New Choices Program Receives Major Grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts
Contact:
Antoinette Maciolek
610-359-5276
(Media, PA) The New Choices Career Development Program at Delaware County Community College recently received a three-year grant of $115,000 from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The grant will provide job counseling, training and job placement assistance for low-income and underserved women living in Delaware and Chester counties.
New Choices is a free program that helps individuals make career, educational and personal changes successfully. The program provides individual and group support, career planning workshops, employer contacts, networking opportunities, resume writing, and interviewing techniques as well as basic computer skills and math remediation. The goal is to assist participants in reaching economic independence by finding and retaining employment and/or training.
Workshops are offered throughout the year. Each eight-week session provides more than 100 hours of instruction in career assessment, skills identification, goal setting, job search skills, stress and time management, and computer skills. Upon completion, a career services professional assists each participant in finding appropriate employment and/or occupational training.
The program serves approximately 150 participants per year, thirty-five of whom are supported by The Pew Trusts. The goal of the program is for graduates to gain the competencies required for development of their personal career plan and resume. More than 70 percent of those who complete the program will be placed into employment or training within six months of graduation.
New Choices began in 1982 with 25 participants. Since then, more than 4,000 have moved to further training or employment. The next series of workshops will begin in September at the Marple Campus, the Southeast Center in Sharon Hill and Exton Center. For more information, please call 610-359-5232.
***The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. Pew partners with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.
