On the fourth Wednesday of the month from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., the City of West Point gets a visit from the Worksource Three Rivers Mobile Career Lab.  The  lab sets up shop at the West Point Technology Training Center to provide residents with assistance in job readiness and job search activities and provides information on Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act-funded training opportunities. 

The mobile lab, which is a state-of-the-art, fully accessible computer lab, is a free service to the city and those in the surrounding areas thanks to the Three Rivers Regional Commission, of which Troup County is a member. 

Career counselors man the lab and can help residents discover a career path using a computerized comprehensive assessment test that will measure their aptitudes, skills and interest. The career counselors can also determine training opportunities and eligibility for residents to possibly receive tuition, fees and child care during training. Residents may use the computers for job searches and may print copies of their resumes in the lab.

The opportunity for such a service to come to our local area can prove to be a hugely beneficial one for local residents, should they take advantage. While the mobile lab will only be in the West Point area on a once-per-month basis for now, should turnout outpace expectations the Three Rivers Commission will evaluate whether or not it makes sense to bring the lab to West Point more often. The lab’s schedule will evolve on an ‘as-needed’ basis, and the areas where turnout is high will see the lab more often. 

Troup County as a whole has been wrestling with a shortage of qualified workers for some time. The county has taken steps to address those issues in recent years, which has yielded good results, but the fact remains more work is needed to continue to produce qualified workers who can fill positions employers need. The Worksource Three Rivers Mobile Career Lab represents just such an investment for Troup County and the surrounding area, and we are hopeful the community will take advantage.