Published August 2002

WorkSource has new digs, new funds

By Bryan Corliss
Herald Business Writer

WorkSource Everett moved into new offices last month with a big, new pool of cash to help unemployed Snohomish County residents find jobs.

The office opened July 1 at its new location in the Everett Station, 3201 Smith Ave.

The money — close to a million dollars — came from a U.S. Department of Labor emergency grant. It’s enough to provide assistance to 800 laid-off Boeing workers, and 646 people from other companies who lost their jobs, as a result of the economic crisis caused by the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Workers laid-off from 75 companies in Snohomish and King counties are covered by the grant — most of them in aerospace, air travel or tourism-related businesses, but also such retailers as Kmart and Gottschalks.

Workers eligible for the program can get help finding new jobs or training for a new career, said Mary Zavala, a project manager at the Everett WorkSource office. They also can receive cash to cover the cost of looking for new work.

The WorkSource offices in Everett and Lynnwood hold weekly briefings on the grant program for those who might be eligible. The Everett office held its first meeting at the new Everett Station site July 2 — a Tuesday. Meetings at the Lynnwood office are at 10 a.m. each Thursday, at 20311 52nd Ave. W.

WorkSource Everett managers hope their new location raises the profile of their office and of the services it provides.

The new space has rooms and offices where employers can do recruiting and interviews, she said. And those looking for jobs can use the computers at the office to search for job openings, either online or through the office’s own job listings. They also can attend regular classes on how to do resumes or job interviews.

The WorkSource office also organizes job fairs, and Scudder sets up meetings with soon-to-be laid-off workers at their work sites. It’s not widely known that the office offers those workshops, which cover the kinds of programs available for laid-off workers and ways to apply for them.

The office also conducts workshops to help laid-off workers find new careers to train for, Zavala said. “We give them the tools it takes to find employment.”

For more information, call 425-258-6300 in Everett or 425-673-3310 in Lynnwood.

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