The WorkPlace Mobilizer Archives - October 2005
The following articles appeared in the October 2005 issue of The WorkPlace Mobilizer. You may download a print version of the October 2005 Mobilizer in .PDF.
Please click the link to read the full article.
GED changes life for future social worker.
- After Bridgeport resident Priscilla Santiago was laid-off from her 15-year job at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, she decided to change her life. Without a high school diploma, her options were limited.
$557,000 U.S. grant helps people with disabilities find employment.
- The U.S. Department of Education announced The WorkPlace, Inc. has won a $557,000 grant to work with partners on “Western Connecticut’s Project with Industries.”
- The WorkPlace, Inc. is dedicated to helping youth become valuable, self-reliant members of the community. Contracted provider/partners deliver innovative training programs that provide educational and occupational opportunities to low-income youth, ages 14 to 21,who require specialized services and support.
- The EveryOne Works Career Center in Bridgeport offers friendship, encouragement, and personalized guidance to help people with disabilities find jobs.
Darien residents donate $100,000 to WorkPlace Scholarships
- The WorkPlace, Inc. has received a very generous gift of $100,000 from Lewis A. and Jean C. Miller of Darien, CT. Lew and Jean have directed that their contribution be used to establish an endowment fund, the earnings from which will support WorkPlace Scholarships.
Businesses can receive funds for on-the-job training
- In an ongoing effort to train homeless veterans for jobs that are in demand, The WorkPlace, Inc. is making available On-the-Job Training (OJT) funds to area employers willing to offer permanent, full time positions to veterans enrolled in the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program operated by Homes for the Brave.
The President’s Report by Joe Carbone
- At The WorkPlace, Inc., we are continuously seeking innovative ways to develop the well-educated, well-trained, and self-sufficient workforce which our region needs to compete in the changing global marketplace.
- On Sept. 29, CT’s first Summit on the Aging Workforce, convened by The WorkPlace and other workforce development organizations, built a sense of urgency of the threats posed by an aging workforce and gave leading edge employers an opportunity to share their practices and insights.
GED changes life for future social worker Return to top.
After Bridgeport resident Priscilla Santiago was laid-off from her 15-year job at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, she decided to change her life. Without a high school diploma, her options were limited.
“I wanted to get into social work, so I decided to get my GED and take it from there,” said Santiago.
In April 2005, Santiago enrolled in a Career Resources’ Adult Education class funded by the Charter Oak Foundation. Santiago, who has three children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, admits she was initially discouraged as the eldest student in the class.
“The teacher, Bruce Amkraut, encouraged me and told me I have more intelligence than some of the young kids,” said Santiago. “He took the individual time to help me and other students, as a group, as well as individuals. He told me not to doubt myself.”
In September, Santiago decided to take the GED test to determine her weak areas. She passed the test on the first try.
“If this program weren’t in effect, I don’t think I would have passed because I wouldn’t have had the preparation that I needed,” said Santiago.
Santiago hopes to start full-time classes at Housatonic Community College in January in social services. As a former foster parent, Santiago has always wanted to help abused women and children.
“I want to tell others that there is so much in life you can look forward to,” said Santiago. “The GED class has given me the opportunity to have the future I’m looking forward to."
- Pictured above from left, Adult Education teacher Bruce Amkraut, Priscilla Santiago, and Career Resources CEO Scott Wilderman hold Santiago's high school diploma.
$557,000 U.S. grant helps people with disabilities find employment Return to top.
The U.S. Department of Education announced The WorkPlace, Inc. has won a $557,000 grant to work with partners on “Western Connecticut’s Project with Industries.”
The grant from The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services of the U.S. Department of Education enables The WorkPlace and its partners to leverage the resources of the CTWorks system in serving people with disabilities and employers in the 61 cities and towns of Western Connecticut (20 Southwest and 41 Northwest).
The WorkPlace will partner with the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, the State of Connecticut Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS), and the Board of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB). The project’s primary goal is to assist individuals with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities, to obtain competitive employment in a cost effective manner. The secondary goal is to establish a self-sustaining agency based on a fee-for-service business model that will serve end-user businesses by providing them with skilled workers who have disabilities.
