Center helps people find employment

An open house will
showcase what the center offers job seekers.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The Resource Opportunity Center epitomizes cooperation among community organizations, government and education and illustrates how regionalism can pull together elements to better people’s lives.

That’s how Jeff Magada, executive director of Flying High Inc., characterizes The ROC.

Flying High is a community, nonprofit initiative promoting work force development that Magada founded in 1994. It’s the umbrella organization of The ROC, located at Heart Reach Ministries, 211 Redondo Drive. An open house is planned from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday to showcase what the center offers.

In July, Flying High received a $60,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor as one of 73 community and faith-based groups sharing in $3.8 million disbursed by the federal agency. The department said the grants “are part of the labor department’s ongoing effort to partner existing programs with effective faith-based and community organizations to serve the needy.”

The ROC will do just that through a variety of options available to clients and made possible through a cooperative effort among Mahoning County One Stop, Flying High and Heart Reach.

“One Stop chose us to partner with them,” said Magada. “We wrote the grant.” One Stop, a group of employment and training organizations working together to connect employers and job seekers, provides information and services about employment, careers, education and training.

The ROC fit into Flying High’s mission to help disadvantaged young people and adults through social service programs; Heart Reach provided space in its site on the North Side. DeShawn L. Scott and Tammy Thomas are co-coordinators of The ROC.

All a client needs do is look at a blackboard in The ROC and match what he or she needs to what’s offered. Employment services, training programs, mentoring and life skills are available.

One Stop offers education options through Career Pathways and basic computer classes; Mahoning County Training Association and ABLE Program (Adult Basic Literacy Education) offers information on financial assistance; Flying High provides help after incarceration through its New Leaf program; Youngstown State University targets those with an interest in health-care careers with the 20 20 Club; ABLE provides General Education Diploma classes; and MCTA offers sessions on eligibility for training.

Offering job and training information, plus social services, makes the process less daunting, Magada said.

The ROC will help people who are entering the work force, looking for a better job or those laid off.

“When the clients are interviewed by volunteers, all the information is used to detail the benefits they may qualify for,” Scott said. Volunteers are needed at the site.

“Though it’s tailored to low-income people, it is open to all,” Magada said.

“What’s important is to build a skilled, labor-ready work force,” he said. “We have to look at the big picture. To attract various industries, we have to have a work force that’s up to speed. Our work force will be employable and marketable.”

The beauty of The ROC, Magada said, is that it will help people improve the quality of their lives through education and training. “It’s a place of hope,” he said.