What the Program Offers
Employment Skills Training
Supported by grants from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an office within the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHS), and the NY State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), CCFCS offers programs that enable refugees to secure professional or skilled employment that will provide the means for their long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity in their new community.
Our Refugee Employment Services program helps refugees who have been in the USA for less than 5 years to obtain certification in healthcare, hospitality, advanced manufacturing and other careers and trades.
If you are interested in learning a new trade, getting a new credential, starting college or earning your high school equivalency, please contact us by email at RefugeeEmploymentServices@fcscharities.org.
Job Development
CCFCS works with area employers in a variety of business fields to open job opportunities for our refugee clients.
Employment services include preparing refugees for job placement, orientation to U.S. work culture and placement in suitable jobs as soon as possible after their arrival.
Family and Community Services operates refugee employment services as part of our Workforce Development team. CCFCS is a current operator of the NY State's Refugee Support Services Program (RSSP) from the Bureau of Refugee Services (BRS) and also operates a Match Grant program through our Voluntary Agency (VOLAG) partners. Through these programs, we maintain a base of more than 100 employers in the greater Rochester area and have placed more than 370 refugees in jobs since 2019.
Since 2019, more than half of the refugees placed in jobs by CCFCS became self-sufficient within 90 days of employment. Placement services include job search and completion of job applications, job counseling, accompaniment to interview and orientations and follow-up to ensure retention. Understanding that appropriate job preparation measures are crucial to placement and retention, Refugee Employment Services provides a variety of services to prepare its refugee clients for work including employment assessment, job preparation classes, individual job counseling, resume preparation and interview skills preparation.