(Washington, DC) – Today, as part of #ObviouslyDC Week, Mayor Bowser unveiled the redesigned American Job Center (AJC-HQ) housed inside of the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES) headquarters. After extensive community outreach, in which DOES solicited customer feedback, the agency modernized the job center with state-of-the-art equipment that will streamline the customer service experience for residents seeking DOES services. The Mayor was joined by Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity Courtney Snowden, DOES Director Odie Donald II, and other local officials.
“Creating pathways to the middle class not only means creating good paying jobs for DC residents to fill, it also means ensuring residents have the resources and support they need to access those jobs,” said Mayor Bowser. “At the redesigned and modernized job center, we are ensuring residents and customers are the focus.”
The AJC-HQ will officially open to customers on Monday, October 23. When entering the AJC-HQ, customers will be greeted by a QMatic Ticketing System, which will guide visitors to their designated representative or training class. In addition, AJC-HQ will now house representatives from the Office of Youth Programs, the Office of Unemployment Insurance, and Office of Wage-Hour Compliance. Additional customer service resources include language access personnel and disability services.
“In keeping our customers as the focus, it is our duty to ensure that all are treated fairly and equally and that they know they have the right to high quality customer service. This is why we created the Customer Service Bill of Rights, as a way to keep the agency accountable for everything we do,” said Director Donald.
During the opening, DOES also shared their new Customer Service Bill of Rights, which outlines the standards and level of service that every customer should expect when they contact the Department of Employment Services. The new Bill of Rights represents DOES’ commitment to world-class customer service delivery.
Since coming into office, the Bowser Administration has implemented a series of programs and initiatives to get more Washingtonians on pathways to the middle class. Over the past year, the Administration launched new job training programs like Solar Works DC, opened the DC Infrastructure Academy, and launched Apprenticeship DC, a unique collection of grants, customized programs, and apprenticeship offerings that will increase the number of residents enrolled in apprenticeship programs.
Since January 2015, the unemployment rate in Washington, DC has dropped by 1.1 percentage points, including decreases in all eight wards. Over the past year, DOES has served more than 12,000 youth, and since 2015, the agency has connected more than 100,000 job seekers and businesses through trainings, employment services, job fairs, and work-based learning programs.
#ObviouslyDC Week
Today’s unveiling of the AJC-HQ is part of #ObviouslyDC Week. Throughout the week, the Mayor will highlight why Washington, DC is the best city for Amazon HQ2 and celebrate programs and initiatives that are putting more Washingtonians on pathways to the middle class and spreading prosperity to every corner of the District.