Cleveland Career Center Closing

Unemployed workers in Tennessee are running out of places to turn for help finding a new job.

The nation's financial troubles have caused the state to closed 12 of Tennessee's career centers in the past year now Cleveland is number 13.

Crystal Winker and her boyfriend have spent months looking for work. They came to the Cleveland Career Center to find help but are shocked to find out soon it will close its doors and move to Athens.

The news isn't really a surprise since February 2007 a dozen career centers have closed. Two of those in our area in Jasper and Dayton they both closed earlier this year.

The Tennessee Department of Labor Workforce and Development says because of the economy the federal government is not giving the career center's enough funding to stay open.

Funding has been short for 2 years now the state's career centers are operating under a 12 million dollar deficit.

Don Ingram, with the states employment security division says last year the Walter Peyser Program, which funds the centers was not on the budget and questions future funding.

There were 84 career centers in Tennessee, now there are 70...Ingram says consolidating them reduces location but improves service.

"This will not effect our services we will continue to do our best to help the citizens of Tennessee.we are trying to do better with technology," says Ingram.

More callers, have increased traffic over the phone causing the state to turn to technology. As of November there have been 15,000 unemployment claims in Tennessee compared to last year's 2000.Ingram says people like Winker can place job orders online, and they can also file unemployment online.

However, Winker says even with the technology upgrade she will pay the price to find a job.

"Gas prices have gone down so its a little easier but it is still hard because if you don't have gas than you cant drive to find a job," says Winker.

Ingram says the Cleveland office will still offer the same services...it should close around the first of the year.