After a decade of service in town, The Jasper Employment Centre is closing its doors for good at the end of the month.

A new employment centre will be opening up less than a week later (it’s slated to open July 5) at a location that has yet to be chosen, and under new management. However, the current employment centre, operated by Ability Career and Employment Services, is on its way out thanks to a decision by the Alberta government.

“We really enjoyed being in the community,” said Carrie Karlowich, a program co-ordinator at the Jasper Employment Centre who has worked here for three years. She said leaving Jasper will be hard, although, it will reduce her commute. She will not longer have to do the drive from Hinton, where she lives. 

“It’s a good community. I’m going to miss [Jasper].”

Lauwrens Olivier, a spokesman with Employment and Immigration services in the Alberta government who contract the employment centres, said the plan was to open a new employment centre in Jasper on July 5. A new contractee has been picked to run the centre, but the contract had not been signed and details could not be provided by the Fitzhugh’s print deadline.

Olivier said the offer from the new management team was better than the deal from Abilities. He said such factors as price and experience played a role in deciding who would win the contract.

He said that the new employment centre would still offer the same services as the last and would have the same number of staff. There will be fax machines, computers and other resources to help people find a new job. As well, the new location for the centre should be located close to Jasper’s downtown core. 

Overall, he said the change between centres shouldn’t affect people in Jasper very much.