People age 50 and older who are unemployed, underemployed or interested in re-training or returning to work can learn what services are available to help them at a free BACK TO WORK 50+ Career Training Expo. The event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, in Building S, Room 29/30 at the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd Street, Gainesville. The expo is organized by the college’s BACK TO WORK 50+ and Career and Technical Education programs.
“Through the BACK TO WORK 50+ program, Santa Fe College offers workshops on job search strategies, financial skills, both short-term employment training programs and longer-term educational opportunities, as well as individual coaching and tutorials,” explained Sheila Lucas, director of the Health Sciences Counseling Office and co-coordinator of the SF BACK TO WORK 50+ grant, funded by AARP Foundation. “We invite people 50 plus to come and bring their questions to the training expo.”
Representatives from the college’s Admissions and Financial Aid offices will attend the expo as well as representatives of Career and Technical Education (CTE) training programs in Health Sciences, Business, Building Construction, Information Technology Education, Medical Coder/Biller, Biotechnology, and the Institute of Public Safety.
Short-term courses include a four-week computer fundamentals course and slightly longer certificate programs for jobs as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Office Specialist, or Medical Coder/Biller. Longer-term courses include extended certificate or degree programs in the other CTE disciplines. The SF BACK TO WORK 50+ program also offers refresher skills training, interview coaching and help with resume writing. A limited number of short-term training scholarships are available for people who qualify for financial aid. Participants in the BACK TO WORK 50+ program can also benefit from the AARP Foundation “Finances 50+” workshops.
BACK TO WORK 50+ at SF is supported by a two-year grant from AARP Foundation, in collaboration with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and with generous support from Walmart Foundation. The college obtained the grant in April 2014 and has assisted 62 students to date.
For more information about the Training Expo, call Sheila Lucas at 352-395-5650.
To learn more about courses offered through BACK TO WORK 50+, call Outreach Specialist Carolyn Das at 352-395-5184.
To register for an individual BACK TO WORK 50+ Information Session, call AARP Foundation’s toll-free telephone number, 855-850-2525.
