Showing posts with label Employment Connection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Employment Connection. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Jobs Pipeline Success Stories

Ohio City Power job candidate works with Don Hoke to prepare resume for online job application
Shown above: Don Hoke (right), Ohio City Power Jobs Coach assists Ohio City Power Friend Adrian Whitmore (left) with resume building and preparing for an employment interview process at St. Paul's Community Church & Outreach, 4427 Franklin Blvd. in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo: Image: Resume Discussion. © Alice Merkel.

Ohio City Power Jobs Pipeline Connects People To Jobs

Lisa Braun, Executive Director, Ohio City Power, builds active partnerships with large regional workforce development organizations. 

One such partnership connects Lisa Braun, Executive Director of Ohio City Power, Gayle Thompkins Agahi, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Talent Acquisition and Human Resources at the Cleveland Clinic and Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Assistant Manager at Employment Connection to form a team that helps the homeless and jobless in the neighborhoods of the City of Cleveland, Ohio gain employment.

Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Assistant Manager, Employment Connection; Lisa Braun, Exec. Dir., Ohio City Power; and Gayle Agahi, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Talent Acquisition and Human Resources, Cleveland Clinic.
Shown above: Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Assistant Manager, Employment Connection; Lisa Braun, Exec. Dir., Ohio City Power; and Gayle T. Agahi, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Talent Acquisition and Human Resources, Cleveland Clinic.
Image: Natural Light. © Alice Merkel.

It is because of this team's strong spirit of collaboration to share resources and skills, that Ohio City Power programs and services are able to successfully facilitate and support real connections between Cleveland's labor force and employment opportunities.

One Case Of Willingness And Initiative

A new member of the Ohio City Power workforce program, Tyrone Hennessee, began to take advantage of the collaboration with Employment Connection to get back on the path to employment! A path that can lead to a future position at the Cleveland Clinic

Tyrone describes his experiences beginning with Ohio City Power's Job Coaching Services led by Don Hoke, Member, Federated Church Elderlife, at St. Paul's Community Church on the city's near west side, to attending the Employment Connection Workshop in downtown Cleveland, Ohio

Tyrone offered to share the e-mail excerpts below detailing his journey in the Ohio City Power jobs "pipeline" - a pathway of action steps that support and affirm individual initiative to secure employment. 
"I met with Don on the 16 of November. We talked about my resume and completed the employment connection online work sheet. The next step required an introduction to the program. I met with staff to talk about the different services that Employment Connection has to offer. The only thing the staff wanted from the group, a resume and the online work sheet. I log on to find my resume, but could not remember the pass word. The staff ask for my name and found my resume." - Tyrone, from email
"The first day of class we discuss interview questions. The Employment Connection provided each member in the work shop class, with a book that contain different resume formats and mock interview questions." - Tyrone, from email
"Tuesday, the class was given a homework assignment on a thirty second mock interview. The mock interview question was so tell me about yourself. While keeping your statements under thirty seconds, and providing the right information for the job/career of choice. Each individual in the class was out of time and embarrassed. I started talking about sports and how nice the weather is. The correct way to answer the question "tell me about yourself", is to show how my experience relates to the job that i am interviewing for. My time was not good, my time over one minute."- Tyrone, from email
Ohio City Power Programs Helps People With Needs
 
Ohio City Power Friend Jessica Montgomery (left) stands with Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant (center), and Lisa Pfeiffer-Braun Founder & Exec Dir Ohio City Power (right). Jessica is participating in a week-long Career Advancement Skills Workshop, hosted by Employment Connection, 1020 Bolivar Rd., in Cleveland, Ohio.
Shown above: Jessica Montgomery (left) stands with Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant (center), and Lisa Braun Founder & Exec. Dir., Ohio City Power (right). Jessica participated in a week-long Career Advancement Skills Workshop hosted by Employment Connection.

Ohio City Power provides support to applicants by helping participants meet sometimes strict clothing requirements when attending workshop sessions, offering a small stipend to pay for public transportation or providing lunch coupons for the week. 

Visit the Ohio City Power website to donate here.

Most people gratefully accept; Tyrone, however, was one who turned down Ohio City Power's offer to provide lunch and bus fare assistance choosing instead to walk everyday to class, paying it forward for the next participant in the Pipeline. (See Cleveland Bus Transit Map below)


View Larger Map

End Of Story For Tyrone?

