Paul Yeager: I want to get a snapshot from where you're all sitting.  Elisabeth, I want to start with you here.  You were on recently on this program and we talked about some of the same things.  Give us a status report.  How are things going with Iowa Workforce Development?  Are you busy?  Have things slowed down?  What's going on?

Elisabeth Buck: Well, as I mentioned to you the last time Iowa was very late to the recession, we really started to see the huge numbers the middle of November.  We have been swamped since then.  The numbers have stabilized a little bit.  We usually see higher peaks of unemployment in the early months of the year because of seasonal layoffs that we see in our own economy.  But even this week, last week we saw 7300 new claims and that same week last year we saw 2300 new claims.  So, even though it's gone down a little bit from a few weeks ago we are still twice as high as we were a year ago at this time and are seeing a lot of Iowans who are coming into our workforce centers.

Paul Yeager: You talk about seasonal employment.  Is that what is going to help take off some of these people who are on that list, part of that 7300?  We tend to think of that Memorial Day to Labor Day time there seems to be more part-time work by people.  Is that what you're saying might help knock that number down?

Elisabeth Buck: Right, there are some folks who are on temporary layoffs following the holidays where plants and facilities closed down during that time.  So, some of those folks are hopefully getting back to work.  But we're still seeing a large number of Iowans who are filing initial claims for unemployment.

Paul Yeager: Are there any of your offices across the state that are maybe busier than others or slower than others that are maybe a little different than what the state average is?

Elisabeth Buck: Well, we see a very high unemployment rate around the Mason City area.  Those counties surrounding Mason City are over 11%.  Our state unemployment rate right now is at 5.2% which is quite a bit lower than the national average which is at 8.9%.  But we have counties that are over the national average right now.  Mason City has really seen a heavy amount of plant closures and layoffs due to the Winnebago reduction and it's really been a supply chain for that industry up there.

Paul Yeager: Well, and there's a couple of plants on the north side of town, the cement plants that one is closing and one has dramatically cut back its workforce.  But Howard County I think the last time you were here was the highest unemployment in the state.  Is there anything in that region?  That's just a little further to the east but are they still in trouble up there?

Elisabeth Buck: Yes, we just have these pockets around the Mason City area, around the Postville and Decorah area there is a high percentage there, we still have some rebounding to do in Jasper County from the Maytag effects there.  Western Iowa still is faring pretty well.  Des Moines, Polk County is right at the state average of 5.2%.

Paul Yeager: Adam, I want to talk to you for a minute.  People have got to be calling.  Every time that they see the stock market go up, go down they're on the phone with their advisor, their consultant, what do I do?  What are people asking you right now?

Adam Carroll: They're concerned about what will they do should one of the spouses lose their job and our advice to them is obviously it's been the same for the past two or three years, it's prepare for an emergency and so for those that are truly prepared they have got three to six months worth of liquidity in an emergency fund that would get them through this rough period.  For those that don't have that we're focusing on you've got to regroup should you lose your job and figure out what skills do you have that you want to go out and market?  What do you truly want to do?  Maybe this layoff is actually a blessing in disguise.  And then focus on rebuilding your network of people that you know as most jobs these days are actually found through networking as opposed to on Internet job posting boards.

Paul Yeager: So, it's who you know, who you've interacted with, who maybe used to be your boss somewhere else, that type of thing.  What about questions of should I tap my 401K?  What should I do about my savings?  How do I make any payments for a matching fund if I have no money to put in that direction?

Adam Carroll: People are very concerned about do I pay off my credit card?  Do I pay off my car?  Should I put money towards my house?  Our advice is generally the same towards paying down a house certainly you don't want to do that right now.  Money in the equity in your home is about like burying money in a coffee can that you can't access in your backyard.  Right now banks are less likely to lend you money out of your home should you lose your job and, in fact, for people who are maybe on the cusp of losing their job or fear that they might possibly even cashing out some of the equity in their home is a prudent idea to put that money in a savings account and have that as an emergency fund.

Paul Yeager: It's like you read some of the questions we had.  Shirley had sent in a note before the program, she said she's six years from retirement, plenty of people in that position that would be watching tonight.  She says she currently puts 20% of her wages into her 401K, she owes $18,000 on her house.  Would she be better off to reduce her 401K contributions to keep the company match or to use the difference to pay off the house?  Now, we don't know what the interest rate is but what is your answer to that?

Adam Carroll: Boy, there's so many variables in that, Paul.  One is, is she in jeopardy of losing her job?  If so, then the money in the 401K obviously a good idea.  But if she is in jeopardy then putting some of that money aside and building an emergency reserve contingency fund would be a good idea.  Paying down the mortgage, that's a question of what will her taxable income be once she is retired.  The mortgage interest deduction that she's taking with the mortgage currently is probably a benefit to her and it may be a benefit into retirement if she can afford the payment still.

Paul Yeager: Robert Denson, what is enrollment like right now at DMACC?  You're about to have summer school.  Normally I don't think everybody likes to go to school in the summer but some people are because they're getting retrained.  What is your enrollment going to look like when you start back up here next week?

