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ECONOMY New program helps out-of-work Ashlanders find jobs By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 19, 2015 @ 7:53 pm By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 19, 2015 @ 7:53 pm » RELATED CONTENT • Family Fest offers back-to-school giveaway » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> A newly launched Ashland Jobs Match program, funded with $15,000 from the city of Ashland and run by Ashland Community Resource Center, has already landed jobs for five people who are in marginal working or living situations. The program is geared to minimum wage work and was prompted by the fact that the Oregon Department of Employment and Job Corps are in Medford, a dozen miles off — and many of Ashland’s unemployed don’t have vehicles to get there, said ACRC Executive Director Leigh Madsen. “It’s our attempt to connect the unemployed people of Ashland with jobs that are the most available,” said Madsen. “Jobs that become available in Ashland are not the high-tech jobs, but are minimum wage or close. They’re service jobs and they turn over fairly quickly. Most employers want the person at work immediately. They don’t want to wait.” Jobs Match is different, as it tracks workers, asks for evaluations and stores data to help build a resume, something often lacking if the worker has a sketchy history in recent years. The evaluation asks if the workers are timely, well-dressed, communicate well, accomplish the work and if they would hire them again. Two workers have been hired for motel housekeeping, one as a veteran’s caseworker with ACCESS, one is framing houses and one is doing general labor at Caldera Brewing. The framer, Nathan Rochelle, 31, said his new job is “very helpful,” pays $15 an hour and is aiding the efforts of him and his wife in getting out of tent living and getting housed — and getting their children back with them.  Making the Job Match program accessible is a website, ashlandjobmatch.com, designed by Project A and offering employers and workers instant access in getting their names on the list. It nails down workers’ skills, availability, desired pay and so on. In a few minutes, employers are able to post the work they have, what skills are needed, what it pays, what tools or clothing are needed, if they need a driver’s license or birth certificate, how long does the job last, and so on. Workers and employers are then matched by Tina Roman, who was hired part-time with the city grant. She does follow-up inquiries, seeing if the worker was a good match for the task, so to be better able to match workers in the future. “It’s a gateway to hiring reliable workers,” says Madsen. “You make one phone call and you have workers show up.” “It’s difficult to get a job history and references,” says Madsen, “because a person might have worked in different parts of the country and those references are not easy to track down in Southern Oregon. These references will have relevance. Job Match is about removing barriers.” Job Match helps workers get uniforms, tools, shoes, if needed, and proper ID, as well as Helping Hands bus passes, which are available to nonprofits. The program will help reduce the homeless population, he adds, as 40 percent of ACRC clients are “housed” in Ashland, the rest being homeless. On their way to setting up Job Match, the city council explored creation of a satellite Job Council office here, but the council wanted a “more small-scale” operation that targeted the client population of ACRC, said Adam Hanks, management analyst in the City Administrator’s Office. Another $10,000 for Jobs Match was donated by the Leightman Maxey Foundation. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 19, 2015 @ 7:53 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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