United Way looks to retraining plan

Mathis Winkler

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2001 | 10:32 a.m.

More information

To find out about the community college's retraining programs, call 651-4000 (Cheyenne campus,) 651-5000 (West Charleston campus,) or 651-3000 (Henderson campus) and ask for work force development. Or, visit www.ccsn.nevada.edu.

The state's Job Link centers can be reached at 486-0100 (Las Vegas,) 486-0200 (North Las Vegas) and 486-0300 (Henderson.) The website address is www.detrjoblink.org.

To make a donation to United Way, call 792-0858 or 735-3291 or visit www.uwaysn.org

Garth Winckler, president of United Way of Southern Nevada, wants to keep laid-off workers in their homes.

"Hopefully, we'll have enough to help people from becoming homeless," Winckler said. "But the message to people is that we're not going to be able to always pay their rent."

The United Way already has paid the rent of more than 343 families. The organization is trying to raise additional money to continue the program.

Also, he said support for job retraining programs will likely become a focus for the charity in the coming months, Winckler said, adding that many people won't be able to return to jobs they held prior to Sept. 11.

"Not all the workers will be called back," he said, adding that he is basing his assessment on talks with laid-off workers, as opposed to hard facts.

Though the United Way has in the past supported retraining programs, such assistance has not been a priority, Winckler said.

"We haven't had to do that in the past because jobs have always just kind of been there," he said.

Other organizations in the valley are also beginning to adjust to the situation created by the layoffs.

At the Community College of Southern Nevada, departments have begun to condense courses and have expanded English as a Second Language programs.

"We may have a student that doesn't have time (to go through semester-long courses,)" said Cipriano Chavez, director of student services at the college system's Cheyenne campus. "They have to put bread on the table. They have to come in and get out."

State officials said Nevada's employment centers are, and have been, working to help people find jobs.

"This isn't a new venue for us," said Karren Rhodes, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. "We work at it every day. We have programs. We don't need to create programs, we need to serve people."

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