"Quick" Skills and Career Placement for Jobseeker at Workforce1 Career Center

October 1, 2007 – For five years, Marcia Forde worked as a bookkeeper for a Brooklyn-based company. Forde tracked the company's finances with pencil and paper, but in March, was laid off due to cutbacks. Without the computer skills that are necessary in today's business world, Forde struggled to find a job and was forced to file for unemployment.

"My old boss didn't believe in QuickBooks so I could never learn," said Forde. "No one even looks at your resume if you don't use computers."

Desperate to find help, she traveled an hour to an employment agency in Manhattan. They referred Forde to the Workforce1 Career Center near her Brooklyn home. Meeting with a Workforce1 career counselor, Forde updated her resume and attended the first session of a seven-week QuickBooks workshop on her first day at the Center to finally gain the computer skills she needed to compete in the job market. Continuing to attend the workshop over the following weeks, Forde was hired after her first job interview and is now employed by BobTek Electrical Corp., managing their finances in QuickBooks.

"It was like the Workforce1 career counselors knew me already when I came in and could help me right away," said Forde. "Between my QuickBooks class and my supervisor, I'm a pro now, after only a couple months."

The Department of Small Business Services operates six Workforce1 Career Centers in all five boroughs. These Centers provide jobseekers with a full array of employment services including job placement, career advisement, job search counseling, and skills training.

Click here for more information, or call 311 and ask for "Workforce1."