The REACH Center (Regional Employment Assessment Center for Hiring) will host a ribbon cutting and public open house on May 10 at 976 Mezzanine Drive, Suite C, Lafayette. The ribbon cutting is at 10 a.m. and the open house from 3 to 6 p.m.

The Lafayette REACH Center is a pilot project of the WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) funded by Purdue University. Replication of the REACH project in Kokomo, is anticipated in 2008.

The Center is a one-stop resource facility designed to meet the individual needs of businesses in finding and hiring quality employees for high skill career fields. A menu of adaptable services for employers includes regional labor market information, business-training opportunities, made to order applicant screening and assessment as well as intensive interview training.

The center will also be using WorkKeys, a customized employability skills assessment tool to insure a better match between employer needs and employee skills. The REACH Center extends its resources to the other 14 counties in the WIRED area through regional Business Consultants. The consultants are available in Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren, and White counties.

To learn more about the services offered by the REACH Center or area Business Consultants call 765- 477-1906.