The Work Force Investment act of 1998, known as WIA, was enacted as a one stop system for employers who are seeking employees and to list job openings, workers that are seeking resources or programs for advancement in their career, and for people who are job searching and in need of resources and job postings, all in one facility.

State and local one stop centers are required to offer federal job training programs including employment services, adult education and literacy programs, vocational education and vocational rehabilitation. Federal funds are coupled with state and local funds to be used at one stop job centers to create free programs for career development and services to help you find a job.

Anyone, working or not, can receive core services from the one stop centers for free. Core services are:

*Orientation
*Works skills exploration
*Access to computers, internet, fax & copy machines
*Searches for jobs and training
*Networking skills workshops
*Interviewing techniques workshops
*Referral to employers with current job openings

Training and education are possible upon program eligibility.

Most one stop centers offer several different workshops each day of the week for free. These are generally taped sessions on different topics that you can view. One stop centers usually will give you a certificate for completed workshops that can be listed as training on resumes. Be sure to ask for their calendar of scheduled days and times for workshops.

They will also help you develop your resume and save it on a disk for future use and updates. This is very important for future career advancement. This will allow you to always have access to your original resume and make it easier to tailor your resume to each job posting. A hard copy of your resume and information is always a good idea.

These one stop centers make it possible for you to receive particular training that you may not have had but would like to have to advance your career or to help you find a job. Take out the time to register with your local one stop center and go through the orientation to see what they have to offer you for free that will benefit your job search.

Make your local one stop center part of your job search plan and sharpen the skills you already know or learn new skills through the workshops and list them on your resume. It is a win situation for all and is free to everyone.

Hone your skills the WorkForce way by locating your local one stop center at:

http://www.servicelocator.org/