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Partner Profile:
Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow
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Confidence.
Discipline. Professionalism.
These three principles are behind every program at Opportunities for a
Better Tomorrow. The organization was founded in 1983 by
Sister Mary Franciscus to serve out-of-school and unemployed young
people in Sunset Park. Over the next three decades, OBT has grown a
citywide footprint and expanded its services to support unemployed
adults.
Through job training and job placement programs funded by Jobs to
Build On and the Worker Service Centers, OBT helps New Yorkers from
a range of backgrounds reenter the workforce, whether they are
recently unemployed or are seeking a job for the first time.
“We work with them where they are at, and connect them to the
services they need,” says executive director Randolph Peers.
OBT expects participants to approach job training with the same
professionalism that would be expected in the business world.
Appropriate dress, punctuality, and accountability are all required
in the classroom, so participants are ready from day one at a new
job.
OBT’s adult programs specialize in customer service and computer
skills, with many graduates going on to jobs in the financial and
legal industries. Participants can also enroll in GED and English
courses.
For OBT, it all comes back to those three principles: confidence,
discipline, and professionalism. Participants leave with more than
new jobs. Their belief in themselves and what they can accomplish
is renewed as well.
For 3,000 adults per year, that means new opportunities and new
hope.
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Participant Profile: Raquel
Del Pilar Vasquez
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When
Raquel Del Pilar Vasquez immigrated to New York from the Dominican
Republic, she hoped to continue her career as an office assistant.
She looked and looked for jobs, but the experience and skills from
back home did not translate into a job here.
Raquel worked for years as a hotel housekeeper, but the physical
labor took its toll and she had to give it up. She needed a new job
to provide for her three children.
Then Raquel found Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow.
OBT staff reviewed Raquel’s experience and discussed her career
goals. On their advice, Raquel enrolled in certification courses in
customer service and Microsoft Office.
“I used to do this work in my country,” says Raquel, “but the
courses updated my knowledge because so much has changed. OBT
helped me a lot.”
OBT’s assistance did not stop at training. They helped Raquel
improve her resume and practiced job interviews with her. “When I
went for the interview, I wasn’t nervous. I was prepared,” says
Raquel.
Once she was ready, OBT sent Raquel to interview at a home
healthcare agency called People Care. She got the job and two years
later, has now been promoted to supervisor. It is a job that is
providing for her family and she is proud of her work.
“It’s more than a company. Patients are like our family.”
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The Consortium for Worker Education and Jobs to Build
On joined Council Member Anabel Palma for a job fair in the Bronx on
May 16th. JtBO partner organizations at the job fair included Argus
Community, Nontraditional Employment for Women, Per Scholas, Inc,
HANAC, New Era Employment Service Inc., SOBRO, Northern Manhattan
Improvement Corporation, and St. Nicks Alliance.
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