Upcoming Events at Employment Services

February will be a busy month at the Center’s Adult Employment Program, with a variety of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.

On Monday, February 1, is the first open house session for the Cosmetology Project. This is a great opportunity to receive training in cosmetology, receive a state license and find a job in the beauty sector. The event begins at 10 am at our Adult Employment Program office at 443 39th Street, Brooklyn, NY. To inquire, please contact project coordinator Dulce Jimeno at (718) 633-4823.

We invited the Business Outreach Center to provide a small business development workshop on February 5. For those interested in starting a  small business, the workshop will help prepare for the first stages of development, including business plan creation and information about useful resources. The two-hour workshop will begin at 10 am at 443 39th Street, Brooklyn, NY; registration is not required. If you have any questions, contact program director Maria Ferreira at (718) 633-4823.

As you may know, 2010 is the year of the decennial Census, and the U.S. Census Bureau is hiring temporary, part-time census workers.  The first step to becoming a census worker is taking a test, which you can do at our program site. Tests will take place at 1 pm on several days, including February 1st, 3rd and 5th.  If you can’t make it next week, more dates will be available throughout February; please contact Ms. Ferreira at (718) 633-4823 for more information.

Our Worker Cooperative Project will organize a new worker-owned business in spring 2010. The new cooperative will provide interior painting and decoration services, and it follows the model of the successful coops organized by the Center over the past three years.  We are organizing an open house event on February 22 at 5:30 pm to recruit members for this new coop. This is a fantastic opportunity for participants to increase their income and become business owners; previous experience and skills are great but not required. To learn more, contact Cooperative Coordinator Vanessa Bransburg at (718) 633 4823. You can also read our previous posts about the award-winning Worker Cooperative Project by clicking on this link.

On February 25, we are hosting an open house event for those interested in working as home attendants. Offered by Partners in Care, this program includes a free, three-week training and a job opportunity for those who complete the training successfully. At the open house event, representatives of Partners in Care will conduct interviews with interested participants between 10 am and noon.

As an ongoing service, we offer credit counseling by a professional consultant every Tuesday from 9 am to 12. This service is available by appointment only – please call Maria Ferreira at (718) 633 4823.

The Adult Employment Program also provides a range of free services to help participants increase their chances to find employment. These include ESL classes and workshops in resume writing, job interview preparation and and using office computer software.  To participate, visit our office at 443 39th Street, Brooklyn, NY to complete an application and receive orientation. For those already registered, job search assistance in our computer lab is available every Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 am.

More Ways to Help Students Explore Careers: Job Shadowing

The Center’s Youth Employment Program, now located at the new Sunset Park High School, helps teenage youth explore career options and prepare for higher education and the workforce. During the school break from February 16th to 19th, the program offers high school juniors the opportunity to spend two hours with adults at their workplace.

This gives students a chance to gain first-hand experience in a field of their interest, witnessing the work environment and the skills the occupation requires in practice. Students are interested in a wide variety of careers, but especially in engineering, technology and medical fields.

If you are interested in hosting a student at your workplace, please email Liz Stevenson at estevenson@cflsp.org or call the Youth Employment Program at (718) 840 1640.

Volunteers Needed: Help High Schoolers Choose a Career

The first annual Career, College & Community Building Day at Sunset Park High School will be held on Friday, January 29, 2010. Center for Family Life and the Sunset Park High School are seeking adult volunteers who will introduce students to a variety of career options.

From 10:30 am to 1:30, volunteers will lead discussions with students during three lunch periods. Each of the three lunch periods is 1 hour in length, and we hope that guests will be be able to spend all three hours at the event so that all students will have a chance to interact with all of the guests.

During each lunch period, guests will speak about their education and career paths, and answer questions from a group of 5-8 ninth-grade students. Tables will be organized by employment field/career.

We plan to set up 21 tables, and welcome several additional volunteers.  In particular, we need volunteers representing the business community and health/medical careers, but anyone who would like a chance to interact with the SPHS’s terrific first graduating class of 2013 is welcome.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Julie Brockway at (718) 840-1620 or jbethstein@aol.com by Wednesday, January 20!

Cosmetology Project Offers Once-in-a-Lifetime Career Opportunity

Center for Family Life begins the new year with an amazing opportunity! In this new project, the Center will assist 50 participants as they complete cosmetology training, obtain a NY State cosmetology license and find a job in the beauty sector.

The project, which includes a four-week preparation course at the Center and eight months of cosmetology training at the Hair Design Institute in Bay Ridge, as well as ongoing support from our staff, is completely free of charge. The Center covers the costs of the entire program for the 50 lucky participants.

Classes begin in February 2010. If you’re interested, please contact the Center as soon as possible – this opportunity is a great value and we expect to fill the 50 slots quickly. All interested participants need is eligibility to work in the US, an interest in the beauty sector and commitment to attending classes; previous experience or skills are not necessary.

To apply or inquire, call project coordinator Dulce Jimeno at (718) 633-4823, or visit the Center’s employment services office at 443 39th Street, Brooklyn, NY.