Great offers for the Unemployed

Regardless of how you get your news, the reports over the last week have been especially depressing. 651,000 jobs were shed in February alone, or 15 jobs per minute, bringing the unemployment rate to 8.1%; the highest since 1983.

Sadly neither my company, nor my family has been immune. My dad was let go from his job of more than 25 years in October and is still seeking full-time employment. You could say he is among yet another statistic. Those forced to part-time employment, a number that currently sits at 14.8%.

Please contact me If you know of anyone hiring in printing (bindery & mailing), sales, or something similar in the Richmond, VA area. My dad would be eternally grateful.

Not that there’s much of a silver lining to be found in these statistics, but starting this week I know of at least two companies doing what they can to help the unemployed. Many have likely already heard about FedEX Office (formerly FedEX Kinko’s) offering to print up to 25 copies of your resume for free.

From the FedEx Press Release

The company invites customers to take advantage of this one-day event by visiting any of its 1,600+ FedEx Office Print and Ship Centers in the United States during regular business hours. This offer is good for 25 black-and-white resume copies per customer and is only valid for orders placed and picked up in-store. Customers may place orders by submitting their resume in printed format or as a digital file, and the copies will be printed single-sided on resume-quality paper.

Read the full FedEx Office Press Release

Another admirable benefit to the unemployed comes in the form of FREE training from Engineered Efficiency. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for the guys over at EE. While (like any business) they are in the business to make money, they are also in the business of doing the right thing. My firm just recently signed up for their training program, and I can say firsthand, the material there is top-notch.

From the Engineered Efficiency Training Outreach page

Training is provided on a first-come-first-served basis and consists of live, instructor-led, hands-on training. Users can choose from any of the eight classes currently offered by Engineered Efficiency, Inc. Over the past year, we have offered our revolutionary training program on a subscription basis to organizations implementing AutoCAD Civil 3D, training thousands of users across the country. With this outreach program, this proven system is now accessible to those who are looking to improve their skills and increase their re-employment opportunities.

You can get full details on the Engineered Efficiency Free Training offer here