Employability is often not the function of "ability" but the life skills and attitudes one brings to a job. Remaining employed can also be a function of the lack of stability an employee brings from home to work. The Jobs Partnership of Florida (JPF) has a highly successful and proven solution with their Life & Work training, a faith-based employability enhancement process that has emerged as a critical component of the workforce development system in Central Florida.

The Father's Table Foundation has come alongside JPF to provide scholarships for the 12- week Life & Work training process, as well as opening job opportunities at an affiliated manufacturing facility in Sanford, Florida. In September 2010, a newly established coalition of churches will also begin offering classes to enhance the employability of job seekers in the Sanford area. 

The 12-week Life & Work training is an innovative approach to workforce development that provides a lasting solution to the challenges of insecurity, low self-esteem, and inconsistent work ethic in today's workplace. There are five partners of the Model: Churches; Job Seekers; Volunteer Mentors; Businesses; and Community Agencies.

Churches provide the leadership in their communities, Job Seekers are recruited by the churches, Volunteers mentor them in life and workplace skills, Businesses put the model into practice through job openings and training, and Community Agencies provide resources to remove employment barriers. Those job seekers who are graduated from the program finish with a renewed sense of who they are and with hope for their future and that of their families.

This training process does more than provide an open door to a paycheck. It changes attitudes, and its longevity proves that it changes lives. 

For more information, please visit www.JobsPartnershipFL.org