Pictured from left, MHA OPEN Team Leader Sheridan Smith, Executive Director Steven Cobb, and MAST Talent Pipeline and Apprenticeship Coordinator Tim Piazza meet at JCC’s Manufacturing Technology Institute to collaborate on worker retention and recruitment.
JAMESTOWN – The Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County (MHA) has created a program focused on workforce development.
Through funding from the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County and the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI), MHA created the Occupational Peer Empowerment Network program, known as OPEN. The program connects peer specialists with local residents to help lift them out of poverty by overcoming barriers to gaining, maintaining, and thriving as employees.
The OPEN staff work with employees to help tackle challenges that are keeping them from being happy, healthy, and eager to succeed.
MHA is collaborating with the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier (MAST) Talent Pipeline to apprise other local manufacturers of OPEN resources. The Manufacturer’s association is inviting their members to join OPEN staff at a Workforce Retention Roundtable on Thursday, June 27, at their location in the Manufacturing Technology Institute at Jamestown Community College.
Like all MHA services, all OPEN resources are free.
To learn more about the MHA, call 661-9044.
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