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Light at the End of the Tunnel for Jobs Here
JobWorks Is Working for All Ages, Youth Opportunities in Wells County

By JUSTIN PEEPER
The light is beginning to shine at the end of the staggering economy tunnel right here in Wells County.
More jobs are coming.
More companies are coming.
More help is available.
Despite the fluctuating economy and limited job opportunities across the country, Wells County youth and recent graduates have a good chance of finding a job near home if they seek local help.
“There are opportunities and they’re coming,” said Garry Jones, executive director of Wells County’s Chamber of Commerce. “The job market is pretty tough but it seems there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Jones cited potential jobs at the new Walgreens, 200 to 250 jobs at the new Lowes, some 20 to 25 jobs at the new Poore Brothers Bluffton shipping center, and about 35 jobs recently filled at Bluffton’s new Save a lot.
Many of the jobs have yet to be offered because construction is still under way on the buildings, but Jones said many opportunities will develop soon for youth and adults seeking employment.
One opportunity youth and recent graduates do not have to wait for, however, is Bluffton’s JobWorks, a federal- and state-funded employment and training agency that gives students the skills they need to find jobs.
Anyone can go to JobWorks for help, and the office offers a multitude of free services, particularly for Wells County youth seeking jobs.
Youth who go to JobWorks to look for employment opportunities immediately learn of any job leads JobWorks knows about. They also register in a state job-matching system.
“It’s a good tool they can use to try to connect them with employment,” said Jan Trubey, manager of Bluffton’s JobWorks.
A variety of retail, factory and office jobs are available on the job-matching system, Trubey said.
Youth who already have jobs but want a better one can also use JobWork’s resource to search, Trubey said.
After registering on the job-matching system, youth next talk with Trubey or her assistant, Stephanie Penrod, so the JobWorks staff get an idea of any other services students might need.
JobWorks staff do an initial assessment of students’ needs and then try to meet those needs through services the organization offers.
A benefit of using JobWorks, Trubey said, is minimal paperwork needs to be filled out.
“It might take them 10 or 15 minutes to fill out,” Trubey said. “Then we go from there.”
Not only does JobWorks help youth develop skills to find jobs, but the organization also helps organize training programs and internships.
During a student’s initial interview with Trubey she tries to identify if a student is eligible for a training program.
Rachel Douglass, 19, went to JobWorks six months after she graduated to ask about training and internship programs.
Through JobWorks, Douglass participated in a youth training program and was paid to work at Mother’s Helping Hands Day Care at the First United Methodist Church.
Douglass interned at the day care for about three months and was then hired full time.
While she participated in the training program through JobWorks, Douglass learned about how the day care ran and how to take care of different-aged children.
“It was very helpful, and Jan Trubey was very nice, very helpful and very encouraging,” Douglass said.
After she completed the training program, Douglass received a state of Indiana certificate of technical achievement.
In addition to training programs, JobWorks also offers skills assessment tests for students thinking about going to Ivy Tech, ITT, IPFW or any other school.
“Some of (the students) may have just graduated, but if they’re thinking about going on to college, they need to have an assessment because they will be assessed there,” Trubey said.
Jones also said it’s important for students to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Going to college for four years, however, is not essential to finding a good job, Jones said.
“There’s nothing wrong with not going to a four-year college,” Jones said. “You don’t have to go to four years of college to have an excellent career.”
Instead, Jones said it’s key for young people to take whatever job they find, whether it is in retail or food service.
“You can’t just sit and wait for the high-paying job,” Jones said. “It takes time and skills to get a great job. You have to start in entry level. You have to be willing to make the sacrifices, work the hours, the shifts and the days that are available.”
Employers often ask high school graduates what they have been doing since high school and what they did in high school, Jones said, meaning students should stay focused and active if they want to land better jobs.
Both Jones and Trubey said a student is more likely to find a different job if he or she currently works.
“Employers look more favorably on someone who is working,” Trubey said. “It shows an employer they’re taking responsibility.”
