuna
Kuna Library District, 457 N. Locust Ave.
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours
Fridays – Garden City
Garden City Public Library, 6015 N. Glenwood St.
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours
In the McCall area:
Mondays – McCall
Valley County Annex, 550 Deinhard Lane
9 a.m.-noon; 1-5 p.m., office hours
Tuesdays – Cascade
Valley County Courthouse, 219 Main St.
10 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours
Wednesdays – New Meadows
Meadows Valley Community Center, 102 Peterson Memorial
10 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours
Thursdays – Council
EMS Building, 106 Industrial Ave.
10 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours
Fridays – McCall
Valley County Annex, 550 Deinhard Lane
9 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours
Federal funding for Labor services has dropped 47 percent in the past ten years -- while requirements for funded programs have become more stringent, experts said. “This model, with decentralized service in more communities, satisfies those requirements and saves taxpayers money without sacrificing any personnel or services that citizens rely on,” Smith stated.
