Job Club
Provides guidance and training to help mature job seekers find employment
The primary goal of the program is to provide training in the skills necessary to seek and obtain employment. The program has a high rate of success in job placement. In the last program year, 74% of the 135 participants found employment after completing Job Club as measured by surveys. The success of the program was studied by the University of Akron in 2010 and again in 2012 and reports can be found at http://www.matureservices.org/ets/jobclub.php.
TARGET POPULATION
Adults 45 and over seeking employment in Summit and some satellite offices throughout the 38 counties served by Employment & Training Solutions of Mature Services.
OUTCOME DETAILS
The benefit of participating in a group setting has only been noted anecdotally. However, a 2012 article in Psychology Today recognized the devastating impact of social isolation experienced by people who have been unemployed for a prolonged period. Many letters received by former participants suggest that they enter the program with lowered self-esteem and confidence, and by participating in a group setting they are able to recognize they are not alone in their feelings and concerns and the group served as an ad-hoc support group. Surveys provided at the completion of each Job Club session assesses what participants like/did not like in order to develop a feedback loop for continuous improvement purposes. The opportunity to collaborate with other group members is consistently mentioned as a positive aspect.
FUNDING
Funding is provided by Title XX Funding.