Going to a four-year college to have a good career isn’t necessary, but continuing education is a must with any job, Jones said.
“There’s a lot of resources for continuing education, which is critical,” Jones said.
“The youth need to realize that once they find employment, many of the local employers do have programs that will assist them with higher education,” Trubey said. “I know of several employers that are paying for Ivy Tech classes being taught at the mobile lab (in Bluffton).”
Employers could soon have another incentive to send their employees back to school.
Toward the end of July, the Regional Department of Commerce will give a presentation to invited industry people on skills enhancement program, Jones said.
The Department of Commerce has funds available to reimburse employers up to 50 percent of training costs.
“That encourages industry to develop their own people,” Jones said. “It’s an important resource I don’t think in Wells County we’ve utilized like we should.”
The Department of Commerce is not the only outside help available.
Renee Smith, who works for the Department of Workforce Development, will visit JobWorks July 2 at 9:30 a.m. Smith assists people in finding work, Trubey said.
Trubey and Smith have set aside July 2 as a day for youth to come to the JobWorks office, located at 3156E Ind. 124, for a special registration workshop.
“If they’re looking for work, it’s one tool we can use to try to match them with job openings that are listed in the system,” Trubey said.
Anyone interested in attending the workshop should call JobWorks at 824-0855 to make an appointment.
While numerous opportunities exist at JobWorks for staff to help youth find jobs, Trubey said more help is available once a young person lands an interview. JobWorks will provide youth with tips on interviewing.
Trubey would not say every youth who contacts JobWorks and is serious about finding a job will get one, but Jones said they would, as long as they follow the advice they receive.
It’s also key to follow-up, Jones and Trubey said.
“It shows employers that you are interested in working, that you’re serious about working,” Truby said. “We can talk to (youth) about some of the tips and how ... to show employers that you really want to work for them.”
Not only is following-up important, but so is showing effort.
“It’s going to take a little bit more work to find a job than in the past, but the opportunities are there,” Trubey said. “It’s work to find work. They’re going to have to be persistent and take the initiative.”
Taking initiative, however, should start long before students graduate, Jones and Trubey said.
Students can take advantage of vocational education programs each Wells County high school offers, Jones said.
All Wells County schools are part of the Area 18 Career and Technical Education program.
In addition to Wells County’s three high schools, Jay, Adams and Huntington counties also participate in the program.
“The area district system provides a cost-effective method for joint delivery of specialized and expensive vocational-technical program that cannot be provided by a single school corporation but does not involve the expense of a separate building,” said Judy Emshwiller, Area 18 director.
Students who participate in Area 18 can take classes in agriculture, building trades, business tech, CISCO, computer-aided drafting, machine trades, marketing, criminal justice, culinary arts, early childhood education, electronics/robotics, family and consumer sciences, graphic arts, health careers, programming software development, radio/tv production and welding and cutting.
Most of the classes are reserved for juniors and seniors, but Emshwiller said a few courses are open to sophomores, too.
Students can even receive dual credit at college for certain classes, Emshwiller said.
A student who gets a B in auto mechanics, for example, might be eligible to receive up to 15 credits at Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne, which would save college-bound students a lot of money in tuition costs.
Classes that offer dual credit through Area 18 include auto mechanics, building trades, business tech, CISCO, computer-aided drafting, culinary arts, early childhood education, electronics/robotics, graphic arts, health careers, machine trades, marketing, programming software development and welding and cutting.
Students who enroll in Area 18 course take classes at one of the schools in the four-county area, and Emshwiller said they gain valuable skills.
“It gives them the opportunity to explore a career and it just makes them more employable,” she said.
Emshwiller said students who graduate after taking the machine trades class are “being gobbled up” by area employers because of the valuable hands- on experience they gain.
Both Trubey and Jones encouraged high school students to look into the Area 18 program to further study career ideas.
“When they get out of school, their job opportunities will be improved if they have taken programs while they’re still in school,” Trubey said.