Tierney, Patrick deliver $130G to Lynn center

LYNN – John Held of Lynn was laid off six months ago from his job at a Malden restaurant.Marilyn Levitt has been trying to find work since she left the publications office of a Boston college.Ellen Marks of Beverly lost her job selling kitchen and bathroom tiles.Linda Laughlin of Boxford, a former hospital nutritionist, recently gave up her role as a stay-at-home mom and is looking for employment.These four jobless Massachusetts residents Monday were among dozens taking advantage of free services at the North Shore Career Center at 181 Union St. By early afternoon, they were joined by federal, state and local officials gathered to present a six-figure workforce development grant to the busy career center in Lynn and its counterpart in Salem.The North Shore facilities are among 37 one-stop career centers statewide that together are slated to receive $8 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. The Lynn and Salem career centers, through the North Shore Workforce Investment Board, will divide a $260,860 federal grant ($130,430 for each).”Along with hiring more staff members, these funds will also enable the center to expand its workshop portfolio so that job-seekers can focus one-on-one with experts on retraining options and career coaching,” said U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat and a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor.According to Tierney, when Congress voted to approve the ARRA, it was with the understanding that its focus on job development would put people back to work. The career centers are an innovative way to make that happen, he said.Gov. Deval Patrick was also present to hear first-hand from unemployed residents. “We need to help people get the skills to do the jobs of tomorrow,” he said. “These funds will help us do that.”Patrick painted a grim picture of the state’s economy, a subject that arose when an unemployed woman said she wants only to work in state government. The governor reminded her of massive ongoing layoffs of state employees, but encouraged her to identify areas of interest in government and use those to focus her job search.”We could lay off every state employee and still have a $1 billion deficit,” said Patrick, noting 2,000 state workers already have been laid off and another 1,500 are soon to follow. “The size of government is coming down.”Despite the current economic crisis, the Lynn career center was packed with job seekers willing to do whatever it takes to return to the ranks of the employed. “I’m 41 years old. A lot of employers are looking for the younger kids. They want people with experience, but not too much experience,” said Held, a chef for 18 years. “I’ve been without a job for six months, but I keep on looking.”Deborah Barnes, a workshop specialist at the Lynn career center, said the services offered are not only for the unemployed. “Anyone can come. We don’t charge for services. Membership is free. And we have lots of different workshops,” she said, noting that clients can learn how to write a resume, practice interviewing skills, learn to network, locate what is often referred to as the hidden job market, and identify transferable skills.”Ninety percent of jobs don’t come from going on Craigslist,” she said.The $8 million in ARRA funds to boost Re-employment Services (RES) programs like the career centers was a two-part grant, the first half delivered during the current fiscal year and the second in the upcoming fiscal year.