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County volunteers to train seniors
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| By: Mark J. Crawford, Editor |
November 06, 2009 |
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Bradford County is joining with Experience Works to help place mature workers in jobs.
Bradford County government will serve as a host agency for one of the organization's major programs, which expands training and job opportunities for senior citizens.
Essentially, Experience Works recruits employers to provide job training for older Americans, and it uses its funding to pay the salaries for program participants, who are age 55 or older.
The goal is to eventually find unsubsidized employment for participants, therefore it is understood that assignments at host agencies are temporary and subject to change. Participants may move on to another worksite where they can build up on their skills or they may find employment elsewhere using the skills they've learned. Oftentimes, the host agency will hire the participant directly.
Host agencies benefit by receiving the services of the Experience Works participant at no cost. The participant receives pay through the Experience Works program while training and learns job skills that they can use in a permanent position with the host agency or another place of employment. Gainfully employed seniors benefit society as a whole.
Qualifying host agencies are those with 501(c)(3) status (such as faith-based and other nonprofit community organizations) or government-run public agencies.
Experience Works calls its largest program the Senior Community Service Employment Program. The program is funded federally under the Older Americans Act and receives grants from state and local entities as well. The funds enable Experience Works to help thousands of low-income individuals age 55 and older pursue job training and employment.
Among other qualifications, participants must currently be unemployed and with an annual family income of no more than 125 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines.
In addition to enhancing the abilities and skills of participants to help them pursue job opportunities with improved income and benefits, the program aims to change negative stereotypes about older individuals by providing public education and examples of success.
Participants earn minimum wage and work an average of 20 hours a week but move on to bigger and better things.
There is a higher demand for services from senior workers than Experience Works can provide. The agency tries to distribute workers based on the age and economic demographics from each county.
Across the country, Experience Works has helped train and place 30,000 older Americans in thousands of nonprofit and public agencies where they have contributed millions of hours of community service while learning to live more productive and independent lives.
According to Eileen Hendrix, the employment and training coordinator who spoke with the county commission Monday, Experience Works provided workforce services to 12 mature workers in Bradford County during a recent program year, a local investment of almost $150,000. Two found full-time employment following training.
Participants in Bradford County provided more than 8,000 hours of community service to host agencies, including ARC of Bradford County, Bradford-Union Career Technical Center, Suwannee River Economic Council, the Department of Children and Families, Florida Works and the county health department.
In helping this group of residents, Hendrix said Experience Works helped fulfill its mission to assist seniors with multiple barriers to employment.
* 70 percent were 60 years of age or older. (20 percent were over 70.)
* 20 percent had less than a high school education.
* 10 percent had disabilities.
* 90 percent were at or below the established poverty level.
* 90 percent had low prospects for employment.
* 30 percent were homeless or at risk.
* 5 percent were displaced homemakers.
* 10 percent were receiving public assistance.
After hearing the presentation, county commissioners voted unanimously to become a host agency. County departments were scheduled to meet to discuss which would provide the best opportunities for senior placement through Experience Works.
For more information on Experience Works, call 888-859-1051, or visit www.experienceworks.org.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2009
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