Single Mothers Expo Helping Women Find Work

STOCKTON (CBS13) — Leaders in San Joaquin County are making sure mothers who are single have all the tools available to help them succeed in raising their family while starting a new career.

Around 50 women are participating in a community-wide program that will take them from home to the corporate world.

Over the next three days, single mothers in Stockton will be participating in an empowerment expo that will help them secure full-time jobs.

Not too long ago, single mom Patricia Johnson moved to Stockton with her five children. Johnson's biggest challenge was finding ways to support her family while she prepared to enter the workforce.

"I recently wrote my resume and I thought I did a terrific job and this workshop, just the little points they hit on, kind of let me know I can still go back and tweak some things," she said.

The Single Mothers Empowerment Expo is where Johnson and other women are learning what it takes to land that next job opportunity, from resume building to mock interviews.

"This is about helping families, these single mothers are raising children on their own and so any help that we can give them as far as getting a job, getting better benefits and raising and their family and keeping their kids in school," said Miguel Villapudua, San Joaquin County Supervisor.

The expo includes motivational speakers and lessons on how to dress for success.

"We first and foremost, deliver services that would eliminate barriers to employment that includes providing child care, transportation, if they need basic skill development, we send them to school so they can increase their basic skills, get their high school diploma or GED, if they need training we send them to training," said John Solis, executive director, San Joaquin Worknet.

This is a first of its kind expo at Worknet. Leaders say they created the program to uplift, equip and give moms the confidence and advantage to secure employment.

"To me, I feel like it's a blessing to a lot of women in here, and I'm very glad and grateful to be a part of it. It's going to help," said Cecilia, a single mother from Stockton.