Robert Denson: Well, we start next week, right now we're 13% ahead of where we were last year.  I think more persons that are in a four-year institution are coming back to DMACC or their local community college.  Obviously tuition is much less, classes are smaller, it's just a good time to catch up on a lot of those gen eds.  We are seeing persons coming to our vocational programs.  We offer short-term training by the year, by the degree.  So, it's a great time to pick up new skills because we know that day in and day out the more skills you have the more options you have.  In Iowa there are 15 community colleges, last year we served 125,000 students statewide.  DMACC was just over 30,000.  We're seeing a nice up tick this year as we see more students coming to the community college.  So, it's just a good time if you're unemployed or underemployed it's a great time to skill up and there are funds available through Iowa Workforce Development, through grants, Pell grants, federal and state grants to help you pay the tuition.  It's a good time to do that.

Paul Yeager: So, if I'm watching tonight and I'm thinking, you know what, I am underemployed who do I call if I'm going to try to go to a community college and try to tap into the money that you're talking about?

Robert Denson: Absolutely, call your local community college, call your local Iowa Workforce Development office, at DMACC it's dmacc.edu.  We've got a question area right on the front page.  If you have a question type it in, it goes right into our call center so your question can be answered.  There are a lot of people right now that want to help.  Workforce Development, we run the workforce center down on 430 East Grand as well as around our district, a lot of people there ready to get you into jobs, get you into training.  Iowa Workforce has jobs online so you can see what is available.  There are thousands of jobs available right now statewide, about 16,000 or 17,000 jobs.

Elisabeth Buck: Go to iowajobs.org.

Robert Denson: Iowajobs.org, go see what's out there.

Paul Yeager: So, what are some of those thousands of jobs, 16,000 jobs and what are the areas that people are going into for this training?  I know in eastern Iowa they had said that their welding program had done well and that's where a lot of people were going.  What are some of those fields that are getting some of those people looking for retraining?

Robert Denson: Welding, truck driving, IT, health was always strong, renewable fuels, a lot of the energy fields, wind is very big right now as the wind turbine companies are looking for trained technicians.  Several community colleges have great wind programs.  Again, if you look at our Web site or IWD it lists the hot jobs right now, look and see what might be of interest to you.  You check with your community college and we can tell you what skills you bring and what credits you already have and how short a time we can get you into a good job.  The important thing is to get started.

Paul Yeager: Jim, you're a little different from the rest here.  You deal with people that sometimes Elisabeth sees, those that are in between jobs or without work.  I think you said eight years ago when you start doing the Hope@Work about 10-20, 10-15 people came in.  Tell me what the number has been now and if that is up or down if that's the highest you've seen.

Jim Adams:It's way up, it's between 35 and 40 people.  We have a weekly support group but that is just the tip of the iceberg.  Currently we send out an e-mail to over 1000 people a week and probably the number one word to describe a lot of things is frustration.  When the threat of a job loss or job loss hits people it hits a lot of emotions and they come up, anxiety, fear, frustration, confusion and sometimes they don't know where to turn and one of our jobs is to just let folks know that there is a myriad, an incredible amount of resources out there through IWD or DMACC and other financial advisors and it's an amazing amount of information that people can get if they just search.

Paul Yeager: What has been -- you said frustration is the thing people are talking about.  Describe what a typical Monday night is like at Hope@Work.  Adam talked about networking earlier.  That is one of the things that you do as well, right?

Jim Adams:That is one of the things.  Basically it's a faith based support group, we talk about the light at the end of the tunnel is His light and that's what we talk about.  We try to bring a lot broader of a perspective, what I call the 30,000 foot view of a lot of times when this type of anxiety hits it takes away perspective.  In a small group people can share and understand that hey, I'm not the only one in this boat.  It's amazing over the years, Paul, that people no matter if there's two or three there or many they can share ideas, they can share innovation, they can network and give each other ideas and even job leads.

Paul Yeager: How successful -- do you see people coming back in time and time again or how has your success rate been where we saw them once, they're done, if you want to keep using the religious, they're healed, they're back to work?  What is the recurrent rate?

Jim Adams:We have many success stories.  People are different, some are short, some are long, for instance, a few years ago we had a gentleman that was unemployed for three or four months, he had six different interviews and came in second every time, pretty frustrated individual but he did land a job that he loves very much and surrounded by great people.  It takes a lot of patience, perseverance but, again, with the knowledge that there is a lot of resources out there that they can choose from.  We call them tools in the tool belt, there's a lot of different tools you can use from online to networking to going down to IWD, searching on the computers, just a lot of resources that people can use.

Robert Denson: This isn't the first economic downturn we've seen.  They come periodically and I can tell you that a lot of the persons that we work with that come in, they skill up, they go into new jobs often times they'll look back and say really it was a good thing, it forced me out of a place where I really wasn't that happy, I received some skills, I got into a better job so over the long-term you're never happy you had to go through the process but you're happy with the end product.

Paul Yeager: I would imagine you like those success stories.

Robert Denson: Absolutely.

Paul Yeager: That makes the training worth it.  Elisabeth, when you were last here we had a good idea about stimulus money coming both federally and state wise.  When exactly are we going to see the stimulus money come in?  Have we seen it?  What is it going to go for in the state to help people maybe get back to work or a different trade or jobs itself?