Tyrone went on to successfully complete the Ohio City Power and Employment Connection requirements and apply online for several job openings. An interview was scheduled for December 5, 2012.

April 2013 update: Tyrone continues to apply to open job positions at the Cleveland Clinic.

- Written by Albert Wagner, Operations Manager, Ohio City Power; Edited and Published by Betsey Merkel

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power! 


Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 1-440-289-1657 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

Sunday, December 16, 2012

The Importance Of Resources In Serving The Homeless

The Other Building. Image © Alice Merkel Photography. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Resources In Serving The Homeless
By Albert Wagner, Ohio City Power Operations

A recent article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer December 5, 2012, “Theft Of Van Services Hits Emergency Shelter”, helps accentuate how regularly providing services to Cleveland, Ohio's homeless relies on invaluable assistance from a number of people.

It also implies how problematic this can be for similar agencies in the region to perform the same kind of civic services.  As someone who has assisted a local agency, Ohio City Power, in helping the homeless and jobless, I have seen how services could not have been provided without the helping hand of many others. 

Transportation Resources Critical To Life-Work Functions

In the above-mentioned article the agency transports people in a 15 passenger van to various places, assisting them in things such as a getting children to school, going to interviews and life skills training and long-term housing.  

The Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cleveland - Tremont Family Center, previously known as the Interfaith Service Network, is targeted to projects helping homeless parents and getting them back on their feet.  Recently the van they use was stolen and, needless to say, has caused a lot of problems with continuing to provide these services.  Eight families move each month and receive help from 80 churches and synagogues altogether.

Organization Connectivity For Collaboration and Capacity Building 

Ohio City Power, the other group mentioned above, also gets help from a number of groups. These include The Federated Church, Employment Connection, The Cleveland Clinic  Foundation and Towards Employment.  Without the help of these wonderful contacts, the agency would not be able to provide the services it has.  Ohio City Power, however, provides bus fare for clients to get to job training, orientation and employment.  They did not lose a van, but they rely heavily on participation and people contributing.

The losing of a van, as in the example above, can devastate a homeless agency to the point it can no longer provide the needed services.  To proactively counteract this result Ohio City Power has fund-raisers, with the help of numerous local people and agencies.

Craft Sales Provide Cash and Program Service Support 

Things sold for this purpose include clothing (such as tie-dye shirts and socks), handcrafted chocolate candy and even fly-fishing lures.  There are also small assembly projects on an order basis.

Some participants also help.  A recent client actually turned down the agency’s assistance for bus fare assistance and lunch assistance!  The agency tries to give clients the tools they need in getting and retaining a job.  This also includes clothing assistance.

Faith-Based Economic Development Restores Vibrant Communities

The community benefits as people go back into the workforce.  They benefit from things such as strengthened families, increased tax base for services, getting citizens off welfare rolls, possibly reducing crime and inspiring others.

More information can be found at Family Promise of Greater Cleveland and Ohio City Power.

- Albert Wagner, Ohio City Power Operations

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power!
Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 1-440-289-1657 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

- Betsey Merkel, Ohio City Power Communications

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Ohio City Power Connects People And Organizations For Jobs

Barbara and Roscoe Ashby talk with Lisa Braun about Ohio City Power employment opportunities.
Shown from left to right: Barbara and Roscoe Ashby, of Roscoe ReCycling, with Lisa Braun, Executive Director, Ohio City Power (center). Take Me To The Flickr Slideshow.
Last Thursday Lisa Braun, Executive Director, Ohio City Power, Barbara and Roscoe Ashby of Roscoe ReCycling in Ohio City, Cleveland, Ohio spoke about real solutions to help people connect to jobs.

They talked about the relationships Ohio City Power builds to provide pathways for people  of all qualifications to access training resources and employment opportunities at large, Federally funded workforce development organizations.


In this video you will learn:
  • How Ohio City Power connects people to large training and employment organizations for jobs;
  • Meet Barbara and Roscoe Ashby, of Roscoe's ReCycling and learn what "Scrapping" is;
  • Understand how Ohio City Power acts as a liaison between people and training and employment organizations; and,
  • Learn how Ohio City Power supports people in the job training and employment pipeline.

Ohio City Power Creates Access Points For People Seeking Jobs

Ohio City Power is a two-part program serving the homeless and jobless community in Ohio City, Cleveland, Ohio. Ohio City Power programs such as Roscoe ReCycling, Bingo,  Basketball, and Badminton Events, and Federated Flies, help people to get back into life. Programs offer step-by-step pathways, such as the One-On-One program, connect people to new learning, self-improvement, skills training, and employment opportunities.

