Center for Workforce Inclusion, Inc. awards grant directed to assist in workforce training for older workers 55+.
WILMINGTON, NC. (November 2, 2020) – United Way of the Cape Fear Area announced today that it was awarded a $566,000 grant from the Center for Workforce Inclusion, Inc. (the Center), of Silver Spring, MD.
Almost 90 percent of this grant – originally from the U.S. Department of Labor – will provide temporary employment to no less than 104 low-income older North Carolinians living in Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties. These older adults will participate in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) a cornerstone
program of the Older Americans Act. SCSEP is celebrating its 55th anniversary this year.
SCSEP, the only federal job training program targeted exclusively to low income seniors, promotes personal dignity and self-sufficiency through work. Its temporary part-time community service jobs provide a hand-up, not a hand-out for older, unemployed low-income Americans.
The Senior Community Service Employment Program allows eligible persons to participate for up to four years, but the average tenure nationally is 19 months with the experience and training they receive often leading them to permanent employment.
As one of the largest U.S. Deparment of Labor National Grantees of SCSEP, the Center works through a network of local partners delivering various career training programs for eligible 55-plus-year-old workers in 33 states. To date, the Center has placed over 90,000 older workers into permanent employment through the SCSEP program.
“Our long-term, local partners are a key to the strength of the Center and provide the systems to train older Americans into strategic advantage for employers and the Country.” said Gary A. Officer, Center for Workforce Inclusion President and CEO. “We are very pleased to continue our support of the Cape Fear Area United Way, Inc. for the 43rd consecutive year.
“SCSEP has been a godsend during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tommy Taylor, CEO of United Way of the Cape Fear Area. “SCSEP participants have been able to continue to be paid emergency pandemic sick leave while they stay at home and in many cases continue to receive training. Continuing to receive funds has prevented participants from becoming homeless.”
Participants are now slowly starting to be able to safely return to their training sites where they help local community, faith-based, and public agencies carry out their mission, such as the Brunswick County Cooperative Extension, Kids Making It, the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center, Pender Adult Services, the Onslow Women’s Center, and the Columbus County DREAM Center, among many others.
About United Way of the Cape Fear Area:
United Way of the Cape Fear Area mobilizes resources to empower local people working toward leading self-sufficient, healthy lives. For more information, please visit www.uwcfa.org.
About the Center for Workforce Inclusion: The Center for Workforce Inclusion is the only national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to employment for older workers in both the public and private sectors. Since 1962, the Center has provided workforce development and support services to nearly half-a-million older workers. Our mission is to deliver workforce readiness programs that empower local job seekers, attract employers, and transform communities. The Center provides employment opportunities to low-income and other older adults age 50 and older in 33 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For 55 years, the Center has operated the Senior Community Service Employment Program and currently partners with a diverse network of local organizations in 14 states. For more information, please visit www.centerforworkforceinclusion.org.
