Founded in 1976 by Tom Irwin, Ph.D., LPC- Retired, CWDP-Retired, a pioneer in the field of career and placement counseling, JobShop began as a training company for high school and college counselors. In 1980 it began providing job training and job search assistance to the unemployed under contracts with local, state and federal government programs. It has had offices in Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina and has assisted thousands of unemployed and under-employed people realize their employment goals.
In 1998, a team of national Workforce Development Professionals, under the guidance of Dr. Irwin, developed a series of self-help materials for people seeking employment. These materials, later called JobSearch Guides, were adopted by over 1,000 national career centers and are still being used by many centers. Dr. Irwin and his team of experts frequently update the Guides. These same Guides form the basis for the JobSearch Guides + Assessment program.
Today, Jobshop and its’s sister company, The Job Assistance Center continue to provide direct employment training and placement services to unemployed individuals in Virginia.