Ladies, unsure of what next step to take on your career path or how to level up your skills since the pandemic might have left you on shaky financial footing?
This program, “Women to Work” might be for you then.
“Women to Work”, a free four-week virtual course from JVS Human Services, is providing critical skills to women who have been out of the workforce and need to secure immediate employment, which will begin on April 20. COVID-19 has had a disproportionate effect on women who work, and those who are looking to work. In January 2021, a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that 275,000 women had left the workforce compared with 71,000 men, in many cases due to childcare and family issues relating to COVID-19. In addition, a report by Business.org showed that even when women are working, women in Michigan make 22% less money than their male counterparts. Register for the new course here.
“The pandemic has hit women in the workforce especially hard. Some have had to stay home with children when schools were closed, others were in jobs which simply dried up as businesses had to shut their doors,” said Judy Richmond, JVS Employment Specialist and Women to Work Coordinator. “As more people are vaccinated, and hopefully more businesses open up, we want women to have all the tools and skills they need to find the right job.”
Topics to be covered in the course, which runs through May 13 and includes eight sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon include:
• In-depth vocational assessment
• Employment-related group counseling & emotional support
• Information & referrals to support services
• Help with networking, resume writing & interviewing
• Financial management advice
• Stress management tips
“Women to Work” first began in the 1980s and was initially called “Displaced Homemakers.” It was funded by the Department of Labor, aiming to help women whose life circumstances had changed through divorce, bereavement, or other life-altering events. Approximately 2,000 metro-Detroit women have now participated in the program.
In previous years there have been participants from Washtenaw and Livingston counties along with women from Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties, but the program is now open to all women in Michigan since it is being held virtually.
To find out more information and to register, contact Judy Richmond at 248.233.4232 or jrichmond@jvshumanservices.org.
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