In October 2008, Carrie Herwick found out that her job as sales manager for Troyer Products, an RV products supplier in Bristol, would be eliminated at the end of the year.

The single mother of two teenagers had been a teacher in the early 1990s and figured returning to the classroom would be her best bet. But she had a few tasks to do first. She needed to file for unemployment benefits. She needed to write a resume - something she hadn't done in 20 years. And she needed money for school so she could recertify her teaching license.

Herwick, who lives in Goshen, went to the WorkOne Center in Elkhart. In three short visits - "my waiting time was very minimal," she said - she had all three, including a $6,000 state retraining grant. By May, she'll have finished her classwork at Bethel College, and by August, she expects to be teaching either kindergarten or middle school.

"I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was," she said. "It was a simple procedure. It was a very good experience."

With Indiana's unemployment rate currently at 9.4 percent, the workers at the state Department of Workforce Development's 90 WorkOne centers are busy these days, counseling workers and helping them get training for their next career. What used to be known as the "unemployment office" has been transformed into reemployment centers.

"When someone asks me what I do," Department of Workforce Development commissioner Teresa Voors said, "I tell them that we run the career-services department for the state of Indiana. Just like when you go to your college career-services agency to get help finding a job, we should be just like that."

The state designed WorkOne to help displaced Hoosier workers find meaningful, lasting employment. Voors said several of the WorkOne centers - most recently Lafayette and Vincennes - have been redesigned to look more like libraries than government agencies.

Job seekers can go there to send faxes, access their email, call prospective employers and make photocopies. There are resume writing workshops, networking groups and around 400 online tutorials in managing 401(k) plans, business math and learning English, among many subjects.

It's all free.

"The only thing that costs money in this entire building is the Coke machine," said Patrick Mobley.

Mobley is the local office manager for the WorkOne Indianapolis East office where, on a typical day, as many as 1,000 would-be workers come looking for help.

A typical case, he said, is the 55-year-old man who's been laid off after 30 years in manufacturing. He comes to WorkOne "because that's what people know as the unemployment office."

The visit begins with a quick assessment of what the person needs. Maybe he files for unemployment benefits there (though that can be done from any computer). When that's done, he goes to an employment and training adviser, who assesses his training, work history, knowledge, skills, education and ability. Then the adviser tries to marry that individual's wants, needs and desires with available training options.

Maybe he needs to go back to school. He might need help writing a resume. Or a workshop in how to handle job interviews. Or training in how to navigate Indiana Career Connect, the state's online service that allows employers to find and hire out-of-work Hoosiers.

"If you make the investment in yourself to work the program and do the things that we outline for you, it's going to make you a more well-rounded candidate," Mobley said. "And let's face it: It's a buyer's market. Employers in this environment have the ability to be choosy. Anything you can do to make yourself a more viable candidate is good."

Often, that means more education. WorkOne counselors encourage displaced workers to try new careers in high-wage, high-demand careers like nursing. Because nursing has distinctive training steps, Voors said, a worker can apply for state resources to earn a basic certificate, then work his or her way up the ladder. Employers often will pay for their continuing education.

In Indiana, jobs prospects vary from region to region. Voors said some areas don't have a lot of jobs, and workers must realize they'll either need to commute a farther distance or perhaps relocate. In other places, jobs exist, "but maybe the workers who are unemployed don't have the skill sets for those jobs and they're going to need to work with us to get additional training."

She said Elkhart County is a microcosm of both. It's lost thousands of good-paying jobs once held by workers who may not have even needed a high school diploma. Meanwhile, neighboring Warsaw is flourishing because it has the orthopedics industry, which is on the lookout for educated, skilled workers who can program computers to make the products they need.

WorkOne is busy in that area, encouraging workers to get the education they need.

"There are jobs out there," Voors said. "Sometimes it requires workers to go back and get some addition skills, some additional training. Our goal is, whatever your career choice, whatever you're excited about, we want to be a partner in that. We want to help you fulfill the dreams you have."

Marc D. Allan was a newspaper reporter from 1980- 2004, including 16 years at the Indianapolis Star. He now works in University Relations at Butler University in Indianapolis and freelances regularly for various publications.