The holiday season is a time of joy. However, it also comes with busy schedules, gift shopping, and year-end deadlines. Taking care of yourself is essential not just for your well-being, but so you can truly enjoy the holiday season. Here are some cheerful self-care...
Families enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start of Fayette County were invited to “Alphabet Safari” held at the Lemont Furnace Head Start Center on November 19, 2025. The theme of the event was to focus on language and literacy skills from the program’s school...
As we enter the holiday season, we also enter the cold and flu season. Let’s face it, no one enjoys being sick so here are some common reminders about when you or your children should stay home from work or school. Fever- a fever over 100.4 Vomiting – more than 2...
Mental Health Starts in the Womb Mental health is a very important and pervasive concept in today’s world, often highlighting its importance during teenage years, and into adulthood/end of life. In our line of work, we understand that not only does mental health...
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Head Start / Early Head Start FAQs The Private Industry Council discusses frequently asked questions for Head Start and Early Head Start students. Private Industry Council operates the Head Start / Early Head Start program for Beaver and Fayette Counties in the...
The PA CareerLink® is a one-stop job center designed to meet all of your employment needs. As the Title 1 provider at both the PA CareerLink® Westmoreland County located at the Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, the PA CareerLink® Alle-Kiski located in the Westmoreland County Community College in New Kensington and the PA CareerLink® Fayette County located inside the Private Industry Council office at Lemont Furnace, the Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc. (PIC) strives to ensure all needs are met fro everyone who comes into a PA CareerLink® office. An example of this is the story of Joni.
Joni came into the Fayette County PA CareerLink® office as a Trade Act participant. Joni first meet with the PA CareerLink® Program Supervisor, Chris Sonita, and told them about her desires to become a Licensed Practical Nurse or a LPN. Joni attended a Benefits, Rights Interview with GTT Communications in Lemont Furnace and began preparing for the LPN entrance exam by attending Adult Basic Education classes and was gaining the needed skills for the exam. While she was preparing for the TEAS, or the Test of Essential Academic Skills, Joni discovered that her preferred training provider was not beginning classes until March of 2020. In addition a series of family medical crisises drew her attention away from focusing on preparing for the TEAS.
As Joni’s situation situation began to settle down, she was back on track to take her TEAS on January 7th. Joni however was worried that all of the progress she had made prior in the preparation of the exam would no longer be enough. While her chosen testing provider does offering tutoring for the exam, there is a $250 fee and unfortunately Joni did not have the ability to take advantage of the opportunity at that time.
During her next appointment with Chris, she asked if the CareerLink® office offered any free TEAS tutoring. Since Devin McCusker, the Career Pathways instructor, has been so open to helping a wide variety of participants, Chris decided to visit his classroom to discuss the situation with him. Devin readily agreed to call Joni and make arrangements for her to use his Career Pathways program to help Joni on the skills needed to pass the TEAS exam such as math, science and test-taking.
Prior to the Career Pathways program being moved to the Lemont Furnace office, Joni would have been referred back to the Adult Basic Education provider in the area for additional tutoring. By keeping all services in-house it has become more convenient for customers like Joni to have access to a variety of resources that are offered through both the PA CareerLink® and PIC. In addition, by having customers stay in-house for services, it is easier for our employees to stay in touch with the customer and ensure all needs are being met. Chris’ drive to help the customer as well as Devin’s willingness to help by offering the services he has access to in order to help someone reach their goals is a great example of the one-stop reemployment services model at its best.
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