SEATTLE - The Obama administration’s $787-billion stimulus package will also help Asian Pacific islander seniors by allowing them to participate in a national training program, the National Asian Pacific Center for Aging (NAPCA) said in a statement.
The Seattle-based center said the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), for those 55 and older, will receive $120 million toward increasing the number of training slots available for low income seniors nationwide.
“This is just the kind of targeted job creation that should be first priority in a stimulus bill. It serves low income seniors who make less than $13,438 per year ($18,213 for couples),” said NAPCA president and chief executive officer Clayton Fong.
“The program has a long waiting list that demonstrates the need and would allow seniors to be hired immediately,” he added.
Fong said the US Department of Labor will disperse the funds within 30 days after the bill is signed.
“So many seniors can be hired on day one, and I expect more than 20,000 unemployed seniors will have a paycheck in their hands within 60 to 90 days of passage,” he said.
NAPCA expects over $1 million to be infused into its SCSEP program. The money will provide community service training to hundreds of low-income seniors, paying them half time to train at non-profit community based organizations.
“It is a win-win situation for everyone involved because seniors get the job training they need to eventually find full-time jobs. Non-profit host agencies get the double benefit of having extremely hard working participants train with them and the satisfaction of knowing they are helping those senior participants during this tough economic time,” said Fong.
A part-time, subsidized training program sponsored by the Department of Labor, NAPCA’s SCSEP program focuses on participants who likely have limited-English speaking abilities, are literacy-skills deficient, and were born in another country.
“Without a program like this one, they would not have the opportunities to advance in society,” Fong said.
So, those who are or know someone who are 55 years or older and interested participating in the SCSEP program, or know of a non-profit organization that could use the help of a senior and at the same time can provide work experience and training, please contact NAPCA’s national multilingual toll-free helpline numbers:
English 1-800-336-2722, Chinese 1-800-582-4218, Korean 1-800-582-4259, Vietnamese 1-800-582-4336.
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