JobShop, Inc. has been proudly serving the workforce development industry since 1976!
Our company has had offices in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina, providing job training and placement services to youth, displaced workers, businesses and for the Disadvantaged Worker Program (unemployed adults, ex-offenders, welfare clients, Native Americans, etc.).
Meet our Team  

Tom J. Irwin, PhD, CWDP

The company was founded by Tom J. Irwin, PhD, CWDP, a pioneer in the field of career counseling and workforce development.

He was the first person to be awarded the Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) designation by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) and in 2002 was the recipient of the prestigious Professional Development award.   A former board member of NAWDP, Dr. Irwin founded and was the first editor of the Journal of Workforce Development.

Sherry S. Pearson, CWDP		 Sherry S. Pearson, CWDP, is president of JobShop, Inc.  She has been involved in Workforce Development for more than 30 years.  Sherry served as Virginia's board representative from 2001 to 2013 for the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP).  She has a degree in Marketing Education.
Deborah S. Santrock, CWDP		 Deborah S. Santrock, CWDP, is vice-president of JobShop, Inc.  She has been involved in Workforce Development for more than 25 years.  She has a degree in Business Management and authored two of the JobSearch Guides.


Our History  
Career Planning Consultants was formed in 1976 by Dr. Tom Irwin as a training vehicle for high school and college counselor to learn how to provide career and placement services to their students. Then in 1979, Career Planning Consultants created a wholly owned subsidiary, JobShop, Inc. That same year Jobshop was awarded a number of contracts by the Commonwealth of Virginia to assist in the training and placement of nearly 6,000 Title VI recipients. For the next 21 years, under Dr Irwin's leadership, JobShop successfully provided assistance to thousands of job-seekers.

In 1998, JobShop first published the Job-Search Briefs and Forms, which were renamed JobSearch Guides in 2006. Under the guidance of Dr. Irwin, the 77 English Guides and 77 Spanish Guides were written by professionals to be used in Career Centers to provide information to job seekers of all ages and backgrounds. In 2006, JobShop introduced the Youth Guides that target job seekers 15 to 22 years of age.

In 2008, JobShop Publishing, LLC, was formed to serve as the copyright holder and publisher of the Guides. JobShop, Inc. continues to market the Guides.

In August 2008, Sherry Pearson and Deborah Santrock (owners of Job Assistance Center, Inc.) purchased JobShop, Inc. to market the Guides and Online Training Modules.

Job Assistance Center, Inc also operates a Workforce Development Career Center, TANF Employment for Advancement program, and a One Stop Behind the Walls program. As an active Workforce Development program, Job Assistance Center has a vested interest in providing quality, effective resources and training programs for the Workforce Development community.