Career Path Services Connection – December 2017
Our Spokane Commerce team has been busy during November and December. From multiple job placements to financial literacy workshops, they’ve covered it all for our clients.
May the WorkForce be with You
Halfway through the program year, we’ve exited 87 participants into unsubsidized employment with an average wage of $11.84/ hour.
Highlights from November:
- Delivery Driver – $15.00/hour
- Office Assistant/Catering Lead – $13.00/hour
- Childcare Assistant – $11.50/hour
- Animal Care Assistant – $12.00/hour
- Assistant Activities Manager – $12.00/hour
- Independent Care Provider – $13.50/hour
Feel free to stop by their job wall, located at both the Trent and Maple CSOs, to celebrate those who have found employment.
Along with that, 26 individuals have participated in a Career Jump which has proven to be a successful tool in helping individuals connect to employment.
If you know of a local business who may be interested in partnering with us for a free on-the-job training opportunity, have them connect with Nick Hughes, the Commerce team’s resident Job Developer.
LEP Update
Over the past few months, we’ve succeeded in placing LEP participants into unsubsidized employment. Paula Beckner, our LEP Practitioner, has partnered with our Job Readiness Coach, David Morton, and Job Developer, Nick Hughes, to work closely with these participants to connec them to opportunities. We’ve been able to utilize the Career Jump program twice over the past month and currently have close to a 60% placement rate for those exiting our LEP program.
Starting next month we’ll be offering a twice monthly workshop specifically designed for those with low level ESL. The topics will rotate between Financial Literacy and Job Retention Tips and will be offered on Fridays to allow our participants to continue to attend their weekly ESL classes.
Meet Marissa Turner – Practitioner Case Manager
As I continue to highlight a member of our team in these newsletters, Marissa’s spirit matches well with the season of thanks and giving. On any given day, you’ll see a stack of cards sitting on her desk to be delivered to a participant celebrating anything from a birthday, progress on a certain barrier, or a note just because she knows they may need an extra little support during a challenging time. She recently took the time to send out holiday cards to all her participants. Within a few days she received a call from a young lady thanking her as it was the first time she had ever received a card like that in the mail.
Marissa shared what she enjoys most about her job: seeing participants start to recognize their own strengths and goodness. When she’s not at work, she likes to spend time with family and friends, go on random adventures, volunteer, dance, read, nap, learn new things, and attend themed or costume parties.
Thank you Marissa for all the heart work you do each day!
BECU & Career Path Services
Back in April 2017, a representative from BECU joined our monthly Financial Literacy workshop to talk about the value of having a checking and savings account. He also offered participants in attendance an opportunity to submit an application to open an account, making it safe and convenient for interested parties.
Since then, they have continued to attend our workshops and over the course of 9 months, 100 participants have successfully opened a checking and savings account that came with a promotional offer of $50 deposited by BECU to get them started in the right direction.
One participant shared the following:
“I’m so excited. I really wanted to share my good news with you both. This morning in class I applied for a saving and checking account through BECU from the people who were there. I honestly didn’t think I would qualify due to my past history of banking but have always wanted an account through a credit union and they just called me that I got approved and now officially have a real bank account again.”
Thank you BECU for your commitment to helping our participants with their financial success!
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