I was desperate for work when I contacted the Grangeville Idaho Department of Labor office over a year ago. I had been volunteering at a camp all summer and it had been more than six months since I had a ‘paying job.’ My family had just moved to town and I had applied to several places for work for a couple months with no results.

I met my new workforce consultant, Nicolle Long, for an ‘interview’ where we talked about my past experiences, what my goals were and what kind of job I was looking for. Soon after I was accepted in the Workforce Investment Act program, I received a call about a job possibility at my local library and we scheduled an interview.  It went well and I started working about a week later. It was a great fit! Not only did the department find me a part-time job, but the Labor staff helped me step into a second part-time job a couple months later!

At first, working in a public environment was nerve wracking and I was worried I would mess up. I was not comfortable with myself in public and uncertain of what I could do. I am not saying I have it all figured out now, but I look back and I learned great things from my work experiences – like better public, business and computer skills. I learned I have to take life as a challenge, that I can do more that I thought. I realized it doesn’t matter what others say, it ultimately comes down to what I believe about myself – do I think I can do it?

Experiencing being in the workforce has freed me in many ways and made me comfortable with where I stand in the world. I have the same chances everyone else has – I just need to go for it.

I highly recommend the Workforce Investment Act programs to anyone and I am so glad the Idaho Department of Labor is here for people like me who need help to get started! The Grangeville staff have been like friends. They encouraged me and been so giving – I could not have asked for a better work experience or a better way to start. Now I am finding all the possibilities of what I can do and making plans for my future – and my new skills can be used anywhere!

~Rebekah Gulotta

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Idaho’s Workforce Investment Act program is a federally funded program that helps youth and adults find employment, stay employed and learn skills to succeed in today’s workforce.  For more information on this program, contact your nearest local office.