Fox Valley jobs program, participants face tough times with budget cuts

Joe Watson is only 18, but the Woodstock High School senior already has keen insight into the careers and job opportunities awaiting him upon graduation.

For the past three years, Watson has participated in the McHenry County Workforce Network program, through which he has gained valuable instruction on everything from filling out a job application to visiting employers throughout the county.

"I applied for the program because I heard it had good opportunities to learn vocational skills -- and was fun, too," Watson said.

"I've had some of the best experiences of my life here, from the places we go and the things we learn. It really opens your eyes to what people do and the jobs you can have."

The network's Workforce Prep and Entry Level Worker programs aim to prepare people ages 16 to 21 for the working world by teaching them job-search and interviewing skills, resume preparation, career exploration and work-readiness skills.

Program administrators, working with local businesses, arrange paid internships for some participants. They also guide them to other resources such as tutoring, general educational development (GED) courses, alternative schools and counseling -- anything that will further participants' goals.

But, just as the economy is slowing, the program that strives to place young people in the working field finds itself facing downsizing and a possible pink slip after the election year.

Recently, Julie Courtney, director of the McHenry County Workforce Network, received word that cuts made in the federal budget last December have resulted in a 25-percent decrease in funding for the network's programs for the remainder of this program year and the next one. Those cuts also affect the network's adult and dislocated workers' programs, which provide similar services for adults seeking employment.

"We anticipated the rescissions, but not to this level," Courtney said.

"We are currently seeing an increased demand for these services, and now we have less money to serve these people."

Courtney said demand in the form of new applicants has risen by 18.6 percent during the first half of this year, compared to last year. Funding cuts will result in the closing of the network's Harvard office on Wednesday, with an impact on 2,300 visitors per year.

As a result, economically disadvantaged job seekers must drive to the network's main office in Woodstock, 500 Russel Court, also home to the county's unemployment office. With gas prices rising, many of the program participants simply cannot afford to make the trip, Courtney said.

In addition, the network will lose at least one staff member.

Another budget-cut result is that funding for the Incumbent Worker Training program, which helps McHenry County businesses become more competitive by training employees on new equipment and technology, has been completely eliminated. That program had $75,000 in the budget -- the equivalent of 25 training projects -- and is now gone, Courtney said.

"We had a lot of interest from businesses in the county for this program, and now we won't be able to offer it," Courtney said.

"Our only hope is when they vote for the budget in November that they will increase our funding."

In the meantime, network administrators continue about the business of training teens and young adults, and welcoming as many new people as they can accommodate. Some participants already have jobs and are taking advantage of the network's vocational activities, and educational programs so they can land their "dream" jobs in the future.

Some of the teens need help finding jobs.

"We try to get the participants working by summer," said Barb Billimack, youth workforce specialist. "If they are having a hard time finding a job, we will help them get one -- but we don't do that until they've proved their working skills."

The network pays each participant a stipend, dependent upon funding levels, for any work-readiness class they attend.

Those classes, held in Crystal Lake, McHenry and Woodstock, can involve a variety of lessons: from basic reading and math improvement courses to more complicated tasks, such as preparing a career portfolio.

Participants are also paid an hourly rate for attending any of the network's all-day training events or internship work. That rate is $8 per hour for those with a high school diploma, or GED, or $7.50 for those who haven't graduated.

"The pay is an incentive for them to learn everything they need to move on in the work force," Billimack said. "Our team's goal is to provide the education and skills to be successful in the working world."

More information about the McHenry County Workforce Network is available by calling (815) 338-7100, or by visiting its Web site at www.mchenrycountywork force.com.