CareerSource of North Central Florida held a workshop for the Gainesville City Commission on Monday evening to discuss its achievements and future projects.
Angela Pate, CareerSource’s chief information officer, said the company is a performance leader in economic development and job creation.
City commissioners snacked on cheese cubes and Starbucks coffee, occasionally interrupting the presentation with questions and suggestions, along with the occasional joke.
The organization commonly helps people shift from government assistance to jobs through its Welfare Transition Program, according to the CareerSource website.
District 4 Commissioner Randy Wells asked Pate if the organization pays attention to residents who work jobs below their skill levels to make ends meet, but who are not on welfare.
“How successful have you been at getting that vulnerable, unemployed person connected to CareerSource?” Wells said.
“It’s not going to be enough until we get them all,” Pate said.
She then highlighted projects such as Startup Quest, which pairs entrepreneurs with CEOs to help make inventions into products, according to the website.
CareerSource is rarely mentioned, Pate said, urging commissioners to promote the organization more.
“The more momentum we get for what we do, the more businesses will come and be involved,” she said.
After the presentation, Pate and the commissioners discussed their ongoing relationship and planned a schedule for the future, according to the agenda.
Contact Molly Donovan at mdonovan@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @Mollyidonovan.
