SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAREERS : MAKING IT WORK : Resource Guide : Where to Find Tips, Testing and Training at Little or No Cost

Apprenticeship Preparation Classes

Sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Services:

* Prepares trainees to successfully meet apprenticeship entry requirements in a variety of trades, including surveying, sheet metal, plumbing/steamfitting, painting/drywall, electrical, sprinkler fitting, carpentry, refrigeration/air conditioning.

* Information on selection processes of various unions

* Instruction and review in math and reading skills

Eligibility:

* 18 years or older

* High-school graduate/G.E.D. certificate

* Valid California driver’s license

Cost: $5 registration fee

Hours: 8 a.m.-noon, Mon.-Fri.

Address: Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, 10925 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles

Telephone: (213) 564-1431, Ext. 315

California Registry of Professional Counselors

Services: referrals to career counselors

Cost: referrals are free; variable fees for counseling

Address: 2555 E. Chapman Ave., Suite 201, Fullerton

Telephone: (714) 871-6460

Career Encores

Referral service for people 50 and older. Serves only Los Angeles County, networking with 50 other agencies countywide.

Services:

* Information on job training

* Job listings for employers and job-seekers

* Job search assistance

Job clubs:

* Burbank: 2100 Magnolia Blvd.

* Culver City: 3710 S. Robertson Blvd.

* Harbor City: 24404 S. Vermont.

Orientation at 10 a.m. Fridays. Call before visit.

Information: Outside L.A. County, employment information for older people is listed under Area Agency on Aging in county government sections of local telephone directories.

Cost: free to job-seekers and employers

Hot line hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

Telephone hot line for all sites: (213) 939-0391

Career Planning Center

Private, nonprofit, community-based organization.

Services:

* Job resource center featuring reference library and job listings

* Skills assessment, counseling, resume critiquing and job-search skills workshop by appointment

* Psychotherapy related to job loss

Costs: free job resource center, library and job listings; fees vary for skills assessment, career counseling and resume critiquing.

Hours: 1-4 p.m., Mon. and Wed.; 9 a.m.-noon, Tues.

Address: 1623 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles

Telephone: (310) 273-6633

Comprehensive Jobs Assistance Center

A one-stop career center sponsored by the city of Los Angeles.

Services:

* Counseling and assessment

* Classroom and on-the-job training

* Basic skills assistance

* Workshops on various subjects, including job transition, economic survival and interview skills

* Resume writing

Cost: free

Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

Address: Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment, 2525 W. 8th St., Room 209, Los Angeles. Other locations are scheduled to be opened by the end of this month in East Los Angeles, northwestern San Fernando Valley, and the Crenshaw/South Central area.

Telephone: (213) 389-8389

Employment Development Department

State agency offering a variety of services to job-seekers and employers.

Services:

* Job Match, a statewide computer network matching applicants and openings

* Job-search training workshops

* Experience Unlimited job clubs geared to professional, managerial and technical workers seeking jobs

* Referrals to training or educational facilities and social service agencies

* Unemployment and disability insurance

Cost: free

Telephone: Look for nearest EDD Job Service office, listed under “California, State of” in the government listings section at the beginning of the telephone directory white pages.

EMPLOY Network

A computerized network of over 50 nonprofit agencies that assists employers in filling job openings. Agencies in the coalition assist job applicants with a variety of disabilities and special needs.

Services to employers:

* Matching pre-screened applicants with job openings

* Educational workshops on disabilities and the Americans With Disabilities Act

* Technical assistance on accommodations and adaptations

* Information on tax credits available to employers hiring people with special needs

* Assistance on meeting affirmative action goals

Cost: free

Telephone: (800) 244-1JOB

Jewish Vocational Service

Nonprofit, non-sectarian service organization.

Services:

* Motivational, job search, interview and resume workshops

* Job club support group geared to professionals

* Job listings, resource library

* One-on-one career counseling

* Job placement services for the disabled

* Career Focus, a five-session workshop for people interested in exploring a career change, Wednesdays, 6-8:30 p.m. * Second Wind, workshop, support group for people 55 and older

Cost: $30 registration fee; counseling per session, $60 or less; Career Focus workshop, $150

Hours: For more information, call between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Mon.-Thur. and 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Fri.

Locations:

* 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 303, Los Angeles, (213) 655-8910

* 6429 Independence Ave., Woodland Hills, (818) 587-3222 (closed Fridays)

* University Synagogue, 11960 Sunset Blvd., Room 115, Los Angeles, (Fri. only)

* 22410 Palos Verdes Blvd., Torrance (Fri. only)

Mexican American Opportunity Foundation

Services:

* Job listings

* Computer training in WordPerfect, dBase IV, Lotus 123 and DOS

* On-the-job training, with partial reimbursement to employers

* Work experience for preschool teacher’s aides

* Basic skills training in reading comprehension and math

* Limited internships for youths 18 to 21 years old in the private sector, with paid wages during training

* Child care

Cost: free

Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

Address: 6252 Telegraph Road, Commerce

Telephone: (213) 722-7807

Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment

Services:

* Job Training Partnership Act programs providing job training for a variety of positions for low-income residents of Los Angeles County; programs include classroom training and on-the-job training

* Dislocated, long-term unemployed and laid-off-workers program

* County refugee program offering on-the-job training and English as a Second Language program

* Youth program for people 16 to 21 years offering work experience and limited internship programs; must meet JTPA income and residency requirements

* Counseling and referrals

Cost: free to participants and employers

Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

Address: 2525 W. 8th St., Los Angeles (will be at 1520 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, after Oct. 1)

Telephone: (213) 389-2373

Private Industry Councils Job Training Programs

The Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 provides federal funding for locally managed employment and training programs. Private Industry Councils plan job-training and employment programs for local labor markets.

Services:

* Educational, vocational and on-the-job training

* Job-search skills and placement

* Dislocated-workers program

* Older-workers program (55 and older)

* Summer and year-round youth training programs

Eligibility: Applicants may qualify for one or more reasons, including layoff, long-term unemployment or income below poverty levels.

Cost: For qualified applicants, training and placement services are free.

Telephone: (800) FOR-A-JOB. Applicants will be referred to appropriate service area office based on ZIP code.

Women at Work

Nonprofit organization focusing on career concerns of women, but men are welcome.

Services:

* Drop-in resource room featuring a library and job listings

* Counseling, testing and resume writing

* Specially funded programs for single parents, displaced homemakers and Latina professional women with limited English

* Evening workshops on career planning, resume writing, interview techniques, networking and job hunting after 50

* Information dissemination and counseling on non-traditional job opportunities for women (trade and tech)

Costs: drop-in resource room, suggested donation $2; counseling and resume writing, $50; occupational testing, including counseling, $90; evening workshops, free-$20

Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Mon., Tue. and Thurs.; 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Wed.

Address: 50 N. Hill, Suite 300, Pasadena

Telephone: (818) 796-6870

An expanded version of this resource guide is available from Times on Demand for $2.95. It is Item No. 8520.

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