'Experience Works' for senior adults
By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor

Clockwise, Elizabeth Anthony, Experience Works participant, is shown working with JaQuan Kelly, ChaKoya Carter, Stephanie Cortes, Tahdriana Pierce and Derrick Grier at the Jenkins County Head Start center.

Senior adults desiring to reenter the workforce often face numerous obstacles in their quest for employment. Three local citizens, however, have found success with assistance from an area agency.

Reba Bennett, Lois Kirkland and Elizabeth Anthony are all training through the Experience Works program. Bennett and Kirkland are currently training at the City of Millen, and Anthony is training at the Jenkins County Head Start program.

All three ladies have a long history of previous employment. Ms. Bennett worked for 17½ years at Jockey International and 23½ years at the former Thomson Company plant. Ms. Kirkland served as director of the Jenkins County Head Start program for 27 years, and Ms. Anthony worked 36 years at Jockey International. All credit the Experience Works program for enabling them to re-enter the job market.

Lois Kirkland, seated, and Reba Bennett are training at the City of Millen through the Experience Works program. (Staff photos by Deborah Bennett)

Experience Works, Augusta, is the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), funded under Title V of the Older Americans Act as well as state and local grants. Through the program, senior adults are able to obtain training, counseling and community service assignments at community organizations to help them transition into the workforce.

Emily Leckie, employmenttraining coordinator for Experience Works, outlined the qualifications for program applicants as follows: must be 55 years of age or older; low to moderate income that meets income guidelines; eligible to work in the United States; and currently unemployed.

Objectives of the program include providing participants with job-related skills, developing new skills and up grading existing skills. Participants are also taught safe work practices and development of good work habits and effective job search skills.

Participants train an average of 20 hours per week at eligible local agencies for which they are paid by the program. The host agency can be either a private nonprofit organization or a public governmental agency

While there is a temporary freeze on hiring, senior adults can still submit applications, Ms. Leckie said.

For more information on Experience Works, call 800-270- 2973.