On April 2, 2007 the Sony Transition Center opened to help dislocated workers at the Sony plant in Mount Pleasant. Under the supervision of Tina Kemerer, Site Coordinator, Employment Specialists Billie Yourich from PA CareerLink Fayette County and Jim Reese of PA CareerLink Westmoreland County are on hand to offer CareerLink services. Veteran's Representative Rodger Campbell is on site to offer CareerLink and veteran services to accommodate the needs of dislocated United States Veterans on a bi-weekly basis.

As part of the Sony Transition team, Joyce Armond of PA CareerLink Westmoreland County developed and facilitates a new workshop entitled 'Job Search Overview' designed to help the job seeker gain information on organizing job searches, targeting their resume for specific jobs and tuning in to what employers expect to hear in an interview. In addition to Job Search Overview, Joyce is offering specialized workshops on Resume writing and Interview skills. Furthermore, she is scheduling individual appointments to evaluate resumes and cover letters on a one-on-one basis.

TABE Assessments are offered every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They are given by Lisa Newhouse of PA CareerLink Westmoreland County. SAGE assessments are available every Friday and a Career Resource Center is available Monday - Thursday 11:00 - 7:00 and Friday 8:00 - 4:00. Basic Computer Classes are also offered.

In the two months that the Transition Center has been in operation, there have been over 664 visits to the site. In excess of 100 TABE Assessments and 40 Sage Assessments have been administered. 25 participants have taken advantage of the basic computer classes and 50 people have attended workshops.

We, at the Sony Transition Center, are looking forward to more success.