By Sadef Ali Kully
The Queens Library has revamped the job search workshop that the library conducts at several of its locations across the borough.
The Consortium for Worker Education and Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow have partnered with Queens Library to train and place New Yorkers in living-wage jobs.
“This program is different because we will provide each individual with the services they need to get ready to work, to build specific skills, and then help place them in a career-track job,” said Debbie Buxton, deputy executive director for Workforce Training at Consortium for Worker Education.
The program is available at the library’s Central Branch in Jamaica, as well as the Astoria, Long Island City and Laurelton community libraries. The new services will also be provided at the Ridgewood Community Library when it reopens following renovation.
“They bring an extra dimension to the services the library already provides, with additional and more advanced training resources and part-time job counselors who will work right in our libraries,” said Bridget Quinn-Carey, the interim president and CEO of Queens Library.
The new program builds on the existing job assistance services at Queens Library. At each of the five library branches, residents will have access to workshops facilitated by employment counselors and job readiness services. Initial training will include computer skills, resumé writing and job interview practice. Each library will be paired with a community organization to assist with specific vocational training and job placement.
“We provide a lot once we assess their need to prepare them for their future job,” said Nicole Mason, corporate recruiter at OBT. Towards the end of the workshop, Mason approached one of the participants, Dawn Paulette Carter, with a job opportunity.
Carter, a 64-year-old certified fitness specialist, left the position she had held for 11 years after she felt growing ageism in the workplace. She started the workshop so that she could improve her resumé and look for opportunities.
“I want to go beyond just fitness specialist—health promotion has always been important to me,” she said.
The new library programs are funded by the City Council, which has made job training and placement a priority through funding for the Consortium for Worker Education Jobs to Build On program.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
