Job Description: Initiate and maintain ongoing personal contacts with a variety of businesses and industry representatives and job placement/training agencies to promote the One Workforce Information Technology & Cybersecurity training grant.

Make cold calls to potential employers; explain the benefits and employment support services provided by programs to employers, including addressing employer’s special needs.

Research newspapers, employment agencies and other resources for job leads; locate jobs for participants who have successfully completed training in IT/Cybersecurity.

Collect data from local employers related to job orders including job requirements and skills, match job skills with applicant’s qualifications; refer qualified applicants to employers and conduct necessary follow-up when applicants are in positions.

Recruit participants from the Chenango, Delaware & Otsego region to support training in the IT/Cybersecurity field.

Keep updated regarding job fairs and internet resources, work with the local One Stop Career Centers for workshops and training programs that participants can access.

Maintain contact with employers & training providers during the participant’s employment/training and report results to appropriate staff. Provide program information to various businesses and update information as needed, provide networking opportunities between agencies to make sure participants receive all the necessary resources to be successful in their new employment, make sure program flyers are distributed into the business community to market career training opportunities.

Monday – Friday 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Health & Dental Insurance

Employer contributed matching 401 K

Two weeks’ vacation & holidays

To Apply: Send cover letter and resume to Alan Lam alam@working-solutions.org

On Friday, April 30th, Disability Resource Coordinators (DRCs) Kathy DeAngelo and Alan Sessions will present a Disability Employment Initiative webinar: “Your Dream, Your Team: Creating Career Pathways for Students with Disabilities” at the statewide New York State Special Education Task Force 23nd Annual Virtual Conference.

The website, www.yourdreamyourteam.com is intended to support career exploration and employment outcomes of people with disabilities. It provides multiple features and guidance to ensure that these outcomes are achieved in ways that are accessible, including to people with physical disabilities, mental health related disabilities, and learning disabilities. The resource includes assessments, career exploration tools, and a workbook designed to walk the user with a disability, as well as their “Dream Team,” through the research, planning, and decision-making process that is career development. The site also provides tools on how to set up and organize a Dream Team, including tools for setting financial goals, individualized next-steps, and communication planning.

The goal of Your Dream, Your Team is to give person-centered planning teams access to reliable, consistent, evidence-based resources and strategies to lead meetings related to career exploration and development. This website has resources for youth with disabilities, parents, school professionals, business operators, and Human Service staff. All materials were designed to be flexible, adaptable, and responsive to the needs and focus of each team, ensuring utility and applicability for all teams, even virtual ones. The six Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) sites have averaged about 75 of these meetings a year, using these resources or their predecessors. Preliminary results are anecdotal, but promising; teams have included the person with disability, family members, staff from community-based organizations, and government agencies.

The New York State Special Education Task Force is committed to improving educational opportunities and outcomes for students with disabilities. The webinar is intended to benefit all special education stakeholders including parents, school personnel, students, service professionals, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

Please visit www.yourdreamyourteam.com website to review career exploration tools, including the Workbook that includes forms and resources.

Some five participants are on their way to new careers in the Weatherization & Home Performance Field after graduating from the second round of the weatherization classes offered this Spring by the Otsego County CDO Workforce.

The class offered the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of building science and making energy

efficiency Improvements to building structures. The participants gained a basic understanding of key

concepts necessary for entry into the workforce.

At the completion of the training, the bootcamp graduates received an OSHA 10 Hour Construction Safety Certificate, a NYSWDA Certificate of Training Completion, work boots, a heavy jacket, and a beginners tool kit.

the bootcamp graduates are also offered an opportunity to Interview with local potential employers needing entry level weatherization employees.

When Katie came to the program in August 2019, she expressed a strong desire to enter the field of substance abuse and treatment.

Her initial goal was to pursue the CRPA credential (Certified Recovery Peer Advocate). With the assistance of the program, she was able to take the required trainings and apply for the CRPA-Provisional.

Soon after her enrollment into the program she was linked to the Center for Life and Recovery (CFLR) for part-time employment as a Recovery Peer Advocate. Her placement at CFLR enabled her to successfully complete the mandated 500 hours of work experience to be able to apply for the CRPA exam.

We are happy to report that Katie took the computerized exam on April 19th and PASSED. She is now a full-fledged CRPA and plans to continue her education and training in the field. She is now making plans to pursue a CASAC (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor).

The Workforce Development Board’s (WDB) Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant helps recruit, train, and retain women in quality pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and encourages them to pursue apprenticeships and nontraditional occupations.

This program offers a unique opportunity to females who are interested in any nontraditional occupation. A nontraditional occupation is any career in which females make up 25% or less of the workforce, including but not limited to: advanced manufacturing, information technology (IT), public safety, transportation, agriculture, and the trades.

WANTO aims to upskill the female workforce by providing pre-apprenticeship programming, on-the-job training, and soft skills development courses. Participants also have the option to join a Registered Apprenticeship Program. By participating in WANTO, women can pave the way for themselves and future generations to be valuable employees in these fields.

"The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters is committed to creating a workforce of safe, well trained, progressive leaders,” says Marie Smithgall, Local 277 Council Representative and New York State Co-Chair of the Sisters in the Brotherhood Committee. “The Carpenters Union strives to promote diversity and inclusion while providing long-term career opportunities. Partnering with programs, like WANTO, allows a unique and direct approach to help us reach the less represented demographic within our communities. The WANTO program provides career opportunities to women that may never have considered certain jobs or careers as a viable option. After joining the Carpenters Union, these women are given a chance for a lifetime of self-sufficiency. It is our hope that with increased awareness of the Carpenters Union, through the WANTO program we can motivate and inspire the next generation of females in the workforce."

WANTO Project Director Stephanie Heiland says, “We want to show women that they have as much opportunity when it comes to employment as their male counterparts. By giving them the proper training they need for the workforce, we can help them build the confidence they need to be successful in these fields.”

This program serves females, ages 18 and up, living in Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, and Tompkins counties. WANTO is also seeking businesses to partner with that want to upskill their workforce and make their work environment more welcoming for women.

Interested businesses and eligible females should contact Stephanie Heiland at sheiland@working-solutions.org, or on Facebook @WANTOhmo

This program is 100% funded by a United States Department of Labor grant administered by the Women’s Bureau and Employment and Training Administration of $716,676.00.

Ready to improve your skills and start on your ideal career pathway?

NYS Department of Labor is offering FREE virtual workshops on:

DYK you can send us your resume and we'll evaluate it for you for free?

Read the article at CNBC and contact our Career Counselors to find out how we can help!

CareerOneStop’s mySkills myFuture website has resources to help you explore new careers.

Contact Disability Resource Coordinator (DRC) Alan Sessions at cdoworkforce@gmail.com or

DRC Kathy DeAngelo at deangelok@otsegocounty.com

"The System of Care (SOC) is made up of youth and family advocates, social workers, child-serving community organizations, and educators working together to ensure that every child and family in Otsego County is connected to the resources they need to achieve social, emotional, and academic success."