WDBSCW Announces Grand Opening of Two New Service Locations to Serve South Madison

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 16, 2011

Contact: Jackie Rinzel, Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, 608.249.9001 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

MADISON, WI—The Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin announces the grand opening of two new WorkSmart Access Point service locations in the South Madison community. These new WorkSmart Access Points will expand job seeker services within the South Madison community with a location at 2222 S. Park Street, housed within the Urban League of Greater Madison, and 2238 S. Park Street, housed within Madison College‐South. A joint grand opening will held on Monday, September 26 from 11a.m.‐12p.m. in the Community Room of The Village on Park, located at 2300 S. Park Street in Madison. The celebration will include a ribbon cutting and guest remarks by Madison Mayor Soglin, Dane County Executive Parisi, and Department of Workforce Development Deputy Secretary Newson.

“We are proud to serve the South Madison area and bring a needed service to this community,” says Pat Schramm, Executive Director of the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin. “Job seekers have grown to expect quality workforce services to be available here in the community and across the region—and it is undeniably the strong partnerships with community partners including Madison College and the Urban League that make that possible.”

Currently the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin has 16 WorkSmart Access Point service locations across South Central Wisconsin. More than 3,500 customer visits were made to a WorkSmart Access Point in 2010. Previously, the South Madison Health & Family Center‐Harambee served as a WorkSmart service location before closing its doors in 2010.

WorkSmart Access Points serve as smaller, satellite sites to Job Centers and provide customers local access to quality workforce resources and information. The new locations will give job seekers increase access to computers and Internet to search for jobs, work on resumes, apply for public assistance programs, get referrals to career and training programs and services, and get connected with their Job Center—all at the center of the South Madison community.

"The Urban League is excited to host this new South Madison WorkSmart Access Point at our new Center for Economic Development and Workforce Training. With unemployment rates nearly six times the city’s average in some South Madison neighborhoods, this site meets a critical community need by improving access to help for those seeking jobs,” says Kaleem Claire, President of Urban League of Greater Madison.

“We’re happy to partner with [the] Workforce Development [Board] and the Job Center to provide South Madison residents the tools they need to search for jobs online and work on their resumes,” says Madison College President Bettsey Barhorst. “And we can offer it all inone convenient location at a campus that’s available to residents seven days a week.”

Both WorkSmart Access Points have support staff available to assist customers throughout the week. Staffed service hours at the Madison College‐South Access Point are Monday‐Thursday 5‐8p.m. and Sunday 1‐4:30p.m. (General computer access is available during campus service hours.) The Access Point at the Urban League of Greater Madison is open to serve customers Monday‐Friday, 2‐5p.m. For more information about WorkSmart AccessPoints, visit www.comeherefirst.org.

About the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin

The Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin serves a six-county area to make positive economic change in the local area and beyond. It is a one-stop workforce development connection for businesses, workers and leaders in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Marquette and Sauk counties. We also work with people and organizations throughout the region to make our area a better place to work and do business. For more information, visit www.wdbscw.org.

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