SANFORD - Cyheem Williams is a big fan of Central Carolina Community College's new Career Readiness Lab at Lee County's Suzanne Reeves Library.

Williams was an unemployed high school graduate when he and his mother, Paulette Williams, of Sanford, visited the library at the beginning of January. He was going to check out available jobs on the library's computers, but his mother saw the Career Readiness Lab and suggested that he see what it offered.

"I told them I wanted to get a job at a local grocery story and they helped me fill out the application online," he said. "While I was doing that, Crystal McIver [CCCC Human Resources Development Coordinator] called the store and set it up for me to talk with the manager."

Cyheem was interviewed by the store and received a call a few days later that he was hired as a part-time cashier.

"The Career Readiness Lab was great!" he said. "I got a job that quick."

Cyheem is now going back to the Career Readiness Lab at the library to study for his North Carolina Career Readiness Certificates. The CRCs certify to employers the workforce skill levels of an employee or potential employee in applying math to work-related problems; reading and comprehending information in work-related materials; and locating information from diagrams, floor plans, tables, forms, graphs, charts, etc.

CCCC's Human Resources Development Office has offered Career Readiness Labs at its campuses and centers in Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties for several years. This is its first walk-in lab in a public library. Registration on-site is required to use the resources. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify as unemployed or underemployed.

The Career Readiness Lab at the library is hosting a kickoff from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, to introduce more people to what it offers those seeking employment or to upgrade their work skills. This includes skill training and opportunities in job searching, exploring labor market information, Career Readiness Certification preparation and exams, and preparing cover letters, resumes, thank-you letters, and online applications.

"We have Career Readiness labs on the Lee Campus and at the Lifelong Learning Center at W.B. Wicker," said McIver, "but we noticed that some people couldn't get to those locations. We want to make this help much more accessible. We're trying to encompass Lee County to make it convenient to all."

Lee County Library Director Michael Matochik has worked with the college to bring the Career Readiness Lab to the downtown site.

"We always wanted to work with the college on something like this," he said "A lot of folks come to the library to use the computers to look for employment information already, so it is great to have the Career Readiness Lab here."

The Lee County Suzanne Reeves Library is located at 107 Hawkins Ave. The Career Readiness Lab is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays with instructors Laurinda Southerland or Kevin Whitley ready to assist those who come in. People can drop in at their convenience. The lab is currently located to the left of the library's service counter, but will eventually have its own room.

For more information, contact McIver at 919-777-7798 or by email at cmciver@cccc.edu.