Several Missouri Job Centers across the state reopened to the public over the last week. The Columbia and Rolla Job Centers opened Wednesday, July 8, and Job Centers in Sikeston, Washington, and West Plains reopened on Wednesday, July 15. The Fort Leonard Wood Job Center also opened July 8 by appointment only.
A news release says the remaining closed Missouri Job Centers will continue to open up in the coming weeks as part of the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development’s Return Strong initiative. The initiative is focused on reopening all of the state’s Job Centers in a safe and responsible manner. Although the centers will be open for in-person services, social distancing and other health guidelines will be implemented for the safety of staff and visitors. Job Centers will follow local health guidelines, including mandatory mask ordinances in cities and counties with the restrictions.
Job seekers and displaced workers still can access services by phone at (888) 728-5627 or online at jobs.mo.gov.
Also a part of the Return Strong initiative, staff members are focused on helping Missourians skill up and get back to work. Displaced workers may be eligible to receive free training vouchers of up to $4,000 to skill up or retrain. Staff members are prepared to assist those receiving unemployment benefits with their required weekly job search activities, as well as with training opportunities, career services and resume writing.
The department is hosting two virtual job fairs to help connect Missouri businesses with job seekers. The events will be held July 22 and August 5. Nearly 200 employers are set to participate. Interested job seekers can sign up at https://jobs.mo.gov/seeker-virtual-job-fair-registration. Employers interested in being a part of the August 5 virtual event can still sign up at https://jobs.mo.gov/virtual-job-fair-employer-registration through July 23.
All Missouri Job Centers closed to the public in March when Governor Mike Parson closed state office buildings due to COVID-19.
You can find all of Missouri’s full-service Job Centers at https://jobs.mo.gov/sites/jobs/files/owd-jc-map_03-26-2020.pdf.