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(Alliance News Service) —
Family Service Centers Gives Trainees a Second Chance at a Career
Walgreens retail and customer service training
provides marketable skills

With a goal of providing “those in the community not just with a chance for a new job, but a new career with room for advancement” according to Walgreens district manager Alberto Torres, the Walgreens retail and customer service training in St. Petersburg, Fla., is the first of its kind.

Working together to deliver valuable service training are Alliance member Family Service Centers Inc.’s Ways to Work-Partners in Self-Sufficiency program (PSS), whose staff administer the program and conduct the training, including follow-up assistance; Walgreens, which provides the curriculum, training oversight, and job interviewing; and Advantage Training Systems Inc., the providers of the training facility. This collaborative effort is a three-week course which provides training in a classroom resembling an authentic work environment, including cash registers and sample products. The training provides trainees the skills necessary to be successful in an actual working environment.

Vanessia Washington, Family Service Center’s PSS director of programs, describes the program as one that eliminates barriers. “Each individual in this room has been held back by different obstacles at some point in their lives, and now they’ve been given a second chance.”

Qualifying for the first course were seven local residents, each with a different work history that somehow spun off track. Now, all are pursuing a new retail career. “The skills they learn here get them in the door,” says Lynn Elsen, a Walgreens district trainer providing on-site instruction in Walgreens’ policies and equipment. “They still have to perform well, but this training prepares them to do a great job.”

One of the participants, Karla Mobley, 43, struggled financially as a home child-care provider. When Mobley learned of the Walgreens training, she was extremely grateful for the opportunity. “I get emotional when I talk about this opportunity,” says Mobley with tears in her eyes. “The skills I’m learning here I can take anywhere. Everyone has been just terrific.”

Another participant, John Velez, 24, was seriously injured in an auto accident the same day he lost his job at another retail outlet, leaving him without steady work or direction. “Before, I didn’t know how to keep my cool if I was having a bad day, or if a customer was being difficult,” says Velez. “The Walgreens training has taught me how to keep a smile and say ‘thank you’ or ‘how can I help you’ no matter what.”

Gloria Campbell, owner of Advantage Training Systems, is hopeful more corporations will also step forward and partner with the organization to provide training to the community. This practical training is very important because, as Campbell explains, “when new employees become overwhelmed, they perform poorly or just don’t show up. When properly trained, applicants aren’t as quick to feel defeated, but have the confidence to overcome hurdles and everyone wins.”

For more information about the training, including fees and scholarship assistance, call Partners in Self-Sufficiency at 727-446-7778.

Check out familyservicecenters.org or contact Adam Mayefsky at 727-489-5244 for more information on Family Service Centers in Clearwater, Florida.
 

11700 West Lake Park Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53224-3099
Phone: (800) 221-3726
Fax: (414) 359-1074

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