The labor market is a dynamic, changing element globally. The job skills in demand are not static, but shift with the market. This creates a challenge for anyone making a voluntary or involuntary job change. Currently, HACAP works with seniors interested in retooling their job skills and training through the Senior Internship Program (SIP) to foster their economic self-sufficiency, and enjoy the benefits of unsubsidized employment in the private or public sector.
SIP is a paid training-for-employment program, primarily for low-income adults over fifty-five years of age. Program participants are placed with public or private nonprofit organizations that help them make the most of their skills, interests and aptitudes that will increase their ability to find and keep a job. The program provides training, encouragement and job search assistance for participants as they prepare to re-enter the workforce. The program includes:
- Training and supportive services relevant to participants’ employment goals
- Optional annual physical exam
- Paid internships with provisions for Worker’s Comp.
- Classroom or workshop instruction
- Placement Support Services
HACAP contracts with the Heritage Area Agency on Aging, located at Kirkwood Community College, to implement this federally funded program under provisions of Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965. State oversight comes through the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs.