WLB Advertiser Des Moines United Methodist Church is offering a workshop series on employment, beginning Monday, July 12th and continuing for the following two Mondays.

The workshop will run from Noon – 1pm on Mondays, July 12, 19 and 26.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Employment Workshops

WHEN: Mondays, July 12, 19 & 26, Noon – 1:00 p.m., Wesley Room

WHERE: Des Moines United Methodist Church’s Wesley Room, located at 22225 9th Ave. South, Des Moines; 206-878-8301.

INFO: “Want support and assistance looking for a new job or seeking more fulfilling employment?  Join this weekly series to improve your resumes, cover letters, interviewing skills, networking techniques, and job searches. Open to the public.”

[Would you like to have a Blogvertorial story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by thousands of interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

WLB Advertiser Des Moines United Methodist Church is offering FREE employment workshops starting Monday, June 7th, from Noon – 1pm.

These workshops will be taught by College Career Development Teacher Cindy Akana.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Des Moines United Methodist Church Employmehnt Workshops

WHEN:  Mondays, starting June 7, Noon – 1pm.

WHERE: United Methodist Church, located at 22225 9th Ave S, Des Moines 98198; Phone: 206-878-8301

INFO: From an email:

To support and assist those looking for work or seeking more fulfilling employment.

Provide practical help in order to create great resumes and cover letters, improve interview skills and job searches, and identify fulfilling jobs and carrers.

Taught by College Career Development Teacher Cindy Akana.

More information available at www.DesMoinesUMC.org.

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website read by thousands of interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

If you read The Waterland Blog regularly, you’re probably aware that, aside from providing a much-needed and timely service to the Des Moines area, we’re growing very quickly in both traffic, content and Advertisers (more info on us here).

And growth can be good, except of course when it starts to overwhelm a very small staff.

Hence, this posting – we’re looking for at least two capable folks to come join our Burien-based team:

1. JOURNALIST/EDITOR with WordPress knowledge (or you’re at least not afraid to learn it). Yes, we need another Editor to collect content, format it, copy edit, add graphics (and do appropriate FTPing if necessary), then push the “Publish” button to update some of our up-and-coming blogs (we currently have 6 total, with more coming soon…).
2. SALES REP who can call on local businesses to let them know about us. We have nice Rate Cards, excellent traffic, our websites’ content speaks for itself, and we’re finding that selling Ads is easy – we just need more feet on the ground!

Here’s some more info:

• We prefer to find local folks who live in the general area.
• We like people who are involved in their communities (we’re active in ours).
• We like to find people who either read the blog already, or know of us.
• You can work part or full-time (some folks working here now have other gigs).
• You can set your own hours.
• This is a “ground-floor opportunity” and you will be part of a small, growing team.
• These are Contractor (1099) positions, meaning that you’ll be paid on an either per-job/hourly basis or pure Commission. And believe it or not, we also accept Volunteers! There are no benefits other than working with a fun, local, talented team who like to make a difference in their community.
• Your work will be seen on not just here on The Waterland Blog, but our five other area sister sites as well, including:
  • The B-Town (Burien) Blog
  • The White Center Blog
  • The Normandy Park Blog
  • The Tukwila Blog
  • The SeaTac Blog

Requirements:

• Please have a computer and internet access (we’ll set you up with an email account).
• Please have a reliable car & valid driver’s license.
• For Sales Reps – please have the ability to manage your clients throughout their entire Ad run on the sites (this includes staying in contact with them, renewing them when their contracts expire, etc.).
• You will work as an Independent Contractor, meaning you’ll be responsible for your own taxes, insurance, etc. and there are no additional benefits).
• You dig the internet and are excited about its future possibilities, including new technologies like the upcoming iPad.
• You like Local News, Events, Arts, Entertainment and more, as well as helping out your community(we hold our own Fundraiser Blog Parties about once per quarter, and over our 2+ year lifespan have raised over $13,000 for local charities).

To apply for one of these positions, please email us your resume, links to your online stuff (ie: Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, etc.), and your interests and availability!

State Representatives Dave Upthegrove and Tina Orwall, both Democrats from Des Moines, along with Senator Karen Keiser (D-Kent), will host a Community Jobs Forum on Saturday, Feb. 20th from 10am to Noon at the Kent City Hall.

Stepping out of the traditional “town hall” format, the three lawmakers put together a Community Jobs Forum to give constituents an opportunity to connect with state and nonprofit agencies that do job placement, training, counseling, and similar services.

Legislators will speak briefly about state efforts to spur job creation and get the economy back on track. The rest of the event will be free time for attendees to visit tables from the participating agencies and speak one-on-one with the legislators.

Here are the details:

WHAT: 33rd District Community Jobs Forum

WHEN: Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to Noon.

WHERE: Kent City Hall – Council Chambers, located at 220 Fourth Avenue South, Kent

WHO: 33rd District legislators: Rep. Dave Upthegrove, Rep. Tina Orwall and Sen. Karen Keiser.

Confirmed participating agencies include:

• WorkSource
• Port Jobs
  
• Highline CC
  
• Green River CC
  
• Renton Technical College
  
• The Veterans Conservation Corps
  
• US Census Bureau

This Community Jobs Forum is a free event, and all South King County job seekers are encouraged to attend.

The 33rd Legislative District includes SeaTac, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and parts of Kent and Tukwila.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Waldref at (360) 786-7201 or Waldref.Jennifer@leg.wa.gov.

A preliminary state audit questions the Port of Seattle’s contract with the nonprofit “Port Jobs” program, and Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines) is sponsoring a bill that will make sure the program continues.

Since 1993, the private, nonprofit “Port Jobs” program has successfully matched job seekers with employers, as well as provided continuing education and job training opportunities.

“In the past decade, over 14,000 job seekers in South King County have turned to the services of Port Jobs,” Upthegrove said. “And employers know that when a candidate is referred to them through Port Jobs, that person’s qualifications have been thoroughly vetted.”

Upthegrove is sponsoring House Bill 2651, which specifically authorizes ports to support job placement and training programs that are operated by nonprofit entities. State law already authorizes port districts to contract with nonprofits for economic development. At issue is whether economic development encompasses workforce development.

“Port Jobs has connected thousands of job seekers with employers at Sea-Tac Airport, and to apprenticeships in the skilled construction trades. In this economy, we are doing everything we can to get people to work, and to help them stay employed once they get there,” said Heather Worthley, Executive Director of Port Jobs. “Representative Upthegrove’s bill, if passed, will make it crystal clear that the Port of Seattle has the Legislature’s backing to continue to fund this important work.”

The bill passed out of committee in the House and is awaiting possible action on the House floor. Upthegrove is pushing to ensure that the measure passes the House before the February 16 cutoff deadline for House bills.

“Our focus this year in Olympia is to create jobs and improve our economy, and this bill is all about jobs,” Upthegrove said.

Under the proposed legislation, Port Jobs would be required to submit an annual report to the Port of Seattle detailing the number of successful job placements. In 2009, Port Jobs placed more than 500 people through its Airport Jobs office.

From the Port Jobs website:

Port Jobs is not-for-profit action tank that develops practical programs and supports public policies that increase access to living wage jobs, fostering a more vibrant and equitable economy for residents of and businesses in Seattle and King County. We make good jobs easier to get and good employees easier to find, primarily in the port-related economy.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Port Jobs: engages in innovative research to increase shared knowledge; creates powerful partnerships in key action areas; and develops practical programs that provide important services to jobseekers, employers and our local community.

Highline Community College is presenting “Tips for a Successful Interview,” another free workshop for job seekers this Tuesday, March 31st from 9:30am to 11am.

This seminar will be repeated on Tuesday, April 28th as well.

Here are the details:

WHAT: “Tips for a Successful Interview” workshop.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 31st from 9:30 am – 11:00 am -OR- Tuesday, April 28th from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

WHERE: Highline Community College Building 99, Room 132, located at 2400 S 240th St., Des Moines

INFO: Get valuable tips for how to prepare for a successful interview and find out what to expect during the interview process. Human Resources staff members will also discuss the laws concerning employment discrimination and what interview questions are illegal for an employer to ask. Individual coaching sessions will be offered as well.

COST: Free and open to the public.

RSVP: (206) 878-3710 x3812 or hrstaff@highline.edu

On Tuesday, Burien’s Highline Medical Center laid off 85 management and staff positions.

CEO Mark Benedum said, “Today is an incredibly difficult and painful day for us. In order to assure our financial stability, we had to reduce 85 management and staff positions at both campuses through a lay-off. In many cases, these are individuals who have given years of service and significant contributions to our organization. This was not an easy decision and it was something I had hoped we would not have to do.”

Like most hospitals both locally and nationally, Highline Medical Center has been hit hard by the declining economy. Highline’s net revenue has been negatively impacted by both a decrease in outpatient volumes and an increase in uncompensated care. These factors led to significant financial losses in December and January and a projected loss in February.

Benedum continued, “We have taken actions to respond to the decline in the economy. While we initially believed that these measures would allow us to manage the economic fall-out, it was not enough. We cannot continue to spend more than we are earning. Continued losses of this magnitude are not an option. We have a responsibility to our patients and the community to reduce our costs and remain financially viable.”

The vast majority of positions that were eliminated were not involved in direct patient care.

Highline Medical Center first opened in 1958 as Burien General Hospital. It now includes two healthcare campuses and more than 20 clinics across Southwest King County. As the tenth-busiest emergency department in the Puget Sound region, Highline serves as the base station for the Burien area emergency medical unit. In 2008, Highline broke ground on a new ER & Patient Care unit, which is slated to open in early 2010.

More information is available at their website: www.highlinemedicalcenter.org.

Highline Community College will be doing what it can to resuscitate the local unemployment rate by holding a Health Care Job Fair on Wednesday, Mar. 4th in the student union building on its main campus.

It’s sponsored by HCC’s Workforce Development Services, and Employers from the Puget Sound area will be recruiting for jobs in many health care related fields, including:

• Nursing
• Respiratory care
• Medical assisting
• Medical transcriptionist
• Phlebotomy
• Polysomnographic technology
• Optician-licensed dispensing
• Chemical dependency

Here are the details:

WHAT: Health Care Job Fair

WHEN: Wednesday, March 4th, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: Highline Community College’s main campus, Highline Student Union (Building 8), 2nd floor;Highline’s main campus is located midway between Seattle and Tacoma at South 240th Street and Pacific Highway South (Highway 99); address: 2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA 98198.

COST: FREE and open to the public

INFO: Employers scheduled to participate include Advanced Health Care, Cascade Regional Blood Services, Good Samaritan Hospital, Regency Pacific, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Valley Medical Center and Virginia Mason Medical Center.

The job fair coincides with Highline’s Health Information Fair, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Highline Student Union, 1st floor. The information fair features student booths that explore health-related issues and booths that highlight Highline’s health care programs.

SPONSOR: HCC’s Workforce Development Services

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