Young people ages 14-21 can explore career opportunities in aerospace, defense, manufac-turing and machining at Pima County’s free Youth Career Expo on Wednesday, April 10.

Seating is limited! Youth must RSVP by Sunday, March 31. Fill out the RSVP form at http://www.pima.gov/ced/employment-training/et-summer-youth-program.shtml, save it to your computer and email it as an attachment to Rebecca.Pitman@acehs.org or fax it to her at 520-791-9893. Also email her any concerns or issues completing the form.

The Expo will run from 3 to 6 p.m. at Tucson International Airport, 7250 S. Tucson Blvd.

It will feature exhibits and representatives from aerospace, defense, manufacturing and machining employers and educators, including the University of Arizona Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department, the Pima Community College Aviation Program, CAID Industries, Prototron Circuits, and Ascent Aviation Services.

Participants will have opportunities to attend presentations and participate in discussions about various career choices.

About 300 young people attended the first Pima County Youth Career Expo in November, which focused on health-care careers.

The Expos are organized by the Pima County Workforce Investment Board Youth Council and the Pima County One-Stop Career Center.

For more information about the April 10 Expo, please contact Dana Katbah at 520-798-0500 or PledgeaJob@pima.gov or Vaughn Croft at 520-724-3018 or VCroft@pima.gov.

For more information about One-Stop, please visit www.pima.gov/ced/employment-training.shtml.

For more information about the Workforce Investment Board, go to www.pima.gov/ced/agencies-workforce-investment-board.shtml.

Sea testigo de la diferencia que hace el Centro Educativo y Artístico Las Artes del Condado Pima en la vida de nuestros jóvenes a través de un nuevo video de 21 minutos, disponible en el canal del Condado Pima en Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/user/pimagov.

Las Artes, ubicado en 23 W. 27th St. en el Sur de Tucson, combina el estudio en clase con proyectos artísticos en la comunidad y prepara a los estudiantes para su prueba de GED y los ayuda a mejorar sus habilidades para el trabajo.

Murales, azulejos de cerámica y otros trabajos artísticos de estudiantes de Las Artes se pueden apreciar desde varios sitios a través del Condado Pima, incluyendo el Sur de Tucson, Sahuarita, Marana y Tucson.  Su trabajo más reciente para Univeristy of Arizona Bioscience Park ubicado en Kino Parkway al Este de 36th St. será presentado durante la dedicatoria del parque el Jueves 11 de octubre.

La mayoría de los estudiantes que asisten a Las Artes son estudiantes que abandonaron la preparatoria o están en riesgo de abandonarla.  Son estudiantes que tienen que trabajar para ayudar a sus familias económicamente o que han perdido el entusiasmo por la escuela a causa de experiencias previas.  “Se han acostumbrado a tener obstáculos”, dijo Elena West, gerente del programa de Las Artes.

Las Artes les presta la oportunidad para salir adelante y contribuir a la comunidad.

“Nuestro programa produce individuos con una educación, con sueños y anhelos y el deseo de seguir adelante, ya sea en una carrera de educación u otra profesión o buscando empleo”, dijo West.

“Esto debe crear un empleado calificado y eficiente que entiende la importancia de ser puntal e ir a trabajar todos los días y mejorar no sólo para beneficiar al lugar de empleo, sino también para el beneficio de sí mismo y su familia”.

Los estudiantes en el video lo dicen mejor.

“Cuando empecé a atender Las Artes, cambió por completo mi manera de ver la vida”, dijo un estudiante.  “Yo no quería ir al colegio.  Ni siquiera sabía lo que quería hacer en mi vida.  Pero ahora ya lo se”.

La próxima inscripción será el 17 de octubre.  Estudiantes interesados deben llenar una solicitud y tomar una evaluación académica para determinar su nivel.  Para más información, llame at 243-5050 o visite www.pima.gov/CED/CR/LasArtes.html.

A new video provides an inside and up-close look at the difference Pima County’s Las Artes Arts & Education Center makes in the lives of young people in our community.

The 21-minute video is available for viewing on Pima County’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/pimagov.

Las Artes, at 23 W. 27^th St. in South Tucson, combines structured classroom study with community art projects to prepare students for GED testing and to build their employability skills. More than 500 Las Artes students have obtained their GEDs since the program began more than 15 years ago.

Las Artes students’ murals, ceramic tiles and other artwork can be seen across Pima County – in South Tucson, Sahuarita, Marana and Tucson. Their work at the University of Arizona Bioscience Park at Kino Parkway and East 36^th Street will be featured at the park’s dedication on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Most of the students who attend Las Artes have dropped out of high school or are at risk of dropping out. They’ve worked to help support their families. Or they’ve become discouraged by previous experiences in school. “They’ve become so used to having roadblocks in their way,” says Elena West, Las Artes program manager.

Las Artes gives them an opportunity to succeed and contribute to their community.

“We provide an individual who has gotten their education, who has the hopes and the aspirations and the dreams to continue on to do for themselves, whether it is to continue into education, higher education, or to employment,” West says.

“That has to translate into an employee that’s qualified, that’s efficient, that understands about punctuality and about showing up every day to work and about performing for the betterment not only of the employer they may be working for but for sustaining themselves and their family.”

The students in the video say it best.

“When I started attending Las Artes, it changed my whole outlook on life,” one student says. “I never wanted to go to college. I never even knew what I wanted to do with my life.  But now I know.”

The next open enrollment in Las Artes is Oct. 17.  Prospective students must complete an application and take a basic academic assessment to determine placement.  For more information, call 243-5050 or visit www.pima.gov/CED/CR/LasArtes.html.

Pima County One-Stop Career Center is preparing to open the nation’s first workforce center aimed at helping military veterans find jobs and get training, benefits and support services.

The center will also help employers hire veterans.

The Kino Veterans’ Workforce Center is scheduled to open Monday, July 16, at 2801 E. Ajo Way, next door to the Kino Service Center at 2979 E. Ajo Way.

Due to an incorrect media report of an earlier opening date, Program Manager Art Burrola said Thursday that a staff member will be at the center on Monday, July 2, to direct veterans to appropriate resources.

A grand opening is planned for a later date.

The Veterans’ Center will be a partnership of the Pima County One-Stop Career Center with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Arizona Departments of Veterans Services and Economic Security, Pima Community College, Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, the Pima County Health Department, and Old Pueblo Community Services.

To improve the quality of service to veterans, reduce unnecessary duplication and maximize available resources, the partners will coordinate to offer services and streamlined resource referrals under one roof, and to share leadership, costs, information and data.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the unemployment rate for Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans jumped to 12.7 percent in May, up from 9.2 percent the previous month.  The national unemployment rate for May was 8.2 percent.

In addition to employment assistance, returning veterans also often need housing, health care and other support services.

The Kino Veterans’ Workforce Center will offer veterans:

• Peer support, drop-in and welcome
• Career counseling and job search assistance
• Computer labs and office equipment
• Benefits counseling and claims assistance – education, medical care, disability
• Assistance with housing and other basic needs during transition to employment
• Guidance and financial assistance for training and education programs
• Adult education, tutoring and study skills
• Behavioral health services and recovery

Employers who hire unemployed veterans between Nov. 21, 2011, and Jan. 1, 2013, may qualify for:

• A Returning Heroes Tax Credit of up to $2,400 if the veteran has been unemployed for at least four weeks or up to $5,600 if the veteran has been unemployed for more than six months.
• A Wounded Warrior Tax Credit of up to $9,600 if the veteran has been unemployed for more than six months and has service-connected disabilities.

For more information, call 243-6700.