skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

RFK Jr. taps eight new members for CDC's vaccine advisory panel; CO communities to join national 'No Kings' protests Saturday; End of hospital emergency abortion care rule will affect rural KY women; LIHEAP cuts could put lives at risk in rural AL, advocates warn.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

White House says there will be more ICE raids, as protests spread across the county. California Gov. Newsom says democracy is at a crossroads, and Elon Musk says he 'regrets' social media posts about President Trump.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

EV charging stations are harder to find in rural America, improving the mental health of children and teachers is the goal of a new partnership in seven rural states, and a once segregated Mississippi movie theater is born again.

Nonprofit Job Training, Placement Program Puts Utah Seniors to Work

play audio
Play

Friday, October 14, 2022   

A nonprofit program is helping older adults in Utah and other states to develop new skills, polish their resumes and find work.

After a lifetime of working, most people retire expecting to live a comfortable life. But circumstances can change, and people in their later years may find they need a job. Even with years of experience, re-entering the job market can be a daunting task.

Gina Jones, a senior employment specialist with the Easterseals-Goodwill Senior Community Service Employment Program, said seniors often underestimate their value to a potential employer.

"I promote the participant's experiences, what they have done and what they want to do," she said. "An employer is always open to hearing about these experiences - and what they do with that is up to them."

The federally funded program provides employment services for low-income adults older than age 55. People are paid during their training and, when hired, the program subsidizes their earnings for the first month on the job.

Jones has firsthand experience with the program. She said she started out as a job trainee with the agency, and later was invited to join the staff.

"I'm very grateful for the program," she said. "I was a participant back in 2007, and I was hired then in 2010. I've been doing this for a while, and it is a very worthwhile program and a good investment in older people."

Rod Haubrock, also a former participant who joined the staff, said part of his job is to engage potential employers and educate them about the advantages that older workers bring to a job, such as maturity and experience. He said he found some are receptive - and others express doubts.

"'Why would we hire somebody a year away from retirement when we can hire a 25-year-old and groom them to fit this company, and keep them for 20 years?' And it's a hard pill to swallow sometimes, but it's a reality," he said.

To find out more about the Easterseals-Goodwill program, and how to take advantage of its job training and career services, you can look online at esgw.org or call 800-771-2153.

Disclosure: Easterseals contributes to our fund for reporting on Disabilities, Livable Wages/Working Families, Mental Health, Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The temporary permitting process at Hobbs State Park includes specific collection zones, boundaries and safety requirements. Only dead trees impacted by the 2024 storm may be removed. (Kit Leong/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

As the cleanup effort continues at Hobbs State Park Conservation Area in Rogers, officials with Arkansas State Parks have authorized a temporary …


Social Issues

play sound

June is Pride Month, and Washington's Lavender Rights Project is celebrating with a Black Trans Comedy Showcase. This is the largest fundraiser of …

Social Issues

play sound

Protests are planned this Saturday throughout Arizona as organizers mobilize a "nationwide day of defiance" against what they're calling the Trump adm…


Nationwide, nearly 70% of rural counties lack a single obstetric hospital, according to a 2024 March of Dimes report. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Abortion rights advocates in Kentucky are concerned as the Department of Health and Human Services has revoked a policy requiring hospitals to provide…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Indiana University now trains police academy recruits in Deaf culture awareness and basic American Sign Language. The program aims to improve …

Consumer advocates warned Florida Power & Light's proposed rate increase would mean its customers would be locked into supporting natural gas over cleaner, price-stable alternatives, like solar energy. (Silberfuchs/Pixabay)

Social Issues

play sound

Florida Power & Light's request for a nearly $9 billion rate hike, possibly the largest in state history, has sparked concern about the potential …

Environment

play sound

June is World Oceans Month and California environmental groups are highlighting advances in zero-emission shipping. International shipping emits …

Environment

play sound

California companies making compostable packaging materials said their products could make a huge dent in the problem of plastic pollution but only wi…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021