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Phillip’s Success Story
Phillip Cohen was enrolled in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) at the Winston-Salem Urban League to reinforce and gain new skills to re-enter the workforce and obtain stable employment. At the time of enrollment Phillip lacked confidence and adequate computer literacy but was able to develop these skills in his different roles while training at the Urban League. Additionally, he enrolled in a free computer training course with a partner agency and upon completion was qualified to purchase a laptop computer at an affordable cost. Phillip was excited to finally be able to have his own personal computer. SCSEP was important to him for many reasons but most significantly it offered the training opportunities that he desired to reach full self sufficiency. Phillip was able to improve his organizational and communication skills and learned to structure and manage major events. One of his considerable accomplishments was assisting with organizing the agency’s semi-annual “Career Expo” where he played a key role in their success. Being a member of the outreach team, he attended agency events and represented SCSEP and the Urban League often. When engaging in these events he frequently met local elected officials, TV personalities, heads of local agencies and major companies. Phillip found these opportunities to be very rewarding.
At his inception, Phillip was enrolled in SCSEP to train as a SNAP Counselor (formerly known as Food Stamps) where he helped over 400 residents in the community to apply for benefits. Phillip stated that “The most rewarding experience for me was being able to improve the lives of others in so many ways.”
Because of the valuable training that he received Phillip says that “I recommend the program to other older workers so that they can benefit from the paid training offered as well as receive the support services needed to address barriers that older workers face as I did”.
After exiting SCSEP Phillip was referred by the SCSEP director and was employed as an Adult Sitter by a partner agency where he currently remains. In addition, based on the great work that Phillip did while at the Urban League assisting with the agency’s Career Expo he was offered a part time position to come back to assist with the agency’s future and upcoming Career Expos. As a result of the extensive training he received from the Urban League’s SCSEP program Phillip now has 2 part time jobs.