Training Programs

Operation A.B.L.E. is committed to helping mature workers learn the skills they need for today’s job market. The following are A.B.L.E.’s current retraining opportunities: 
Quick Links:

Operation EmployABLE:  Computer & Office Skills Training

Operation Service!

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

Operation Success

Operation EmployABLE:  Computer & Office Skills Training

The contemporary workplace is very different from that of even 10 years ago. Today, technology skills are at or near the top of the list of most employers’ preferences for new hires. Whether the job is an entry level position in office administration or as a professional-level knowledge worker, technology skills are likely to be a key prerequisite for getting the job.

The Operation EmployABLE program was developed with real world input from Operation A.B.L.E.’s partners in the business community.  The program was designed to prepare students to meet the technology and job search challenges awaiting them. 

Operation EmployABLE:

• Provides 19 weeks (570 hours) of instructor-led computer and office skills training for secretarial, office support/administration, or data-entry careers
• Offers thorough grounding in MS Windows XP, file management, and the MS Office Suite: Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Includes making the most of the Internet for job searching, sending and receiving e-mail, keyboarding, data entry, current office practices, filing, and basic skills review
• Invites local employers to visit class to discuss their companies and employment opportunities, conduct mock interviews, and make presentations on topics related to interviewing skills, professional development, and customer interaction
• Enables students to test their computer knowledge using QWIZ® software, which is used by most employment agencies
• Puts new skills directly to work at the A.B.L.E. switchboard
• Accommodates a maximum of 20 students per classroom per cycle
• Includes three-week, full-time internship following 16 weeks of classes
• Provides extensive job search assistance including weekly job search workshops, individual counseling & coaching, mock interview practice, and job referrals
• Offers job search resources to each participant, including fast Internet/computer workstations, a full-service job listing and resource room, copier, and fax machine
• Classes meet Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Program Cycle Dates 2008-2009 
  • 5/19/08 -- 9/26/08 
  • 7/21/08 - 11/28/08
  • 9/22/08 - 2/6/09

• Age 18 or older
• Citizenship or Green Card
• Score 7^th grade or higher on TABE reading & math skills test
• Highly motivated towards re-employment
• Interest/aptitude for clerical, administrative/office, and/or customer interaction-related work 

• Tuition is $5,000 per student. Financial aid available to applicants who qualify.
• Funding provided by Title 1 Workforce Investment Act vouchers, the National Emergency Grant (NEG), the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Workman’s Insurance Compensation, employer-sponsored severance, the Department of Transitional Assistance, and A.B.L.E. private scholarships.
• Student loans available from SLM Financial, a division of Sallie Mae, for the Career Training Loan.

For More Information

Contact Enery Martinez at 617 542 4180 ext. 124MOSES ID #1007581

Operation Service!

To capitalize on a growing demand for customer service representatives and the suitability of older workers to those careers, Operation A.B.L.E. partnered with a number of leading Massachusetts employers and career centers to launch this one-of-a-kind program that prepares participants for entry level jobs in customer service.  Each 10-week Operation Service! class cycle develops proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, Internet navigation, screen toggling, and customer service; enhances existing people skills; and provides extensive job search support. 

• 10 weeks (300 hours) to a rewarding position in customer service: customer service rep, hotel front desk/reservations, bank teller/CSR, concierge, inside sales, receptionist, and more
• Instructor-led classes for one-on-one experience
• Training in MS Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, Internet Navigation meets employers’ technology requirements
• Enhance your existing people skills to become a customer care expert
• Emphasis on job search methods just for mature workers
• Learn to master online job hunting and application techniques
• Enrolls maximum of 20 students per classroom per class cycle
• Provides access to job search resources for each participant, including fast Internet/computer workstations, a full-service job listing and resource room, copier, and fax machine
• Prepare for jobs with career-ladder potential in Financial, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, and other industries
• Classes meet Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Program cycle dates 2008:
  •  TBD

Eligibility

• Massachusetts resident age 18 or older
• Citizenship or Green Card
• Score 7th grade or higher on TABE reading & math skills test
• Genuine interest/aptitude for interpersonal communications-related work

Cost

• $3,750 per student.
• Financial aid available to applicants who qualify
• Funding provided by Title 1 Workforce Investment Act vouchers, the National Emergency Grant (NEG), the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Workman’s Insurance Compensation, employer-sponsored severance, the Department of Transitional Assistance, and A.B.L.E. private scholarships
• Student loans available from SLM Financial, a division of Sallie Mae, for the Career Training Loan

