| Job and Career Fair
When people are economically disadvantaged
and find it difficult to obtain employment, they need
a communal resource that will help them prepare for
a suitable job and will connect them to an employer
where they can be successful in their work. Thanks to
the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island,
local residents have just such a resource – the
council’s Vocational Support Systems,
which over the past eight years has given hundreds of
refugees and dislocated workers the opportunity to utilize
up-to-date professional skills in appropriate and productive
jobs.
Under the dedicated management of Rivkah
Berman, Director of Vocational Services, the program
has developed a range of services designed to help each
client according to their specific vocational needs:
- One-on-one Job Counseling –
Meeting with the client to assess the nature of
their skills, experience and career goals, an employment
specialist recommends the ideal actions that will
advance the client’s qualifications for getting
an appropriate and rewarding job.
- Resume Creating – Each
client is advised on how to either rework their
existing resume or, if deemed necessary, create
a new one, so as to present themselves to potential
employers in the best possible light.
- Vocational Training – When
it has been determined that the client can improve
their job eligibility through the attainment of
new or upgraded professional skills, the Vocational
Support Systems representative can, under certain
circumstances, arrange for them to attend suitable
classes, often at no charge. Offered at locations
throughout New York City, training is available
in such professions as:
- Engineering - LAN to CADD
- Medical Billing
- Computer Applications
- Computerized bookkeeping
- Home Health Aide
- Employment Workshops – Group
sessions led by experts in career services are arranged
for clients who can benefit from insights on how to
best approach the often-turbulent search for employment.
- Referrals to Other Resources –
((When possible, a client will be referred to a specific
employer with a recommendation that they be hired
for a particular job.))
- Job Placement Assistance –
The employment specialist works in tandem with the
client, attempting to connect the individual with
a matching employer and job.
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