executive summary
1-866-PAWOMEN TEL 412.281-9240 FAX 412.281-9279
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A New Career Goal and Security
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PaTricia A. Wisland
Mount Aloysius College Entering New Choices/New Options during her 9th month of a year-long chemotherapy treatment was not the only struggle PaTricia had to overcome. She had also recently divorced her abusive spouse and was left with no financial resources. She had been out of work for over 20 years and out of the workforce for almost 10 years. She felt frustrated, hopeless and worried about how to support herself, but through the different tools taught in New Choices/New Options and key input and support from the staff, she was able to make important changes in her life. She is currently studying law at Mount Aloysius College with a 4.0 GPA and the goal of continuing on to law school to become a legal advocate for women in abusive relationships. |
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Alba Hidalgo
Delaware County Although Alba had a degree in psychology when her and her family moved to the United States from the Philippines, she was not confident in her skills and felt even more discouraged after two years of searching for a job unsuccessfully. She felt “lost” and didn’t know where to turn for help when she learned about New Choices/New Options. Through one of the program’s employer panels, she was hired by Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems as a Substance Abuse Assessor. With this new hope, she also plans to complete a master’s degree. |
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Ellyn Johnson
Pittsburgh Starting on a path towards an education in art, Ellyn stopped her college education when she gave birth to her son, Garai. This pause gave her time to consider her career options. Through encouragement from the New Choices/New Options program to consider new ideas, Ellyn realized that she could do more and decided to challenge herself. She decided to major in biology and minor in chemistry. In addition to her studies at Carlow Univeristy, she also completed several research internships and was a winner of the Mendalian Award for Academic Achievement in Biology. Now she has taken another big step, as she strives for further success at Case Western Reserve University’s medical school. |
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Barbara Servello
Altoona When Barbara lost her job in November 2002, she felt discouraged and was suffering from low self-esteem, but at the New Choices/New Options program, she found out that she was not the only person feeling that way. She was able to reverse her negative perspective on her age. She found that her experience was an asset and that she was never too old to learn new things. After attending NCNO, she attended the South Hills School of Business and Technology and received her diploma with an associate’s degree in Specialist Business-Management and Marketing. She became very actively involved at her school and won competitions in accounting. Now she is attending Mount Aloysius College for her bachelor’s degree in business and she is working to become an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. |
| The New Choices Career Development Programs provide FREE program services, offering a wide a range of classes including: Keyboarding, Introduction to Computers, Microsoft Office Computer Software Programs, Career Development Workshops, Math, Reading and English Brush-Up, to name a few. In addition to group sessions, participants receive individualized counseling, career coaching and job search assistance tailored to each person's particular need. Day and evening classes are usually available. Specific program offerings vary from site to site.
New Choices programs are located at 24 sites across the Commonwealth serving 30 counties. (to find a program in your area, visit www.pawomenwork.org/ The target population served by the New Choices Programs is displaced homemakers and single parents. Individuals in transition are encouraged to apply. Programs offer individuals the opportunity to explore career options they may never have known existed and will provide a family sustaining wage. New Choices Programs have proven to be successful in helping individuals to achieve economic self-sufficiency. During fiscal year 2005-2006, New Choices programs served 2,882 adult participants and of these 1,337 obtained jobs with an average wage of $9.24 per hour; while 1,260 of the participants went on for further training. As a result, $4,848,982 in taxes was generated due to new employees entering the workforce; and consequently reduced the need for government aid (such as food stamps, TANF, unemployment compensation, etc.) resulting in a savings of $2,303,864 in government expenditures. |