The goal of the social services department is to promote the self-sufficiency of the American Indian people through education, leadership opportunities and employment resources and referrals. The Tucson Indian Center believes that the basic needs of American Indian people and families must be met so we as a community are able to pursue a healthy and happy quality of life.
The Social Services Department offers an array of services and programs geared primarily to employment, community involvement, leadership development, on the job training and emergency housing assistance. Throughout a comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality workforce development program the Tucson Indian Centers has been providing to Urban America Indian’s workers and jobseekers across the Tucson Metropolitan Area, with the skills and credentials necessary to secure, retain and advance in employment.
THE WIOA PROGRAM
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Program – 2014
Through the WIOA Program, the social services department’s team strives to better prepare program participants on how to obtain unsubsidized employment and earn real family-sustainable wages. In addition to offering job readiness services, our case managers connect local employers with the skilled workers they are looking for and need to succeed in an ever changing and challenging economy. The WIOA program aligns with the center’s mission to reduce welfare dependency, increase economic self-sufficiency and elevate the living standards of the Urban Native American community.
Program services Include:
– Career and Job counseling
– Supportive services to enter and/or retain employment
– Work Experience
– Resume writing and review
– Interviewing skills
Program Requirements
Services are available ONLY for program applicants who have met the Department of Labor eligibility requirements and TIC’s internal selection criteria.
To be eligible for WIOA Program services, a participant must:
a. be an adult (age 18 or older)
b. be a United States citizen
c. be in compliance with the Selective Service Act
d. register/enroll as a member of a Federal and/or State-recognized Tribe
Pima County Native American Employment Policy (NAEP) Program
Pima County Government is the second largest employer in Tucson, employing nearly 6,000 citizens in a variety of administrative, professional, technical, paraprofessional, skilled, and semi-skilled positions. As in most areas of the private and public employment sectors, Native Americans are greatly under-represented. In response to the critical need to equally employ Native Americans, Pima County Government adopted a “Native American Employment Policy” in December 1995. The Tucson Indian Center’s NAEP program provides:
- Recruitment of Native Americans interested in employment with the County through specialized outreach efforts
- Assisting interested individuals with the referral, application, and interviewing process, and following up on their status.
- Enhancing job training efforts through assessment and direct or indirect training and education services.
- Improving the retention rate and career advancement of current Native American employees through direct collaboration and counseling with supervisors and employees.
- Quarterly networking events
