The J.V. Fletcher Library’s Westford Job Seekers Network has long helped area residents network and develop skills they can use to find new jobs. But recently they expanded that mandate to helping people start their own businesses as well.
In coordination with the Massachusetts Small Business Administration, the Job Seekers recently presented its first ever “Business Smart Workshop,” a six-hour free seminar geared toward anyone with questions on what to do when starting a new business.
The event was spearheaded by David Martin, a former member of the Westford Job Seekers Network, well, technically former. Martin began helping to plan last year and actually got a job during the planning process. But he became so integral to the event’s creation that he continued on with the group.
When Martin joined the Westford Job Seekers Network, he never expected to be this involved. Over the 14 months he attended meetings though, his perspective began to change and that perspective stuck with him even after he got a job.
“It gave me some time to think and I wanted to give back,” he said. “I wanted to give them not only the opportunity to find a new job but potentially creating their own. Ultimately, if they do, they might be able to employ people from the group, which would be a wonderful thing.”
Over 60 people registered for the program, with several people being held on a waiting list for the event due to capacity concerns.
According to Dina Kanabar, the J.V. Fletcher Library’s Systems/Automation & Technical Services Director and coordinator of the Westford Job Seekers Network, another Business Smart Workshop is expected to be scheduled in October 2016.
More information on the Westford Job Seekers Network is available on the J.V. Fletcher Library website.
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