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.
This article appears in October 13 • 1995 and October 13 • 1995 (Cover).