Seniors offered job skill training

SANDPOINT — Finding steady work in today’s bleak economy is a tall order for every age group, but the task can be especially daunting for seniors.

With the goal of helping low-income seniors get the training they need to find steady employment, Virginia-based non-profit organization Experience Works is offering paid training and job placement in Bonner County.

The organization, which is funded by federal, state and local dollars, has had a presence in Kootenai County for years, but is now devoting more attention to Bonner County, said employment and training assistant JoAnne VanGorder.

 VanGorder said the Senior Community Service Employment Program, an arm of Experience Works, was designed to match seniors’ skills and interests with local training opportunities.

“What we try to do is place them somewhere where they’ll get the training they want,” she said. “We don’t just plop them in somewhere and say, ‘OK, good luck.’”

Participating seniors will be offered training in a variety of settings, including libraries, non-profit organizations and faith-based service groups. Once placed, clients will be paid minimum wage while undergoing as much as a year of training.

Nationally, more than 50,000 seniors worked more than 11. 5 million hours throughout the county last year under the Experience Works umbrella, which VanGorder said paved the way for countless seniors to reenter their local workforce.

“They get the opportunity to update their skills and see all the new areas of experience and training they’ve missed if they haven’t worked in a while,” she said. “Now they can go in with confidence and some education and training and feel like when they go into an interview they have something to offer.”

The program also aims to mute the negative attitudes some employers have about older workers by offering up examples well-trained, hard-working seniors.

“Outstanding employers are those who realize their older employees are skilled, dedicated, wise and reliable, so it makes good sense to hire them,” VanGorder said. “We have older workers who have paved the road to success making valuable contributions to current success as well as future growth.”

Only those who are unemployed, more than 55 years old and economically disadvantaged are eligible for the program. Call (208) 765-5191 or 1-877-429-8077 to find out if you meet eligibility requirements.