Michigan Works! A Michigan Opportunity Partner
The Ionia Michigan Works! Service Center is
excited to present to job seekers and employers alike the
Interview USA, Inc.’s Virtual Video Interview (VVI).
This is a relatively new concept which literally allows a
job seeker to be interviewed via the VVI system right in
the Michigan Works! Service Center. The automated
virtual interview questions are asked by a human being
who appears on-screen. Questions are tailored to the
unique needs of each employer and a video camera
captures the responses of the individual being
interviewed. The job seekers resume and video are
emailed to the employer for review. The benefit to the
employers is that at their convenience they can view the
resume and video without having to schedule an
immediate personal interview.
Effective programming is vital for our Ionia County
youth population, in order to transition them from school
to post secondary education, and the labor market. One
of the endeavors the Michigan Works! case management
staff embark upon with the youth population is a
concerted effort to return high school dropouts to school
with the primary goal of obtaining a high school diploma
and preparing them to meet the needs of employers.
We
focus on:
• Improving educational achievement, including
elements such as tutoring, dropout and prevention
strategies.
• Preparing youth for employment, including summer
employment opportunities directly linked to
academic and occupational learning, paid and unpaid
work experiences, job shadowing, Service-Learning
projects, remediation, and occupational skills
training.
• Supporting youth, including meeting supportive
services needs, providing linkages to community,
adult mentoring, follow-up services, comprehensive
guidance and counseling.
• We offer services intended to develop the potential
of youth as citizens and leaders, including leadership
development opportunities, community service and
peer-centered activities which encourage
responsibility, and other positive social behaviors
during non-school hours.
Employment Services:
The Michigan Works! Talent Bank area hosts
eleven computers that are available for job searching
and for posting resumes. Employers utilize the
Talent Bank to advertise job openings as well as to
search for prospective employees. Employers
frequently sponsor the “Employer of the Day” event
at the Service Center and monthly workshops /
seminars are held which offer job search techniques
that are creative, innovative and non-traditional. The
Michigan Works! Service Center staff provide
employment services to employers and to the general
public Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.
The Michigan Works! staff also administer the
Work First Program. The goal of the Work First
Program is to provide quality services and programs
to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) applicants and recipients who are residents
of Ionia County. The ultimate goal of the Work First
Program is to meet the client’s needs by empowering
them through information, resources, training,
guidance employment and supportive services
resulting in TANF case closure and self-sufficiency.
Partner Agencies co-located within the Michigan
Works! Service Center include:
Michigan Rehabilitation Services
Veteran Services
Agricultural Employment Services
Literacy Services