The project will serve 270 participants over three years, 60% of whom will be placed in jobs with an average wage increase of at least $125 per week. By providing targeted services for people with disabilities and strong links to businesses, “Western Connecticut’s Project with Industries” promises to facilitate job matching, enabling more people to be productive members of our communities.
Youth Focus by Nestor Leon Return to top.
The WorkPlace, Inc. is dedicated to helping youth become valuable, self-reliant members of the community. Contracted provider/partners deliver innovative training programs that provide educational and occupational opportunities to low-income youth, ages 14 to 21, who require specialized services and support.
One of the strengths of these youth programs is the flexibility of the tracks available to participants. Youth can choose from seven types of occupational training (including medical office assistant, computer technician, sales/marketing/retail, and entrepreneurship). The programs also provide tutoring, mentoring, leadership, and volunteering opportunities.
Out of School Youth receive occupational skills, job placement, and follow-up support. Relevant choices, delivered well, help youth become empowered and motivated to achieve. We strive to keep youth in school through graduation, and to provide youth of all ages and situations with the preparation they need to begin meaningful careers.
For the current year (July ’05-June ’06), we have secured capacity to serve 210 youth across the region. Recruitment and training are underway, and we look forward to providing you with periodic updates.
Everyone cares at EveryOne Works in Bridgeport: Customers share personal stories; partners share vision at open house Return to top.
The EveryOne Works Career Center in Bridgeport offers friendship, encouragement, and personalized guidance to help people with disabilities find jobs.
“I didn’t need someone to physically help me,” said AmeriCorps Service member and EveryOne Works customer, Javier Santiago. “I really needed someone to tell me ‘you can do this or that’ – words of encouragement.”
Due to the assistance of EveryOne Works staff members Phil Keyser and Ethel Miller-Reith, Santiago will complete his associate’s degree at Housatonic Community College, and attend Charter Oak State College next fall. Santiago and several other customers of Everyone Works gathered in the center on September 30 to share their stories at an open house.
“Last year I didn’t know where to turn, but Phil and Ethel opened the doors,” said Lance Green who has secured employment through EveryOne Works. “I came here with my heart full of hope and I still have the hope in me.”
The EveryOne Works Center has computer stations with speech cards, a Braille embosser, CCTV that magnifies copy, wheelchair accessible tables, laser printers and scanners. A specialized unit of CTWorks, The Center provides information on benefits, job skill workshops, and one-on-one consultations, free of charge.
“Sometimes we have to teach people how to use the computer, but that is the backbone of our services,” said Keyser. "No matter what the challenge, there is software that can help the individual.”
Keyser, who suffered a stroke several years ago, uses specialized computer programs to create brochures and materials for the center.
“With the Dragon software I can work just as well as anybody,” said Keyser. “Everything that comes from my mouth is on the screen.” The CT Department of Labor, The Board of Education and Services for the Blind, and the Connecticut Bureau of Rehabilitation Services partner with the Center, operated by Career Resources.
"We partner with EveryOne Works because it is an asset to this region and we all have one common goal: to provide services to meet the needs of our customers,” said Victor Fuda of the Connecticut Department of Labor, which has two nationally certified resume writers available to customers.
“We help reinforce the skills they already have,” said Miller-Reith. “It is a gift to watch people get their wings and find a job.”
- Pictured clockwise from left: Phil Keyser, Victor Fuda, Ethel Miller-Reith, Lance Green and Javier Santiago. Center: Gigi Yanez-Hamberger.
Darien residents donate $100,000 to WorkPlace Scholarships Return to top.
The WorkPlace, Inc. has received a very generous gift of $100,000 from Lewis A. and Jean C. Miller of Darien, CT. Lew and Jean have directed that their contribution be used to establish an endowment fund, the earnings from which will support WorkPlace Scholarships.
Lew Miller, principal of WentzMiller & Associates, is a founder of the Global Alliance for Medical Education, a current member of the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission, and a former Board Chair of The WorkPlace. He is a passionate advocate of education and lifelong learning.
WorkPlace Scholarships for youth and adults are used for job training or retraining in order to get a job, earn more, or advance in the workplace. Lew and Jean Miller’s gift will change lives for many years to come.