Elisabeth Buck: We've already started to see some of it.  One of the first things that we saw was the $25 increase in an unemployment check.  That was part of the stimulus package and went in on the first week in March.  So far since the issuance of that $25 increase we've seen about $15 million that has gone back into the Iowa economy which I believe is being spent immediately.  Most folks who are on unemployment do not, you know, you can barely live off that check so they're not saving those dollars, they're going into rent payments, groceries, all that.  The other major effect I think that we saw and also was happening this session was that we passed a bill called the UI Modernization Bill and here in Iowa we decided to choose one component of that bill which was to allow folks who are in training to continue to stay on unemployment for 26 additional weeks while they are in training.  As Rob mentioned that is a very important component because if you're living on your unemployment check and you're in training and your unemployment runs out you're not going to complete that certification program or that training program.  So, we really believe that we needed to upscale Iowa Workforce and this is one tool that we have to allow folks to go through training and continue on their unemployment benefits.

Paul Yeager: You had talked about the number was 16,000 jobs that are out there right now.  What is the average pay?  What are the ones that are paying better than others?  Are we seeing a lot at minimum wage?  Is that a third of the jobs that are out there?

Elisabeth Buck: There's a full range of jobs on that Web site.  I think about 20% of the jobs that are on that Web site today are in the health field.  So, we still are seeing growth in that arena in Iowa.  It's been very constant since that Web site went up a couple of years ago so that is one of the growth areas.  Right now we have a wealth of talent among our unemployed Iowans and they are connecting on that Web site and registering for work on that Web site.  So, if there are employers out there who are looking for talent they need to post their job on iowajobs.org.  We have 200,000 Iowans right now who are registered for work on that Web site so their skill sets and their resume, all that is on that Web site and we connect those registered folks with the openings that occur.  Right now some of the biggest categories of people that are on unemployment are manufacturing, construction, administrative work and retail trade.  So, there are some very talented people who are, to no fault of their own, on unemployment right now.  So, we really encourage employers if they're looking for talent we have it right here in Iowa on our unemployment roles.

Paul Yeager: Adam, one of the things that Elisabeth talked about she mentioned a little bit of down size in the family budget.  Talk about steps that families can take if they are just taking a job just to get money coming back in and get off of assistance or the assistance has run out.  What are some best ways people can adjust that family budget?

Adam Carroll: Well, first of all they start with creating a budget and a lot of times that's what we find that a family doesn't even have, I like to use spending plan instead of budget because budget sounds too much like diet to people, but if we create a spending plan of how much do you have coming in and let's take care of our fixed expenses first, mortgage or rent, your car payment, insurances, things like that and then start with the variable expenses and start every one of those categories at zero and work up to what is a manageable number within the family what we find is that families are spending a lot more money than they realize.  And let's face it, the reason that we're in the situation economically is we were victims of hyper consumerism for so long, the gross domestic product can't continue to rise at the rate it was without this happening because it was all built on debt and predicated by people taking on greater and greater mortgages and liabilities.  So, I think to find the silver lining in this dark cloud that we're in it's that hyper consumerism has sort of scaled back a little bit and in the 15 or so recessions that we've had since the Great Depression people always go back to the basics and what really makes them happy is simplicity.  So, I think we're getting back to being financially content.  So, I think for families that are in that situation that are having to scale back it's figuring out where is the financial contentment, what is that level and what are we comfortable with.

Paul Yeager: Jim, talk about some of the families and being content.  How is this folks that come through on a Monday night when they're coming through Hope@Work are they content with what their family spending plan is?  How is that relationship inside the family of some of the folks you're dealing with?

Jim Adams:Again, job loss and things like that affects the family in a lot of different ways, a lot of different dynamics going on, it causes a lot more stress and the leaders of the family out there know they need income and, again, we have workshops, we also bring in financial advisors to help folks along.  One thing that Rob mentioned that is really important that during this time of job loss it's kind of a limbo land and people are wondering what do to but it's also a time to look at what you're doing again, look at the passions, look at the skills, look at your abilities and raise those up.  Sometimes, believe it or not, job loss can be disguised as one of the greatest moments in your life and you can go forward and seek a new career and look for a different job in an industry or a field that is really growing.  That is one thing we talk about at Hope@Work also is passion and maybe you can't make a living at your passion right now, put it on the back burner, take a job right now that maybe you don't exactly want but you can absolutely work on that passion whether it's getting more schooling or getting more education and just going after what you want.

Paul Yeager: Elisabeth, how do the folks that work with Iowa Workforce Development, how do they match up, find someone's passion?  I remember taking a test in high school, I think we all had to, what we're interested in, what would be best for our career path, our vocation.  How does IWD try to find what your passion is as opposed to just getting a paycheck to get employed?

Elisabeth Buck: There are interest inventory tools that are out there online, tools that we can use to kind of assess what your passions are and what are your values that you want at work.  People have different values that they're looking for at the workplace so we can kind of inventory that and we also have tools if someone comes in and are laid off, financial planner, we have tools that we can say if you take these classes you can be a personal banker.  So, there are ways to look at the O*NET codes for different occupations and figure out where the skill shortages are with the jobs that we have open right now.  One of the things that I think is kind of surprising about this recession is that it's not hitting all Iowans equally.  Right now we have a larger percentage of Iowans, younger Iowans who are laid off but we're finding that our older Iowans are having a harder time to connecting back with work.  The other thing that's kind of scary about this recession for folks is that Iowa has typically been a very low weeks for unemployment checks, folks usually in Iowa have averaged about ten weeks on unemployment, we're very low for the national average, that is not occurring during this recession.  We're seeing folks who are staying on unemployment for a very long period of time.  We have Iowans right now who have been on unemployment for over 50 weeks.  So, there is a longer period of time to connect with work and that is becoming harder for folks as they're going through these transitions.  I think the other challenge for folks is so much of the work for getting back to work is done in isolation, online and we really need to encourage people to get out, get a plan, start the networking, go down to the workforce office because it can be very depressing to just be sitting at home, you can get your ten resumes done online by 9:00 in the morning and you have no one to network with and discuss how frustrated you are.  I don't know if you're seeing that in your support group.

