IowaWorks brings office hours to Mt. Pleasant

MT. PLEASANT — Due to the closures of West Liberty Foods and Iowa Wesleyan University, beginning this week, IowaWorks will hold office hours every Wednesday for the month of May.

“It was determined that there may be an extraordinary need for our services in the Mt. Pleasant area based on two major business closings in a very short time period,” IowaWorks Operations Supervisor Tim Synder said.

“With that in mind our leadership in Des Moines, the local Burlington IowaWORKS Center, and Rachel Lindeen of the Mt. Pleasant Chamber made a plan to provide the Mt. Pleasant Community with easier access during this time,” he added. “We're very excited to see how it turns out.”

IowaWorks will offer office hours at the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce office on South Main Street from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. every Wednesday in May and will reevaluate the hours for June.

According to Synder, their temporary office will provide the same services as every other IowaWorks center including:

Career counseling

Job search skills development

Locating employment opportunities

Assistance with unemployment insurance claims

Academic skill testing

Virtual Workshops

High school equivalency testing (HiSET) preparation

College research

Creating resumes and cover letters

Preparing for interviews

Registered Apprenticeship assistance

Job fairs and other special events

Skill upgrades and training

Career and skill assessments

“Each individual’s circumstance are different,” Synder said. “So, their needs and desired goals would determine which services would be utilized.”

Synder encourages anyone that could benefit from these services to stop in for business hours.

“These services are for any individual that comes in the door not just those impacted by the businesses closings,” he said.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com