Contact:
Ray Filippone (401) 462-8415
Income Support
June 23, 2006

WAKEFIELD – Employees displaced from Arturo Joe’s and Poncho O’Malley’s restaurants are invited by Department of Labor and Training (DLT) Director Adelita S. Orefice to the Wakefield netWORKri Career Center tomorrow to get help finding work. Both establishments were damaged by a fire earlier this week.

DLT’s Rapid Response team will be on-site to meet with affected employees, help find temporary employment until the restaurants re-open, and demonstrate how to file for Unemployment Insurance, via the Internet, on netWORKri computers. The session will be held from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Wakefield netWORKri Career Center, located in the Stedman Government Center on Tower Hill Road. Employers with available positions are asked to call or simply stop in. For more information, call Connie Parks of the Wakefield netWORKri Career Center at (401) 789-9721, Ext 102.

DLT is coordinating this effort with the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce. netWORKri is ready to assist any job seeker, whether the goal is a first job, a better job or a career change. Customers can access a resource library, personal computers, the Internet, fax, and copy machines at no charge to help in their job search or can participate in peer support groups and networking sessions. For more information, call 1-888-616-JOBS or go to www.netWORKri.org.

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The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training offers a wide array of employment and training services to both the general public and to individuals with unusual barriers to employment. DLT is ready to assist any job seeker, whether the goal is a first job, a better job, or a career change. Rhode Island's workforce is protected through the enforcement of labor laws, prevailing wage rates, and workplace health and safety standards. Temporary income support is available to unemployed, sick, or injured workers and a comprehensive rehabilitation program is available to those injured on the job.

DLT is dedicated to the growth and competitiveness of Rhode Island industry, administering a variety of training grants, tax credits, and apprenticeship programs to help employers. Economic indicators and labor market information are available for long-range planning. The Agency engages in active outreach, helping large and small employers retain their best workers or retrain their existing work force. At no cost to the employer, DLT will also screen job applicants, post job vacancies, and help businesses institute cost-sharing programs that can avert layoffs.

For more information on the innovative programs and services available to all Rhode Islanders at the Department of Labor and Training, please call (401) 462-8000 or visit the web site at
www.dlt.ri.gov

Equal Opportunity Employer/Program
Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
TDD (401) 462-8006