by Charlotte Kuhn, Senior
Employment Program Manager, Salt Lake County Aging
Services
By making a difference, you
can have a difference made in you. The Senior Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP) is one way to reach for what many think
unreachable—independence, economic self-sufficiency and increased opportunity.
SCSEP is a program of the
U.S. Department of Labor and is authorized through the Older Americans Act. It
provides income-eligible older Americans with the opportunity to provide
important and worthwhile community service while developing and enhancing job
skills needed for the 21st century workforce. Thousands of older
workers across our country participate in quality on-the-job training or
classroom instruction, learning valuable transferable skills to give them the
needed training to compete and secure competitive employment. At the same time,
multitudes of non-profit or government agencies benefit from the services these
older workers provide.
How does this program work?
If you are age 55 or older, unemployed and your income is no more than 125
percent of the federal poverty rate (you must check to see if you qualify), have
poor employment prospects, and are legal to work in the United States, you are
eligible to participate in this program.
You can find out what organization provides the SCSEP program in your area by contacting your local Workforce Services office, your local area agency on aging, or by going to www.utahagingservices.org.
Once you are deemed eligible
for participation, your provider will conduct assessments and interviews with
you to determine the direction your program should go. An Individualized
Employment Plan will be developed. You will be placed in a host agency (a
non-profit or government agency) to provide service while working on your
individualized training plan. You will work an average of 20 hours per week and
will earn the prevailing minimum wage while you do so. Sometimes, you may be
placed in school for a short time if it is determined that a specific course or
courses will benefit your individualized
training.
While you are participating
in this training, you are learning not only specific job skills, but you will be
learning how to re-enter the job market, how to market yourself, and how to
interview and land that job. The SCSEP program is time-limited with the ultimate
goal of placing you in an unsubsidized job. You may
rotate host agencies throughout your tenure to further upgrade and enhance your
skills.
Program participants are
placed in a wide variety of community service positions including day care
centers, senior centers, governmental agencies, schools, hospitals, libraries,
and landscaping centers. Other training may include: classroom, lectures,
seminars, individual instruction, and training through other employment and
training programs or community colleges.
