Young Adult Employment Readiness Counselor F/T

Young Adult Employment Readiness Counselor
**This is a temporary grant-funded position through 6/30/2018**
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Young Adult Employment Readiness Counselor provides job readiness instruction and builds partnerships with internal departments and external organizations to provide internship and training opportunities for young adults (age 16 to 24) enrolled in the library’s Young Adult Literacy Program (YALP). Primarily responsible for building a comprehensive opportunity bank which will include job placement, educational, vocational, and apprenticeship programs. Additional responsibilities include connecting participants to High School Equivalency (HSE) programs, colleges, training and assist with, job search and career development and facilitating work readiness workshop with the participants.

• Participates in Bridge Program intake process to assess customers for admissions and identifies interest/aptitude for programs.
• Provides job readiness training using established curriculum and learning activities.
• Acts as substitute instructor if YALP Instructors are absent using establish contextualized curricula and lesson plans.
• Works with partners to identify employers’ needs and tailor program approach, curriculum and learning experiences to better meet those needs.
• Works with instructional and administrative staff to set high and measurable goals for student achievement.
• Monitors participants’ compliance with attendance and progress through participant observation tool.
• Reports any individual student issues to case manager on a weekly basis.
• Performs other duties as assigned by YALP Coordinator.
• Attends community meetings, special events, and other social collaborative opportunities to build and maintain partnerships with specific education, training, and employment providers.
• Sets up strong referral systems in order to support successful transition from pre-HSE to HSE programs, and/or employment training/employment at the end of each semester.
• Attends job and career fairs and maintain relationship with workforce centers to find matching job opportunities for participants.
• Represents Queens Library at City’s Career Pathways network events, as well as Department of Youth & Community Development/ Center for Economic Opportunity (DYCD/CEO) program meetings and is responsible for maintaining effective programmatic partnerships.
• Works with students one-on-one to assist with resume building, interviewing, and other work readiness activities as necessary.
• Facilitates workshops on themes related to job readiness to all YALP sites.
• Ensures every student has a portfolio with pertinent materials for employment including updated resume, cover letter, performance rubrics and essays.
• Through instruction, individual career counseling and other supportive services, ensures that Bridge Program participants are prepared and qualified for internship placement including meeting all attendance requirements.
• Contacts employers, apprenticeship, vocational and educational programs by mail, phone, email and in-person to solicit information concerning appropriate job openings and enrollment information
• Places prepared students into internship and training placements.
• Monitors internship placements including conducting regular visits to worksites and evaluation of participants’ performance including, overseeing the day-to-day operations of internship placement, tracking internships in YALP ONLINE including inputting workhours and tracking and maintaining pay history for completed hours of work
• Meets regularly with case manager and instructor to discuss individuals’ progress and coordinate career exploration opportunities.
• Performs in-take assessments, analyzes assessment data, and follows up with students regarding the status of their goals and objectives.
• Provides participants with the information and assistance they need to successfully navigate the process of moving from pre-HSE to HSE or occupational programs.
• Provides academic advising, tutoring, coaching, and referral to support services.
• Provides students with professional one-on-one feedback regarding their performance in the program.
• Tracks participant’s attendance in all services using provided tools.
• Tracks individual Bridge Program participants through all phases of Bridge Program including after program exit.
• Tracks and reports on progress of participants placed into internships program.
• Tracks all case management and career counseling interactions by unique individual.
• Maintains referral documentation and database.
• Provides outcomes reports using all available tools.
• Prepares regular reports according to specifications set by the YALP Program Coordinator.
• Maintains all tax documentation for participants enrolled in internships.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or related field required. Master’s Degree Preferred.
• A minimum of three years of youth work and/or case management experience is required.
• Demonstrated experience working with out of school/out of work youth preferred.
• At least two years of experience in job development with youth job development experience preferred.
• Experience in developing and delivering instructor-led and interactive workshops is necessary.
• Must be able to work with a diverse population.
• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office and databases such as MS Access, ASIST, etc.
• Must be able to effectively multitask and maintain a high level of customer service skills.
• Excellent presentation skills preferred. Strong verbal and written communication skills; and good networking and team building skills. Detail oriented, flexible and a self-starter.
• Good organization and administrative skills including experience with tracking program attendance and preparing reports.

ABOUT QUEENS LIBRARY:
Queens Library is a national and international leader in the delivery of public library service. Innovation and leadership are the hall marks of Queens Library. Our mission is to meet the needs of the community by offering lifelong learning opportunities and ensuring there is a positive impact in the community. Queens Library fulfills its goals by embracing innovation and change. With a history of offering pioneering programs that meet the diverse needs of the most diverse county in the US, Queens Library is a place where innovation and leaders are welcomed. Queens Library a private, non-profit corporation located in Queens, New York and includes 65 service locations with 1,700 employees.

Queens Library is the proud recipient of the following awards: 2009 Library Journal, Library of the Year, 2014 ALA/Information Today, Library of the Future, 2013 ULC Top Innovators, 2013 American-Architect’s Building of the Year (Queens Library at Glen Oaks).

To Apply: Email your cover letter and resume to QLCareers@queenslibrary.org and reference “Young Adult Employment Readiness Counselor – EXTERNAL” in the subject line. Resumes will only be accepted by email.

**This is a temporary grant-funded position through 6/30/2018**

Queens Library is an equal opportunity employer.