December 17, 1999
By Ken Pagano
Every day they prepare a list of assignments, delegating responsibilities with an assertive voice that expects not only speed but also efficiency.
They allocate funds and project expenditures.
For optimum results they appoint specific staff members who meet the highest and most effective standards of performance to complete projects.
They praise staff for a job well done and they admonish staff for less than satisfactory achievement. And they still find time to wash clothes and cook a meal.
They are single parents and homemakers with the skills to successfully make the transition from the home front to the business office. And for nine years Southwestern College has been preparing single parents and homemakers with an intensive 18-week step-by-step course on the road to re-enter the workplace.
Southwestern is offering single parents and homemakers Job Readiness (PD 48), beginning January 14.
"Many single parents and homemakers have been sheltered from the world for too long," says Hilse Barbosa, Women's Resource Center counselor. "They have a difficult time trying to re-enter the workplace that has new technology and new expectations. We build upon skills students already possess."
Most importantly participants rejuvenate their sense of worth through identifiable results captured from a balance of professional expectation and an accessible support staff.
The Southwestern College Women's Resource Center, Career Center and the Regional Occupational Program office work toward a common goal, to improve the quality of life for program participants. The result is an interdepartmental network that provides displaced students "with the most cutting edge information on careers and career planning," says Emilia Simental, marriage and family crisis counselor for the SWC Women's Resource Center.
Throughout the course outline, workplace professionals and guest speakers discuss current market trends, potential salaries and labor laws.
As a platform for continued growth, students earn new language commonly used in the office environment to communicate effectively, a knowledge base about the pre-employment process and access new technology that directly impacts career interests.
"By the end of the course students have the ability to put these skills into practice," says Barbosa.
For more information contact Hilse Barbosa at (619) 421-6700 x5238.
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