Senior Community Service Employment Program

Colorado’s SCSEP will take advantage of the unique resources available through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, and its statewide network of Workforce Centers, by utilizing WFC staff to assist in creating opportunities for participants of SCSEP. In addition to providing more opportunities to place participants, Colorado has a cadre of community recruiters who regularly send applicants to SCSEP host agency sites, leveraging the efforts of SCSEP project directors. This gives SCSEP project directors unique recruitment opportunities in their local communities. Project directors are called upon to speak to local business leaders as part of the larger public/private partnership. Project directors will assist the local WFC to implement the "Protocol for Older Workers." Colorado will continue to send SCSEP participants to staff the WFC locations and collaborate with other WFC partners such as Veteran Services, Wagner–Peyser, and Vocational Rehabilitation to maximize participant referrals.

To enhance services to SCSEP participants, Colorado has added the Career Edge System^TM to the e–Colorado portal. The Career Edge System^TM is an audio and written comprehensive career exploration program available online to career, adult education, and employment centers. This program is at a simplified reading level, includes a completed varied–voice audio component, and is available in English and Spanish. The voices are varied to maintain the interest of nonreaders. The program ties in all components a person needs to make an informed and intelligent career selection. In three steps, a person who has limited English proficiency (LEP) can find appropriate occupations, consider accessible education and training options, search for jobs by location, learn to read career–oriented information, and work systematically toward employment goals. This system benefits both the LEP customer and the SCSEP staff in accessing services.

The participants of SCSEP come to the program with highly developed soft skills, such as loyalty, strong work ethic, dependability, and honesty. However, many participants may need additional training on current technical and operational skills.

The SCSEP Administrator works closely with all SCSEP providers in the State to identify and coordinate training opportunities. The WFCs play a pivotal role in training the participants. In the rural areas there is a great cooperative effort with all of the agencies and often there is free training in the region through the libraries and non–profit sector.