The Alabama Department of Labor is scheduled to open a career center in Clanton during a ceremony at 10 a.m. on July 29.

The ceremony will take place at the Clanton Career Center’s location at 310 Fourth Ave.

It will become the 53rd such career center in the state.

“Clanton is a great location because it’s in an area where we don’t have a presence, and several of the surrounding counties are also without a career center,” said Tara Hutchison, director of communications with the Alabama Department of Labor.

As the name implies, the goal of the center is to help residents discover a career path that suites them.

“The career center will provide free services for jobseekers and employers to assist people in their job searches,” Hutchison said.

The economy continues to recover from the shutdowns that took place early on during the COVID-19 pandemic, which means larger numbers of people need jobs than was the case prior to the pandemic.

Chilton County had 1,302 people listed as unemployed during the month of June.

Those people will now have another source in helping provide them with the necessary tools for their job search.

“We provide free job searches, resume assistance, interview skills, vocational and educational training and on-the-job training programs,” Hutchison said.

The center will be open the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.