SEIU Local 99 member reports back on job readiness workshop.
by Yessica Escobar
Every summer, I struggle. I’ve been denied Unemployment Insurance in the past and I wasn’t able to find work during the summer. Then I learned that my union was offering a four-day “Work Readiness” course at the union hall. Attending the workshop was such a good decision! Two weeks later, I got a summer job that might even turn into a part-time position all year.
I really love my job at Byrd Middle School. After six years as a T.A., I’ve learned that I’m really good at working with the kids who seem to be struggling. And the teachers see that I have skills in this area, too. I’m usually the one who’s asked to take a child aside if they’re acting out in class. I have a really calm approach and the child and I are always able to quickly discover what’s going on.
What I never knew before was that this skill—being able to calmly interact with people in difficult situations—was valuable in pretty much any working environment. Ms. Jones, who taught the 4-day workshop, helped us see all of the “transferable skills” we had and how we could confidently take those skills to other jobs.
When I walked into a local Ross clothing store that was hiring in my neighborhood last month, I knew I had the job. I saw the hiring manager’s face as I described how I worked with difficult students and how I would use the same approach to work with difficult customers; how I would listen and stay calm and defuse the situation. They pretty much asked me “when can you start?” before I finished my sentence! It was amazing! I had never been able to do that before.
I also learned how to see possibilities. I’d been to job fairs before and I remember thinking things like “Pharmaceuticals!? What does that have to do with me? How can an educator get a job there?” But this year, when I attended Local 99’s Summer Resource Fair, I was more open. I actually “networked” and spoke to everyone.
I think this is going to change my summers forever.
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Connecting members with resources is one way SEIU Local 99 is helping members address the issue of summer unemployment. In our three-pronged approach to Summer Relief for School Workers, we are:
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