SPEAKERS URGE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE ON WELFARE.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Antelope Valley business owners were urged Wednesday to hire people seeking to get off welfare.

In a gathering of about 200 people sponsored by county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, state and county officials, employers and two people who successfully made the transition from welfare to employment urged businesses to consider those in a welfare-to-work program.

The speakers touted the successes of Greater Avenues for Independence, GAIN, in getting people employed.

``We want to encourage employers to look at GAIN participants as a source of employees,'' said Pamela Collins, regional administrator for GAIN. ``Our participants do want to work. They need to be given an opportunity to get a foot in the door.''

GAIN is part of California Work Opportunities and Responsibilities to Kids, CalWORKs, a welfare reform effort that limits the amount of time a person can draw benefits to five years and demands that the individual get a job.

The county's switch from a focus on remedial education to a jobs-first approach has boosted recipients' employment and earnings while also cutting welfare and food stamp costs, according to findings by New York-based Manpower Demonstration Research Corp.

Los Angeles County has the largest welfare population of any U.S. county - roughly 711,000 recipients as of June, down from 792,000 in June 1997. About 150,000 of the 711,000 are parents who qualify for the welfare-to-work program.

One key to the county's success is the program's initial three weeks, during which participants learn job search skills like resume writing and interviewing, then actually look for work. In the past, there was a focus on assessing skills and then getting an individual into job training.

``This is a very, very innovative concept. This will take the system to the point where welfare is a step up, not a way of life,'' Antonovich said. ``We're building up self-reliance and self-esteem.''

Margarita Brubaker, case manager for the Antelope Valley Committee on Aging, is a GAIN graduate. Brubaker said the program helped her with her job hunting skills.

``You go in there and walk out with, if nothing else, a winning attitude,'' Brubaker said. ``If you're willing to take the first step they are there to guide you.''

The average pay for the first job for a GAIN graduate is $6.52 an hour. Los Angeles County officials are looking at ways to try to help GAIN graduates upgrade their skills to get into better paying jobs, said Lynn Bayer, director of the county's Department of Public Social Services.

One myth about welfare recipients is that they haven't worked or have no desire to work.

``Our average participant is someone who has been in the work force before and is trying to get back up the ladder,'' Bayer said.