Riverside Industries employee George Joudri shows his weekly schedule during a job fair at the Easthampton nonprofit on Wednesday morning that welcomed Haitian immigrants seeking work.
FOR THE GAZETTE/ADA DENENFELD KELLY
EASTHAMPTON — When Marie Andrades lived in Haiti, she worked as a nurse. Now, sheltering with her mother and baby in Northampton, she is looking to find employment where she can make use of her transferable skills.
“I [studied] nursing in Haiti. I have my license here,” Andrades, pointing to a purple folder she had on her lap, said while attending a hiring fair at Riverside Industries on Wednesday morning.
However, finding work in America can be challenging for someone who received education and licensure in another country.
“We have some very talented folks from different parts of the world who have come to the states with some skills and education that sometimes don’t carry over into credentials and whatnot that they’ll need here,” said Vernon Carter, director of human resources at Riverside Industries. “Working with MassHire, we just have an opportunity to really give folks an opportunity to get on their feet in their new stage of being in the United States.”
In partnership with the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center, Riverside Industries welcomed recent immigrants to explore direct support staff positions that the nonprofit has available. Riverside Industries supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in western Massachusetts.
“We let [MassHire] know earlier this year that we were prepared, and we were willing to accept potential employees who were immigrants or refugees and didn’t have English as a first language,” explained Markus Jones, senior director of development and strategic operations at Riverside Industries.
Ten Haitian refugees were transported from where they are sheltering at the Quality Inn & Suites in Northampton to the Riverside Industries building in Easthampton for a morning of tours, information and interviews for direct support staff jobs. Direct support staff help individuals with disabilities with daily activities in the various programs the organization offers, Jones said.
The hiring fair stemmed from a $352,000 grant Riverside Industries received through the Department of Developmental Services in 2022 to recruit and maintain a more diverse workforce, Jones explained. To help the organization meet its goal of bringing its direct care staff workforce back to its pre-pandemic size, Jones said the grant will allow Riverside Industries to hire up to 50 new employees without English as their first language.
“Over the last few years, and historically in human services, staffing has always been an issue,” Carter added. Especially post-pandemic, Carter said, the organization needs to find resources to help it meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through its programs.
Riverside will offer eight to 10 weeks of on-site, intensive English education through the International Language Institute of Massachusetts. Interpreters will be available to assist those struggling with any remaining language barrier after that period.
An emphasis of the initiative, Jones said, is finding skills that transfer over, even when language, education and licensure create barriers. In Andrades’ case, for example, “the skill set, the mindset and the nature of a nurse carrying out their work” are all applicable to the positions that Riverside Industries has available, Jones explained.
Sisters Annechoistelle, Annechoistie and Sarha Jeanpierre were among the 10 attendees. Sarha moved to the United States 11 months ago, and Annechoistelle and Anchoistie came in February. They learned about the job fair from their advisor at the Center for New Americans.
“I am excited,” Annechoistie said. “I want to find a job.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-18 03:01:00
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