JCCGCI’s Parnossah Employment Services Program Celebrates Major Milestone: 600th Job Placement!
Only days into 2023, Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island’s (JCCGCI) Parnossah Employment Services Program celebrated a major milestone, its 600th job placement completed. This critical program is funded by UJA-Federation of New York, which has supported the program since its inception.
The Parnossah Employment Services Program provides the Orthodox community with culturally sensitive career counseling and job placement assistance, including job search skills building, resume preparation assistance, and developing interview skills. Another important facet of the program’s work is providing scholarship grants that aid clients in obtaining advanced training and education in the fields of work that are appropriate for them. This program offers services to clients citywide, as well as in Nassau County and southern Westchester. The Brooklyn sites are focused in Crown Heights, Borough Park, Manhattan, and Flatbush in particular. The robust and comprehensive quality of assistance offered by the program is evidenced by the advanced level of placements achieved. During the summer of 2022, for example, some clients were placed in positions with salaries close to $100,000.
The Parnossah Program has been led since its inception by Mr. Jeffrey Prince, MBA, who has many years of experience of job development and placement experience, developing relationships with potential employers, career counseling, resume building, and employment transition guidance. Mr. Prince also served as the Director of Job Development at JCCGCI’s Internship Placement Services program (IPS – funded by the New York City Human Resources Administration), where he oversaw enormous successes for the program, including exceeding placement goals by 50% during his tenure in that position. Parnossah Employment Services coordinates with sister JCCGCI programs including the Crown Heights Career Hub, Crown Heights Career Assessment Program, and citywide Workforce Development Project/JobMap, to tailor assistance to each client’s needs.
Significant economic changes have taken place in New York City as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the city is still recovering. When the shutdown began in March of 2020, hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, almost overnight. Returning to the workforce, or joining the workforce during a time of economic instability is a tremendous challenge, but it is a challenge that JCCGCI’s team is well-suited to meet. Indeed, in 2021 and the first half of 2022, more than 500 clients benefited from the Parnossah Program’s services, and over 150 of them were placed into new jobs.
Rabbi Moshe Wiener, Executive Director of JCCGCI, said, “The Parnossah Employment Services Program is empowering men and women to take control of their own future, and enabling them to provide for their families with dignity. The ripple effects of providing employment to a single individual are endless – uplifting a family out of poverty, ensuring children are successful in school, opening up the world for new opportunities and new advancements.”
A case in point, Ms. S. from Boro Park, Brooklyn, was placed at a position in a large accounting firm, in the winter of 2022. She recently passed her sixth month anniversary at her new job, and credited her job development and career counseling that she received through the Parnossah program. Ms. S. was also the recipient of an educational grant, which allowed her to attend a vocational training course in her community. These services contributed to her employability, and she expressed her gratitude in a call with the program staff.
Similarly, Mr. B. from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, also was placed at a job in the winter of 2022. He is working as a software developer in Williamsburg, with a salary of $85,000 yearly. Mr. B., who celebrated his sixth month anniversary at his new job last month, received job development and career counseling services through the Parnossah Program, which he has credited for aiding him in obtaining this high level position.
Mr. Prince highlighted the positive impact of the program, stating, “Our recent achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of our Parnossah Employment Services Program and the immense value of providing scholarships to subsidize occupational skills training.”
For more information about the Parnossah Employment Services Program, contact Mr. Prince at j.prince@jccgci.org or at 718-449-5000 x 2246.