{"id":3162,"date":"2020-03-19T12:19:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T12:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2020-03-31T13:37:39","modified_gmt":"2020-03-31T13:37:39","slug":"a-stepping-stone-to-employment-for-older-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/uncategorized\/a-stepping-stone-to-employment-for-older-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"A stepping stone to employment for older adults &#8211; Christine Vanlandingham &#8211; March 14, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Older workers are an under-tapped labor force and represent\na vast community resource that is largely sitting on the sidelines. Many older\njob seekers would love to enter or re-enter the workforce but face large\nobstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine the difficulty of finding a job if you don\u2019t have\nthe necessary skills, you\u2019ve been out of the workforce for some time, or you\u2019re\ncompeting against workers who are many decades younger than you.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the reality facing many older Americans trying to\nreenter the workforce. The clock is ticking as they struggle to gain financial\nindependence, self-respect, confidence and an improved quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Senior Community Service Employment Program, or SCSEP,\nis a path to employment for low-income, unemployed or under-employed\nindividuals age 55 and older. Through a mix of skills training, supportive\nservices and paid on-the-job training, this U.S. Department of Labor-funded\nprogram is helping older job seekers overcome obstacles, build confidence, and\nget what they need to compete and succeed in today\u2019s job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the help of dedicated staff, participants tap into\ninterests, life experience, transferable skills, and personal goals to develop\nindividual employment plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, program staff match SCSEP participants with paid community\nservice assignments at local public and nonprofit organizations to gain on-the-job\ntraining and real-time work experience.&nbsp; Community\nservice assignments are carefully selected for each individual and are based\nupon a participant\u2019s desire to learn a particular skill or occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The variety of community service opportunities are wide \u2013\nperforming clerical duties for a busy community health clinic, maintaining the\nappearance of a YMCA or church, staffing the front desk of a local non-profit organization,\nor assisting in a public library. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While some participants remain at one host agency during\ntheir training, others might be relocated several times to broaden their scope\nof training and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants earn minimum wage while performing these community\nservice roles and participating in training \u2013 averaging approximately 20 hours\neach week.&nbsp; The extra money they earn is\na much-needed supplement for low-income older adults trying to make ends meet\non social security, disability checks or other limited income. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As SCSEP participants become job ready while working in their\non-the-job training placement, they develop a real sense of pride knowing their\nefforts are making a difference in their communities.&nbsp; Last year alone, roughly 3,000 participants\nnationwide contributed nearly 2,000,000 hours to enhance and expand local non-profit\nservices. Many host non-profit agencies report that some outreach and services\nwould not be possible without the extra help SCSEP participants provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout their enrollment, participants have access to\nadditional free training in computer skills, resume development, interview\nskills, job search assistance, certification programs, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With ongoing support and guidance, participants can reach their\ngoal of transitioning into meaningful unsubsidized permanent employment,\nwhether they are hired by their host agencies, or use their new skills and\nexperiences as a springboard to jobs with new employers. Income, confidence and\nquality of life go up for the participants and employers gain trained, reliable\nemployees with a lifetime of experience and wisdom, ready and eager to work. \n\nIf you are 55 or older, are unemployed or\nunderemployed and have limited or no current income, you may be eligible to\nearn a paycheck and update your job skills through the Senior Community Service\nEmployment Program. Call Pat at (269) 983-7058 to see if the program is a fit\nfor you. It could be the stepping stone to permanent employment that could\ntransform your life.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Older workers are an under-tapped labor force and represent a vast community resource that is largely sitting on the sidelines. Many older job seekers would love to enter or re-enter the workforce but face large obstacles. Imagine the difficulty of finding a job if you don\u2019t have the necessary skills, you\u2019ve been out of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3162"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3307,"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions\/3307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/areaagencyonaging.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}