Bill Rautenstrauch

Staff Writer

When Linda Young went back to school, she wondered if she really had what it took to learn new skills.

She won’t state her exact age, but she admits she was around 50 when she decided last year to take computer courses at the Region 13 Training and Employment Consortium’s Career Enhancement Center.

Like any middle-aged woman resuming her education, she had some jitters. But it didn’t take long for her fears to go away.

"I think as we get older, we don’t catch on to things as quickly as when we’re young," she said. "But the environment at the center is conducive to young and old alike. It’s fun and enjoyable to learn there."

Young learned how to use a variety of computer programs, including Access, MS Word and Quick Books.

Then, armed with new skills and determined to end what she calls a sabbatical, she stepped up her search for suitable work.

In June, the efforts paid off as she was hired as a clerical assistant in the Union County Clerk’s office.

She doesn’t say her TEC training is the exclusive reason for her new-found employment, but she’s quick to acknowledge that it helped.

"It really helped me put together a better resume," she said. "In almost any job these days, you need those computer skills."

Since its founding in 1985, the center, located in the TEC Region 13 building at 1916 Island Ave., has helped hundreds of people upgrade their skills and find good jobs.

The target clients are dislocated workers and people with low incomes. They get the training for free.

People who don’t meet the dislocated worker or low income guidelines can also take the classes, though they are charged for them.

"If a business has employees needing to upgrade their skills, we’re a good resource for them," said Teri Simonis, TEC executive director.

MaryAnn Miesner, the center’s only instructor, teaches three complete courses Basic Employment Skills, Basic Clerical Skills, and Accounting.

Additionally, Miesner helps students get ready for the state test they need to pass in order to sell insurance.

She also helps train medical transcriptionists, though proficiency with medical terminology is a pre-requisite for the students.

Depending on work history and previous training, a student may not need to go through an entire course, Miesner said.

On entering the program, strengths and weaknesses are evaluated and a study plan is formulated.

"It’s open entry and open exit," said Miesner. "Students can come in at any point. They do some of the work through independent study and some in a structured classroom setting. I combine the two, and students can work at their own pace."

The classes are open to men and women of all ages, though Miesner said students typically are women in their 30s and 40s.

Many begin with training designed to sharpen job search skills.

"We teach interview skills and resume writing through an optional practicum," Miesner said.

TEC Region 13, with its headquarters in La Grande, covers Union, Wallowa, Baker, Umatilla, Harney and Malheur counties.

Funded by the state and federal governments, its self-stated mission is to solve workforce challenges. It operates under guidelines of the federal Workforce Investment Act.

The agency works closely with the Oregon Employment Department, often in cases where a company goes out of business and leaves a large number of employees out of work.

In 2003, for example, the Emporium clothing store in La Grande closed. TEC met with the store’s employees and explained what it had to offer. The employment department, meanwhile, made referrals.

Several Emporium employees decided on training at the career enhancement center, including Mary Ann Sipe of La Grande.

"The way I look at it, losing my job at the Emporium was the best thing that ever happened to me," said Sipe, who had been an assistant manager at the store.

Sipe, 32, picked up basic clerical skills and learned various computer programs at the center. By the beginning of 2004, she was ready to re-enter the job market.

She got a job first in Eastern Oregon University’s human resources department. Later she gave that up for a position with TEC as a workforce development specialist.

She said training at the center made a huge difference in her employability.

"I had a college degree, but no computer skills," she said. "Basically I was an educated idiot. TEC helped me fill the void."

More recently, TEC and the employment department mounted an effort to help workers who lost their jobs in the closure of the Shop’n Kart store in Island City.

"We have four or five of them in our classes now," Miesner said.

Career enhancement center classes run year-round and classes are often full. Simonis said people hoping to enter the program should plan ahead.

"We don’t have unlimited funds, and sometimes there is a waiting list," she said.

For more information, call TEC at 963-7942.