The Career Resource Center serves the hardest-to-employ: ex-offenders, welfare recipients, and non-custodial parents assisting them to move into unsubsidized jobs and economic self-sufficiency.  It is designed to impact three goals:  helping low and moderate income individuals acquire job skills, secure stable employment, and gain financial stability.  By accomplishing these goals, individuals and families can avoid public assistance, enter into a career or business, and break the cycle of poverty and become self sufficient.    The Career Resource Center was launched in August 1995 to combat the high unemployment rate in the Enterprise Zone community, which, in pockets, reached as high as 44%.   

Program Concept and Description:

The primary objective of the Career Resource Center is to break the cycle of poverty by investing in people and helping low and moderate income families climb the economic ladder within Tampa’s poorest census tracts through access to livable wage jobs.  Although the residents of the economically depressed areas have expressed the desire to become self sufficient, a large number have been identified as not having the basic work force skills needed to be successful.   This program assists the hardest-to-employ: ex-felons, welfare recipients, non-custodial parents who face great challenges to employment, to move into unsubsidized jobs and economic self-sufficiency.  The program objectives include job placement and retention, career counseling, employability training, and case management follow-up.   Chronic unemployment and underemployment is a critical concern among low-income individuals, especially in the current economic conditions.  We believe that workforce development efforts should stretch across welfare, workforce, education, and economic development systems to strengthen activities to help low-income workers move towards economic self-sufficiency.  The optimal program outcome will result in motivated workforce among the hardest to place and increase placement and retention in the workforce among that population. 

The key components of the Career Resource Center are job counseling, job training, and job referrals/placement and customer follow-up.

      STEP ONE:  Intake Assessment/Career Coaching and Counseling:  Each client coming into the Career Resource Center is provided counseling and support from intake to employment.  A NEW Jobseeker’s workshop and orientationis taught weekly, on Wednesday.  The workshop provides the trainees an introduction to the CDC of Tampa, as well as discussions of work ethics, and the steps needed to build the foundation for success.  The workshop is required attendance for new jobseekers.  This explains workplace expectations about dress, absences, lateness, dealing with supervisors, managing childcare issues and even some financial expectations.   Developing the motivation to become a successful individual is the key topic in the orientation sessions.  This is done with videos, personal interaction, handouts, and various employment related material.

      STEP TWO:  Resume Buildingand Computer Literacy:  After the NEW Jobseeker’s workshop, clients gain computer literacy training on how to conduct job searches via the internet, establish an e-mail address, and build a resume.  It is important for clients to understand that many employers only accept applications via the internet.  The Career Resource Center creates a community environment that is non-intimidating and relaxed so even those with the greatest barriers become receptive to learning to use technology in their job search. 

      STEP THREE:  Job referrals/placement:      Once trained, the job counselor works with the client until he or she finds employment including resume preparation.  Participants are referred to businesses via direct employer partner relationships developed by Job Counselors on staff at CDC of Tampa, Inc.  If a client receives 4 job referrals without receiving an offer of employment, the client is encouraged to repeat the employability skills training or a mini job readiness training endeavors.  The Career Resource Center partners with 300+ private businesses called “employer partners and numerous other agencies to meet the needs of economically disadvantaged individuals and eliminate their barriers to success. 

      STEP FOUR:  Customer Follow-Up: When a company employs the client, our job counselor follows their progress for a 3-6 month period, depending upon the needs of the client.  The counselor also speaks with the employer to learn ways to support and encourage the client’s success.  Clients’ files are updated and processed electronically throughout their affiliation with the center. 

      Steppin’ Stones/Job Readiness Skills Training:  The job-readiness training component is exciting.  There are many phases to the training component.  It is designed based on the needs of our customer.  A specially designed curriculum, Steppin' Stones is the foundation for all of our training endeavors.  We recognize that job training can be a lifelong process for individuals who have limited or no work experience.  It offers a beginning point for the customer (potential employee) to move toward a career.

      On-going Career Counseling: For clients to become successful it is important that all needs and barriers are met.  It currently takes an average of 4 – 5 visits before the individual is placed on a job.  Career counseling for the large majority of our clients involves a lot of handholding and encouragement.  It is based on our wide network of community partners that we can address these issues.  Although there are several other vendors who provide employment and soft skills training to the welfare to work (TANF) population, we tend to be the “most used” vendor for clients choosing training and employment assistance.  Currently we are the ONLY vendor who can provide services for the Spanish speaking population. 

The Career Resource Center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 4 PM.  We are generally closed to the public on Friday in order to process client files.