Community partners, employers and representatives of various organizations met at the Alaska Job Corps Center on Thursday, June 22, for Alaska Job Corps’ quarterly Community Relations Council luncheon. Among the Alaska Job Corps partners that attended the meeting were representatives from the City of Palmer, the State of Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Matanuska Electric Association, Northern Industrial Training and the mayors of Wasilla and Palmer.

Ron Young, Alaska Job Corps Center’s Finance and Administrative Director, presented a speech to the group about the vast improvements the Center has made since the last program year. He also spoke about the importance of job placement and the Alaska Job Corps goal of placing every student that completes the program directly into a job.

The Council networked with each other as well as Alaska Job Corps staff and students, and discussed opportunities for employment, apprenticeships and work-based learning.

Three students who are nearing completion presented short speeches about themselves, including what trade they are in, their unique skills and their career goals. These students were:

• Blia Yang, Security and Protective Services
• Timothy Black, Certified Nursing Assistant
• Juana West, Accounting Services

The lunch was prepared and served by a talented team of Alaska Job Corps Culinary Arts students guided by their instructor, David Williams. After the three featured students introduced themselves, each of the Culinary Arts students, including two who had just joined Alaska Job Corps, provided a brief introduction about themselves and their own career goals.

Alaska Job Corps Security and Protective Services students helped greet and escort each visitor to the event. The event demonstrated great teamwork between students in the different trades and staff in diverse positions.

The Alaska Job Corps Center is a federally funded career training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and managed by Chugach Educational Services, Inc. The Center is committed to providing the highest quality programs for young adults by offering instructions in academics, trades and life skills through innovative methods that respond to the unique individual and group needs of today’s youth.

Story and photos by Business and Community Liaison Carin Meyer.