Lancaster: Congratulations to Eric Brobst, who is the PA CareerLink of Lancaster employee of the month for January 2010. Eric works as a CareerLink Specialist and PREP coordinator at the PA CareerLink. He speaks fluent Spanish which is an important skill for his work at the PA CareerLink. This, coupled with a strong work ethic, made Eric stand out among his peers who nominated him as employee of the month.

Eric is a graduate from Millersville University, where he majored in Speech Communication. He enjoys going to the gym in his down time and he also has a DJ business that he works at on the weekends (ProVolve Entertainment).

We want to thank Eric for his hard work and dedication, and wish him continued success in the future.

Lancaster: On Saturday, January 16, the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era featured Tom Showalter, Director of the Job Club program at the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County, as a part of its Newsmaker series. The article highlighted the way that Job Club is putting people back to work quickly in the midst of record high unemployment. It also gave us a glimpse of what drives this veteran manager. His job has been "a gift to me". "It feels like something I was destined to do."

Congratulations to Tom for this recognition and for his role as an ambassador for the work of the PA CareerLink in Lancaster County.

Ephrata: On Wednesday, January 13, 2010 during the evening, Senator Mike Brubaker hosted "Employ Your Time: Coping with Unemployment" at the Ephrata Recreation Center. The program was originally scheduled to run from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, but due to the large number of people that attended, it lasted well past 9:00 pm with the Senator answering questions in the group question and answer session and individually. Experts were on hand from eight agencies including SCORE, ASSETS, the Department of Public Welfare, the Lancaster Bar Association, the Unemployment Compensation division of the PA Department of Labor and Industry, the Office of the Attorney General and the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County to address questions around such issues as unemployment compensation, job placement, job finding scams, and various programs that are in place to help Lancaster residents find employment using a town hall format.

One lady said, "I've been unemployed for the past two years, and this is the first time that I actually feel like there is hope". This was said after she found out about some of the outstanding programs that are available through the participating agencies that were on hand. She is also looking forward to taking the Interviewing 101 class hosted at the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County. This interactive workshop is offered every Wednesday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. at the PA CareerLink, 1016 N. Charlotte St. in Lancaster.

Our thanks to Senator Brubaker for leading this effort on behalf of the people of Lancaster County

Lancaster: On Wednesday, January 13, 2010, the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County recognized more than 125 residents who completed the requirements for the Career Readiness Credential over the last several months. People earn the Credential by completing the Ready2Work program where they test and improve their ability to use reading and math skills at work and refresh their knowledge of good workplace behavior before taking WorkKeys, a national workforce readiness assessment. More than 75 employers in Lancaster County guantee graduates an interview if they come with skills that are compatible with those needed in jobs the employer is advertising.

Brenda Chavez, Ready2Work Counselor, read a list which mentioned the plan for every graduate to do further training or job searching. Ms. Chavez said, "We want everyone to finish the program with a plan that will move them toward finding a job". Other speakers emphasized the important of a purposeful job search process to follow workforce readiness and skill training. Nearly a dozen companies attended the graduation which was followed by a mini-job fair for graduates and other PA CareerLink participants.