West Tennessee Workforce Investment Board participates in McNairy County Adult Education career fair
Pictured, left to right, Lt. Roger Rickman of the
Selmer Police Department and West Tennessee Workforce Investment Board Youth
Coordinator Lisa Carter.
On Thursday, March 19th, a crowd of students and former students gathered for
the McNairy County Adult Education career fair while representatives from West
Tennessee Workforce Investment Board were on hand to present them with
information regarding new occupations that are in high-demand.
The well organized event began with a warm welcome from the McNairy County Adult
Education Supervisor, Patsy Pearson as she introduced presenters from various
training facilities and businesses. Pearson then allowed students to breakout
into small groups in order for them to interact and exchange ideas with the
different representatives.
“The career fair allowed those participating to increase their awareness about
the wide-range of career and educational options available to them,” said
Pearson. “According to the consensus of the participants, it proved to be a
valuable experience.”
West Tennessee Workforce Investment Youth Coordinator, Lisa Carter agreed
entirely and appreciated the opportunity to take part.
“We were so honored to have the chance to participate in the McNairy County
Adult Education career fair,” stated Carter. “The students in attendance were
encouraged to learn how our agency could help them in achieving future
employment goals.”
SWHRA and SWCDC seeks to develop less expensive housing in West Tennessee
Duplex with two rental units in McNairy County.
Southwest Human Resource Agency (SWHRA) has begun the task of developing
affordable housing in West Tennessee in cooperation with the Southwest
Community Development Corporation (SWCDC).
For its first project, the two entities have joined together to construct a
duplex with two rental units for clients of McNairy County Developmental
Services, said Christy McMahan, SWHRA coordinator.
"The project has been completed and tenants have already moved in," McMahan
said.
Mike Smith, Executive Director of Southwest Human Resource Agency, is eager
to work with more local city and county officials, he said concerning the
project.
"This first project in McNairy County is a great example of how local
governments and nonprofits can work together, and I'm very pleased that the
County Mayor, Jai Templeton, was willing to work with us. We hope in the
future all the counties in our service area will help design and develop the
types of housing projects that will benefit their communities."
According to McMahan, she anticipates working with other nonprofit service
providers to help develop housing for their clients in the near future.
She said the construction in McNairy County is funded through the Building
Blocks Program, which is administered by West Tennessee Legal Services. The
program provided the entities with roughly $192,000 for the project.
McNairy County donated land for the duplex, building designs were done by
local businesses at no cost and the surveying of the land at a reduced cost,
McMahan said. Construction was completed by Logic Land, of Hardin County.
Quinnie Bell, Executive Director of McNairy County Developmental Services,
said that she is excited about the project and feels it is an essential
first step in meeting the housing needs of special-needs clients.
"We have had many challenges in trying to find appropriate rental housing
for service recipients," Bell said. "Many residents need
handicapped-accessible units, and it can be very expensive to renovate
existing units to meet these needs."
A Message from the Executive Director...
Southwest Human Resource Agency continues its long history of being the
premier Community Services delivery organization in West Tennessee.
We are an Agency that continues to establish and maintain an outstanding
reputation for quality human services to West and Central Tennessee Communities.
Our growth and success is due to our desire and commitment to serving our
customer’s needs, whether that be Child Care services, providing a Head Start
for 3 and 4 year old children, providing public transportation, offering
assistance for energy needs, lending a helping hand for youth, dislocated, and
adult workers, or assisting our Senior population with basic needs.
I certainly appreciate our dedicated employees who are to be commended for
accepting the challenge of improving the services we offer.
I trust that you will take a few moments to exlpore our new website and discover
how we are making a difference in people’s lives in Southwest Tennessee.
SWHRA Executive Director
