Employment Skills Program Outline

Starting summer of 2015 Heartland Girls' Ranch now offers an employment skill program to all residence. The goals of this program is to help girls realize their full potential by recognizing and experiencing the educational and work readiness opportunities available to them, so that they will move towards a new visions of themselves and their future – breaking the cycle of poverty, exploitation and reliance on others as they mature into adults. The Employment Skills Program and Hoofprints of Hope Social Enterprise aims to open up new opportunities to girls to help them recognize their potential and spark new educational and future employment interests and possibilities that they would likely never otherwise be exposed to.   

PROGRAM GOALS/OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES

 

  1. Goal 1. Girls will have knowledge and understanding of their strengths, aptitudes and future education and employment opportunities available to them.
  2. Goal 2. Girls will leave Heartland Girls’ Ranch with job seeking skills and actual work or volunteer experience which will help prepare them for future employment and career exploration.

 

Objectives of Employment Skills Program:

  • Girls will participate in age appropriate life/job skills curriculum through the school and at the Ranch as determined by the
  • Employment Skills Coordinator, their Case Manager, Primary Counselor, and school staff.
  •  Girls will complete a career assessment and receive information about careers they might be interested in.
  • Girls will practice filling out a job application and receive 1:1 coaching on job interviewing.
  •  Girls will have opportunities to participate in paid or volunteer work experiences.
  •   All employment skills education will be tracked and case managers will include this information with girls’ treatment plans.
     

COMMUNITY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The purpose of the community internship program is to give some residents short work experiences in the community.    These internships will involve 24 hours of paid work experience.  Currently we have four businesses participating in this program:  the Benson Bakery, Benson Public Library, Hair Hut, and H & H Veterinary Clinic.

 

Eligibility:  In order to be eligible for this program, girls must be at least 14 years old; on Tier “E”, “R”, or at Strides; and have approval from their Case Managers at HGR.  Potential employees will fill out a job application, complete an interview with the Employment Skills Coordinator, and meet with their on site supervisor before being placed. 

Compensation: Girls will be paid $6.50/hour.  We have received DHS grant funding for girls from the Hearts for Freedom program.  Girls from the other programs are currently being paid with general ranch funds.  We are seeking additional grant funding co compensate girls from the other programs.

Job Responsibilities:  Primary job responsibilities at the bakery include decorating, cleaning, and keeping display cases filled.  Job responsibilities at Hair Hut include cleaning, laundry, and answering phones. At the library, girls help prepare story time activities for young children.  Primary job responsibilities at the veterinary clinic are cleaning kennels, stocking shelves, and walking dogs.

Supervision:  Girls with community internships will be supervised primarily by their on site supervisor, but the HGR Employment Skills Coordinator will communicate with their supervisors on a regular basis to monitor their progress and address any concerns.  A job performance evaluation will be completed near the end of their work experience.  The following competency areas will be measured:  attendance, punctuality, appearance, respect towards customers, respect towards co-workers, ability to accept direction and feedback, initiative, task completion, and ability to ask for help when needed.

 

 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

The following are all examples of things girls have volunteered with in the past:

*helping with activities at Golden Living Nursing Home

*providing care for cats and dogs at the Hawk Creek Animal Shelter

*hosting a Halloween Carnival for children from the Benson Community

*sorting clothing at the Someplace Safe Thrift Store

*packaging food for low income children through the Benson Area Cares 4 Kids program

*helping with the annual Benson Public Library book sale