OUR HISTORY

MISSION

"We See No Alps."

The mission of Waterbury Opportunities Industrialization Center, (WOIC), is to teach self-reliance and provide access to resources to serve the whole person and place them on the path to economic security, improved quality of life, and commitment to one’s community.

The Joseph Jaynes Center

Transformed from an abandoned bakery -The Joseph Jaynes Center at 77-79 Bishop Street is named after the first WOIC Executive Director.

The center is complete and outfitted with Wi-Fi and high-speed computers to equip our clients and the community to compete for jobs and success. Our center is also home to the Greater Waterbury Re-Entry Welcome Center, Community Partners in Action, for returning citizens.

Waterbury OIC plays a crucial role in providing workforce development and training programs. As a dedicated Opportunities Industrialization Center, WOIC focuses on empowering individuals in the community to achieve their career goals.

The Exective Director of WOIC

Reginald G. Beamon, Executive Director of WOIC Inc. since 1998 and retired Connecticut State Legislator, oversaw the designing of the new facility. Reggie is also Director of WOIC's internet platform-2WOICX. com. A college lecturer and writer, he also wrote a monthly column “Ringing the Bell” based on the principles of Reverend Sullivan’s renown book “Build, Brother Build” for the Waterbury Observer.

Rev. Leon H. Sullivan

Reginald G. Beamon wasn't long out of college back in the 1970s when community activist, the late Kay Wyrick, gave him a book to read. It was called, "Build, Brother, Build." The book was by the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan, who wrote of his experiences creating the first Opportunities Industrialization Center, a now international organization of local nonprofit agencies devoted to career training, life skills, and other services geared toward enabling the unemployed or underemployed to become self-sufficient, productive workers.