Program enables seniors to join workforce

The price of getting an education can be high. Indeed, too high for some. But there is a program for low-income seniors that will pay them to learn a new skill or brush up on an old one and then will help them enter or re-enter the workforce.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and available through the National Able Network, provides training to low-income seniors, age 55 or older, who wish to get back to work.

Not only do these seniors receive on-the-job training at a position found for them by SCSEP, but they earn a wage as well.

“Where else can you get paid to learn?” asked Dan Muth, program manager of Maine SCSEP. “The program is important because when you think of the way in which older people learn, it is more in a hands-on way. This program is really the best way for them to receive work experience because it is at their own pace.”

Seniors enrolled in SCSEP work 20 hours a week at minimum wage and generally are placed in nonprofit or public settings such as social service agencies, schools, libraries and town offices. Because this program has a community service component, the organization where the enrollee is assigned can tailor the position to suit the senior’s skill level.

It is a win-win situation. The trainee gains knowledge, while the organization gets the help that is usually desperately needed. Such is the case when an enrollee is placed in a town office. The entire community benefits as the office runs more smoothly because of the extra pair of hands, said Muth.

Looking for a job can be stressful for even the most educated and qualified of applicants. But for people who have not worked for a while or are getting older, the process can be very intimidating. SCSEP reduces the fear factor.

Because this is a training situation, the pressure is off, said Muth.

“We actually seek people with poor employment prospects and encourage anyone to apply,” he said. “But the people who come here are varied. They usually need to work for financial reasons, but are also seeking a sense of belonging to something. They get that here, along with a reason to get up in the morning. And they come in at all levels of expertise. We look at what they can do and what they need to learn, and then we develop a training program for them. Wherever people are is where we start with them. We are very participant-centered and want working to be a satisfying experience.”

Success stories are not hard to come by, said Muth.

Take Carl, 64, who enrolled in the program even though he could not read or write. No matter. One of the SCSEP sites took the challenge and tutored him. It wasn’t long before Carl was reading at a third-grade level.

While many people were naysayers and were convinced he would never get a job due to his handicaps, Carl and his newfound friends remained undeterred. With the help of his program monitors, he completed employment applications and distributed them. He now works as a maintenance man at a store and loves it.

And then there is the 91-year-old woman who is still going strong with the program.

SCSEP works with both employers and the participants building relationships that benefit each party, said Muth.

“Many people who come to us have self-esteem issues and a feeling that employers don’t want to hire them because they are older,” he said. “We give them a sense that they can contribute. Our main goal is for the older worker to gain greater self-sufficiency. And we encourage businesses and nonprofit agencies to contact us.”

There are wonderful older workers who have superior work ethics, flexible schedules and an eagerness to learn just waiting to put their new skills to good use, he said.

For information on SCSEP and enrollment criteria, call Muth at 945-6073.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865 or e-mail info@eaaa.org.