Disability Awareness Training

An accident or illness can happen to anyone, at any time, that can leave a person with a temporary or permanent disability.  Understanding the difficulties that an employee/coworker with a disability may experience is imperative. 

For example, referring to a person with a disability as “handicapped” is not the preferred terminology.
 
To help individuals with disabilities to feel more comfortable and to help employers and employees to develop appropriate people skills, GICV offers Disabilities Awareness Training to employers at their workplaces.

People with disabilities:

• Constitute our nation’s largest minority group, and the most inclusive, diverse population
  
  

• Are individuals with families, job, hobbies, likes, dislikes, problems, and joys
  
  

• Prefer “people first” language (e.g., saying “John has been diagnosed with schizophrenia” instead of “John is a schizophrenic.”)

For more information on GICV’s Disability Awareness Training, contact Julie Hassan at (814) 536-3536, ext. 228 or jhassan@goodwilljohnstown.org

 PA CareerLink, Cambria County

Under the WIA, PA CareerLink, Cambria County focuses on meeting the training, education, and employment needs of adults and dislocated workers through the One-Stop Approach.  This approach provides job seekers with information about employment and training services at a single neighborhood location.  The new location for PA CareerLink, Cambria County is:

New Location

PA CareerLink, Cambria County

Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center (former Vo-Tech)

445 Schoolhouse Road (Richland Township)

Johnstown, Pennsylvania

(814) 533-2493

 On-the-Job Training Program

To provide people who are eligible under the WIA with an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to obtain long-term meaningful employment, the PA CareerLink, Cambria County offers employers the On-the-Job Training Program.
 
Employers who participate in CareerLink’s On-the-Job Training Program are reimbursed for the extraordinary costs of training individuals who do not possess all of the skills needed at the time of hire.
 
What are the benefits to employers?

• Reduces the cost of wages to employers by up to 50% during training

• Reduces employers’ advertising and recruitment costs

• Allow employers to make all hiring and termination decisions

• Guarantees a quick referral process

• Requires minimal paperwork by the employer

• May involve a single job placement or a number of people for one type of job or variety of jobs

CareerLink uses specific Vocational Preparation Codes as a guide to determine the number of hours for a particular On-the-Job Training contract.  These codes are found in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, which also contains job titles and descriptions.
 
A complete list of detailed guidelines can be provided to employers who are interested in finding out more about this program.

For more information about PA CareerLink, Cambria County’s On-the-Job Training Program, contact Beth Anne Sandak at (814) 533-2493, ext. 261 or bsandak@goodwilljohnstown.org.

 Prescreening for Potential Employees

PA CareerLink is available to assist employers in their search to match qualified employees to current job openings.
Staff will thoroughly review resumes posted on the PA CareerLink website by job seekers, and match resumes to actual job descriptions.
 
Results for employers include a selection of job candidates who have passed the initial step of prequalification and are ready to be interviewed by the employer.  And at the employer’s request, PA CareerLink staff will also conduct the interviews at the PA CareerLink.
 
PA CareerLink staff are available for continued communication during this prescreening process to respond to change requests in job opening criteria and to schedule interviews.
 
For more information on PA CareerLink, Cambria County's Prescreening for Potential Employees, contact Beth Anne Sandak
at (814) 533-2493, ext. 261 or bsandak@goodwilljohnstown.org.

 Tax Credits and Incentives

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) reduces employers’ costs of doing business and requires little paperwork.  The success and growth of this federal income tax credit for private-sector employers depends on a strong public- and private-sector partnership to help those who are most in need to find and retain jobs and gain on-the-job skills and experience. The WOTC benefits employers and increases America’s economic growth and productivity.  The WOTC encourages employers to hire individuals from targeted groups.
 
Welfare-to-Work credit is another incentive to employers as they are encouraged to hire individuals who have been recipients of long-term family assistance.
 
For more information on GICV’s Tax Credit and Incentives, contact Ann Torledsky at (814) 536-3536, ext. 230, (814) 533-2493, ext. 286, or atorled@goodwilljohnstown.org or Beth Anne Sandak at (814) 533-2493, ext. 261 or bsandak@goodwilljohnstown.org.

 Southern Alleghenies Career Education Partnership

If middle and high school students were more aware of the kinds of careers that are available to them in the region—and the education and/or training required in order to obtain employment in these careers with local employers—then students could pursue the right education and employers could find the skilled employees they seek.  To enhance this youth career and postsecondary awareness, GICV operates the Southern Alleghenies Career Education Partnership (SACEP).
 
SACEP is one of Pennsylvania's 22 Regional Career Education Partnerships tasked with promoting high-priority occupations in Pennsylvania and helping schools to address the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Career Education and Work Standards (www.pacareerstandards.com).  Another major focus is to increase awareness of career exploration resources such as the CareerZone Pennsylvania, an online career education research tool for youth, at www.pacareerzone.com.

When school guidance and career counselors lack adequate time to fully address the pending career needs of students, and employers lack available staff to individually contact schools to identify workforce-readiness skills, GICV’s SACEP staff bridges the gap. 

SACEP works directly with high school personnel in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties to enhance career and postsecondary awareness for youth by bringing businesses into the classroom, placing educators into workplaces, and providing work-based learning for youth.  This is done through the many vehicles listed below:

Classroom Speakers Workplace Tours Job-Shadowing Work-Readiness Training Educator in the Workplace Program Expert in the Schoolplace Program In-Service Presentations on PA Career Standards Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-Related Classroom Activities Internships CareerLinking Academy (fee-based, week-long event at the Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center)

SACEP is made possible through funding from Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley, Inc. 

Download SAWIB's FAST FACTS on the region's top industries, occupations, average salaries, and education.

Source:  SAWIB

SACEP Overview Flyer

Funded by Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley, Inc.
Service area by counties:  Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset.