City to Host Free Financial Literacy and Job Training Seminars

Throughout the month of August the City of Pittsfield, in collaboration with The Berkshire Athenaeum, will be hosting seminars free to residents, covering everything from professional development to financial planning.

Dubbed "Lunch and Learns" by the city's public library, the series of workshops are designed to give citizens the skills and tools they need to take charge of their economic future.

On Thursday, Aug. 2 there will be a financial seminar sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union entitled “Building a Basic Budget - The 5-Step Spending Plan". Hosted by Lynn Wallace, Certified Federal Credit Union Financial Counselor, will discuss Greylock’s easy to use approach to personal financial management. The seminar will from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

According to City Hall, the class will cover key points such as tips on saving money, interactive exercises on identifying how money is spent, prepping for the unexpected, differences between budgeting, saving and investing and a review of available budgeting options.

All participants will receive information packets, a budget tracker book, and access to schedule free one-on-one Financial Wellness Coaching appointments with a certified coach at Greylock.

Beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 7, Goodwill Job Readiness Trainers will be at the a thenaeum for a three week job seeking and retention training program. The workshops are from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. every Tuesday through Aug. 21. The trainers will help attendees gain operational skills, soft skills and ‘real work’ experience. Lunch will be provided.

Both workshop series are free and open to the public. Space is limited and registration is required. The Berkshire Athenaeum is located at One Wendell Avenue in Pittsfield.

To register, please call the library’s reference desk at 413-499-9480, Ext. 202.