(Camden, NJ) – In August, when a new Marshall’s department store opening in Audubon was looking for employees, they partnered with the Camden County One-Stop Office. The new store needed to find qualified applicants to staff the entirety of the new location, and turned to the one-stop for help. A few weeks later, on Sept. 5, Marshall’s held its new employee orientation back at the one-stop where 58 men and women were officially hired.
Freeholder Jonathan Young, liaison to the Department of Economic Development and Workforce Development, said the new Marshall’s store is evidence of the one-stop’s effectiveness and mission.
“We believe that the best way to prepare people who are looking for work is to start by speaking directly with who’s hiring,” Young said. “The one-stop center is such an effective resource in this community because it is outcome-based. It’s designed to put our residents into a work force that needs them now.”
Those who need job training or other help getting into the workforce often report trouble from having to travel back-and-forth between destinations in order to get informed, trained, and assisted. Many of these individuals even give up on training or stop looking for work entirely because of the strenuous conditions.
The Camden County One-Stop Office offers all of those necessary training and searching services in one place. The one-stop office coordinates and provides workforce development services, works with employers and employees, supplies information, and more, all from one location. This way, future workers really only have to make one stop to get everything they need on the path to employment.
“We partner with nine different state and local organizations that help us make this process as streamlined and accessible as possible,” Young said. “Now, we even have employers like Marshall’s who come to us for help finding the right people for their business.”
In addition to special partnerships like the one with Marshall’s, the one-stop works with its partners to host job fairs, provide job training and placement, basic skills enhancement, GED readiness preparation, and more.
The one-stop offers onsite resources like telephones, copy machines, computers, and internet access to help planners as they prepare for their next opportunity. Career assistance and counseling, job market information, and on-the-job training can all be accessed from the same location with the help of the one-stop’s support staff.
“If you’re a veteran, an ex-offender, over 55 years old, or a member of our youth community, we have programs and information that is specific to helping you find work and become prepared for it,” Young said. “The one-stop is designed to be the only place you ever have to go to find a job, regardless of your age or background.”
For more information on the Camden County One-Stop Office and all of the other resources offered by the county to help residents find employment and economic stability, visit http://careerconnections.nj.gov/careerconnections/plan/support/njccsites/camden_oscc.shtml.