Help for Non-Profit Employers
Non-Profit organizations and government agencies can qualify as training sites for the Operation A.B.L.E.’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). By special arrangement, a qualified SCSEP participant age 55 or older can be placed at a non-profit for 20 hours per week, with salary paid for by the U.S. Department of Labor. The list of Frequently Asked Questions below provides answers to a broad range of inquiries regarding the SCSEP program and how organizations can become involved.
What is SCSEP?
Operation A.B.L.E.’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (called SCSEP) is funded by the Federal government through the Department of Labor. The program helps mature workers transition back to work.
What is a Training Site?
SCSEP training sites, sometimes called host agencies, are critical in helping participants prepare for employment. A program participant actually works at the organization’s location, obtaining on-the-job training and experience, for 20 hours per week. Operation A.B.L.E. has training sites in Middlesex, Suffolk, Essex, and Worcester Counties.
Does it cost anything to be a Training Site?
There are no direct costs at all. Host agencies reap the benefit of additional workers at no cost. Operation A.B.L.E. pays the participants $8.00 an hour and handles all payroll and worker’s compensation costs. The experience can be perceived as a paid internship in which a capable and highly motivated individual is working on-site, learning about the operation, and developing expertise in a skill that is vital to an organization’s success.
What types of jobs are most suitable for a SCSEP trainee?
SCSEP trainees are deployable in a wide variety of positions, including food service and preparation, services to seniors, office and clerical support, building maintenance and minor repairs, child care center assistance, social services to the community, and many more.
Why should we spend time training someone only to have that person eventually move on to “regular,” unsubsidized employment?
This is definitely an important issue and a major concern for organizations considering participation as a SCSEP training site. If a trainee has required significant staff involvement in order to help him or her become a meaningful and valuable contributor to the operation, the host agency may want to consider hiring that person full-time, and view the period leading up to the hiring as on-the-job training paid for by the U.S. Department of Labor. If the host is not able to hire this individual and he or she finds employment elsewhere, the organization could apply to host another SCSEP trainee. This level of interactive partnership can provide enormous financial and workforce benefits for a non-profit or government agency.
How long does a SCSEP training assignment last?Most SCSEP assignments last anywhere between three and nine months. The maximum length of time is one year.
What organizations can be training sites?
All public, non-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and government offices are encouraged to apply to become a training site
How can I learn more about becoming a SCSEP training site?
Depending on the county in which your non-profit organization or government agency operates, contact one of the following:
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Middlesex County
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Sylvia Dickens
508.626.7142
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Suffolk County
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Suku Menon
617.542.4180 ext. 121
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Worcester Area
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Mark Simoneau
508.799.1600 ext. 684 |
| Essex County (Gloucester) |
Cynthia Andrews
978.998.4979
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Milford & Southbridge Areas
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Anne Mathieu
508.765.6430
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Tee Provost, SCSEP Area Manager -- 617 542 4180 ext. 132