Pictures Tell A Fuller Story

Enjoy Roscoe's ReCycling Slideshow on Flickr below!


Ohio City Power Builds Connectivity To Public and Private Job Resources

Here's the list of Resource Organizations mentioned in the video:

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power!
Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 1-440-289-1657 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

- Betsey Merkel, Ohio City Power Communications

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Ohio City Power's One-On-One Program Accelerates Workforce Development

Image © Alice Merkel Photography.
Shown from left to right: Lisa Braun, Executive Director, Ohio City Power and Erik Hayes, One-On-One Program. Take Me To The Flickr Slideshow.
Relationships Strengthen Collaboration

Lisa Braun, Founder & Executive Director, Ohio City Power, and Erik Hayes, a Cleveland job seeker, record a conversation for viewers about Ohio City Power's One-On-One program - a program that seeks to build relationships with Ohio City's homeless and jobless to identify employment qualifications, strengthen interview skills, and build resumes.

Partnerships Strengthen Community Employment Capacity 

In the video below, Lisa Braun talks in more detail about the partnership pipeline Ohio City Power, Employment Connection, and the Cleveland Clinic is developing to connect Ohio City homeless and jobless to skills assessment and training for employment opportunities with the Cleveland Clinic. 

Erik, participant in the One-On-One program, describes his experience at the Employment Connection four-day Career Advancement Skills Workshop and what he understands his next steps to be. 


A Three-Step Pipeline To Qualified Employment

Ohio City Power's One-On-One Program is led by Don Hoke, Elderlife member at Federated Church and retired senior manager, The Lubrizol Corporation. Don has recently been joined by fellow volunteer, Gus Aberley. Appointments are conducted at St. Paul's Outreach Center, and Community Church, 4427 Franklin Boulevard in Ohio City, Cleveland, Ohio. Map.

The One-On-One Program is the first of a three-stop, assessment to skills to employment, pipeline. If you or someone you know is interested in getting started, please e-mail lisabraun@ohiocitypower.net or call 216-651-6250 ext. 2 and leave a message. Messages are checked Tuesdays & Fridays.

What Is Your Experience? Tell Us About Your Neighborhood.

If you're a job seeker, where do you connect to local assessment, support, and skills training to qualify for employment opportunities? What is the closest facility for you to access services? What transportation is available to you? Please add you comments below, we'd like to hear from you!

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power!
Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 216-651-6250 ext. 2 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

- Betsey Merkel, Ohio City Power Communications

Monday, March 19, 2012

Ohio City Power Builds Connectivity for Workforce Development

Shown: Jessica Montgomery (left); Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant, Employment Connection (center); and Lisa Braun, Founder & Executive Director, Ohio City Power (right).


Ohio City Power Builds Connectivity for Workforce Development

Jessica Montgomery (see photo above) traveled to Employment Connection offices this morning accompanied by Ohio City Power Founder & Executive Director Lisa Braun for a preliminary interview to participate in a week-long Career Advancement Skills Workshop, hosted by Employment Connection, 1020 Bolivar Road in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Employment Connection Career Advancement Skills Workshop is part of a collaborative partnership with Northeast Ohio regional employer Cleveland Clinic to hire skilled workers. Learn about the Career Advancement Skills (CAS) Workshop here.

Ohio City Power builds connectivity to both locally based community and large skills training and employment organizations to strengthen regional workforce development capacity.

Ohio City Power Programs Support and Affirm Community

Jessica is the second Ohio City Power Friend to enroll in the Career Advancement Skills Workshop. Jessica prepared for her visit by participating in One-On-One, an Ohio City Power program focused on resume building and strengthening interview skills.

One-On-One is hosted twice monthly at St. Paul's Community Outreach, 4427 Franklin Boulevard in Ohio City, Cleveland, OH 44113. Directions here. Visit the Ohio City Power Calendar here.

Ohio City Power Partners Contribute Leadership

One-On-One is lead by Don Hoke, a retired senior manager of the Lubrizol Corporation and member of Elderlife, a volunteer program based at The Federated Church, an Ohio City Power partner organization located in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

How do you connect to skills training and employment opportunities offered by service organizations in your town or region? How does your community leverage partnerships and collaborations to advance skills training and employment?

