By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
The Community Action Program for Madison County, Inc. (CAP) has announced the launch of Getting Started — a 10-week course to help Madison County youths succeed in the workplace.
The free program will run April 17 through June 19 at CAP’s Canastota office, 1001 New Market Drive.
CAP’s new program is designed to provide participants with the soft skills needed to find and retain jobs in the changing economy. During each interactive session, held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, participants will work as a team on a variety of projects.
The coaching activities are designed to help participants to develop: a professional attitude; money and time management skills; customer service skills; an awareness of work place expectations; self-confidence; professional development strategies; and improved public speaking and communication skills. Additionally, the program will help participants to develop goals and to accept and learn from feedback.
Participants will be compensated for each session they attend; compensation will take the form of local gas, food and household gift cards.
Diane Ryan, a consultant for CAP, will facilitate the program. Ryan has worked with CAP for 25 years. She holds a master of social work degree from Syracuse University and has since dedicated her career to human services. She became certified as a facilitator in Cincinnati last fall.
“I am acutely aware of the need for life and professional skills for the families we serve,” Ryan said. “We have assisted with short-term needs and provided information on employment availability [for many years]. Working on actual skill building for employment or on a long-term plan is a natural extension of our mission.”
CAP’s coaching program is based on “Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World,” a curriculum deeply rooted in Dr. Ruby Payne’s “Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities” — a popular series of practices, ideas and tools that brings people from all economic classes together to address and reduce poverty in a comprehensive way.
“Getting Ahead” and “Bridges” are implemented throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. According to Ryan, “Getting Ahead” has produced successful outcomes in Syracuse, as well as in Cortland and Jefferson Counties.
CAP will supplement the curriculum with the department of labor’s handbook, “Skills To Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success,” to help develop an understanding of everyday workplace situations.
Established in 1983, CAP is a not-for-profit agency that provides information, assistance and support to families and individuals striving towards economic self-sufficiency.
The organization offers housing, mentoring and Early Head Start programs, as well as supportive services to assist with transportation, budgeting and more. In 2016, the organization expanded its service area to include Herkimer and Oneida Counties.
Anyone who is motivated, interested in obtaining and sustaining long-term employment and available to attend one class per week is invited to contact Diane Ryan at [email protected].
