Agricultural staff steer job seekers to careers inside or outside the field

Happy Workforce Wednesday! It’s time for another Power of a Job success story, this time from WorkSource Columbia Gorge in White Salmon. WorkSource offices in communities where agriculture is a top industry have representatives who specialize in connecting farmworkers to growers. But they also help farmworkers make the transition to jobs outside of agriculture if that’s what they want.

Claudia Castro wanted a job in the administrative field, so that’s what Silvia Huszar at WorkSource Columbia Gorge helped her to achieve.

Here’s Claudia’s story:

“A few years back, I found myself unemployed for about six months after graduating from college. I went to many interviews for administrative jobs, but was always turned away due to my lack of experience.

Fortunately for me, my uncle took me to the employment office in White Salmon [WorkSource Columbia Gorge], and there I met Silvia Huszar, a WorkSource specialist with the Migrant Seasonal Farmworker Program.

Silvia listened to my situation. I told her that my family came from an agricultural background and that I had worked in a nursery during my summer breaks. She referred me to a training program offered by the Oregon Human Development Corporation (OHDC). I wanted to work in an office environment, and OHDC offered me the opportunity to participate in a work experience program. I gladly accepted. In this program, I gained hands-on experience working in the administrative field.

Thanks to the referral from WorkSource, I now have a full-time job with benefits. All of the services I received set me up for success — connecting me not only with a job, but with a fulfilling career as a workforce consultant! I’m excited about my career because now I can help people who are in the same situation I was a few years back. It’s very rewarding.

As a partner in Washington’s WorkSource system and the American Job Center Network, the Employment Security Department helps people — unemployed or not — find new jobs and learn new skills. We help them experience the life-changing Power of a Job. We also work with businesses, which are Powered by Jobs, to help them find employees.