Ready2Work
PA CareerLink of Lancaster County
Lancaster, PA
In response to the perceived needs of employers, the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County has added a workforce readiness process that we are calling Ready2Work to its traditional program of labor exchange in an effort to better prepare prospective employees for work. The new system accommodates people who are currently working but looking for a better job, people who have been dislocated because of being laid off, people who are re-entering the workforce after incarceration or a lengthy time on welfare, and young people who are out of school and unemployed. Job placement and retention of the job is the ultimate outcome.
There are essentially five steps to the process
- Assessment
- WIN
- O*Net
- Career counseling and curriculum planning
- Pre-Employment Training
- Study skills (IU)
- ESL (Words4Work, IU)
- Personal management skills (Alchemy)
- Human resource briefings (Alchemy)
- Foundational skills (WIN)
- Soft skills (Alchemy)
- Computer skills (Digital Literacy)
- Job Readiness Preparation
- Pre-employment skill training
- Assembly
- Welding
- Forklift driving
- Hand and power tools
- Customer service
- ServeSafe
- Pre-allied health
- Manufacturing Skills Standards Certificate
- Microsoft Office (Unlimited Potential)
- CPR, First Aid
- WorkKeys
- Pre-employment skill training
- Placement
- Criminal background checks
- TB test
- Physical
- Drug testing
- Labor exchange
- Job fairs
- Web sites (CareerLink, EmployOn)
- Referral from job developers
- Retention
- Case management
- Mentor
- Group contact
- Telephone call-in
People can enter into the system in two ways…through a referral from a case manager from a related program or through a self-referral directly through the CareerLink whereupon a case manager will be assigned from the Ready2Work program. The case manager provides continuity through the entire process. Contact the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County at 509-5613 to make an appointment to begin the assessment process.
There is no charge for the initial Assessment or the Pre-Employment Training. There are few or no charges for the other services.
Upon completion of the Job Readiness part of the program, the participant will have a portfolio as they move into the placement phase that includes at minimum a WorkKeys profile. It is anticipated that participants will also have other credentials to include in their files as a result of their participation in other parts of the process. Persons that complete the Job Readiness part of the curriculum and are judged by staff to be “job ready” receive a Career Readiness Credential, endorsed by the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County.
Companies around Lancaster County guarantee a job interview to graduates who match their job profiles.
Contact Lori Rank for more information on the Ready2Work program at 717-509-5613 ext. 230 and Scott Sheely on how this program fits into the broader workforce system in Lancaster County and around the nation at 717-735-0333.
