New Career Gateway! Program Helps Jobseekers Age 50+ Find Jobs

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 4  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Career Gateway! is a new public-private collaborative to help local jobseekers who are age 50 or older land the jobs they need and want.  It includes interactive workshops, all with 15 students or less, long-term mentorships, and practical take-home materials.  Students will learn how to turbo-charge their resumes, hone their interviewing skills, network effectively, develop a job-search plan that works for them, and much more.

Mid-life and older workers have the experience of a lifetime, yet they are usually unemployed for periods far longer than their younger counterparts.  Age discrimination is a part of the problem, but so too is many jobseekers' ignorance about how to find employment and communicate their interests and abilities, especially in a weak job market and in tough economic times like these.

At $75 for 36 hours of instruction and interactive learning, the fee represents but $2 per hour of class time thanks to generous grants from the Montgomery County, Maryland Health & Human Services Department, the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and JCA -- the Jewish Council for the Aging, a local charity with more than three decades' experience in designing and running effective, award-winning senior employment services.

Gordon Silcox will lead the workshops.  He is a certified coach and consultant in the areas of executive development, career planning and job search, and he is lifelong resident of the D.C. area who knows the local employment scene.  Guest experts, including human resource professionals from regional employers, will assist.

JCA is offering the program at its Center on Aging in Rockville, targeting Montgomery County residents and other older jobseekers interested in Montgomery-based jobs.  Pre-registration is required and JCA will accept applicants on a first-come, come-first served basis.  Persons of all faiths and ethnicities are invited to attend.  Computer literacy is a prerequisite, however, as is each participant's willingness and ability to attend all classes and do some homework, as well.

For information about The Career Gateway!, contact JCA University by calling (301) 255-4200 or [email protected].

SOURCE Jewish Council for the Aging