Education and Workforce Readiness Instructor

Roca Inc; Lynn (MA); On-site; USD 39,743 - 41,066; Full time

Job summary

Roca Inc in Lynn, MA, is seeking a committed Education and Workforce Readiness Instructor to support high-risk young individuals in re-engaging with education and workforce readiness programs. The role involves delivering GED and vocational training, ensuring each participant meets benchmarks for educational attainment.

Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's degree, teaching experience, and strong communication skills. Roca promotes a mission-driven approach to empower youth against urban violence.

Qualifications

• Experience teaching or working with disenfranchised populations.
• Ability to engage and motivate young people.
• Capacity for creative problem-solving and flexibility.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate Cognitive Behavioral Theory with participants.
• Assist young people in job search and workforce skills.
• Provide educational and vocational training.

Skills

Teaching experience

Group management

Computer troubleshooting

Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Education and Workforce Readiness Instructor

Full Time Lynn, MA, US

3 days ago Requisition ID: 1482

Salary Range: $28.85 To $29.81 Hourly

About Roca

Roca’s mission is to be a relentless force in disrupting incarceration, poverty and racism by partnering with young adults, the police, and systems at the center of urban violence to create safety, address trauma, and find hope.

Roca is a fast‑paced, data‑driven organization that annually serves nearly 1,300 young people at the center of urban violence – the young people most likely to shoot or be shot. Founded just outside of Boston in 1988, Roca operates a nationally acclaimed Intervention Model with five sites in Massachusetts, one in Hartford, CT and one in Baltimore, Maryland.

Over 36 years, Roca has learned that to impact urban violence, we must work directly with the young people and systems at the center of it. Roca’s Intervention Model engages this population of very high‑risk young adults in an intensive four‑year program to address trauma, teach life‑saving cognitive‑behavioral skills, and break the cycle of incarceration and poverty that traditional youth programs alone can’t break.

Roca’s approach is rooted in understanding brain development, neuroplasticity, and the impact of trauma on the brain; the Intervention Model is built on the foundational theories of Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Stages of Change and Systems Change.

Roca is in a period of tremendous growth as we continue to expand our direct service work, lead policy and system change initiatives in Massachusetts and Maryland, and increase our national footprint through the Roca Impact Institute.

Position Overview

This position reports to the Assistant Director. The Education & Workforce Readiness Instructor will work intensively to support and motivate the target population to re‑engage in education and workforce readiness programming to help them successfully enter the workforce. The Instructor will work as part of the Ed/Voc Team to implement GED and other educational programming and to meet the organization benchmarks for successful educational attainment with each participant. Applicants should have experience in community‑based technology training, including basic computer skills; basic internet use, safety and security; and knowledgeable support for participants in acquiring affordable computers and home internet access.

Roca strives to meet the following outcomes with each participant: No Re‑Incarcerations and Retained Employment.

General Responsibilities

• Facilitate, apply, practice, and demonstrate Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT) using Roca’s Intervention Model.
• Consistently exercise and apply CBT informally, formally and virtually.
• Assist and role‑model in the process of obtaining and sustaining employment through job search and overall workforce professionalism.
• Engage with other aspects of work, such as but not limited to court engagement, work behind the wall, peacemaking circles, and community participation.
• Continually learn, demonstrate, practice and improve skills related to Roca’s intervention model.
• Ensure accurate and timely entry of case notes into ETO (Efforts to Outcome system) daily.
• Act as a crew supervisor and manage a work crew, when needed.
• Analyze and interpret ETO data as it relates to young people and understand how data relates to a young person’s progress.
• Adapt outreach efforts in accordance with data collected in ETO.
• Other duties as assigned.

Specific Job Responsibilities

• Demonstrate expertise and ability to deliver specific aspects of education and/or pre‑vocational training and programming.
• Carry a caseload of participants in any stage of Roca’s Intervention Model, where applicable.
• Provide additional types of educational/vocational/life skills programming, in person and virtually, such as educational classes, ServSafe, workforce professional skills, parenting, healthy habits, driver’s education, and job placement support.
• Engage and collaborate actively with the job development and placement team.
• Assist in all aspects of job development and placement for young people.
• Educate and teach Roca participants in person, behind the wall and virtually.
• Continuously improve curriculum quality and methodology for teaching in alignment with Roca’s Intervention Model.

Qualifications

The very nature of Roca’s work requires an individual of great commitment and energy to the mission. Roca seeks a highly driven individual who is in alignment with the culture and values of Roca. The ideal candidate will be a trustworthy decision‑maker, have a sense of humor, feel passionate and committed to direct work with high‑risk youth, and demonstrate interest in coaching and supporting coworkers.

Roca expects candidates to have the following skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Some teaching experience – post‑collegiate experience teaching or working with a disenfranchised population is preferred
• Comfortable troubleshooting minor computer and printer issues
• Excellent group management and behavior modification skills
• Desire to work with street‑involved high‑risk young people
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to outreach to, engage and motivate young people to increase attendance in educational programming
• Capacity to think and act intentionally and strategically to help young people change behaviors
• Creative and flexible problem‑solving and thinking
• Excellent at organizing, managing and completing multiple complex projects and tasks simultaneously with thoroughness, accuracy, timeliness and good humor
• Self‑motivation, initiative, sound judgment and commitment to ongoing learning are essential
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred but not required

Requirements for the position:

• Ability to travel around the service area
• Computer literacy
• Valid state‑issued driver’s license
• Criminal background and current driving record check
• Willingness and ability to work outside of normal business hours, and holidays and/or weekends as needed
• Ability to work with diverse cultures
• Strong attendance and high energy

Physical Demands

The physical demands that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job include regularly standing, walking, using hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, and talking and hearing. The employee is frequently required to push, pull, stock, and lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Work can be repetitive in nature. Specific vision abilities required include depth perception, peripheral vision, the ability to distinguish basic colors and adjust vision to bring objects into focus.

It may be necessary to wear protective clothing and/or equipment such as rain and snow gear, boots, goggles, hard hat, full face shield, respirator, ear plugs/muffs and gloves. Work requires physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking over rough, uneven surfaces, recurring bending, climbing, crawling, crouching, stooping, reaching, and occasional lifting of moderately heavy items. Work requires average physical agility and dexterity.

Work environments: both outdoor and indoor. Noise level is typically moderate. Employees are frequently exposed to all outdoor weather conditions.