PA CareerLink® of the Southern Alleghenies provides a robust array of free services for adults. Our goal is to find employment opportunities and prepare job seekers to gain employment within the region. We do this through various services for adults (and youth), including this month’s focus on adult services! Read on for an overview and success stories about PA CareerLink® adult support.

Get Started Today

Are you 18 and older and need help getting back to work? Are you 18 or older and need better employment? Call or stop into a PA CareerLink® office today to start the process. You’ll be assigned a dedicated Career Advisor who will provide one-on-one support through your career development process. Each jobseeker-Career Advisor relationship and interactions are different and completely customized based on the jobseeker’s unique needs and skillsets. You deserve one-on-one attention, and services are free.

Guidance and Support

A crucial and pivotal piece of the jobseeker-Career Advisor relationship is guidance. Getting to know each other and talking about past work experience and education shapes the direction of the interactions: resume help, career mapping, and career development opportunities are provided. We also assist in navigating the actual job search, which can be overwhelming. As a team, jobseekers and Career Advisors problem solve, identify options, and find referrals to local social service agencies for additional support.

Trainings and Workshops

In addition to determining your current skills, your dedicated Career Advisor will work to find you training and workshops to further enhance or increase your skillset. Training and workshops are abundant and free and include extra resume support, help with interviewing, computer use, and more. We meet you where you are in your learning needs.

Paid Work Experience and On-the-Job Training

Have an interest in a particular type or area of work but need the training or experience to make it happen? PA CareerLink® works closely with employers throughout the region to coordinate opportunities such as the On-the-Job Training (OJT) and Paid Work Experience (PWE) Programs for local adults. Are you ready to move forward? Let us help find a program match for you, whether PWE or OJT or an internship: you’ll develop job readiness skills, skills in a specific occupation, training at an employer’s place of business, and opportunity for permanent employment based on performance.

Spotlight on Huntingdon County

Welcome to the Team

Like all other Southern Allegheny Counties of PA CareerLink®, Huntingdon County is steadfast in its commitment to serving the community and job seekers in need of work and support with career services. This month we welcome Bernice Dysard to the PA CareerLink® Huntingdon family. Bernice is responsible for youth counseling and work experience programs. “It’s my pleasure to be onboard with PA CareerLink®. I am ready to empower our youth with career development and work experience while working closely with employers to open doors that will bridge the gap for tomorrow’s workforce.”

Partnerships to Serve the County

One of many partner organizations is Huntingdon County Business and Industry (HCBI). Partners for many years, PA CareerLink® Huntingdon and HCBI, have collaborated on initiatives in the community to bolster the economy and create jobs. Projects include but are not limited to:

  • Business Retention and Expansion Program (BREP). We visit with our local businesses to assess their current operations, concerns, progress, and more. Then PA CareerLink® and HCBI work together to devise a strategy to fulfill employer needs and find the right job seekers.
  • Business Services Team. This group of local and regional partners meets monthly to discuss workforce issues, newly opened businesses, layoffs, potential closures, hiring events, professional development programs, and other educational opportunities that employers and job seekers can take advantage of.

“PA CareerLink® Huntingdon offers an array of programs for employers and jobseekers. HCBI has benefited many times from our involvement in PA CareerLink® programs. We’ve been blessed to have some amazing adults and youth work for us through these programs,” said Debra Clark-Loner, HCBI Executive Director.

Personal Successes

Debra Clark-Loner, HCBI Executive Director, also shared that as a youth and an adult, she participated in PA CareerLink® services. “At 19, I became a single mother and found myself again needing services from PA CareerLink®. PA CareerLink® was able to enroll me in a program that allowed me to pursue a college degree. My achievements today result from these programs and the dedicated staff at our local PA CareerLink® Huntingdon office.

Denise McNeal, also from Huntingdon County, has been in the workforce for 45 years. When she found herself unemployed and needing support, a friend recommended PA CareerLink®. Within two days, her PA CareerLink® Career Advisor had her placed in a PWE Program with HCBI. “The work is challenging, but I enjoy it, and PA CareerLink matched me up with an organization that trusted my ability, so we jumped right in and started the work. It has been rewarding.”

Serving the Community

In May of 2019, Stacey Burket was among approximately 200 employees unexpectedly separated from their work positions at a local direct mail manufacturer. PA CareerLink® held a rapid response meeting to help the employees move forward and find employment.

“Having never had any experience with unemployment at this level, the devastation I felt was amplified by the concerns about not just finding a job but replacing a career I had built over almost two decades. You see, I had worked my way up the organization’s ranks from a line worker on the factory floor to a senior leadership position. I had built respect within my company and industry, but I did not have the college degree to match my practical experience. I had fears about the local job market, which seemed to offer little opportunity, and my lack of a degree, which barred my entry to positions that would offer me a fulfilling career-level position capable of replacing my job’s wages and a sense of purpose,” Stacey explains.

She worked closely with PA CareerLink® and shared, “PA CareerLink® went above and beyond to be helpful across the entire process. Their professional guidance helped me navigate the process and select the right training program. Their genuine interest in my success helped me persevere through the uncertainty of returning to the classroom after 20 years in the workforce and the anxiety-inducing job search that came after I completed the program. They checked on my progress and treated me not as just a ‘case,’ but as a person. I truly felt that PA CareerLink® was as invested in my success in the program as I was,” says Stacey.

After graduation in August 2021, PA CareerLink continued to support her in her job readiness and search. Stacey says, “My assigned Career Advisor was a consistent and positive force, even when I had severe doubts about being able to remain in Blair County due to the lack of job opportunities. She went out of her way to ensure I was provided with the right resources to find a job that offered employment and a fulfilling career.” Stacey has since accepted a full-time professional position with long-term career stability and a starting salary 10% greater than her previous position.

“Thank you for administering these programs and staffing them with professional and caring staff. These programs are invaluable, and I sincerely hope that they will remain in place to help displaced workers for years to come,” shared Stacey Burket.

Get Back Out There

Call or stop into an office today to get started on your future. Services and support are free.

PA CareerLink®-Bedford County
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am – 4 pm; Friday 9 am – 4 pm
Phone: 814-623-6107
TTY: 814-623-6029

PA CareerLink®-Blair County
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm; Friday 9 am – 4:30 pm
Phone: 814-940-6200
TTY: 814-569-1066

PA CareerLink®-Cambria County
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8 am – 4 pm; Friday 9 am – 4 pm
Phone: 814-534-2500
TTY: 814-534-2511

PA CareerLink®-Huntingdon County
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am – 4 pm
Phone: 814-641-6408
TTY: 1-866-395-0149

Employment and Training Inc.
Affiliate site of the PA CareerLink® Huntingdon-Fulton County
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am – 4 pm
Phone: 717-485-5131
TTY: 717-485-3970

PA CareerLink®-Somerset County
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8 am – 4 pm; Friday 9 am – 4 pm
Phone: 814-445-4161
TTY: 814-444-5814