Employment program through Goodwill hires senior citizens

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- If you are a senior, a veteran, or disabled and are looking for work you’ll want to hear about this.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program is looking to hire people who are 55 or older who are looking to rejoin the workforce. The program operates through Goodwill and works to place those who are unemployed, who have an income 125% below the poverty level, and are in need of additional training land a part time job. Andrew Smith, an Employment Specialist, said the program is offering minimum wage positions with paid training in several different fields.

“We do that by partnering with nonprofits and government organizations. And we can place them in schools, in health centers, in senior centers, nonprofits like Salvation Army and our Goodwill retail stores,” said Smith. “We have people doing janitorial work, secretarial work, data entry, cooking, you name it.”

The program is currently working to place people in Muskingum, Morgan, Guernsey, Washington, Noble, Coshocton, Athens, Monroe, Harrison, Belmont, Jefferson, Carroll, Columbiana, and Perry counties. Smith said they are in dire need of workers in Perry county which is under served.

“So if you’re interested in our program you can call the corporate office. And what we’ll do is a pre-enrollment assessment to see if you’d qualify. It is income based for lower income individuals. And again, veterans and people with disabilities are priority.”

Those interested in the program can call the Zanesville Corporate Office at 740-450-6060 extension 134.