The Society for Human Resource Management's Workforce Readiness Initiative continues to prepare local job seekers for the CNMI job market. On Sept. 4, the program's fifth group of trainees completed a week of job preparation and food service/wait staff skills that will help them find jobs in the CNMI's hotel and restaurant industry. This group of job seekers, referred by the CNMI Department of Labor and the Workforce Investment Agency, received 40 hours of training from Aug. 27 to Sept. 4. The course also included the food handler class from the Division of Environmental Health to obtain their food handlers certification.
“With hospitality as the main industry here in the CNMI, there is a definite market for waiters, waitresses, food service workers, and those who aspire to be cooks and chefs. This was a good program to help start our students into those job focuses. It prepared them for the job search and provided them with employable work skills training,” said Frank Gibson, Initiative program manager for SHRM. “This was a good group of applicants. They were interested and enthusiastic, showed up on time, and participated well. They received good solid training from knowledgeable and experienced instructors from the business community. They will all do well in hospitality and food service jobs.”
The second Initiative program participants were Joseph Aguon, Norma B.Carayoan, Raymond Castro, Cris John Deleon Guerrero, Daisy Anne Lizama, Evalani Lei Olopai, Antonio Reyes, Vincent Reyes, Melshia Suel, and William Wabol.
The wait staff program included job preparation classes on job applications and résumés, job interviews, equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, job search responsibilities, and employer expectations. Skills training classes were provided on customer service, two classes of basic restaurant services that included both food and beverage services, general culinary, and the food handler's certification class.
Gibson said the students especially benefitted from the skills and the interest of the instructors. “I would like to thank the SHRM members, Ms. Polly DLG Masga from PIC, Mr. Jim Arenovsky from Delta Management, Ms. Malou Ernest from Tan Holdings and Ms. Josephine Mesta, Ms. Denise Montenegro and Ms. Shawn Sweeney from the Hyatt Regency Saipan, who worked with the participants to prepare them for employment. Special thanks are owed to Mr. Melil Ngirausui from the Bureau of Environmental Health for the food handler certification training. I appreciate the business community's, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.'s and SHRM's continued assistance.”
The Workforce Readiness Initiative is funded by a grant awarded to the CNMI SHRM by the U.S. Department of the Interior through the CNMI Department of Commerce in support of the CNMI Economic and Labor Enhancement Program. This Initiative to benefit the community started on April 16 with a one-week warehouseman training program, just recently completed a sixth program for front desk clerk/receptionist/administrative clerk, and will next repeat the food service and wait staff program, running Monday, Sept. 24, through Friday, Sept. 28.
The Workforce Readiness Initiative is for the benefit of unemployed U.S. qualified workers. Qualified individuals who are registered with WIA or the DOL Employment Services should contact those offices and let them know of their interest. Those who are not registered and are interested in joining one of the Initiative programs should immediately register with WIA and express their interest. All interested candidates should sign up with WIA to allow them to help employers with funding of Initiative graduates. Interested individuals can also contact Gibson by e-mail at hrsupportcnmi@gmail.com.
Although the Initiative does not guarantee a job for every participant, it will make every effort to get each graduate employed. Several companies have already committed to accepting Initiative graduates and the Initiative will continue to source jobs through its SHRM member companies and other employers. Companies interested in considering Initiative graduates can contact Gibson at hrsupportcnmi@gmail.com.
This program is supported by federal funds in the amount of $102,000 under the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, CNMI Economic and Labor Enhancement Program through a sub-grant award from the CNMI Department of Commerce. (SHRM)
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