By Dylan Bradley/campus editor
A month after the Workforce Center opened on NW Campus, students and community residents are finding jobs while staff gets acclimated to the new space.
The center, which had its grand opening Sept. 29, is the blended home of NW career services and the Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County northwest center.
In its first month open, NW career services coordinator Tracy Williams said she has seen a drop in foot traffic because of the change in location. Before the partnership, the career center was on WSTO’s ground floor in a central location, she said, and some might not be aware of the move to the second floor.
Keycha Jones, NW Workforce Center manager for Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, said the first month has been an adjustment period.
“I think the partnership is going to be even better once we’re all settled in,” she said. “It’s just awesome to be on campus.”
The Workforce Center can provide services the NW career center can’t, like access to job training and intensive one-on-one job searches, Jones said.
“We need to help customers discover their talent and help them to find employment that helps them to become more self-sufficient,” Jones said. “When you come here, our goal is for you to discover your talents.”
The center is a valuable resource for students on every campus, NW student Adriana Duran said.
“I think the career services is a very good opportunity for us to know more,” Duran said.
The center provides information about career paths that academic students might not know about, she said.
“Not every major has a clear career path, like psychology and criminal justice,” Williams said. “There are different areas they may want to go into, and they kind of need to know what those are so they can make sure they’re taking the right classes.”
Both entities offer career assessment and coaching, resume help and career counseling.
Having Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County on campus has direct benefits, Williams said, one being the number of community members being brought directly onto campus. The Workforce Center can also help people who have suddenly lost their job get back into the field — a more direct help for those in need, Williams said.
Williams and Jones said they want to do more partnered events that bring employers to campus and students to employers.
The Workforce Center
and career center
located in WSTU 2818 are open
8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday through Friday.
For more information,
call 817-413-4000 or 817-515-7785.