Pittsburgh/Allegheny County CareerLink to host fall series of employer workshops

PITTSBURGH, PA (August 22, 2003) -- Pittsburgh/Allegheny County CareerLink will host three separate informative workshops for employers this fall. The series was developed to help area small business owners cut costs, avoid litigation, reduce turnover, and grow their businesses.

Topics include:

• Improving the Bottom Line: Utilizing Government Tax Credit, Incentive and Training Programs. Information about the variety of state and federal programs that provide incentives and tax credits to businesses for hiring employees will be presented during this workshop. Guest speakers include Barbara Zullinger of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Mark Mervos of Pennsylvania WEDNet, and Ellen McDevitt of the Pennsylvania Workforce Improvement Network. Employers can attend this workshop September 25 at Allegheny West CareerLink in Robinson Town Centre, October 22 at Pittsburgh CareerLink, and November 18 at McKeesport CareerLink.
  
  
• Controlling Your Unemployment Compensation Costs: Saving Time, Money and Aggravation. Anne Caster of the Office of Unemployment Compensation Service Centers and Judith Rubel of the Bureau of Employer Tax Operations for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and industry will discuss recent changes in unemployment law and claim processing. Employers will also learn how to avoid tax and penalty fees, obtain relief from unemployment compensation charges, and navigate the appeals process. The workshop will be offered September 25 at Pittsburgh CareerLink, October 22 at McKeesport CareerLink, and November 18 at Allegheny West CareerLink in Robinson Town Centre.
  
  
• Employment Interviewing, Reasonable Accommodation and the Americans with Disabilities Act. This session will cover what employers can and can't ask in an interview and how to provide reasonable accommodation. Speakers Jana Finder, an attorney with the Disabilities Law Project and Joan Stein, president of ADA Inc. will talk to employers about avoiding costly and time-intensive litigation and reducing turnover by hiring and accommodating people with disabilities. McKeesport CareerLink will host this workshop on September 25, Allegheny West CareerLink in Robinson Town Centre on October 22, and Pittsburgh CareerLink on November 18.

Each session will be held from 8 to 10 a.m., with continental breakfast available starting at 7:30 a.m. Cost is $30 per workshop or $75 for the series. For more information or to register, call 412-673-9715.

Pittsburgh/Allegheny County CareerLink is recognized as one of the most innovative and successful employment and business service agencies in the nation. With close to 50,000 new jobseekers enrolled, it is the largest single source of manpower in the region. With more than 2,000 local businesses in the last two years listing over 20,000 jobs -- many of which are not advertised on other websites or in newspapers - Pittsburgh/Allegheny County CareerLink truly represents an otherwise "hidden" job market.

Serving both professionals and non-professionals, job seeker services include a free on-line job matching system, career counseling, and resume-writing assistance; for employers, services include free online job postings, personalized staff assistance, applicant assessment and prescreening, and on-site recruitment. The system, which is a partnership of government, business and community organizations, consists of fourteen centers offering services to citizens and local businesses in convenient neighborhood and commercial locations. For more information, please call 866-317-JOBS or visit www.careerlinkpittsburgh.com.

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