Veteran Workshops

 Are you unemployed? AND Have you exhausted your unemployment benefits?
If so, you may be eligible to participate in a new program launching in San Diego this April.
The Platform to Employment (P2E) program is designed to help the long term
unemployed return to work. Individuals eligible for the program are those that have exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits and meet the age requirements.
The P2E Program entails a five (5) week preparatory program which provides a support system incorporating career development tools, workshops, and successful job search strategies. After successful completion of the preparatory program,
participants will be assisted in job placement where your future employer can take advantage of a wage subsidies paid for by the program. The program is free and open to San Diego residents. Space is limited. Apply now.
P2E is currently enrolling individuals who are: 50 years of age and older -OR- Veterans who are 30 years of age or younger
Complete the online application to apply:
www.platformtoemployment.com/application
A P2E staff member will review your application and determine your candidacy.
The Platform to Employment Program is a WorkPlace Opportunity in partnership with the
San Diego Workforce Partnership, Inc.
Funding is made possible from the Wal-Mart Foundation, AARP Foundation and
Citi Group Community Development
Platform to Employment is an equal opportunity program and auxiliary aids and services
are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Any questions, please contact Mike McCarthy (203)610-8554 mmccarthy@workplace.org
Program Fact Sheet
For Workforce Development Professionals
The WorkPlace and the San Diego Workforce Partnership, Inc. are pleased to announce that the Platform to Employment (P2E) is beginning in San Diego, CA in April 2013. P2E is an innovative, privately funded response to the crisis of long-term unemployment. Eligibility for the program falls into two distinct categories: (1) Veterans- 30 years of age or younger and (2) Individuals, 50 years of age or older. Both groups need to have exhausted unemployment benefits.
The goals for each P2E participant are: To become champions for their own careers Learn new skills Complete an eight week work-experience Enter into unsubsidized employment
P2E begins with mandatory workshops conducted four days per week for five weeks. Training will happen at the South Metro Career Center. The workshops, along with personal counseling, provide training and important wraparound services. People out of work for long periods often require assistance beyond job-specific training. They need to regain self-confidence, organize for a job search, and learn to market themselves. Personal and financial issues may need solutions to prepare for regular employment. Participants meet with a behavioral counselor at least once, with additional, optional counseling sessions available for themselves and immediate family members.
Once participants complete the five-week training, they are eligible to take advantage of a wage subsidy incentive in a work experience. P2E will work with participants to match them with employers that have open positions. The employer, by selecting a P2E participant, fills an open position with a supported candidate at no cost for the first four weeks and at partial cost for the next two weeks. P2E eliminates the risk in this hiring, as they are on the payroll of the WorkPlace during the trial period. The expectation is that a participant, if successful, will be hired by the employer at the end of the work experience. Because of the project’s private funding, the absence of government bureaucracy is a significant additional benefit for employers.
Based on the pilot program in Connecticut, P2E has already demonstrated substantial success for its participants. Nationally, the long-term unemployed have a 1-in-10 chance of securing a job each month. Of the 91 participants who completed the training during the pilot in Connecticut, 73 (or 80%) entered the work experience with employers. Of those who completed their work experience, 65 (or 89%) were hired by the employers.
In November 2012, the WorkPlace received funding from the Wal-Mart Foundation, Citi Community Development and AARP Foundation to expand the initiative to ten major cities in the U.S. including San Diego.
Recruitment begins on March 6, 2013. Interested candidates should complete an application on line at www.platformtoemployment.com/application
Platform to Employment is an equal opportunity program and auxiliary aids and services
are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.