Workforce Challenge 

Jacqueline Opher’s first visit to the Mobile Workforce Center was in June 2018, when she noticed the bus parked at the Erdman Shopping Center. She was considering leaving her job and wanted to learn about other employment opportunities. 

Workforce Solutions 

The MWC is the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development’s traveling career center. Located in a different neighborhood daily, its mission is to provide workforce services for job seekers that cannot easily visit a career center, like MOED’s Northwest and Eastside One-Stop Career Centers.

Months after her initial visit, Jacqueline was still on the fence about taking a leap into new employment. In December 2018 she saw MWC Program Manager, Deidre Webb at a violence reduction event and decided to come back to the Mobile Workforce Center to discuss her options again.

Career Navigator Temple Parker updated Jacqueline’s resume and helped her pass the 21^st Century Job Readiness Assessment, receive training in computer literacy, and complete the S.T.A.R. (Situation, Task, Achievement, Results) Interviewing Workshop – a method to help job seekers effectively answer behavior-based interview questions. These career navigation services led to Jacqueline gaining employment at Transdev as a Mobility Vehicle Driver in January 2019. However, after several months in this position, Jacqueline realized a career in driving wasn’t for her. She again solicited help from MWC staff who helped her secure a job with Medifast as a Utility Worker, but transportation issues prohibited her from continuing there. Jacqueline reached out to the MWC again for employment support in September 2019, and she secured a job with FedEx as a Merchandise Receiver.

Outcomes & Benefits

Jacqueline says the STAR Interview Workshop helped her confidence and this was the reason she was able to secure a job every time she interviewed. “I’ve had the most wonderful experience [at the Mobile Workforce Center]. I learned a lot about how to conduct myself during an interview,” Jacqueline said. The staff on the bus feel like friends that have given me the confidence to move forward with any opportunity I want. I know that I can always return and get help.”