Connecting People to Jobs (CPTJ) is a workforce development initiative launched in the winter of 2001 by Acercamiento Hispano de Carolina del Sur, funded by a four-year grant awarded by the Mary R. Babcock and Annie E. Casey Foundations. CPTJ aims to move low-income Hispanic/Latino Midlands residents out of poverty and into living wage jobs (with potential for career advancement) by connecting them with job training, education, and support services.

The founding Vision Statement for this initiative was: “All Hispanics who want to work in the Midlands of South Carolina have the opportunity to be productive, fully participating citizens; contributing to the economy and to their community.”

The founding Mission Statement for this initiative was: “ To create and sustain a collaborative partnership that will develop viable opportunities for unemployed and underemployed Hispanics to obtain, maintain, and be upwardly mobile in livable wage jobs.”

CPTJ actively seeks collaborative partnerships with local contractors who are willing to employ these Hispanic workers and learning institutions helping to develop our program participants. As part of this joined effort, CPTJ will assist job seekers identify available learning opportunities in such areas as GED completion, English language and job skills development. CPTJ will work with contractors to help identify program participants with the necessary skills to meet their needs and will also provide job readiness skills development as a value-added component to our employer partners.
We maintain an office at the Columbia One Stop Center with headquarters located at the Acercamiento Hispano de Carolina del Sur main office. Our Intake Coordinator/Community Liaison, housed at the One Stop Center, assists our participants with their job seeking efforts and developmental action planning.

Results

During April 2002 our project became fully operational. We hired our first Program Coordinator who actively worked in the recruitment efforts of all major players: employers, educational institutions, and Hispanic job seekers. From April through August 2002 this person presented the project to the community, participated in meetings with the employers, and provided intake services to our job seekers.
During the month of January 2003 we hired a full time Community Liaison/Intake Coordinator housed at the Columbia One Stop Center. Her primary role is to expose our program to the community and provide the Hispanic job seekers access to all the services offered at the One Stop Center and referrals to other service providers. Shortly after that, our current Program Coordinator researched and developed an initial Workforce Readiness Program with special emphasis on the cultural background of the participants. During the month of March 2003, through a collaborative effort with the One Stop Center and Richland One Adult Education, we also developed and delivered an Introduction to Computers course in Spanish for the Hispanic community members. Two sessions were held, in March and June 2003, with a total of 24 persons completing these courses.