Claude "Jake" Hunt Hunt (right) chats with Jacob Stephens (District Executive with Scout Buckskin Council)

April 27, 2010

"Our job is to make job opportunities," Jake Hunt told Putnam Rotarians today.

Hunt, Executive Director of WorkForce West Virginia, Region 2, brings broad experience as a teacher, businessman and elected official to the onerous task of economic stimulus and business growth.

"Our job is two-fold," he told the group. "We train people for career growth, and we offer services to employers."

WorkForce now has an office in Putnam County, says Hunt. "It's back in the corner of Putnam Village Shopping Center," he said, and signage restrictions make it hard to find. "But people no longer have to go to Charleston or Point Pleasant for training and assistance," he said.

For small businesses, said Hunt, WorkForce can pay up to ninety percent of the salary of an employee-in-training.

Nor should tax benefits be overlooked. Each new hire can reduce federal tax liability as much as $4,800 for the first year of employment.

To promote computer literacy, a requisite in the job market today, his office can provide funding and instruction to build a computer which a student then is allowed to keep for personal use.

While keeping up with employment opportunities, the WorkForce office trains its clients in job search techniques and interviewing skills. Assistance is offered for resumé preparation and job application.

For employers, WorkForce evaluates skills of prospective applicants. WorkKeys asssessments match abilities with job needs.

A Career Readiness Certificate verifies to employers that a job applicant has essential core skills in reading and math.

The Region 2 office began operations in July 2000 after the WorkForce Investment Act legislation of 1998 created a system for federal WorkForce Development Funds to be administered by regional boards. Each local region now has the ability to meet local economic and development needs.

Rotary President-Elect Mike Herron (Advantage Valley) and Rotarian Marty Chapman (Putnam Chamber of Commerce) both serve on the Region 2 governing board.

Hunt admitted that as a Winfield coach he once "benched" Chapman. He quipped that today he recognizes Chapman -- as a member of the Region 2 board and one of Hunt's bosses -- as "one of the greatest athletes ever to come out of Winfield."