LYNNÂ —Â Centerboard already offers advice on what to do with a paycheck, but now it’s teamed up with Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) to help people get a paycheck.
“JVS is a workforce development organization out of Boston,” said Carla Scheri, Centerboard’s special projects director.
Centerboard serves a wide range of individuals and families through the United Way Financial Stability Center and that meshes nicely with JVS, Scheri said.
FSC teaches people what to do with a paycheck, how to open a bank account, set up direct deposit and save, she said. But JVS helps folks find work.
More specifically, JVS offers job seekers with career coaching, job search training skills, resume and interview preparation, and even basic customer service skills, Scheri said.
On the flip side, JVS also works with employers to identify potential job openings and potential matches for the openings.
“Another great thing they do is provide follow up with the employer and the employee,” Scheri said.
People are enrolled into the program based on questionnaires that FSC uses when they take on a client, explained JVS employee Alexandra Higgins.
“If the client is a fit they are referred over for an intake with me and start services,” she said.
Sotha Voeun, who lives in Centerboard’s Scattered Site Shelter Program with his girlfriend and their three children, was referred to JVS and after updating his resume and getting a little interview coaching, he landed a job at Chipotle as a grill cook, Scheri said.
She said Voeun’s manager was so happy with his work ethic he is encouraging him to go even further with the company and he plans to reach out to JVS/Centerboard to fill future openings.
Scheri said a total of 22 participants have been placed successfully since JVS came on board in February and 37 in all are currently enrolled in the program.
“The story is representative of the success derived from two mission-aligned organizations working together,” she added.
She said JVS’s employment expertise combined with Centerboard’s financial literacy and housing expertise is a tough combination to defeat.
