Workforce Alternatives

Workforce Alternatives - Program Overview:

Workforce Alternatives recognizes that rapid placement into employment may not accomplish the goal of assisting an individual out of poverty. Instead, the program provides upfront job readiness skills, placement assistance, and ongoing support that are often crucial in achieving career success, employment stability, and eventual self-sufficiency.

Upon enrollment, program participants complete a Job Readiness Assessment. During this 30-day evaluation a vocational specialist will assess skills and training needs while identifying any potential barriers to employment. It also allows the participant and vocational specialist to form a trusting relationship through which a long-term career plan can eventually be constructed. At the end of the assessment, the vocational specialist prepares a comprehensive report that reviews the participant's employment history and identifies the individual's strengths and future training needs. The participant then moves on to additional pre-employment training or career placement services.

The Job Readiness Assessment is used by the vocational specialist to help the participant establish career goals and increase their skills through specific training and educational resources. The program's vocational specialists provide members with the coaching, support, and guidance necessary to help secure a job. Once a member has been hired, program staff will provide the initial job related instruction that is critical to long term success as well as follow along support and retraining if necessary.

Vocational rehabilitation is successful when a participant holds the job of their choice over an extended period of time. The first few weeks of employment are critical - with the new pressures of the work environment added to the ongoing pressures of everyday life. When these pressures combine, they often result in the employee quitting or being let go. During this period, a vocational specialist is available to provide on-the-job training, job coaching, and even off-the-job support to deal with issues that might affect employment.

Workforce Alternatives - Program Highlights:

• Serving the Greater Springfield area
• Helping individuals gain the skills they need to get out of poverty and obtain employment stability and self-sufficiency
• Providing employers with employees who receive on-the-job training, job coaching, and off-the-job support

Contact Information:

Workforce Alternatives
120 Maple Street, Suite 400
Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: (413) 781-5359 Ext. 113
Fax: (413) 746-3370
Email: JAMarshall@hru.org

Read the Workforce Alternatives Brochure (.pdf)