Community members and CNMI Department of Labor staff at DOL’s new satellite office in San Vicente.
Two job seekers at the WIA satellite office in San Vicente: Zachery Manalo, left, and Perseus Takashi.
THE CNMI Department of Labor opened its fifth Workforce Investment Agency satellite office on Saipan Thursday, Nov. 16, at the San Vicente Youth Center.
The occasion was marked by an “open house” event for community members who wanted to learn about the training programs of WIA-eligible training partners.
The new satellite office aims to provide “equitable access to public workforce programs and services,” said Workforce Investment Agency Director Frances Torres during the open house.
She said WIA is a federally funded workforce program that primarily assists adults, dislocated workers, and the youth.
Torres said community members can submit WIA-relevant applications at all of its satellite offices.
WIA staff can help individuals upgrade job skills while offering job placement assistance. WIA also provides information and referrals to community partners.
Torres said eligible clients may tap WIA and/or community funding resources to pay for training that can help the clients be more valuable in the job market.
WIA’s eligible training partners include the Latte Training Academy, Island Training Solutions, Northern Marianas Technical Institute, Guam Marianas Training Solutions, Northern Marianas College-Adult Basic Education, and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
The newest eligible training partner is the Western Pacific Maritime Academy, Torres announced at the open house.
WIA’s other satellite offices are located at the Koblerville Youth Center, the Carolinian Affairs Office, the NMTech campus, and the Kagman Community Center.
For job seeker Zachery Manalo, who lives in Chalan Kanoa, the main WIA office on Capital Hill “is far.”
He and his friend Perseus Takashi attended the open house in San Vicente “to try to find a job or gain skills.”
Takashi said it won’t be hard for him to use the WIA services available in San Vicente because he lives “right around the corner,” in Dandan.
