Contact:
Antoinette Maciolek
610-359-5276

(Media, PA) The
New Choices Career Development Program at Delaware County Community College recently
received a three-year grant of $115,000 from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The
grant will provide job counseling, training and job placement assistance for
low-income and underserved women living in Delaware and Chester counties.

New Choices
is a free program that helps individuals make career, educational and personal
changes successfully. The program provides individual and group support, career
planning workshops, employer contacts, networking opportunities, resume writing,
and interviewing techniques as well as basic computer skills and math
remediation. The goal is to assist participants in reaching economic independence
by finding and retaining employment and/or training.

Workshops are
offered throughout the year. Each eight-week session provides more than 100
hours of instruction in career assessment, skills identification, goal setting,
job search skills, stress and time management, and computer skills. Upon
completion, a career services professional assists each participant in finding
appropriate employment and/or occupational training.

The program
serves approximately 150 participants per year, thirty-five of whom are
supported by The Pew Trusts. The goal of the program is for graduates to gain
the competencies required for development of their personal career plan and
resume. More than 70 percent of those who complete the program will be placed
into employment or training within six months of graduation.

New Choices
began in 1982 with 25 participants. Since then, more than 4,000 have moved to
further training or employment. The next series of workshops will begin in
September at the Marple Campus, the Southeast Center in Sharon Hill and Exton
Center. For more information, please call 610-359-5232.

***The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) is driven by the power of knowledge
to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical
approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. Pew
partners with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and
concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and
goal-driven investments to improve society.