Employment Training
The most pressing concern for most New Americans is to secure and retain employment. AADA’s job training services include the following:
Career Assessment and Case Management Support
We start with a thorough career assessment that helps us understand each participant’s unique skills, talents, and competencies as well as their training gaps that create barriers to securing employment. Based on this assessment, our Employment Specialist guides participants to establish short and medium-term goals that align with their vision for their future. The result of these meetings is a career plan that serves as a roadmap for participants and the Employment Specialist to document progress and strategize to overcome setbacks.
Skills Development, Job Search Support, and Resume Building
Our Program Manager and Employment Specialist work in unison to coordinate practical skills training that teaches New Americans the basics of how to search for employment, develop a resume, apply for jobs online, use key terms, adapt cover letters, and other soft skills. We help them navigate available job opportunities and apply for employment. When they are invited to interview, our Employment Specialist uses mock interviewing strategies and coaches New Americans on how to respond to challenging questions.
Job Placement
Our Employment Specialist stays in contact with each participant until they have successfully secured employment. New Americans often need continued coaching and training to retain their positions and navigate work culture. AADA offers ongoing follow-up support to help participants continue to develop necessary job skills. Our Employment Specialist is available to help participants navigate common on-the-job challenges, such as workplace conflict, time management, and how to work in a multicultural team.
Responding to Training Needs
COVID-19 has impacted the job market in unprecedented ways, and New Americans need technical training to compete in this new climate. AADA engages workforce development consultants to help New Americans compete for in-demand jobs by developing news job-related skills delivered in a culturally and linguistically attuned environment to deepen learning.
Essential Services
Housing Support
At AADA, we believe safe and secure housing is a top priority for individuals and families to lead fulfilling lives. Navigating housing options can be confusing, especially for immigrants and refugees when they first relocate to their new community. AADA helps new Americans understand their options, identify housing that best meets their needs, and secure and maintain permanent housing.
ELL Classes
AADA offers ELL classes at times that are convenient to new Americans–including evenings and weekends. Our classes are one pillar of our overarching objective to help new Americans secure and retain living wage jobs that align with their long-term career aspirations. ELL instruction and conversational learning addresses common language barriers and builds basic vocabulary skills of class participants. We practice mock interviewing to help participants harness their language skills and build confidence to compete in the job market.
Often, new Americans have some mastery of English, but industry specific vernacular or different accents and dialects can leave them feeling lost and unconfident about their ability to communicate verbally. We structure our classes to expose participants to different accents and dialects within the English language. We also infuse our classes with new vocabulary from different industries so participants are exposed to previously unfamiliar words and become conversant with their pronunciation and application in speech.
Transportation
Accessible transportation is another major participation barrier for many New Americans, especially during winter months. AADA recently purchased a van to help New Americans participate in our weekend classes, job training opportunities, and afterschool programs.
COVID-19 Response
Our work can be broadly described as community education and individual resource navigation. At the community level, we listen to New Americans, identify common questions and knowledge gaps, and disseminate information using online platforms. To illustrate, we use Facebook to share updates about how to observe Ramadan while slowing the spread of COVID-19. We also created linguistically appropriate videos to deepen understanding about COVID-19 prevention and response.
As the individual level, our team gives New Americans culturally attuned, linguistically appropriate support to help them navigate resources to meet their needs. We help with unemployment benefits and assist New Americans to learn about other resources, such as food banks in their neighborhood, access health care, housing rights, utility assistance, and other emerging needs.
Youth Empowerment
Somali Youth Program and Afterschool Services
AADA engages Somali youth age 14-24 to participate in activities that help them discover their educational interests, learn about potential careers, and gain valuable work experiences. We also offer New American youth and children support during afterschool hours. These services include tutoring, mentoring and a safe space where children and youth can socialize with their peers.
Global Tapestry
The Global Tapestry Project is a media initiative designed to showcase fact-based stories that illustrate the strengths and positive benefits diversity brings to our communities in North Dakota and Minnesota. AADA is proud to showcase stories of New Americans to change perceptions and create a more welcome environment for all residents.
Eshara Partners
The Eshara Project began as a workforce development initiative to help New Americans achieve their full potential and secure living-wage employment. AADA helped unite culturally specific partners to launch innovative job readiness services adapted to the needs of New Americans in the Fargo-Moorhead community. Our 4 founding partners include the Somali Community Development of North Dakota (SCDND), Sudanese Community of Fargo-Moorhead (SCFM), South Sudan Foundation, and AADA. We continue to work collaboratively to improve financial health and wellbeing for New American families.
Eshara has also created a platform for partners to collaboratively address other emerging needs. When COVID-19 struck our communities, Eshara partners quickly came together to respond. We developed strategies to deliver COVID-19 prevention and response services using Eshara partners as a hub for service delivery to the broader community.
Eshara Partners
- Afro American Development Association (AADA) | ESHARA Workforce Development Partnership
- CAPLP (Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership, Inc.) | Workforce Development Partnership
- SENDCAA (SouthEastern North Dakota Community Action Agency) | Workforce Development Partnership
- South Sudanese Foundation
- Sudanese Community of Fargo Moorhead
- Kurdish American Development Organization
- New American integration Center
- New Hope for Immigrants
- African Immigrant and Minority Services