Re-employment training program for women

Newton — Project Self-Sufficiency will launch the fall session of its training program, Higher Opportunities for Women (HOW), with a series of Open Houses beginning in mid-September. The program is an intensive, pre-employment skills-development program designed to assist women who have been out of the work force or who have been underemployed for a number of years. The 16-week series will begin on Oct. 6. All classes will take place at the agency’s new campus at 127 Mill Street in Newton. The comprehensive HOW program prepares participants to seek entry-level office administrative positions. In addition to computer skills training, the HOW Program includes 40 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hours at an unpaid externship at a community employment site, which further prepares participants to successfully venture into the job market. In addition to computer skills, classroom time is devoted to careering instruction, life skills training and interviewing strategies. Since the program’s inception, more than 350 women have learned marketable skills leading to economic self-sufficiency. Leslie D’Agati, a recent graduate from the HOW program at Project Self-Sufficiency, said, “I found the HOW program to be an invaluable experience. I learned so much more than just computers and doing a resume. I learned about myself and gained confidence.” An Open Houses will be held on the following dates: Monday, Sept. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon, and Thursdays, Sept. 17 and 24, from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, to register for an Open House or to enroll in the program, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500.