Employment Specialist

Notable Duties and Responsibilities:
• Assist the Employment Coordinator (EC) in executing Bridge programming.
• Recruit new clients and conduct outreach to potential students to gauge interest in program participation.
• Work with job seekers to promote the skills required to obtain and retain job opportunities.
• Connect clients with educational and other resources to support their ability to make informed decisions, integrate into the community, and promote self-sufficiency.
• Maintain relationships with relevant community partners and local employers to meet clients’ needs, identify appropriate employment opportunities, promote client self-sufficiency, and assist clients in achieving their career goals.
• Educate clients as to what employers are looking for in terms of work ethic, attitude, and skills.
• Coordinate transportation and interpretation/translation services, as needed.
• Communicate with clients in caseload during program enrollment, including conducting monthly client check-ins to track progress on program goals.
• Maintain clients’ files with detailed case notes and financial documentation in applicable databases to comply with program requirements.
Bridge Career Pathways (Chattanooga focus):
• Develop Career Development Plans with students to identify and create steps toward reaching their immediate and long-term career goals.
• Provide support and assistance to clients as they pursue training and certification opportunities aligned with their career goals.
• Schedule and implement group classes, arrange interpreters and volunteers, and ensure class content is up-to-date and culturally appropriate.
Immediate Employment (Knoxville focus):
• Oversee the Employment Assessment process, ensuring that all new arrivals are assessed within 30 days of arrival.
• Establish short term goals based on the needs and interests of the client, promoting early employment, self-sufficiency and client self-determination.
• Note resources in the community that assist clients in their job search and skills developments like Workforce Connection, job fairs, and different networks.
• Provide hands-on instruction for application completion (paper & on-line), arrange interviews, and assist during the interview process whenever possible.
• Perform other related duties and activities at supervisor’s request.