The largest support program for Workforce Solutions Golden Crescent beyond finding jobs for suitable applicants is childcare.
Of the nonprofit’s $18-million budget, roughly $8 million is spent on childcare, so employees can work with their children in safe environments.
“We provide childcare services to about 1,200 kids a day,” said Henry Guajardo, executive director of Workforce. “We have contracts with around 62 childcare providers in our seven county area.”
He said the reason is simple: “Why childcare? Well, because it is one of the most critical components in workforce development. You talk to any employer, they’ll tell you one of the two things that they have issues with is transportation and childcare.”
Guajardo noted a recent article in the Victoria Advocate detailing how some childcare centers in the Victoria area have accumulated numerous state regulatory violations. He said if centers are found deficient, they’re dropped from his agency’s program.
“We’re offering childcare for three months for those individuals that are looking for work,” he said. “There are some stipulations. One of them, they have to be looking for a job. They have to be registered in our workintexas.com system.”
Workforce plans a job fair for Nov. 10 at the Victoria College Emerging Technology Center. For details on the job fair or other programs run by Workforce, call 361-578-0341.
Keith Kohn is executive editor of The Victoria Advocate. He joined The Advocate after many years as local editor at newspapers in Florida, South Carolina, New York and California. Reach him at [email protected].
0 Comments