Direct Services HOPE students come from all walks of life. Some have recently been laid off. Others have never worked or have not worked in many years. Some are grandparents and others are 18. Half of our students do not have a high school diploma or GED. Half have substance abuse histories and half have criminal backgrounds.
HOPE offers two programs: HOPEworks provides 12 weeks of classroom instruction for a wide range of careers. GROCERYworks is an 8-week training program for men and women interested in working in the growing food retail industry. Both programs meet 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday, just like a full-time job.
Classroom lessons focus on:
- Completing paper and online job applications, writing cover letters, and creating resumes
- Conducting successful job searches
- Preparing for interviews
- Gaining excellent customer service skills
- Using office equipment
- Computer skills, such as using email, typing, and learning Microsoft Word and Excel
- Banking and saving
We offer GED preparation and test scheduling, as part of our classroom instruction, for students who need it.
We also help students with criminal backgrounds prepare for interviews, review their RAP sheets, and identify job opportunities.
All HOPE students complete 200 hours of unpaid internship to gain work experience, professional references, and new skills. Once students complete the program, they work with an Employment Specialist to find a job.
HOPE graduates become social service workers, office assistants, food preparers and cooks, maintenance workers, customer service representatives, healthcare professionals, and more. Roughly 70% of graduates find full-time employment, many within a month or two of completing the program.
A lifetime of career advancement services help graduates keep their jobs, get more education, build new skills, and increase their wages. Graduates also take advantage of HOPE's evening computer classes and GED tutoring services.
