Free Job Skills Training Program for Women Starts in October

Project Self-Sufficiency announces that the next session of its popular employment skills training program, Higher Opportunities for Women (HOW), will launch October 5th. The 16-week HOW Program combines intensive computer skills training with classroom instruction. Curriculum prepares women who have been out of the work force or underemployed to seek entry-level office administrative positions. Classes will operate Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the agency’s campus, located at 127 Mill Street in Newton. Interested participants are invited to attend an Open House to learn more about the program and to complete an application. Open Houses will be held at 10:00 a.m., September 10th and September 16th, at 3:00 p.m., September 13th, and at 6:00 p.m., September 21st.

Women who take part in the agency’s HOW program can expect 80 hours of computer skills training, including instruction in Microsoft Word, Excel, and other applications. Normally, the HOW program also includes 40 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hours at an unpaid externship at a community employment site, which further prepares participants to successfully venture into the job market. Since the onset of the pandemic, the workplace experience component has been eliminated in favor of coursework focusing on workplace navigation, life skills training, resume preparation, and interviewing strategies.

Since the HOW program’s inception, more than 1,000 women have gained self-confidence and learned marketable skills which placed them on the path to economic self-sufficiency. Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency explains that the HOW program is more than just a job-skills program. “The Higher Opportunities for Women program offers participants the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence to compete in today’s job market, and that in turn, helps put food on the table, pay the rent, and ultimately turn around the prospects for the entire family. Giving our participants the tools necessary to become economically self-sufficient makes families stable and helps the entire community.”

Project Self-Sufficiency’s Higher Opportunities for Women program launches on October 5th. To enroll, or to find out more information about the program, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500. Information about Project Self-Sufficiency is available at www.projectselfsufficiency.org.