Designed for adults with limited academic skills and work experience, Westhab's vocational skills training program, known as Project OWN, successfully trains and places an average of 100 people each year into full-time, career-track employment, with starting salaries well above minimum wage (currently averaging $8.30 an hour).

Project OWN's current course offerings include:

Building Maintenance
New York State Certified Security Guard
Customer Service
Basic Computer Skills
Administrative Assistant

The local labor market in Westchester County has job openings available in all of these areas, offering numerous placement opportunities for graduates.

Project OWN courses are offered on weekdays and weekday evenings.

Free transportation and child care are available.

To participate in Project OWN, an individual:

Must be homeless, receiving temporary housing from an agency
Must presently be in Yonkers or Mount Vernon, or have become homeless in those cities
Must be 18 years of age or older

Stepping Up teaches participants how to get and keep jobs. It provides work-related "soft" skills training, such as interview techniques, resume writing, budgeting proficiency, and job retention skills.

Free transportation and child care are available during training.

To be eligible for Stepping Up, an individual:

Must be a Westchester County resident, and
Must be homeless or receiving temporary housing from an agency.
Must be 18 years of age or older.

Career Skills Development Program

Offers special training for eligible staff, employed at local companies. Program provides 20 hours of 'higher order thinking skills' such as decision making, problem solving, teaming, and career advancement skills. It also provides 40 hours of contextual reading and writing relevant to an individual's job needs.

Participants in this program perform at a much higher level in their current positions, and are better equipped to be promoted. These are benefits not only for the participant, but for the company as well.

Classes may be offered in three hour sessions, twice a week, during work hours. Or, if preferred, they may be offered on employees' own time, resulting in the employee receiving a stipend upon graduating.

To be eligible for Westhab's Career Skills Development Program an individual:

Must be currently receiving TANF (or a federally funded Safety Net Program)

--OR - -

Must answer YES to all of the following criteria:
1. Must be a New York State resident
2. Must be a member of a family that includes a minor child or a pregnant woman or a non-custodial parent
3. Must be a United States citizen or TANF qualified non-citizen
4. Must be a member of a family whose gross income does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level

For more information about the Career Skills Development Program, please call Westhab's Employment and Training office at 914-667-0638.

For current course schedules or other inquiries about Project OWN and Stepping Up, please call Westhab's Employment and Training office at 914-667-0638.