MAYBE IT’S TIME for a career change. Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to move ahead in your current line of work. Perhaps you are between jobs, and you need assistance, or you’ve realized that you will need a better education or more training to get the job you want. No matter where you are in your career ladder, Riverside County’s Workforce Development Centers can help. Each of the four centers spread around the county specializes in giving employees the tools they need and matching companies with the workers they can’t do business without. Job seekers can receive vocational counseling and attend workshops in career development, job searches and skill development. Businesses can obtain labor market and demographic research, recruitment assistance, employee training and other help in finding solutions to business challenges.

All of this happens under one roof, a “one-stop system” that streamlines the employment process. The Riverside center helped 9,175 job seekers in fiscal year 2006, providing them with more than 180,000 services. Interested in the culinary arts, nursing, manufacturing or other careers? The centers can help you get the skills you need or hone the ones you already have. Many county residents know that firsthand. More than 22,000 Riverside County residents receive help from the centers—based in Riverside, Hemet, Indio and Temecula—each year. Programs for young people are available at six Youth Opportunity Centers in Riverside, Rubidoux, Perris, Hemet, Lake Elsinore and Indio. For more information, look at our website at www.rivcojobs.com.

PANS CLATTER AND KNIVES MINCE as cooks-in-training carefully prepare gourmet meals such as pork tenderloin and beef bourguignon stew.

The Riverside City College Culinary Academy gives students a solid foundation in all aspects of culinary arts, providing them with skills they can take into the workforce. Students manage and operate a 144-seat restaurant that is open four days a week.

The restaurant on Spruce Street is open Tuesday through Friday, serving breakfast from 8:30 am to 10 am and lunch from 11 am to 1 pm. The Culinary Academy’s year-long program is divided into three 15-week semesters. Students do it all: wash dishes, serve, prepare stocks, soups and sauces. They learn the correct and most efficient ways of removing bones from fish and fowl and practice cooking various kinds of cuisine. The college’s culinary program consists of 10 classes and provides students the opportunity to earn a certificate in hospitality, said Richard Barron, associate dean of innovative programs/ occupational education for Riverside City College. “Some of our students can have job opportunities in hotels, family restaurants and on cruise ships,” he said. Every day, the students prepare a different soup for the restaurant.

They offer staples such as soups, sandwiches and pizzas but prepare daily specials. The most expensive meal on the menu is $6.99. Chef Bobby Moghaddam, who has been running the program for 10 years, said the academy typically has between 80 and 90 students a year. The program is not designed to teach students how to be chefs who are highly experienced cooks, but it gives students a solid foundation for a career in the culinary arts. “They have to be cooking for many years before they can be a chef,” Moghaddam said. The program will prepare them for jobs in hotels, restaurants and other businesses, he said. Barron said the Riverside Community College District plans to expand the program by providing a full culinary school that would prepare students to be master chefs.Joni Fadely, 26, of Redlands, moved from Phoenix to the Inland Empire to do the program because she can complete it in one year. Many programs, she said, take three years. Fadely, who has a bachelor’s degree in public relations and event planning, hopes to own her own business and thought the program would round out her skills set. She said she will have abilities that are attractive to employers who won’t have to take time to train her. “That’s going to be helpful,” she said.

The program demands commitment. Students attend lectures or work in the restaurant for hours, five days a week. “It’s basically like working a second job,” said Brian Luna, 20, of Colton. “You’re really forced to dedicate your life to this thing. If you stick with it, there’s really no way you can’t learn.” Although cooking has caught on in the last several years and is glamorized by television shows such as “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef,” what happens on TV is a far cry from reality. “It’s really a different story,” Luna said. “It’s really labor intensive.” For more info, call 951.222.8491 or visit www.rcc.edu.

THE WOODCREST COMMUNITY LIBRARY, the first “green” building constructed by the county, will provide much-needed services to area residents while saving energy and conserving water. The library celebrated its grand opening on Nov. 10, attracting over 500 eager patrons. “It’s gorgeous,” said Lenora Ballew, 27, of Moreno Valley, who attended the opening day festivities. “There is so much more space, there are so many more reference items.”

The library is the county’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building. It is oriented to take advantage of sunlight and has large skylights to minimize electricity use. The library was built to blend in with area surroundings, has a water-wise garden, and is equipped with sensors that ensure lights go off in the bathrooms. “We’re very proud that this is the first green building that the county has constructed. I think it’s also a beautiful building,” said county librarian Nancy Johnson. The library, at 16625 Krameria Ave., is more than 10,000 square feet and features a community room, a children’s area and 22 computers for public use. It is also equipped with WiFi. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Fridays. For more info, call 951.789.7320 or visit www.riverside.lib.ca.us/riverside.