Jim Adams:An extremely important point, Elisabeth.  We talk a lot about that at Hope@Work is do not isolate yourself.  A lot of people do stay home and they throw out a dozen or so more resumes online and they don't hear anything back and it gets really frustrating.  That's why a support group like this at Lutheran Church of Hope really helps people get out and about.  One thing we really like to advise people to do, again, during this time is go out and volunteer even if it's just one hour a week it gets them out of the house, meeting other people and they can also in that volunteerism go after their passions as well.

Paul Yeager: Find a place, just get in the door.  It would be like people, I'll speak from broadcasting, it would be I'll sweep your floors if it allows me to get in where you have the microphones and the cameras, just an opportunity to be seen because it's harder to be thrown out but it does get to be a little disheartening if you do take your resume in and you get turned down ten times in a day but at least you're out and about trying to find some work.

Adam Carroll: I think there's a generational difference around networking and realizing that's a great way to go find a job and young people today I think really get it.  The 20s and 30 somethings that are entering the job market know they're going to rely on their network to go find employment.  My father was a victim of the economic downturn and when I said go out and explore your network and meet with people and have coffee he said, that's now how it's done.  I said, no it is, this is how it's done now.  So, I think that's key what Jim is talking about is being around people, talking about what your passions are and what you'd really like to do and figure out how to find a job that allows you to do that.

Paul Yeager: Rob, if you've got people coming into DMACC who are, Elisabeth talked about the older workers having trouble reconnecting, how do you tell those folks who are older, maybe 35, 40, 50 plus that yes, you need to get here, you need to reconnect?  How do you get them to try to get them enrolled and get a skill set to change?

Robert Denson: Well, statewide our average age is about 26 or 27 at the community college so very often when someone walks in regardless of the age they're likely to see someone older than them.  We just graduated our first 91-year-old this past spring.  Everyone is realizing -- she didn't come back to get a job, she just came back to finish her degree.  But they're not alone.  There are many free services.  There has never been a better state of connectedness.  The governor, the legislation, Liz and Iowa Workforce Development have just done a great job of leading the state in getting us organized.  We've got one stop centers so when you walk into 430 East Grand as with many areas around the state you've got your community college, you've got your wrap around services, you've got other service agencies, you've got Iowa Workforce Development, all of these free tools so we get you in and we get you excited, you see some progress and then you realize that there is actually financial help and support as you're going through education and training.  All different kinds of funds, there probably is someone that maybe is not going to get everything they need but for most Iowans there is a lot of support so it's important to get in and find out where your skills, abilities and interests are and then get started and then keep an open mind.  It's going to be some hard work but, again, we're all there to help.

Paul Yeager: How do you get those, Elisabeth talked about somebody who has been on unemployment for 50 weeks, how do you reach that person who is 50 weeks on unemployment to find out what is the best skill set?  Is that something that a community college needs to do?  Is that something more for workforce development?  Who needs to help people like that?

Robert Denson: Well, we're both there.  When they walk into the workforce center we're there, IWD is there, others are there so they don't have to go wandering around town, they just need to find the center and go in and be willing to explore.  Again, we're very, very connected and we cooperate very well.  Plus in Iowa there is a whole new enterprise called Central Iowa Works, the business community through the chambers, educators, Iowa Workforce Development and others we actually have a new system, it's a comprehensive workforce system, again, just taking this cooperation to the next level because, again, we want to make sure that no one feels like they've been dropped through the floor somewhere.  We're out looking to make sure that doesn't happen.

Paul Yeager: Adam, you talked about networking.  Briefly it brings to mind social networking, it's the online way that younger generations but now older generations are getting involved.  Is that something -- it sounds like you've almost become an ad-hoc job consultant when you've got clients coming in -- is that something you would encourage somebody to do?

Adam Carroll: Absolutely, without a doubt.  There is a speaker who does a program about I'm on LinkedIn, now what and a lot of people don't realize the power that there is in social media not only in LinkedIn but on Facebook believe it or not and MySpace and Twitter about creating a blog.  I've got a friend who recently lost a job but created a blog about sales and his sales philosophy and that could lead to consulting jobs down the road.  So, while people at home and if they are isolating themselves why not take a passion and start writing or blogging about it.  I know several people who have created businesses out of that and are able to not go back to work because of their blog and how successful it's been.

Paul Yeager: There was a gentleman from the Des Moines area who sent a note out on Twitter saying I just got laid off, these are my skills, can anybody hire me?  The Today Show heard about it, they came out and did a story on it, he now has a job in his field.  Elisabeth, how does that fit into what workforce development does?  What is your endorsement, non-endorsement of using social networking to help as well?