For More Information

Contact Tee Provost at 617.542.4180 ext. 132

MOSES ID #1040037

Operation Success

This 6 week (180 hour program) boot camp intensive is appropriate for the individual contributor, supervisor, coordinator and mid-level manager, aged 45 plus, who needs to upgrade existing MS Office skills as well as learn how to continue their careers in a labor market often hostile to the older worker, and in particular to the mid-life professional. The program includes a concentrated focus on strategies for overcoming the obstacles and stereotypes faced by the mature worker in order to successfully transition back to work. This is a tough program with a great deal of outside work, but if you use it, you will land exactly where you choose.

Operation Success:

• Provides six-week (180 hours) program to prepare workers age 45 & older for re-entry to current labor market which is unwelcoming to mature workers. Class meets Monday through Friday from 9:00 – 3:30.
• Upgrades existing MS Office Suite skills
• Offers intensive focus on values-based self marketing campaign to assist mature workers to identify barriers to finding employment and to develop a powerful strategy to navigate around these barriers. The curriculum will include guest presenters addressing topics germane to the mature worker as well as video taped interview practice. This program will culminate in two Showcase events. Each student will prepare a presentation to showcase his or her abilities and strengths before two separate panels of Human Resource professionals from companies chosen by the students themselves.
• Provides access to job search resources for each participant, including fast Internet/computer workstations, a full-service job listing and resource room, copier, and fax machine as well as lifetime assistance for all aspects of job search.

Eligibility 

• Massachusetts resident age 45 or older • Ability to type, even if slowly
• Familiarity with MS Office, Word in particular 
• Commitment to finding full time work in area of choice
• Citizenship or Green Card

Cost

• $2,500 per student
• Financial aid available to applicants who qualify
• Depending on eligibility, funding may be available through A.B.L.E. private scholarships, Title 1 Workforce Investment Act vouchers, Veteran’s Administration, employer-sponsored severance to name a few.
• Student loans available from the Sallie Mae Financial Career Training Loan
• Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
• Program cycle dates 2008: 
    - May 27 - July 3, 2008

For More Information

• Contact Tee Provost at 617.542.4180 ext. 132 or tprovost@operationable.net

  Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

Low-income job seekers over age 55 are in a very vulnerable situation.  In many cases a lack of job skills combined with advancing years leaves job seekers with a feeling of powerlessness and further plunges them into financial chaos and weakened self esteem.  The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) was developed by the U.S. Department of Labor to help job seekers over age 55 get the training they need in order to get back to work. 

The Senior Community Service Employment Program:

• Offers an opportunity to earn $8.00 per hour, 20 hours per week in a non-profit or government agency
• Provides “paid internship” experience
• Assists in the transition to a new “unsubsidized” employment opportunity
• Enables participants to work at training sites in or near their home communities.
• Provides ongoing job search assistance
• Recruits participants on an ongoing basis

Eligibility Requirements

• Income at no more than 125% of poverty level (U.S. Dept. of Labor guideline) Contact Operation A.B.L.E. to determine income eligibility.
• Be age 55 or older
• Citizenship or Green Card
• Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, or Worcester County resident

Cost

• No cost to the participant
• Funding provided by the U.S. Department of Labor 

For More Information About SCSEP Contact One of the Following:

North Shore Area	Susan Jepson toll free at 888.470.2253 ext. 122
Cape Ann Area	Mary Alves 978.283.4772
Cambridge Area	Polly Harold 617.542.4180 ext. 133
Lowell Area	Caryl McDonnell or Kathy McDermott 978-458-2503 ext. 4740
Lawrence & Haverhill Areas	Linda Foote 978 946 1367
Framingham & Natick Areas	Juan Ortiz 978 534 1481 x 131
Worcester Area	Jack Wolf 508.799.1600 ext. 608
Leominster/Fitchburg/Gardner Areas	Juan Ortiz 978 534 1481 x 131
Milford & Southbridge Areas	Anne Mathieu 508.765.6430
Boston Area	Irene Murphy 617.542.4180 ext. 123
For General Information About The programs Call	Susan Jepson 617 542 4180 ext. 122

Please see the SCSEP FAQ for more information.