JAMESTOWN, NY – The Jamestown Housing Authority and Goodwill of Western New York have partnered together to hold a Community Support Resource Fair in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hotel Jamestown on Tuesday, August 29th from 12pm to 3pm. The event is free and is expected to feature more than 25 government and community organizations who focus on providing services to assist people in finding, securing, and retaining higher wage careers in the region’s economy.
The sponsor of the event, Goodwill’s Goodskills Career Builder, has been operating its signature Workforce Readiness training initiative in Jamestown since February of this year. In collaboration with local employers and trainers, Goodskills Career Builder prepares workers for careers in Advanced Manufacturing through four-weeks of training provided free of charge to residents of Chautauqua County over the age of 18. By focusing specifically on careers in manufacturing, Goodskills has the dual benefit of helping to fill a growing need for skilled workers in Jamestown among businesses and providing opportunities for people to advance from minimum or low-wage jobs into higher paying careers.
Despite the initiative’s success in recruiting and placing individuals with local manufacturers, they have also seen the many challenges people face beyond the training they provide in securing higher-wage employment first hand.
“For many people in our community, starting a higher wage career is not as easy as finding an ad in the paper, applying, and getting a paycheck.” said Bryan Boleratz, Community Outreach Liaison for Goodwill’s Goodskills Career Builder, “Lack of affordable childcare, transportation, housing, food, and basic workforce readiness skills often stand in the way. By putting all of those resource providers in one room, we hope to give people a path to success before they walk out the door.”
Joining Goodskills in hosting the event is the Jamestown Housing Authority who oversees several properties in Jamestown including 280 units of HUD subsidized public housing and manages a rental assistance program that includes nearly 300 housing vouchers for individuals and families who quality. Joseph Gerace, Executive Director of the Jamestown Housing Authority is excited to have the resources of Goodskills in Chautauqua County and looks forward to bringing together so many agencies focused on helping individuals secure family sustaining employment for not only those supported by JHA but for the greater community as well.
“The JHA is excited to have the workforce readiness programs of Goodwill’s Goodskills Career Builder here in Jamestown and proud to partner with them on this event.” Said Gerace. “We hope this is just the start of a collaboration that will bring many great resources to the people in our communities.”
For more information on the Community Support Resource Fair and Goodskills Career Builder, contact 716.710.7114 or visit Goodskillswny.org.