Elisabeth Buck: I think it's a great tool.  The only concern I have is the number of people we're seeing coming into our workforce center who are being laid off during this recent recession we're seeing about 40% that have no digital literacy.  So, this is what you talked about, that divide by age and folks who had jobs for over 20 years, they never thought they were going to be laid off, they thought they were going to retire from this company that whole digital era has passed them by and they are not work ready because you can't apply for most jobs now online if they have no computer at home, they have no computer experience, they are not going to find a job very easily in this economy.

Paul Yeager: There is a computer in every public library and there's a public library in pretty much every town in the state.  Is that where I should start if I don't have computer skills?

Elisabeth Buck: Well, the only problem is if you have no computer skills and you show up at the library and you don't even know how to work a mouse you can't start there.  We have free classes in many places around this state now for digital literacy.  I know even if you're willing to go to a community college and say I need some help there are classes for that but it's really an important upscaling that Iowans need to do at this point because it's going to be a huge uphill climb for you if you don't have computer skills.

Paul Yeager: Jim, how do you play that how many people that come in talking with your program -- what is the percentage that might not be as computer savvy or literate or know where the on button is?

Jim Adams:It's exactly what Elisabeth was talking about as mainly the older folks who a lot of folks have had the same job for 20, 30 years, this is the last thing on their mind and while they may know about computers they have never really sat down and operated it and it can be a big challenge.

Paul Yeager: You've got lots of youth that run through that church, how can you partner somebody who is fifteen, fourteen with someone who has no computer skills?  Is that something that you've done or could do?

Jim Adams:We have not done that but certainly we can do it and there's a lot of, again, programs that people can look into even beyond libraries and colleges that there is mentors out there that will help people and, again, the important thing is that there are resources, they might need to dig a little deeper in the well this time around but they're out there and the whole thing is an educational process, it's a journey, you've got to persevere through it and computer literacy is part of that.

Paul Yeager: Rob, let's talk about GEDs.  You mentioned a 91-year-old student finishing up, was she trying to finish up her GED out at DMACC?

Robert Denson: Yes.

Paul Yeager: How much to pay for that GED for people that dropped out?  Is there a program that you're doing or using?  Talk about that if you don't have your high school diploma.

Robert Denson: We graduate about 3000 GEDs every year, in this day and age you wouldn't think there are so many persons without high school degrees but we do have a number of dropouts but a lot of persons dropped out over the years and they'll come back and pick up their GED and they use that then to begin a community college education and then often go into a four year degree.  So, it's that start you need to have.

Paul Yeager: Is there a program out there that helps finance that?

Robert Denson: Yes, we've got financial aid, we've got a foundation with some scholarship dollars, the federal government has money that can help.  The GED as I understand is free.

Elisabeth Buck: The final test is the only charge.

Paul Yeager: And how much is that?

Elisabeth Buck: $80 I think, less than $100.

Paul Yeager: There's no financial assistance for that $80 to $100?

Elisabeth Buck: I'm pretty sure there is something available, we can find it.

Paul Yeager: That was one question we had.  Elisabeth, another one that came in was when they heard the 50 week mark they thought are people staying too long on unemployment, should there be a cap on -- I know we had the extension -- should there be a cap on the back end of this?

Elisabeth Buck: One of the things we'll be starting this summer is a reemployment services and what that is, is a way of requiring folks that are on unemployment to come into their local workforce office and we think this is really important.  We've gotten pretty bogged down in the last few months with just processing unemployment claims so we really need to focus more of our energy on reemployment.  So, Iowans who are on unemployment will be required to come into the office and give us a chance to assess what they have been doing, look at their resume, maybe the resume needs to be reformatted, really kind of help them jumpstart from where they are right now.  We think this is really an important thing to make sure the folks who are on unemployment get that assistance.  Folks who have been on unemployment for that long there's a lot of barriers and for some people the financial matters can be a huge barrier for them.  We're seeing folks coming into our office and we're trying to get them to be a job seeker, they're almost paralyzed because they have so many fears with their financial issues too.  So, the most important thing is to put together a plan and you've just got to start.  That first step is probably the hardest but it's probably the most important.

Paul Yeager: Are there people who are facing that 20 weeks or 10 weeks or oh my gosh I've been on it for 40 weeks -- is that forcing them to make decisions that they might have to regret or they're going to be back unemployed in a month or two?

Elisabeth Buck: Right, I think that's when people are saying I had a $25 an hour job, I'm going to have to take that $10 or $15 an hour job just to get me back on my feet, get something on that resume because it's a lot easier to find a job when you have a job.

Robert Denson: I wouldn't worry about number of weeks.  Liz said earlier historically Iowans do not stay on any of these programs very long.  We get back to work.  So, if someone is off 50 weeks there's usually a very good reason and you just can't generalize that weeks mean anything because there are a lot of things going on.  This is a different situation, it is a bad situation but the important thing, particularly if you're receiving some kind of benefit that allows you to go back to school, you need to do it.  If you've got a job now and your company has tuition reimbursement, use it, pick up a skill, it may advance you just even in your own company but pick up that IT, the computer skill, whatever it is, just don't waste the opportunity.

Paul Yeager: Adam, if you've got a client who lost that $25 an hour job and a $10 one comes in what do you tell them?

