Getting and keeping a job requires good communication skills. Job Development programs provide instruction and practice opportunities. Participants learn how to effectively present their ideas and opinions to build successful business relationships. Our Job Readiness Training program focuses on interview preparation with mock interview interaction, helping participants develop good work habits that facilitate their ongoing success. Workshops typically include lectures, discussions and role-playing exercises. Through the program, jobseekers are able to develop a detailed order of what is needed in searching for employment, including instruction on producing a professional resume and how to discuss its contents , problem solving and time management skills, and practice in answering difficult questions especially surrounding their prior offences.
Our Mentoring Support Group is for Returning Citizens that have expressed a commitment to live successfully on the outside and realize their need for help. They must be willing to: Be honest and open in their communications, faithfully attend bi-weekly support group meetings, set specific reentry goals to work toward, allow others to hold them responsible for their progress, encourage and support others in the group.
A sample format is as follows: • Informal conversation: Participants and mentors talk together as refreshments are provided. • The group gathers around a table to begin the meeting. • A mentor welcomes everyone and leads an icebreaker activity during which each participant briefly talks about how he or she is feeling and how things are going with their job or job search. • Sharing exercise: This provides an opportunity for participants and mentors to problem-solve together and also to celebrate success. • The group can then help each participant develop a strategy for dealing with the problem and also can learn new strategies of their own from each participant’s success. • Topic of the day: The group can then have a more structured discussion on one topic—the topic of the day. It could be something that comes out of the previous exercise.