BY BTL STAFF
DETROIT – SAGE Metro Detroit will host its first job training program, SAGEWorks Employment Boot Camp, to help 10 LGBT older adults obtain the skills needed for today's workplace.
The two week intensive training program begins July 18 and runs through July 29 and seeks to expand participants' job hunting skills and career options. Classes are free and will be held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hannan House in Detroit. The intensive training is aimed at job seekers aged 40 and up.
A number of factors contribute to older adults staying in the workforce longer or having to re-enter the job market after retirement. Studies have shown that LGBT older adults have a much harder re-entering the workplace and experience greater harassment and discrimination compared to their heterosexual peers – especially transgender men and women.
Research shows that discrimination across the lifespan, and thinner support networks, contribute to higher poverty rates for LGBT people and LGBT elders in particular. One study found that same-sex elder couples face higher poverty rates than their heterosexual peers – 9.1 percent to 4.9 percent.
In addition to fighting poverty, LGBT older adults encounter safety net programs in their later years that deny same-sex couples the same benefits as married heterosexual peers and they experience unequal treatment under the law for being LGBT. For example, under Michigan law it is perfectly legal for an LGBT employee to be fired for simply being LGBT. Some employment protections are granted through the federal government, however.
SAGEWorks Employment Boot Camp will be taught by Operation Able, a Detroit-based non-profit, which for years has been a leader in helping mid-career older adults obtain work and remain employable during their lifetimes. Topics covered include the realities of today's job market; resume and interview instruction; conducting a modern job search; social media and networking; and stress and anger management.
Participants receive a textbook and will work on computers at the training site. Applicaants should be highly motivated in their search for employment and have basic computer skills. Lunch will be provided at each session.
Potential candidates are required to complete the following registration form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1w-P0gRxul-UGJk5QLfdRqL6Csyj_XfjA_HAZWEzudEA/viewform?pref=2&pli=1&edit_requested=true. The form is for trainings in both Detroit and New York City, so make sure to check the Detroit box.
