Operated by the St. Charles County Department of Workforce & Business Development, the center began offering Basic Microsoft Word and Excel courses this summer after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the scale-back of in-person services. As of October, the center has started offering all classes virtually through the Zoom video conference app.
“We’ve had positive feedback from participants,” says Lori Myers, Division Manager of Operations for the Missouri Job Center. “While transitioning to online classes was a necessity, this new format opens the door to people to who can’t visit us in person due to childcare, transportation or other issues. It’s become a new way for us to be more available to the public.”
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requires the center to offer monthly courses in resume writing, interviewing, basic computer skills, career exploration and networking. But the center goes beyond these requirements to provide courses in other important career-related areas, including using LinkedIn for job searches and helping individuals involved with the justice system find employment.
“The virtual classes definitely are an advantage for our computer-based workshops; in-person classes were limited to 16 individuals due to computer availability,” Lori explains. “We’re considering how we can offer more types of classes in this virtual format. Additionally, we are working to record them to make these classes even more accessible.”
Visit the Department of Workforce & Business Development’s website to access the job center’s calendar of classes and registration instructions. For questions, please call 636-255-6060.