Job Training on a Shoe String

On September 9, from 10am-1pm, the Arthur B. DeWitty Center, the city's job training and multi-use facility, allowed citizens to sign up for computer training classes. The line began forming outside the door at 6:30am. By mid-morning, it stretched around the building. Unlike programs sponsored by state or federal agencies, anybody who walks through the door of the center can use its training programs. And although DeWitty's training menu is short, by the time the sign-up period was over, 209 people had signed up for the 12 available classes.

Among those who waited in line was Isabel Madsen, 51, who is fairly typical of the center's clients. Unemployed since last spring, she says she just wants a job. "I'll do anything," she says.

Madsen applied at several high-tech companies in town, but she says, "They told me I needed more computer skills." So Madsen enrolled in an introductory computer class at DeWitty. "This is to improve myself," she says.

It's questionable, however, whether Madsen and her classmates will gain the training necessary to attract first-rate job offers. The DeWitty Center only has eight computers, and all are nearly obsolete. Many are older 386 models. A few still use the antiquated 8088 microprocessor. Only one machine can run the popular Windows software. None are capable of running the new Windows 95 operating system. "We need up-to-date equipment," says Carlean Johnson, the center's program director. But, she says, "It's not a high priority for the City of Austin. Everything we have is second-hand or donated. All the instructors for our computer classes are volunteers."

The DeWitty Center itself is emblematic of Austin's neglected job training system. The $1.2 million structure was completed in 1984. Built with federal funds, it was supposed to provide job training, but sat empty for nine years due to lack of political will on the city council and thus, city funding. Finally, in November of 1993, the city began offering employment services full-time at the center.

And even though it provides services to hundreds of Austinites every month, it is barely a Band-Aid on a critically ill job training system. Operating on a budget of $62,216 per year, the center is part of a patchwork of federal, state, and city programs run by a panoply of agencies which have no direct connection to private industry or the needs of private industry.

Today, the city-funded center employs two full-time workers: Johnson and human resources specialist Sharon Moore. The receptionist is an unpaid intern. On any given day, several dozen people will come through the building. They fill out a few forms, look through the job listings published by the City of Austin, and talk with Moore or Johnson about their skills and job preferences.

While Congress and state officials debate how to improve their job training programs, Johnson remains skeptical that the changes will mean much to East Austin. She has been at DeWitty since it opened, and often works 50 or more hours per week there. She says the pending overhaul of job programs doesn't include people from East Austin in the planning. "When you plan to do things like that and you don't include the people [who] will participate in those services, it's just not going to work."

Johnson sounds bitter. But after spending a few hours at DeWitty, it's easy to understand her frustration. A long stream of frustrated, unemployed, and underemployed citizens file through her office every week. And she contends that city officials don't care. "They are talking about a baseball field and we have homeless people [who] can't even get a home. It's sad." - R.B.

The DeWitty Center (2209 Rosewood Ave.)

will have a job fair on Saturday, Oct. 21, 11am-2pm. A variety of companies, including Applied Materials and J.C. Penney, will be on hand to talk about employment possibilities. Call 472-5718 for more info.