GCNSSC’s Pathways to Employment (PTE) Program provides clients with employment training through mentoring, employment workshops, and internships within our organization.

Our goal is for clients to become accustomed to a structured work environment, to increase their self-sufficiency, and to learn about work interaction and behavior. Through work in the PTE program, clients can discover and examine their particular impediments to employment. Supervising staff, social workers, and mentors provide a supportive environment where clients can address perceived problems and explore goals for the future.

The PTE program links clients with employed individuals from a wide range of personal and professional backgrounds, including formerly homeless individuals. These volunteer mentors meet weekly with clients, coaching them on how to manage everyday work challenges, fostering a realistic and positive transition to employment, and encouraging clients to realize their strengths and potential.

We have often found that the clients we serve have a number of problems stemming from unrealistic work expectations and perceptions, self-esteem issues, and problems with communication. The one-on-one relationship fostered by the PTE program benefits both parties - it shows volunteers the life-changing power of service while giving clients a positive view of the world of employment and their ability to enter into it.