New employment program for seniors

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida has become the new administrator of a program designed to provide career training and time limited employment assistance to senior citizens.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program, provides training, job placement assistance, as well as 20 hours a week of paid community service work at a government or non profit agency. The S.C.S.E.P. is an established program in Southwest Florida that was operated under the Workforce Council of SWFLuntil this spring.

This program remains intact with Jerry Gavin continuing to direct its operations. Gavin has worked with the S.C.S.E.P. for the last eight years and has been recognized for running the number one program in the Nation for the last seven years. In 2006 the program assisted 169 qualifying senior citizens and placed 39 in permanent employment.

Goodwill is excited to welcome this program to the Career Development department and continue to support the mission of building lives, families and communities one job at a time by helping people with disabilities and other barriers [senior residents] to employment discover and develop their full potential through work and career development services.