Adam Carroll: You know, it depends on where they're at in their financial picture but I would say if you're having trouble finding one you take it, you do what you need to do to make sure that your family is taken care of, the bills are paid and things like that.  I think the pressure and the stress and anxiety that Liz mentioned comes from if someone has been on unemployment or on a decreased income for that long they start to wonder, okay, do I stop making my house payment or my rent payment, do I just let my car go back and be repossessed, I've got collectors calling me for medical bills and things like that.  And so what I encourage people to do is make sure you're talking to someone about that.  Money is such a taboo subject still in our culture which I find utterly ridiculous that people are holding all of this in and they just create more anxiety in their body about money and their lack of it instead of actually facing what they've got, their true financial picture and talking to someone who can guide them through the process of listen, medical collections need to go to the side, they can wait, that stuff has to stay, they can continue calling or you can tell the collector stop calling me, that is their right to do that.  The mortgage, right now there is a moratorium on foreclosures in Iowa, someone can stay in a home and not pay their mortgage for between 9 and 24 months before they're kicked out.  So, there are things that people can do if they are in a dire financial situation but they definitely need to go talk to someone about it.

Paul Yeager: And that someone would be consumer credit type people or a financial planner?

Adam Carroll: It could be consumer credit, it could be a financial planner.  We have a socially responsible mortgage company in West Des Moines called Four Legacies Mortgage, that's what we do, we help people walk through that process and figure out how to minimize their debts and take lazy idle assets they may have around home -- we are all consumers, we all have homes and apartments filled with things and we don't want to get rid of those things yet those are all worth something to someone and with services like Craigs List out there if someone is short on cash we say go through your house and start selling stuff.  If it's that dire and you're worried about where the money is going to come from let's figure out where it's going to come from.

Paul Yeager: So, you talk about that, Jim are there things that people ought to cut first?  Are there recommendations that your group might have for somebody?  Of course, you're going to get rid of cable and you might get rid of other things like that but what are some of those first priorities that we might not think of that are really kind of eating away at us?

Jim Adams:Well, back to the emotional side to cut away anxiety and fear and I know that’s not as tangible as you'd like to hear as far as the answer goes but if you can first and foremost understand that if you set fear aside for a second that sometimes fear can stand for false evidence appearing real, that sometimes our brains and reactions can actually overreact and make it worse than it actually is but when you sit down with a great person like Adam who can help you understand a little better that's a powerful, powerful tool and he can help folks say here is where you need to trim.  But I would say the first thing you need to understand is that you need to get perspective to pull yourself out of the nose dive and understand you need to get back up to the 30,000 foot level and understand there's a lot of perspective out there and a lot of tools.  I think, again, that is one thing that Iowans are good at is perspective.  There's a lot of common sense around this state and I think in this correction, whatever you want to call it is one way that we can become extremely innovative and we do that when we work in community with each other.

Paul Yeager: I like that.  Liz, when I was listening to Jim I got another question here.  You can send in your questions to iowajournal@iptv.org.  Another one that just came in was those who are disabled and how they apply for jobs.  Is there a specific listing on the Iowa job site that you're talking about or is there a different site?

Elisabeth Buck: We have resources inside our one-stop centers.  Vocational rehab is inside our centers and we have disability navigators who are individuals who help sort of navigate the pathway for individuals with disabilities who are seeing themselves without a job at this point.  So, I would suggest that you go to your closest workforce development office.  We have 55 offices around the state.  If you go to iowaworkforce.org you can see a map of those locations around the state.  So, we have individuals that are trained to help with that placement.

Paul Yeager: If I don't have an Internet connection at home in the phone book is there going to be usually a regional office in most county sites?  Who would be the best one to call to find out where one of those 55 offices are at?

Elisabeth Buck: We have an 800 number and I don't know it off the top of my head.

Paul Yeager: So, there is an 800 number to call?

Elisabeth Buck: Yes, there is an 800 number at Iowa Workforce Development.

Paul Yeager: Okay, we will try to get that number and get that out there to you.  Rob?

Robert Denson: Down in Des Moines at 430 East Grand at our center that we co-locate with Iowa Workforce Development we have a special center there for disabled.  It is pursuant to a federal appropriation we receive through Senator Harkin every year, it's a great place to go to learn technology and to get that extra job help.

Paul Yeager: That's good to know.  Elisabeth, another question that came in and this was also from someone who has called us tonight.  There are people who are coming into an office that are not looking dressed for success.  Is there anything that you can talk about in relationship of trying to put some effort in yourself when you're trying to, wherever it is you go whether it's dropping off a resume or just applying for anything, just as simple a thing as dress.

Elisabeth Buck: Well, one of the things I wanted to just mention is that we have put together a resource guide for job seekers and it's really a great tool to kind of walk through all the steps and we have a whole page, a whole section in here for interviewing and what you should do.  We also tell people to dress above the level of the job you're applying for.  You can not overdress for an interview. 

Paul Yeager: You could wear a suit, you could wear a tie?

Elisabeth Buck: Right.  So, we talk about that in here, we also talk about the importance of that first impression, firm handshake, eye-to-eye contact, just a lot of tips that folks forget about when they're going back out there because we don't do this kind of work all the time, people don't get laid off more than a couple of times in their life so it's not like you're a pro at applying for jobs.  So, people should not feel uncomfortable asking questions about this because it's not something we do all the time.  So, they can stop by an Iowa Workforce office and get a hard copy of this guide or it is online for folks but it really talks about the emotional process, first of all, which is we think the most important thing, you have to overcome that first, go through the steps of anger and grief and all the rest of those stages that you go through and then set a plan and take that first step.  So, this really guides you, there is space here for each individual to write their own plan, to set their own goals because everybody has got different goals in this economy.