We are very grateful for this leadership gift, and we hope that it inspires others to contribute to workforce education and training as a means of ensuring the vitality of our communities and our state.
- Pictured: Jean and Lew Miller, WorkPlace Contributors
Businesses can receive funds for on-the-job training Return to top.
In an ongoing effort to train homeless veterans for jobs that are in demand, The WorkPlace, Inc. is making available On-the-Job Training (OJT) funds to area employers willing to offer permanent, full time positions to veterans enrolled in the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program operated by Homes for the Brave.
OJT funds allow employers to receive up to 50% of the wages paid to homeless veterans for a period of up to three months. Employers are required to provide homeless veterans with job-related training designed to provide the employee with the skills necessary to fill the employment needs of the company and integrate the veteran back into the workforce.
Homes for the Brave provides the homeless veteran with a variety of support services, including housing assistance, and transportation assistance, and counseling. Homes for the Brave will work with the employer to ensure a productive, reliable employee.
Interested employers should contact Frank Moore at The WorkPlace, Inc., 350 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport CT 06604 by telephone at (203) 610-8538 or via email at fmoore@workplace.org between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The President’s Report by Joe Carbone Return to top.
At The WorkPlace, Inc., we are continuously seeking innovative ways to develop the well-educated, well-trained, and self-sufficient workforce which our region needs to compete in the changing global marketplace.
Workforce development is a community issue, and I invite all stakeholders and interested parties to be part of the solution. We view our role as catalyst, convener, and advocate, as well as performance-driven manager of our region’s investment in the workforce.
It takes capable partners, committed officials, and enlightened contributors to make meaningful progress, and we are blessed with all of these. But many challenges remain.
We will soon be kicking off a Workforce Planning process which will focus on both demand (skills needed by businesses in key industries) and supply (sources of talent to meet business needs). We will be working with a research consultant to ensure that we get extraordinary participation, solid recommendations, and community support for implementation.
I am pleased to welcome you to our newsletter, another way to keep you informed about needs, trends, and progress towards our goals.
Business Spotlight Return to top.
On Sept. 29, CT’s first Summit on the Aging Workforce, convened by The WorkPlace and other workforce development organizations, built a sense of urgency of the threats posed by an aging workforce and gave leading edge employers an opportunity to share their practices and insights.
Keynote speaker Dr. David DeLong, a research fellow at the MIT AgeLab and author of the book Lost Knowledge, projected that within 20 years Connecticut will have the same demographics as Florida, where 18% of the population is 65 or older.
The first of the Baby Boomers turns 60 in 2006, and more than 40 percent of the workforce will be retirement eligible in the next decade. From nurses to tool & die makers to engineers to teachers to non-profit managers, the workforce will see dramatic changes in the next 5-10 years. The lack of growth in prime age (35-49 years old) workers means older workers will become a key source of labor.
“What is your organization doing to attract and retain them?” DeLong challenged the audience.
Some Connecticut businesses are taking steps to avoid losing critical knowledge, to reduce high-cost turnover, and to adapt their policies to become “employers of choice”. A panel of business leaders discussed their own challenges in addressing the aging workforce.
Executives from Marlin Firearms (North Haven), Northeast Utilities Systems (Berlin), The Southern CT Gas Company (Bridgeport), and The Yale-New Haven Hospital (New Haven) highlighted changes they have made to benefits, succession planning, scheduling, training, and recruiting to adapt their organizations to the changing workforce.
Managers from The Hartford Financial Services Group (Hartford), Adecco Staffing Services (Milford), and AARP conducted a workshop on recruitment and retention strategies. An organizational consultant from High Ridge Management Resources (Trumbull) and a labor attorney from Zangari Hershman PC (New Haven) delivered a workshop on laws affecting employment of older workers.
The Hartford, The Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Pitney Bowes are among the Connecticut companies just named as “Best Employers for Workers Over 50” by AARP.
As Connecticut enters a period of skilled worker shortage, workforce planning is becoming a strategic factor in a growing numbers of companies and industries.
To assess your organization’s vulnerability to the aging workforce, an employer Self-Assessment tool is available at no charge by contacting (203) 610-8520.
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