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Show SPIED program is national example By LYNN BURTON Earlier this month, the Davis County Office of Employment and Training received high recognition for its Literacy Training Program. Now the department is in line for recognition of its effective work with another program, the Single Parent Economic Independence Demonstration Program (SPEID). SPEID was developed in response to a national movement towards welfare reform. Utah, at this time, is the only state to have received a grant for this particular sort of project, and carrying it out successfully will provide an example exam-ple for future projects nationwide. The problem that SPEID addresses ad-dresses is that many single parents on public assistance simply don't have the skills to find employment. The solution was to form internships intern-ships with private" businesses. The department assists and trains in interviews in-terviews and skill match-ups. Then, for a three to six month period, the intern moves around within the business, learning both specific skills and "the skills that come only with experience-the ability to network and function in the workplace," says Director Richard Nelson. A divorced mother of five with an income of only $400 a month from child support payments, picked pick-ed up experience in personnel, re ception, accounting, shipping, and receiving and other areas through the cooperation of the Albertson's Distribution Center in North Salt Lake. Demonstrating the value of the other skills Director Nelson pointed out, she is currently employed and independent in Davis County. Another client experjenced theN personalized assistance available as she was taught hygiene and grooming groom-ing skills at Regis Hairstyles in Layton Hills Mall and Phases in Ogdeni She had been through many programs and had been on welfare for ten years before the intervention and assistance of the SPEID program pro-gram allowed her to learn the sort of presentation and image that would work for her. Within a week of the makeover, this single parent is .successfully .suc-cessfully interning at Allstate Insurance In-surance in Farmington, and actively searchingjfor permanent employment. employ-ment. ' Much of the program's success stems from the enthusiasm of Cindy Cortez, Davis County Director. Ms. Cortez is anxious to inform interested inter-ested parties of the full scope of the available training. She can be reached at 451-7724. At the Davis County Commission Commis-sion meeting on June 19, Director Nelson presented allocations for 1989-90 of the County Social Service Ser-vice Block Grant totaling $134,202. The commission vote to approve was unanimous. |