Governor Lincoln D. Chafee toured the Pawtucket netWORKri one-stop career center this morning, where he reviewed the services offered by the center and met with job seekers and job placement counselors. Governor Chafee was joined by Department of Labor & Training (DLT) Director Charles J. Fogarty.
“I am impressed with the range of valuable services offered free of charge to any Rhode Islander at our netWORKri career centers, and with the dedication and talent of the netWORKri staff,” Governor Chafee said. “In this difficult economic climate, it’s more important than ever that our state make these important services available to all those seeking jobs, and to employers looking to hire. The overall goal is economic development and job growth for Rhode Island – and workforce development is a key component of that growth. I look forward to continuing to work with Director Fogarty, Keith Stokes, and Commissioners Gist and Di Pasquale to ensure that we are doing everything possible to develop an educated, skilled workforce that can meet the demands of today’s job market.”
Among the technologies demonstrated during the Governor’s tour were EmployRI.org, Rhode Island's online career center and job board, and Metrix learning, an online system for short-term training. Both EmployRI (https://www.employri.org/) and Metrix (http://www.metrixlearning.com/) are free services available to Rhode Island job seekers from any computer with an internet connection.
There are five netWORKri centers, operated by DLT, across the state, in Pawtucket, Providence, Wakefield, West Warwick, and Woonsocket.
Governor Chafee has made investment in education and a commitment to promoting workforce development key priorities since taking office.
In his proposed FY2012 budget, Governor Chafee committed to fully funding the education funding formula and to investing an additional $10 million in public higher education – significantly reversing the trend of cutting funding for higher education in Rhode Island and bucking a national trend this year. This strategic investment would prevent a tuition increase at the Community College of Rhode Island, in addition to numerous other benefits for all three public institutions of higher education.
Governor Chafee has also encouraged Director Fogarty and Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) Executive Director Keith Stokes to work together to ensure coordination in developing a workforce development plan that will meet the needs of businesses and promote job creation and economic growth in Rhode Island.