Six employment centers open in Wake, Johnston

Raleigh, N.C. — The Capital Area Workforce Development Board cut the ribbon to open six new centers to help job seekers in Wake and Johnston counties Thursday.

Counselors said the centers are vital, given the number of workers who joined the ranks of the unemployed in the past six months. In May, unemployment in North Carolina hit 11.1 percent, an all-time high.

There were balloons in the air and cake on the tables, but no takers at the Hope Center at Pullen on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.

"We do not have our first customer yet, but we have all confidence that that will change," Director Porter Bell said.

The SHARE (Sharing How Access to Resources Empowers) Network Access Points are targeted at employment seekers who lack job search skills. Volunteers help job seekers use the JobLink system and other Web sites, prepare resumes, get references and other skills.

The new SHARE centers are at:

Celebration Community Church, 314 Bashford Road, Raleigh
The Hope Center at Pullen, Inc., 1801 Hillsborough St., Raleigh
Urban Ministries of Wake County, 1390 Capital Boulevard, Raleigh
Johnston County Industries, 1100 E. Preston St., Selma
Kenly Church of God Worship Center, 9073 St. Mary’s Church Road, Kenly
Mitchener Memorial Baptist Church, 911 Blount St., Smithfield

Capital Area Workforce Development Board first opened five SHARE centers in June 2008.

SHARE center locations

View SHARE job centers in a larger map

At Urban Ministries on Capital Boulevard, Aaron Finley expects existing clients will find the new services helpful. "We'll be providing a one-stop-shop," he said. "We'll have clients who are here for other things who we'll identify that they're either under- or unemployed who can then look for employment through the JobLink center while they're here."

The centers provide access to the same computer programs offered by offices of the Employment Security Commission, with one key difference -- shorter lines.

Though few takers lined up Thursday at the new centers, volunteers at existing centers said, as word spread, business could be expected to pick up.

The U.S. Department of Labor supplied the funding for the centers.

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Conservative
June 25, 2009 5:54 p.m.

..."They should have included a prayer clause in the last stimulus bill because that's about all there is left to try."

The only problem with this is liberals do not believe there is a God....so praying for them is a waste of time!!! Liberals can ALWAYS do it better than God, or haven't you been watching the news over the past 2 1/2 years as they gorged themselves at the obamasia feed trough!!!!!!!!!!!

GWALLY
June 25, 2009 4:37 p.m.

If the churches help the sheople find jobs, then the church is hoping for more $$$ in the coffers. It's always about the $$$$

Several area fast food places are hiring, by the way. Y'all too good to work manual labor?

PaulRevere
June 25, 2009 4:30 p.m.

The only problem I have with this is that it is provided by a faith-based organization. However, it is not stated anywhere in the article. So when you go to learn how to search for jobs, are these organizers going to push the Bible at the same time? -treet007

My guess is probably so. Might as well because what they are looking for does not exist and that would be the jobs. They should have included a prayer clause in the last stimulus bill because that's about all there is left to try.