(Video courtesy of WHYY Newsworks)
Gov. John Carney, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, and Delaware Labor Secretary Patrice Gilliam-Johnson announced a specially-equipped bus dubbed the Mobile One-Stop (MOS) unit.
Dispatching the 40-foot Department of Labor office on wheels will also increase awareness about the Delaware Department of Labor’s services among job seekers and employers. The bus is equipped with 10 computer workstations, a monitor to display presentations, wireless internet access, and a printer. On board, Delaware Department of Labor employees
The bus is equipped with 10 computer workstations, a monitor to display presentations, wireless internet access, and a printer. On board, Delaware Department of Labor employees will assist clients with job searches, resume building, and work training enrollment.
“We are working hard to make sure that Delaware’s economy works for all Delawareans. Often, that means connecting Delawareans with jobs resources that will help them find good-paying work,” said Governor Carney. “Through this mobile jobs unit, the Department of Labor is getting out into the communities we serve and meeting Delawareans where they live. This initiative also is one of many examples of how we are working across agencies, with the City of Wilmington, to improve our economy and quality of life for residents in our largest city. Thank you to Mayor Purzycki and Secretary Gilliam-Johnson for their leadership.”
The mobile jobs unit will be located in the City of Wilmington through October to assist Wilmington residents in their job searches. There are currently 2,560 unemployed Wilmington residents actively seeking work. And though 11.6% is Wilmington’s contribution to the county’s labor force of 15,040, the city represents 16.6% of the unemployed.
There are currently 2,560 unemployed Wilmington residents actively seeking work, above the city’s share of the state’s population, a release stated.
“This is serious and we have to do something about it,” said Dr. Gilliam-Johnson, secretary of the Delaware Department of Labor. “Many of the problems Wilmington residents face today can be linked to unemployment, and in order to get to a solution, we have to make meaningful connections with those seeking work, erase this inherent sense of hopelessness that exists and present them with real and viable opportunities.”
The bus has been deployed at a community block party in South Bridge, is scheduled to make weekly visits to Wilmington’s Safe Haven Community Centers and, until the end of October, The bus been a regular visitor at the Rodney Square Downtown Visions Farmer’s Market on Wednesday afternoons.
“We want to educate Wilmington residents about employment services that are available through the State Labor Department, and to help job seekers more easily access those services,” said Purzycki. “Given that a lack of transportation can be a huge obstacle for someone who is unemployed, we need to make it easier for residents by bringing those services to the people who need them the most – meeting people where they are and where they live.”
