Career Coach - Lake County-Gary

Diversified Services Network Inc. is seeking a Career Coach to work on a long-term project. This will serve Lake County and be located in Gary, IN.

Essential Job Responsibilities: 

• Manages a caseload of participants and provides work readiness counseling and mentoring
• Assesses participant competencies, work history, educational attainment, skills and abilities; identifies challenges to finding employment and prompts them to find solutions
• Conducts regular ongoing individual meetings with participants for job search, education, job retention, and/or job readiness
• Completes an individualized overview of available services and works with participant to create an employment plan for short- and long-term goals
• Maintains information about area resources and employers
• Ensures participant accountability and attendance; tracks and maintains employment retention goals
• Provides government agencies with prompt notification that a participant has lost or reduced hours of employment
• Maintains scheduled, periodic contact with participants in a variety of locations to assess job retention/advancement issues
• Provides information to participants on available training and/or jobs that will lead to advancement
• Assumes central responsibility for participants achieving self-sufficiency by monitoring progress throughout the program cycle, beginning with referral and continuing through retention and advancement efforts
• Prepares, organizes, and maintains accurate, updated information in both electronic and paper participant files reflecting the entire history of a program participant including log of supportive services issued
• Provides case management with a focus on helping customers to prepare for employment that leads to self-sufficiency
• Facilitates customer access to training, education, and employment services, as well as job-specific information; provide case management to customers at the appropriate level 

Qualifications/Education:

• Associate’s degree from an accredited university or college, or 12 months of related work experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated customer service skills
• Familiarity with the communities being served, with knowledge and understanding of local needs and resources
• One to three years’ experience in workforce development or related programs preferred
• Frequent local travel required

*Hourly rate: $18.42-$20.00