Add your comments below, we'd like to hear from you!

Next Steps

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power!

Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 216-651-6250 ext. 2 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

- Betsey Merkel, Ohio City Power Communications

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Collaboration Brings Economic Vitality and Stability to Communities

Photo: Front Portrait. Image © Alice Merkel. 
Left to right: Stephanie Rychel, Recruiter, Business Services Consultant, Employment Connection; Gayle Agahi, Director, External Partnerships, Cleveland Clinic; and Lisa Braun, Founder & Executive Director, Ohio City Power. (View Slideshow.)

Conversation strengthens collaboration. On Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Lisa Braun, Executive Director of Ohio City Power, visited with Gayle Agahi, Director, External Partnerships at the Cleveland Clinic and Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant, Employment Connection, at the Cleveland Clinic Administration Campus, 3050 Science Park Drive in Beachwood, Ohio 44122. 

Collaboration improves partner capacity building. In the video below, learn how these three Northeast Ohio leaders are collaborating to improve access to skills training and employment opportunities for the homeless and jobless to revitalize economic vitality and stability for a Cleveland, Ohio community.

 

In this video you will learn:
  • Who each partner is and the institutions represented
  • The importance of "anchor" institution connectivity and resource alignment
  • What education and employment opportunities are available
  • The value of connecting large, mid-sized and smaller regionally based organizations to engage community
  • How collaboration advances workforce development in Ohio City, Cleveland, Ohio.   

Collaborative workforce development models bring economic vitality and stability to communities. How are you collaborating with regional partners to facilitate education, training and employment opportunities for your community? How does your community engage in local workforce development systems? What models are working successfully in your community and why? 

Read the related story, Ohio City Power Programs Connect Resources, reporting on Ohio City Power's Erik Hayes, the first participant to enroll and complete the week-long Career Advancement Skills Workshop hosted by Employment Connection. 

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power!
Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 216-651-6250 ext. 2 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

- Betsey Merkel, Ohio City Power Communications

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Ohio City Power Programs Connect People To Resources

Erik Hayes (left) and Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant, Employment Connection.

Erik Hayes (left) and Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant, Employment Connection

Ohio City Power Builds Relationships

Ohio City Power builds connectivity between local community and large regional economic and workforce development organizations.

Erik is a member of the Ohio City Power Network, and is participating in a week-long Career Advancement Skills Workshop, Feb 27-Mar 2, 2012, hosted by Employment Connection, 1020 Bolivar Rd., in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lisa Braun (shown left), Executive Director, Ohio City Power, with Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant, Employment Connection, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lisa Braun (shown left), Executive Director, Ohio City Power, with Stephanie Rychel, Business Services Consultant, Employment Connection, in Cleveland, Ohio. 
Working Next Steps To Progress
  • Engage with Ohio City Power programs, services, and campaigns at our website.
  • Visit Ohio City Power's Facebook Page here.
  • Learn about Employment Connection here.
  • Learn about the Career Advancement Skills (CAS) Workshop, a partnership between the Cleveland Clinic and Employment Connection here.

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power!

Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 216-651-6250 ext. 2 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

- Betsey Merkel, Ohio City Power Communications

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ernie's Story: Compassion, Leadership and Employment

Shown: Holding Hands. Image © Alice Merkel Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Lisa A. Braun, Executive Director, Ohio City Power, shares a story about compassion and leadership to build trust and strengthen self-worth for a positive employment experience.
"I met Ernie during the outreach hours at St. Paul’s Community Church.  Ohio City Power has been able to give Ernie a little work by allowing him to shred paper.  He is paid minimum wage. Ernie is also a member of Ohio City Power’s, One-On-One program." Read more below...


In our daily encounters, small moments may pass by unnoticed; but, if we pay attention to the present we can enrich the one-to-one relationships so important to nurture creativity and sustain stronger, flexible communities.

What community stories do you cherish and why? How do stories influence your work and perspectives? 

"Ernie's Story" is published to a new document library we're building on Scribd, an online publishing platform and community. Please visit the library where we will publish knowledge for sharing and community building.

View my profile on

Find, Friend or Follow Ohio City Power!

Copyright 2012 Ohio City Power. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Ohio City Power, Ohio City Power @ St. Paul's Community Church, 4427 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44113. Phone: 216-651-6250 ext. 2 Web: www.ohiocitypower.net

- Betsey Merkel, Ohio City Power Communications