SLATE Offers Workshop on Financial Literacy

SLATE MCC, overseen by THE ST. LOUIS AGENCY ON TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT (SLATE), now offers a new workshop called Financial Literacy 101. The program is designed to help hundreds of St. Louis residents currently drawing Missouri unemployment insurance (UI) to survive on their reduced income while looking for employment.

In an economic environment where thousands of St. Louis residents went from full-time wages or salary to approximately $300 a week in UI benefits, SLATE's Skills and Jobs Team Manager Stacey Fowler said there was a need for an educational program that would teach people how to fully use the assets they might already have. "It's all about giving people resources to help them be successful as they transition to being laid off, unemployed, or terminated, in figuring out how they are going to maintain their household while they are trying to obtain employment," said Fowler.

Financial Literacy is a collaborative partnership between SLATE and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

The workshop will be offered at both SLATE Missouri Career Center locations once a month, with dates rotating between each center every month. This two-day workshop consists of two parts:

• Part I will present tips on how to survive during lean times and evaluate financial resources currently available to the participants.
• Part II will help the participants put together a workable household budget.

"When job opportunities are limited and a time horizon for finding a job increases from roughly three weeks to sometimes up to two years, we want individuals to know how to use financial resources they have to sustain themselves as long as possible," said Fowler.

Similar to all workshops offered at SLATE MCC, Financial Literacy 101 is free of charge. To sign up, individuals need to come to any SLATE MCC office, either Downtown or Central West End, and ask SLATE MCC staff about the next available session. Financial Literacy 101 workshop is available to all individuals enrolled into the SLATE MCC system, not just UI claimants. For additional information about other programs and workshops offered to job seekers at SLATE Missouri Career Center, please see our website, www.stlworks.com.