Paul Yeager: You asked what the number was, 800-JOB-IOWA, that number is 1-800-JOB-IOWA.  Quick acting people behind the scenes here, in fact I think it was one of the members of your staff.

Elisabeth Buck: We have great staff that work at Iowa Workforce Development and I wanted to just take a minute and tell you those are the unsung heroes in this economy right now.  We have twice as many people on unemployment as we had just six months ago and we have no extra staff, people have been going above and beyond, the workforce professionals at the community colleges and across the state, to help people so we're there to help.

Paul Yeager: What are some of the most hardship cases that you've heard about that people have shared?  You're not going to name any identities or anything like that but what are some of those cases they're dealing with because they're almost counselors themselves?

Elisabeth Buck: Right, I think it's hard because people come into our centers with a high stress level.  They're not coming in there waiting for great news but they're coming in there with a lot of pent up frustration so our folks who work there really are counselors and they're dealing with everything from financial issues to personal problems in their families, just a lot of things that are going on in this economy.  So, they have to be really good listeners and the first thing I say they have to say is when someone says I've lost my job, they have to say I'm sorry to hear that because we have to relate to people that are going through this.  These are people who are losing their jobs because of no fault of their own and that's the first thing is we have to relate and say we're sorry for what's going on because it is, it's a hardship for folks.  I think through all of this workforce professionals are probably at our best when we're most needed and we are right now, we are needed a lot in this economy so I think the staff every day knows they're going to see some hard cases but they also feel they're making a difference.

Paul Yeager: Rob, you had mentioned earlier you have a conference call most weeks or months or get face-to-face with other presidents or other staff members at other community colleges in Iowa.  What is the story like at some of these other points?  Are there other campuses that have been busier or different fields that have become more of an expertise?  I know we’ve talked about at Iowa Lakes and Iowa West there's been a strong emphasis in wind technology.  What are some of the jobs in other areas whether it be southeast or southwest that you know of in talking with your fellow presidents?

Robert Denson: Well, each one of the community colleges has some specialties.  We all see need for health, nearly all of our healthcare programs statewide have waiting lists.  Students want to come in take your CNA, get your LPN, your RN and move on up because there are a lot of jobs in health and it's probably always going to be strong.  Manufacturing, 23% or 24% of Iowa's gross state product historically has been manufacturing.  So, we've seen a lot of layoffs but those persons are now coming back again looking for that next job, picking up a new skill.  Again, it's important to realize that you may not get the perfect job right away but get into a job because it may lead to that perfect job.  You go in and work for $10 an hour when you made $25 you're going to be working with some people, supervisory or above, that are making those higher salaries and if you work hard, as Iowans do, there's a good chance that you're going to move up.  But you have to have hope, take advantage of training opportunities and then be open to the experience.  Statewide most of us are seeing enrollment increases because of this downturn.  Historically, nationally as the economy goes down persons turn to their community college and we're seeing that here in Iowa and, again, we're going to come out of this and we're going to be in a position where we're going to have a shortage of workers so get the skill now while you've got the time.

Paul Yeager: Adam, I didn't ask you this specifically earlier but you too have a network of financial planners and also those in some of those financial advisors or insurance, those that have a little higher income in some of their jobs, they're going through some of the same things as well.  Talk about some of your brothers and sisters in your field across the state and what they're talking about.

Adam Carroll: Sure, they're all feeling the pressure, especially financial planners out there who are getting compensated based on how much in assets they have under management, with the stock market going down that's a hit to them as well.  I think that being said those that are in this industry, myself included, we have to walk the talk and I think for me that is living frugally, that's having an emergency fund, that's investing not only in the community but in other people, owning a business it's important for me to be able to provide jobs for people and I take pride in that so I encourage more Iowa business owners to step up and start hiring people especially in the downturn.  On a positive note, kind of piggyback on what Rob was saying, with the $8000 tax credit to first time home buyers I think we're going to see a resurgence in the construction trades especially over the summer months.  In fact, right now about 50% of home purchases are first time home buyers and they're buying homes from people who are probably moving up.  So, I think especially in the housing market we're starting to see it turn around and I think through the summer months we'll see it turn around even faster.

Paul Yeager: You talked about construction, do we know what some of the average new constructions jobs are paying right now?  Are they some of the better paying jobs that are out there, Elisabeth, that you know of?

Elisabeth Buck: Yes, there are some really great opportunities in construction and I think we're going to see with the stimulus dollars that are coming into the state and the governor's I-Jobs money that is going out there that there will be some great jobs in construction.  We've had some layoffs but I think those folks are starting to go back into work.

Paul Yeager: Are we in the $15 range on some of these jobs that are opening?

Elisabeth Buck: Oh, I think they're more like the $20 range, especially with the skill level.  If you're starting in as a journeyman or entry level job those are lower but with higher skilled comes higher pay.

Paul Yeager: You get another question here, everybody wants to talk to Elisabeth tonight.  Somebody wants to know a little bit more about the program called Experience Works.  I understand this is more of a senior program?  Tell us about that.

