Transitional Jobs for Women

Consider the impact of growing up in a home with no working adults as role models. Or navigating a three year hole in your work history from your period of incarceration. Imagine getting hooked on drugs or alcohol in middle school, fighting for years to maintain your sobriety as a young adult, and being denied job interviews because of mistakes you are trying to leave behind you.

These are just some of the barriers that women transitioning into the work force for the first time, and/or returning to the community from incarceration, may face when trying to enter (or reenter) the workforce. VWW has been offering job-training and educational programs to women for over twenty years, including ten years of programming inside Vermont’s correctional facilities.

In 2008 we expanded our programs to offer a new employment training model that responds to these barriers – a model that offers women in Chittenden County, Vermont with limited or troubled work histories and significant employment barriers an alternative entry into the workforce. In developing this program, VWW reached out to the National Transitional Jobs Network to learn about alternative programming in other states and to identify those especially successful in transitioning men and women from public assistance to sustained, full-time work. Bringing our findings home, we developed this job training program which offers women transitioning from welfare or incarceration supported, structured, part-time employment while gaining employment skills, building confidence, and developing relationships in the work world.

At the core of the program is an intentional, ongoing collaboration between VWW and local employers. VWW offers on-going training and support to program participants before, during, and after employment placement. Local employers with the capacity to hire trainees with limited work experience and/or identified employment barriers are matched with motivated workers who are ready to learn and have the supportive services of Vermont Works for Women behind them.

“I think Transitional Jobs provides a valuable opportunity for participants to work towards finding a career and becoming productive members of society.” - TJ employer

These employment placements are generally temporary, last from two to three months, are part-time to accommodate immediate commitments to family or required substance abuse or counseling programs, and serve as a stepping stone to full-time, sustained employment. An essential underpinning of the program is that with training, determination, and structured support, every participant can be successful in the workplace.

Benefits to employers include:

• Pre-screened and carefully matched participants that fit the eligibility and skills criteria of the company
• Motivated and ready-to-learn workers
• On-going support to supervisors and the employee as she adapts to the work environment and questions arise or additional resources are needed
• Assistance with obtaining Federal Bonding, a business insurance policy which protects employers in case of loss of property or money
• Assistance with enrolling for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a federal program which offers up to $2400 in tax credit for each new participant hired

Benefits to participants include:

• Career assessments and job coaching
• On-going Employment Skills, Life Skills and Career Development classes
• Part-time paid employment
• Referrals to community service providers
• On-going career pathways planning
• Assistance with long-term, unsubsidized employment and retention support

"This class was a great help to me. It restored my hope when I was out. I was looking for a job for months and couldn’t get anyone to take a chance on me. I thought I’d never get hired. The class in turn helped raise my self-esteem by teaching new skills and by opening my eyes to see skills I already had." - TJ participant

Classes are ongoing, call today to find out more:

Contact Rachel Jolly at 655-8900 ext. 106 or Louise Mastin at 655-8900 ext. 503.

Click here to download an application form. You must have Adobe PDF installed to open this file.

This program is supported by the United Way of Chittenden County, the Hendrickson Foundation and the Vermont Women’s Fund.