Workforce centers in Colorado — including the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction — offer a range of free services to employers and employees. Here’s an overview courtesy of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

Among other things, centers provide:

Job listings, generally for a local county and surrounding areas.

Computer and internet access.

Career counseling and job training for employees.

Worker recruitment, prescreening of candidates and referral services for employers.

Tax credits and training reimbursement for employers.

Staff-supported and self-service access to provided services.

Workforce centers have trained, experienced career counselors to help connect employees with local employment, training and educational opportunities. These counselors can also help improve job-seeking and interview skills, enhancing the ability to find and get the most suitable opportunities.

Business services representatives connect employers to funding and training opportunities while helping recruit, hire and retain skilled employees.

How are these services funded? In part, workforce centers across the state benefit from their share of a nearly $5.7 million dislocated worker grant from the federal government. This grant enables workforce centers to provide services to displaced workers. There’s still funding, but the grant ends March 31. The grant funds efforts to provide career, training and employment services to dislocated workers and minimize the employment and economic disruption for these workers.

Workforce centers work with other public agencies and community-based organizations to identify temporary job opportunities for workers laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specific services provided under this grant include:

Career services, including basic and advanced assessments of job seeking needs and processes, information on the labor market, development of basic and advanced employment plans, connections to job openings and information about other support services.

Training services, including occupational training, skill upgrading and retraining, job readiness, adult education and literacy and entrepreneurial training.

Work-based learning, including on-the-job training, internships, transitional jobs and virtual and classroom training.

Supportive services, including job-related personal protective equipment, work clothing, dependent care, transportation assistance, books and supplies for training, application fees and reimbursement for mileage and relevant utilities.

Veterans have priority for services, but services are available to all dislocated workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mesa County Workforce Center is located at 512 29 1/2 Road. More information is available by calling 248-0871 or visiting the website at https://mcwfc.us.