By Briana Vannozzi
Correspondent
Fatima Hargrove is admiring her new diploma. When she started the Hire Newark boot camp she was out of a job and out of luck.
“I started looking for a job, but unfortunately I lost my home, so I was homeless from that point forward and I was just struggling,” Hargrove said.
The 5-week employment training turned it all around. She’s enrolled in college full-time and she’s got a new gig working as a patient access rep for Newark Beth Israel‘s emergency department. But for this class, getting here has been an emotional journey.
“Nobody didn’t struggle, right? So when you think I’m the only person struggling that’s what keeps you where you are,” she said.
The job readiness program began in 2016 as part of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s Center of Hope initiative. Today it graduated 20 Newark residents who have been chronically unemployed and now have the skills to re-enter the workforce.
“It’s a very unique program. It’s not about teaching task skills, but opening up into those soft social skills, the things that you should know but may not know and will keep you from being employed,” said Atiya Jaha-Rashidi, director of diversity and inclusion at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Graduates acquire entry-level jobs mostly in the medical field where there’s room to grow, positions like security, food services, patient transport and clerical work. To date, 100 percent of participants from three classes have graduated and 95 percent have remained employed.
“The new jobs, the offers that you’ve received, those are merely new opportunities. Opportunities for you to shine, opportunities for you to excel and opportunities for you to show them why you Hire Newark,” said University Hospital Human Resource Generalist Jeanette Gil.
“We really believe it’s important to look at social determinants and start to address the economic needs of our community. If we are going to create a healthier community we have to start there,” said President and CEO Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Darrell Terry, Sr.
Takia Filmore graduated in class two. She and her husband just bought their first home. She found a job and started her own business.
“I was a stay-at-home mom so when I entered the program after that everything just shot rockets from there,” Filmore said.
“We have a larger kind of idea that we’re pushing here called Newark 2020 that is designed to get all the anchors in the city to do exactly what RWJ Barnabas and Newark Beth Israel are doing … Can you imagine if all the companies in the city did what is happening here today for these 20 young men and women?” Baraka said.
Hoping to show it’s not just downtown, but all parts of Newark rising.