ANAHEIM : Computers Arriving at City Job Center

New computers have begun arriving for city’s Internet-linked one-stop career center, and a task force is being formed to oversee its operations.

Funded with a $600,000 state grant to assist the unemployed and endorsed by the City Council, the center still faces challenges, said Marge Pritchard, job training manager for Anaheim.

The biggest one at this point, she said, is establishing electronic links between the center and government agencies, employers, libraries and other resources for job seekers. “It’s quite an endeavor,” Pritchard said. “As we know, all systems aren’t the same. We just don’t have all the connections put together for those additional services.”

The center, at 50 S. Anaheim Blvd., is already working with former Rockwell International aerospace employees. When the new computer modems are activated, the center will offer a greatly expanded array of services, such as access to nationwide job listings and the ability to transmit resumes to potential employers.

The center also will offer career assessments, crisis counseling, motivational seminars, financial management advice and information on college courses and job training programs.

The result will be far more efficient job searches, Pritchard said. “With the old way, you might have to go to three or four different offices to begin with,” she said. “They would be more bureaucratic, put people in ‘boxes.’ And if you don’t fit in a ‘box,’ they can’t help you. We’re tearing down those barriers.”