TRAINING SPECIALIST

About Cara Collective

Cara Collective seeks to fuel a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty. Through our four entities – Cara Chicago, Cleanslate, Cara Connects, and Cara Plus – we engage job seekers, employers, and other organizations across the country to break the cycle of poverty through the power and purpose of employment.

At present, we produce 1,000 jobs each year, at one-year retention rates for their permanent placements over 20 points higher than national norms, and with over 80% of employed participants moving on to permanent housing in which their families can thrive. 

Our results don’t just end with employment. We also maintain market-competitive businesses that create gateway jobs for those they serve, and produce a profound social return on investment, where for every dollar invested in this work, $5.97 is re-invested in society over a five-year time horizon. The work is important not only because of its clear goal of bringing individuals in need back to the dignity and the productivity of employment, but because of its clear mission to transform people’s lives. Families become stronger, relationships are healed, and communities become more vibrant because nothing gives you a positive outlook on life like a job. 

Today, we take the insights gained over the last three decades to not only serve a growing number of jobseekers locally, but also to equip other organizations and employers nationally with the tools and practices to build a more inclusive economy. Our hope is that as more jobseekers get back to work, and more employers realize the value of this untapped workforce, we will not only shift the narrative of what talent looks like in our country, we will also ensure thousands more families realize the lasting power of hope, jobs, and opportunity.

Learn more at www.caracollective.org.

About the Role

This role is responsible for creating, delivering, and managing training that prepares Cleanslate Direct interns and Cara Classic participants for career opportunities; by delivering both personal (social, emotional, and professional) training while collaborating with external training sources to increase participant learning and interviewing skills.

Reports To

 Training Specialist Manager

Outcomes

Our participants build workplace competencies and socio-emotional skills before their job placement. Through classroom training and experiential learning, Cara provides the space to process and practice these hard/soft skills, enabling our people to become leaders in their own lives.

The Responsibilities of the Training Specialist

Curriculum facilitation (70%)

• Develop and facilitate curriculum for Strategic Job Search, resume building, interviewing, etc. in such a way as to prepare participants for quality careers.
• Consistently assess the effectiveness of curriculum and foster innovative and new ideas for the Enterprise.
• Strategically research industry needs and employment trends, amending training curriculum, as needed.
• Responsible for overall participant management including assignment accountability, productivity, attendance, classroom capacity, development opportunities, flow throughout the facility and meet deadlines.
• Participate in morning Motivations, as requested.

Coaching (20%)

• Evaluates participants’ progress based on observation of workplace competencies and socio-emotional skills and coordinates with other departments, as needed.
• Incorporate workplace competency concepts through classroom training, experiential learning, and role modeling behaviors throughout the Enterprise.
• Provide guidance, support, and learning moments to participants and staff on technical, systems-, and process-related topics.
• Monitor Cleanslate Crew supervisor feedback to Transitional Workers to ensure Transformation principles are emphasized and incorporated in coaching.

Administration (10%)

• Proactively communicates successes, challenges, and concerns with manager and departments, in a timely manner.
• Strategically coordinate complex logistics involving people/departments, including facilities and supplies.
• All other responsibilities, as assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or a minimum of three years of professional experience in workforce development, social services, adult education, or other related fields.
• Two or more years of experience providing group instruction or in delivering curriculum.
• High energy, dynamic presentation skills, and the ability to engage others towards a common goal.
• Strong work ethic and business acumen with ability to excel in a fast-paced and collaborative environment.
• Experience working with an economically disadvantaged and diverse population, ideally in a coaching capacity.
• Advance interpersonal skills, social perceptiveness, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to adapt to change or unforeseen circumstances.
• Proficient in MS Office, Salesforce, and curriculum research

Equal Opportunity Employer

Cara Collective is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Cara Collective does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please email us at kboelkens@carachicago.org if you require reasonable accommodation to complete this application.