3/17/2010
Grace Institute is Committed to Helping Women Find Jobs
By ROSLYN REY

In a statement released to the press, Grace Institute announced "it is defying the odds, one job at a time," placing more than forty graduates in jobs over the last six months. The school continues to place its graduates as the New York State's unemployment rate is at an all time high of 9.0 percent, jumping from 8.6 percent in November to 9.0 percent in December 2009, according to New York State Department of Labor.

In spite of the nation's current economic crisis, Grace Institute is putting unemployed and underserved women the New York City area back to work. The school has successfully placed their graduates in areas that have topped the State Department of Labor's seasonally adjusted list of job sectors heavily affected by the economic downturn Professional and business services topped the list, suffering a loss of more than 40 thousand jobs as the close of 2009. But, through its four and a half month tuition-free business skills program, students learn the computer, business and other office skills that are necessary to secure and keep their jobs in a highly competitive job market.

Grace Institute has responded to the current economic crisis with a dynamic postcard campaign. They sent postcards to all their employment partners with a simple yet powerful message that read, "A Job Changes Everything; Send Us One Job." The campaign message seems to resonate with many of Grace's employment partners. "The success of this campaign was overwhelming. Employers' belief in Grace's mission is so strong, they responded with an astounding 30 job orders in just eight weeks," said Mary Mulvihill, Executive Director of Grace Institute.

"They are doing an incredibly amazing job. They work hard at placing their graduates, holding about three job fairs a year," said Sister Marlene Rust, an administrator at Jeanne D'Arc Residences, who has hired four graduates in the last year and a half of partnering with Grace." Mulvihill added that their employment partners believe in their mission and are committed to helping them place their graduates. "In exchange for our commitment to providing top notch candidates, they keep our program and students in mind when they have open positions," said Mulvihill.

In their first job fair for 2010, Grace Institute gave a hundred gradates an opportunity to network with representatives from over 30 companies and community partners at the school's Career Day. During the two-hour event on Tuesday on February 2nd, 100 Grace students gave out resumes and sat down with an average of 10 employers each equaling to a 1,000 interviews in one day. As a direct result of this innovative initiative, eight Grace graduates are now employed at companies and organizations such as Continuum Health Partners, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York, Victory Schools, Morrison & Forester LLP, and at a private-practice doctor's office.

To some the program is a life-changing difference. "At the time of enrollment, a number of the women typically earn about $6,000 a year; after graduating, they average a starting salary of $32,000," said Mulvihill. Many of Grace Institutes graduates feel empowered on more than one level when they leave the institution. "I didn't even have a clue how a Blackberry worked. I had no clue regarding anything technical. Now I feel like I know it all! I am confident I would be an asset to any employer. What I have learned at Grace I can apply to my life, not just in a new job," said Angela Patterson, a native of Guyana."It is more critical than ever that women gain concrete skills that will help move them out of poverty and into meaningful jobs. We know this can happen, even in this economy, because we see it firsthand with our graduates," Mulvihill.