Equipping education, workforce and HR professionals to unlock access to better jobs

Jamila Espinal

, Westchester Workforce Board
joined about 2 years ago.

Certifications:

Recent Activity:

Posted in Career Pathway Systems Challenges and Successes

At our Center, you have a variety of customers who are interested in going only part way down the path. For example, a GED, a certification and then C.N.A. For their own personal reasons, regardless of encouragement and access, they are only going so far. Others will start the career pathway and then completely disappear for a year or so. This was especially true during COVID. Now these customers are coming back and interested in continuing on the path. However, rebuilding that relationship with the Employment Counselor takes time. It is also frustrating when a Counselor advises the customer to complete all areas at one time to make them more marketable and earn a better wage. The customer choses not to and returns a couple years later seeking to immediately enroll in a training they needed "yesterday" and the training is not offered until later in the year. Its hard for customers to take responsibility and when this happens, this can be a red flag for the Counselor seeking to recommend or refer the customer for additional opportunities.