Searching for a Job Just Got Easier with New Magic Valley Service Model

(KLIX) – Finding a job may have just gotten easier – err, at least maybe the job search.

The Idaho Department of Labor is implementing a new service model in the Magic and Wood River valleys.

The new service model, which includes five locations that will be staffed with labor department personnel, will offer job-search help to people looking for employment.

“We have always offered a wide range of services for people who are looking for work,” Georgia Smith, a department spokeswoman, told News Radio 1310. “In this case, we’re delivering a business model that invests more in people than in buildings.”

Smith said the new model is a “one-on-one” approach. Job seekers who visit one of the new locations will be able to get direct access to a labor department staff member, who will help with building resumes, applying for jobs, filing for unemployment insurance benefits, connecting to community resources, and more.

Besides the Magic and Wood River valleys, Smith said the department is increasing access in many other communities, especially those that are more rural where it might be more difficult for people to access help finding employment.

Labor Director Jani Revier elaborated on this in a statement, saying that many rural citizens who have not traditionally had easy access to in-person department services should be better served by the new model.

Revier said:

Our new model is a positive development for scores of rural Idahoans who have faced burdensome travel requirements to meet with Idaho Department of Labor personnel in person.

We are now offering face-to-face services in more cities and towns than ever before thanks to the generosity of community organizations kindly offering space, and we will continue to provide service opportunities to all corners of the state.

Instead of people coming to the Department of Labor, Smith told News Radio 1310, “we’re coming to them.”

She said services for job seekers and employers are offered on a regular schedule as follows:

Mondays – Hailey
The Chamber – Hailey and Wood River Valley, 781 S. Main St.
10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m., office hours

Tuesdays – Gooding
CSI – Gooding Center, 202 14th Ave. E.
10 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours

Wednesdays – Shoshone
Lincoln County Community Center, 201 S. Beverly St.
10 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours

Thursdays – Buhl
West End Senior Center, 1010 Main St.
9 a.m.-noon, office hours

Fridays – Jerome
CSI – Jerome Center, 104 W. Main St.
10 a.m.-1 p.m., office hours