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Arizona At Work in Santa Cruz County Details Free GED, English and Job-Training Services
Summary
Guests on the Gov101 podcast outlined services at the Arizona At Work center in Santa Cruz County, including GED preparation, English classes, vocational rehabilitation, employer services and an annual October job fair that has drawn more than 100 employers and about 700 attendees in past years.
Arizona At Work in Santa Cruz County provides free job-seeker assistance, adult education and employer services for people age 16 and older, officials said on the Gov101 podcast.
"We provide GED preparation, English acquisition, and adult basic education skills for the community," said Taylor Spence, director of the Santa Cruz County Continuing Education Program. Sarah Bustamante, executive director of the local workforce development board, said the center also works with employers and partners to develop on-the-job training, apprenticeships and other demand-driven programs.
The program offers weekly employability workshops, resume and application help, paid and unpaid internships, referrals into occupational training such as commercial driver—s license (CDL) and nursing pathways, and vocational rehabilitation services including job coaches for people with disabilities. The center also provides business services to employers, including free marketing, conference-room use for recruitment and help posting job openings.
Bustamante said the center organizes an annual job fair in October that has in past years included more than 100 employers and over 700 attendees. "It's a pretty successful event," she said. The guests said cohorts for training programs begin about every three months.
Both guests emphasized that services are free. Spence said the continuing education program accepts learners 16 and older who are not enrolled in another school and offers GED preparation and English-acquisition classes intended to help students move into work or further education. Bustamante described referrals to adult education when participants are better served there and noted collaboration across staff and partner organizations to support individual job-seeker pathways.
The guests also highlighted veteran services and a business outreach representative who promotes the benefits of hiring veterans and helps place veterans into jobs. The podcast included examples of program impact: about 25 graduates from the continuing-education program in May, some of whom earned GEDs and went on to new training or employment.
No formal votes or policy actions were recorded on the podcast. The discussion was informational; staff and program leaders described operations, outreach and outcomes and invited listeners to seek orientation or referrals through the Arizona At Work office.
Arizona At Work and the Santa Cruz County Continuing Education Program did not provide funding breakdowns, specific office addresses, or phone numbers on the episode; those details were "not specified" in the podcast recording. The guests said that if the center lacks an answer it will refer callers to another community organization or find the needed information.
