Near the front of the YMCA on Bennett Street in Homewood sits a sign that reads, “Jobs Available.” Hand-painted in bold red letters, the purpose of the display, said Carena Phillips, is to inform the community that hope lies in their ambition.

Phillips’ ambition is to build a first class employment center in the Y. During the 2008 National Career Development Association Global Conference, held in Washington, D.C., Phillips’ desire was realized.

For her efforts at the Career and Workforce Development Center-East, she was recognized for completing the High Performance Career Development Centers of Excellence Accreditation. The only other group to receive its accreditation was the Michigan Human Resource Development Inc., an affiliate of the Michigan State AFL-CIO.   

The accreditation, designed for Career and Workforce Development programs, is said to provide a valuable mark of distinction when working with funding sources as well as when marketing to individuals and businesses seeking career and job development services.

“Receiving the accreditation will enable us to serve our clients with excellence,” said Phillips, CWDC-E director. “It gives us a standardized approach to look at what we do and how we benefit the people.”

She said the process was a great learning experience, long and arduous but rewarding.      

Using High Performance Career Development-based self-assessments, the Center of Career Development Excellence accreditation was created to identify career and workforce development programs that meet high standards and operate with continuous improvement and customer-focused services. According to Bill Freed of the FREEdLANCE Group, a HPCD and CoE leader, the accreditation process is comprised of 222 individual activities in 22 categories across five programming domains.

GREAT JOB—Bill Freed of Pittsburgh, a certified trainer in the workforce development arena, congratulates Carena Phillips of the Homewood Brushton YMCA on her major accomplishment.

Domains are: vision, mission, values and leadership provided within the organization or program; pre-program service areas (marketing and recruitment, orientation and intake and assessment); in-program career development interventions, education and training (customer service for individuals and employers seeking career guidance and skill training); post programming (development, retention, advancement and career ladder transitions); and across programming areas (support functions such as financial systems, collaborative relationships and IT management affecting the organization or program).

A community Career Link Access Center, the CWDC-East operates under the fiscal umbrella of the YMCA of Pittsburgh Homewood-Brushton Branch. Operating since 1988, the mission of the CWDC-E is to assist unemployed and underemployed residents in workforce development by providing education, training and development activities that increase the skills and knowledge of individuals so they can maximize their employment opportunities, participate in productive work and achieve their career potential.

CWDC-E provides job readiness and career exploration workshops, resume writing assistance, weekly updated job leads and training opportunities, on-site recruitment, two annual career and job fairs and one-on-one career counseling and career exploration assistance, drug and alcohol referrals and transportation assistance. Servicing well over 70 first-time job seekers on a monthly basis, Phillips said their goal is to meet the clients’ needs, no matter what stage of the job search process they are in.

“Our track record indicates that we successfully place an average of 12 to 18 people in full or part-time positions monthly,” she said. “Our training prepares us to provide supportive services at all levels.”

Phillips is a globally certified career development facilitator and Bernieda Goodlowe, an employment specialist, is also a career development facilitator.

One of three urban branches of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, under the leadership of Olivia Jones, provides programming for all ages and income levels; services offered include tutoring, counseling, youth prevention programs and a food pantry. The facility also houses a new state-of-the-art health and wellness center.   

The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh builds strong kids, strong families, and strong communities through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

(The Homewood-Brushton branch is located at 7140 Bennett St. Call  412-241-2811 for more information.)