Lots of people, from different backgrounds and at varying life stages, stand to benefit from job readiness programs.
A job readiness program can be configured to suit needs ranging from math skills to computer literacy to creating a resume for the 21st-century job market.
Someone seeking a new career later in life might need something different from a teenager just starting out or someone just out of college wondering where and how to use their degree.
A job readiness program also can help someone recovering from trauma or addiction of some kind as they try to put their life back together and move forward.
What Defines a Job Readiness Program?
At the most fundamental level, a job readiness program is a range of activities and learning experiences that help ensure that someone needing a job has the skills and dispositions that prepare them to find and keep one.
It’s essential to work with jobless individuals to discover their true job-seeking needs. It could be through a standardized assessment, but one-on-one counseling sessions add a lot of value.
Understanding Needs
You should inventory someone’s existing skills and knowledge before assigning them to courses and workshops. For example, you wouldn’t want to assign a recently laid-off architect to remedial work in high school math.
That architect probably could use some help developing and using an ATS-friendly resume, though. Perhaps she would benefit from some networking skills as well—especially if she held her former position for several years.
If the person needing the job readiness program is a teenager who didn’t complete high school, though, they probably would need experience to put on a resume—an apprenticeship, for example.
The Social Element
The so-called “soft skills” should be part of job readiness as well. Some people actually lose jobs because, for example, of being quick to anger or too reticent to interact effectively with coworkers and clients.
However, if the goal of job readiness is to help someone find—and retain—a job, they’ll need coaching in effective networking, interviewing skills, workplace collaboration, and other forms of interaction that build and nurture career success.
Types of Job Readiness Programs in 2020
There are several types of job readiness programs. Some are government-supported and operate out of job centers and others are publicly-funded entities.
Others still are packaged programs, often delivered online, that offer those able to afford them specific steps to take in conducting a job search.
Some job readiness programs (or required courses) are offered by two and four-year colleges to help future graduates with ways of discussing their backgrounds and how they apply to job categories that interest them.
Some other programs target cultural groups that have faced discrimination in the job market due to factors such as gender, sex, race, religion, age, physical or mental ability, and various other factors.
One example is a job readiness program offered by Casa Serena, a residential program that helps women overcome and recover from addiction.
Are You Ready?
If you’ve recently lost a job, are having trouble finding your first job, or want to change careers, a job readiness program could be very beneficial. Don’t worry. There’s no stigma attached to this experience.
In fact, many employers are pleased to see some formal job-preparation activity on resumes. The skills you’ve learned build social skills and keep you nimble in your job—ready to take on the sometimes thorny challenges of the 21st Century.
If this topic interests you or you want to discover other worthwhile things to read, keep an eye on our blog. It changes constantly!
