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A federal job training program for low-income seniors has been hacked by the budget axe.
The Senior Community Services Employment Program, which helps older job seekers acquire the training they need to get full-time work, is getting a significant cut in funding this year. The program is administered by Experience Works in much of eastern Oklahoma.
Tammy Townley, the Experience Works employment and training coordinator for this area, said the government will only fund 261 training positions this year, down from 446 last year. Eleven positions were lost in Carter County alone. And all this comes at a time when the need is still high.
“I get about two calls a week from people who want to enroll in the program,” she said. “Until someone gets a job or leaves for a medical reason, we are at a standstill.”
The program is relatively straightforward. Low-income job seekers 55 and older who are accepted into the program are placed in part-time jobs where they are trained for permanent work. Experience Works pays the enrollees the minimum wage for up to 18 hours of work per week while they train. Program participants can work at a training site for a maximum of two years but are encouraged to join the workforce as soon as they are ready.
Townley said many of the enrollees have been out of the job market for some time and lack basic computer skills. As a rule, they have few financial resources other than Social Security, and many of them are on medication for various ailments. But they all share a strong work ethic, which makes them attractive to employers.
“They are faithful individuals. The show up every day, and they show up to work,” Townley said. “This is the group we are cutting.”
She said it was a shame the program is being cut when there are seniors out there who want to upgrade their skills and find a job to help them pay for their housing, food and medication.
“We are full and are not able to enroll anyone right now,” she said. “I had to turn away a homeless man the other day. It broke my heart to turn him away. The money is just not there.”
A federal job training program for low-income seniors has been hacked by the budget axe.
The Senior Community Services Employment Program, which helps older job seekers acquire the training they need to get full-time work, is getting a significant cut in funding this year. The program is administered by Experience Works in much of eastern Oklahoma.
Tammy Townley, the Experience Works employment and training coordinator for this area, said the government will only fund 261 training positions this year, down from 446 last year. Eleven positions were lost in Carter County alone. And all this comes at a time when the need is still high.
“I get about two calls a week from people who want to enroll in the program,” she said. “Until someone gets a job or leaves for a medical reason, we are at a standstill.”
The program is relatively straightforward. Low-income job seekers 55 and older who are accepted into the program are placed in part-time jobs where they are trained for permanent work. Experience Works pays the enrollees the minimum wage for up to 18 hours of work per week while they train. Program participants can work at a training site for a maximum of two years but are encouraged to join the workforce as soon as they are ready.
Townley said many of the enrollees have been out of the job market for some time and lack basic computer skills. As a rule, they have few financial resources other than Social Security, and many of them are on medication for various ailments. But they all share a strong work ethic, which makes them attractive to employers.
“They are faithful individuals. The show up every day, and they show up to work,” Townley said. “This is the group we are cutting.”
She said it was a shame the program is being cut when there are seniors out there who want to upgrade their skills and find a job to help them pay for their housing, food and medication.
“We are full and are not able to enroll anyone right now,” she said. “I had to turn away a homeless man the other day. It broke my heart to turn him away. The money is just not there.”