Elisabeth Buck: Experience Works is a program for Iowans who are laid off or without a job that are over the age of 50.  They work with that population to really help them to upscale and to figure out what their interests are and where we can help them find a job.  It's a little bit harder in that age group, as I mentioned, to find that job that takes them a little bit longer than some of our younger unemployed workers so that is a program just targeted for our older workers.  They are housed in our workforce offices so feel free to connect with them in those offices.

Paul Yeager: Is there money available for scholarships or payment on some of those things?

Elisabeth Buck: What they do is actually once they identify that somebody is work ready and they have put together a resume and make sure they have some digital skills they actually supplement their income in a workplace so they could go to an employer and say I've got a great person who I really would like you to take a little bit of risk on, you might not know them, we'll help supplement their pay and get them in the door and that's what we think is really important about that program.

Paul Yeager: Is that a federally funded program?

Elisabeth Buck: Yes, it's a federally funded program.

Paul Yeager: Is there any danger of that money running out?  Is there a time window?

Elisabeth Buck: There actually in the stimulus package was additional dollars in there that came to Iowa to help more Iowans in that age group.

Paul Yeager: That's encouraging.  The federal government -- do you say the federal government and the state governments have been responsive to what's going on in being able to help your agency and help others?

Elisabeth Buck: Very -- one other federal stimulus package that's out there that is really helping us is the summer youth jobs program.  We're finding that probably only about 30% of high school kids this summer are going to be able to find a job because many of those jobs have been grabbed up and taken by unemployed Iowans who are taking these jobs.  So, the federal government gave us money to put low income young people into the first job experience.  There is an iowayouth.org Web site that folks can go onto and learn more about those opportunities if an employer wants to hire one of these young people or if a young person is interested in connecting with those jobs.  The federal government gave us dollars to pay the salary for those young people and then we place them in jobs across the state.

Paul Yeager: Jim, I want to ask you about some of the social agencies and other agencies that are out there, some of the more faith based, is there any dealing with or working with Hope@Work?

Jim Adams:If there is a person that comes to the Hope@Work group support meeting and you can tell they're hurting quite a bit we do have resources not only at Lutheran Church of Hope but we have connections throughout the city and central Iowa of other counselors or people like that, that can help folks.  Lutheran Church of Hope actually has a thing called Care Corp where actually an individual volunteer will walk alongside this person, meet with them at least once a week, something like that to just be there for support, just to be there and listen and that really helps people encourage them and, again, gives them perspective that they're not alone out there.

Paul Yeager: As you said, pull out of the nose dive.

Jim Adams:Yes.

Paul Yeager: I want to let everybody kind of give a final statement or assessment.  Adam, I want to start with you, just some final tips that people can utilize from your chair and perspective in dealing with this.

Adam Carroll: Well, I think if someone is facing a layoff situation they need to reassess, they need to reassess where they're at, what they want to do, what their passions are, they need to create a budget or a spending plan and figure out how to stop the bleeding, so to speak.  And one of the things that I'm very passionate about is let's make this a learning opportunity for children because the folks who are post-Depression era, they learned from what their parents went through and our children need to learn from what we're all going through.  So, I think as long as people are communicating with their children about what's going on and all of that there's additional stress that comes from that, that can be alleviated by talking to your kids about it.  And lastly, I think you need to get out and you need to explore your opportunities, explore your friends and your network and the people that you know and see what opportunities are out there that they might be able to direct you to.

Paul Yeager: Rob?

Robert Denson: There's a lot of good news out there because there are a lot of people that want to help these unemployed or underemployed persons get back on track so take advantage of the time that you have, take advantage of all the resources that are there and use it as a time to upscale, more skills, more opportunities.  The economy is going to turn around so be ready when it does.

Paul Yeager: Jim?

Jim Adams:I would say anywhere across Iowa if you don't have a support group or you don't know of one, start one whether it's in your church, civic organization, anything like that where people can gather and share ideas, share struggles and win this battle.

Paul Yeager: Elisabeth, you get the final minute here.

Elisabeth Buck: Make sure to connect with your workforce office, we're across the state, we've got a statewide network and 55 offices and we have staff who are willing and able to help you with whatever your needs are, just ask.

Paul Yeager: The number is 800-JOB-IOWA, that will call the Workforce Development office and the Web site -- what's on the Web site again?

Elisabeth Buck: iowaworkforce.org and there is a ton of information on that Web site.  Like Rob mentioned we have information about the hot jobs in their community, we have information about resume building, interviewing tips, how to apply for unemployment, all those things are on that Web site.

Paul Yeager: Best piece of advice if I am 25 and unemployed, is your office the first place I should start?

Elisabeth Buck: Stop at the office but also go to iowajobs.org and look at the listings there for the jobs that are listed.  I think we have over 14,000 jobs on there today.

Paul Yeager: Is that the same if I'm 55?

Elisabeth Buck: Same thing.

Paul Yeager: Elisabeth Buck is the director of the Iowa Workforce Development.  Thank you very much for your insight.  Adam Carroll is a personal financial consultant, he's on our program again.  Robert Denson is president of DMACC.  Jim Adams is coordinator of the Hope@Work ministry.  I appreciate you all and I told you this hour would fly by, it really has.  We thank you for calling in tonight.  That will wrap up this edition of The Iowa Journal.