“Folks in our communities are being downsized, laid off or have lost their jobs. Others can’t seem to find a good-paying job. That’s why we are opening our Career Readiness Center next week,” said McCaskill. “We want to help folks use these difficult times as a start for a new career direction.”

Open House for the center, located in SCC’s Macon Annex downtown Franklin, will be Monday, March 23, from 1-2 p.m. The Career Readiness Center will be open for business the very next day with convenient hours- 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

“Individuals can just drop in at any time and we will work with them one-on-one,” said McCaskill. The target audience is the unemployed, underemployed, GED students, high school graduates and college graduates- all age groups 16 and older.

The center will educate and train individuals for success in the workplace through job readiness training, career exploration, communication skills, job seeking skills and personal development skills.

“Maybe a person has been in a position so long then suddenly lost it and he doesn’t know how to go about looking for a new job. That’s what we are there for,” said McCaskill. “We can help with job search strategies, including searching the Internet. We can help with writing resumes or even how to dress for and conduct a successful interview.

“Maybe you are in a dead-end job and need to enhance your skills to find a better paying position. Maybe you need to learn how to use a computer. We can help with that, too,” she said. Additional services include budgeting, problem solving, decision making, ethics training and interpersonal skills.

“We are providing this as a service to our neighbors,” said McCaskill. “There is no charge for qualified individuals.”

For more information, call 800-447-4091, ext. 361 or 221.

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