There's a Seat Waiting for You

For organizations like Restoration's Rite Center, whose mission centers around helping families achieve economic self sufficiency, Bed-Stuy Patch’s recent article, "," offered few surprises.

The article also reintroduced some long-held questions and observations I've made concerning those who are looking for work.   

There is a seat waiting for you 

Sometimes I wonder, given the daunting unemployment rates, Why aren’t our free green construction and job training classes always filled to capacity? Why isn’t there a waiting list that begs us to open new classes to satisfy demand? 

One obvious possibility is that people do not know about our services. Although we've spent a great deal of effort on getting the word out about all of the free services available at Restoration, we know that there is still more for us to do to promote our programs and services. We will be making a concerted effort in this area by increasing our visibility at community events and meetings.

But with that being said even, why is it that even when we go to the places where potential participants work, visit and live, i.e., open houses at schools or information tables in public housing, walkup and turnout is often less than dozen. Why is that, we ask ourselves? I invite anyone to respond to this editorial to help Restoration find out.

There is hope

The reason some may not be coming out is because they believe that hope is gone. Too often people meet rejection by dropping out of the system altogether. There is no reason to stop trying when there are organizations and services here to support you. In Bedford-Stuyvesant, there are a host of job training and educational resources.

The Workforce Network of the Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford Stuyvesant consists of ten service providers that are collectively working together to make a dent in the unemployment rate. Each of the programs complements the other by offering distinct services like GED and vocational training and/or by specializing in particular segments of the population, including the homeless, formerly incarcerated or young adults.  

There are no quick fixes

Every Monday at 1:30pm, we hold an orientation session to introduce our job training and placement services. Based on the assessment, we recommend that many take all or part of our two week job readiness boot camp. For those with a solid and recent work history, we immediately schedule them to meet with our job developer.

These sessions are increasingly filled to their maximum. However, only about ten to 20 percent of those who come to orientation return after they hear what we have to say, which is they must first complete a two-week job readiness. Many expect to walk in and get to see our job developer right away and then be sent on a job interview.

What many of our clients do not realize or perhaps are unwilling to accept is that in their current state when they come to orientation, they are not competitive for employment. After our orientation session, we assess the client’s readiness to work: What kind of job are they seeking and what salary are they looking for? When have they last worked? Does their experience and employment match up with their stated job interests? Do they have the requisite support systems (housing, day care, etc.) enabling them to keep a job?

For some, we may also recommend that they meet with our Single Stop counselor who can screen for benefits, enroll for health care and provide referrals for child care or recommend GED or vocational training. What is important for all of our clients to know is that when it comes to job placement and career development, there are no quick fixes; there is only readiness and preparation. The rest is then up to the client.

There is work out there 

Once you undergo job preparation and training, you can breath easier, because there is work out there. In the past three of years, we’ve placed over 700 clients in jobs and internship.

There is good news -- little by little, we are seeing encouraging signs of economic rebound as our job bank grows with newly opened convenience stores in Bedford Stuyvesant and managerial posts at non-profits alike.

Please come in to see if you need our help. All of us in Bedford-Stuyvesant know a friend or relative that could use some support -- please refer them to us. If we can’t help, our job is to provide you with referrals to the appropriate organization and resource that can.