Pilot Program helps unemployed find jobs that suit their skills

FORSYTH - As one of three pilot sites for Illinois workNet, the state's new work force development system, Decatur already has some success stories.

One is Diana Taylor, the first of 20 women who completed the city's first Workforce Readiness Training last month to be hired by Archer Daniels Midland Co. The Decatur resident started work last week as an administrative assistant in nonexempt recruiting.

The 11-week training program was designed by Workforce Investment Solutions and Richland Community College to create viable candidates for clerical positions at ADM.

"I'm ecstatic," Taylor said shortly before a news conference Thursday morning at the Education and Training Center in Hickory Point Mall to promote Illinois workNet. "The program took what skills I had to the next level."

 The only thing keeping Airfloat LLC from providing more companies with air bearing material handling solutions is a general lack of knowledge, or misperception, about air bearing technology in the engineering community, according to President and owner Jason Stoecker.

"If you poll a graduating class of engineers, less then 10 percent are familiar with our technology,” Stoecker says. “And if you polled engineers with 10 years in the workforce, the percentage with knowledge is not much better, perhaps around 20 percent.