Penny Lane Centers Employment Support Program is an immersive one-on-one educational program that serves Transitional Age Youth (ages 16-25) in the San Fernando Valley, who are receiving ongoing Department of Mental Health therapy services. Our goal is to prepare and assist our youth in gaining permanent, entry-level, or mid-level employment in their community through Education, Preparation and Guidance.
Program participants begin with a comprehensive Vocational Assessment where they will identify their individual employment barriers, discover work preferences, and explore job and career goals. Participants then go on to receive Employment Preparation and Job Development Services, where they will learn how to complete job applications, build a professional resume, conduct job search, speak with employers, apply for opportunities, and interview.
Finally, if the participant is offered a job from the ESP, they will receive Job Placement and Job Retention services; these services support the participant through the hiring and orientation process, where they will receive training on youth labor laws, workplace safety, work ethic, conflict resolution, maintaining employment, and interacting with supervisors and co-workers. All program participants will receive interview clothing and monthly bus pass funds pre-employment, as well as work uniform clothing once employed. Once the participant has reached 90 days of employment, they will graduate having developed the skills needed to gain and maintain employment.
“With the program I got to experience lots of things I would have never done on my own. I have a job and a steady paycheck now and can help out my family.”
“I got a job, which made me very happy as I was bringing in some money and now had some work experience to build off of for future applications.”
“The mock-interview before my interview truly helped me feel confident. Without the program, I would have been a lot more unprepared and nervous about how to answer the questions”
“The program was hands-on and we were always filling out applications, if we weren’t filling out applications we were editing my resume.”
(For Penny Lane Center jobs check out Careers)
Consider donating directly to our Employment Support program and help a youth or adult reach their employment success. Every dollar counts.
