The Toccoa Career Center expands service area as Habersham office closes

The Toccoa Career Center, located at 37 Foreacre Street, has undergone a number of changes over the past weeks, including an expansion of their service area and an interior remodel.

Unit Supervisor John Davis sat down with WNEG News to talk about the changes, both at the local office, and in the services offered at career centers across the state. 

Davis explained that “employment services” are no longer offered through Georgia Department of Labor Career Centers. He said that services for job seekers, such as resume assistance, job listing access and job search tools, have been transferred from the GDOL to the Technical College System of Georgia. 

He said that the eventual plan was to add Technical College System of Georgia employees to the Toccoa Career Center to assist job seekers with their job search and employment services, but he said there has been no definitive timeline for that addition.

Davis said that the Department of Labor’s EmployGeorgia website, employgeorgia.com, is still active and a good place for those engaged in a job search to look for job openings. 

He explained that the Toccoa Career Center, along with most, if not all, of the Career Centers throughout the state, currently only offer unemployment insurance services. 

As of yesterday, July 31, with the closing of the Habersham County Career Center in Cornelia, the Toccoa office became the official Career Center for Stephens, Banks, Franklin, Habersham and Rabun counties. 

Davis said that individuals also come to Toccoa from Elberton, Hart, and other counties, even though their official service center was in Athens. He said that individuals looking to open or manage their unemployment insurance claim are not limited to a specific office, and can choose to go to the office that is convenient for them. 

He said the Toccoa Career Center prides itself on expedited service, saying that people do not have to wait long for help, and adding that they have recently remodeled the Toccoa Career Center, and it is now updated and more comfortable for staff and claimants.

Davis said that the closing of the Habersham office is something that has been discussed for several months, and said the state will see a significant cost savings from the closure of the Cornelia location. He said that shifting the Habersham clientele to Toccoa will bring additional staff to the Toccoa office – a benefit, since staffing had dropped as low as three people, from a normal pre-pandemic staffing of nine.

He said that it is possible to file an unemployment insurance claim completely online, but said there have been a lot of changes to the process since the Covid-19 pandemic, and noted that many individuals need assistance with the added requirements.  

The bottom line, Davis said, was that the Toccoa Career Center is there to help those that need assistance filing their unemployment insurance claims. 

He did mention that the best option for people seeking assistance with their unemployment insurance claim is to visit the office in person, as calling the statewide phone number can be frustrating.

The Toccoa Career Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.