Have something to say?
You can make a comment about this story — and other stories — at Journal-News.com on Facebook or MiddletownJournal.com on Facebook.
The unemployed and underemployed in Southwest Ohio may be better equipped job seekers by the end of the year.
The Workforce One Investment Board of Southwest Ohio must move to implement a $264,500 technology grant by Dec. 31, said Jeffrey Weber, executive director of the board. The board oversees Workforce One-Stop centers in Butler, Warren and Clermont counties that are each making upgrades to computer hardware, software and other computer-related equipment.
Managers of One-Stops in Butler and Warren counties say its been five to six years since the last upgrade. However, Weber said the use of computers at the county centers has increased the past two years.
“The use has never been higher,” Weber said.
The grant was allocated through the One-Stop System Enhancement Program by the Ohio Office of Workforce Development. Up to $8 million was spread over 20 workforce areas statewide, Weber said. Each county will spend the money differently based on needs.
The Butler County One-Stop in Fairfield has about 36 new Dell computers with virtual terminals on order that will allow the center to tie the computers together on a network, said Don Kell, the center’s manager. Software will be upgraded to Microsoft 2010 and Windows 7.
Kell said a video conferencing system, as well as a scanner, printers and resume paper have been purchased as well. Money must be spent or obligated by the end of the year. Equipment will be installed by early January, he said.
“We’re going to finally catch up to the rest of the world in terms of technology,” Kell said.
By using up-to-date technology to apply for jobs, center clients are also showing potential employees they know how to use the technology, said Karen Whittamore, Warren County’s One-Stop director. Many jobs today require the knowledge of how to apply the most recent software and systems, Whittamore said.
Weber also said more and more employers put applications online.
Besides being outdated, there were also problems at both centers with equipment not always working properly Whittamore and Kell said.
The Warren County One-Stop already has received 23 computers, a scanner, a server and more. Thirty to 50 people use the resource room computer lab and overflow computer lab at the Lebanon center daily, she added.
“We want to have as much as possible current software that’s in use in the businesses,” Whittamore said. “We’re trying to prepare for leading edge technologies and we can’t do that with outdated equipment and software.”
Contact this
reporter
at (513) 705-2551 or clevingston@coxohio.com.
About the Author