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Contact: David West
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
11/10/98
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES - Suzie Manuel and Rita Walker know they face challenges in the days ahead. But now they have the confidence to deal with whatever comes their way in the job market. Manuel and Walker were among 41 women who received certificates as the first graduates of Northwestern State University's Welfare to Work program. The initial group of graduates are from Natchitoches and Sabine parishes. A class in Red River Parish is under way.
The class was set up under a grant of $361,482 from the Coordinating and Development Corporation of Shreveport. The class provided job readiness, job development and job placement assistance for eligible welfare recipients.
Before taking the class, both Manuel and Walker had difficulty getting past the initial steps needed to get a job.
"This class has changed my whole attitude about work," said Manuel, who is from Many. "I learned how to fill out a job application, follow a dress code and talk to people."
Manuel hopes to use what she has learned to help her get a job as a computer technician.
"In the past, there was stuff that I would do wrong in filling out an application. I would do it with a pencil instead of a pen. Now, I've learned to be neat and complete," she said.
The course could have an immediate payoff for Walker, who had an interview at a Natchitoches restaurant soon after the ceremony.
"Before this class, I felt like every door was closed," said Walker. "I have a lot of confidence in myself. I'm always going to be me, but now I know how to talk to people."
Under federal and state guidelines, most recipients of Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP), formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children are limited to two years of payments within a five-year period.
According to the State Office of Family Services, 50 of 424 families receiving assistance from FITAP will reach the end of their assistance. In Sabine Parish 25 of 228 families in the FITAP will lose their eligibility as will 34 of 121 families in Red River Parish.
Participants in the program are referred by the Office of Family Services in their parish. Students must attend the classes and be on time or risk being dropped from the program.