DEAR ABBY: I'm writing about the lady who's on AFDC, who has noticed that "many jobs require people to speak Spanish," and who cannot find a job.
My question is: What is she doing with her 40 hours a week now, to make her more employable in the workplace tomorrow? Is she learning Spanish? Is she honing her grammar-spelling-typing-math skills? While she's playing bingo, is she getting to know people there who might have children in business who are currently hiring? Is she revisiting the places where she applied for work so they can get to know her and know that she's still available? Or, in between job interviews, is she sitting around watching TV?
Fresno has a wonderful library system where, for free, she can check out books and tapes on just about every subject. I've seen language tapes in thrift stores for 50 cents and textbooks for a quarter. California has an excellent community college system, with special programs for poverty-level people.
My question for any welfare recipient is, "What steps are you taking to get off welfare?" -- ONE WHO LEARNED TO BE A GO-GETTER, SUSANVILLE, CALIF.
DEAR GO-GETTER: A good question. Thank you for a letter that could be a lifeline to those struggling to get out of the unemployment pool.
I have been informed that most community colleges have programs similar to those in California.