KCS has identified that one of the most important and urgent needs of the community is to harness the experiences and skills of seniors by engaging them in employment. Our on-the-job training program, federal and city funded, is targeted to support the low income adults over 55 years of age. For the last 14 years, KCS has been offering Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) that has addressed this issue.

KCS recognizes that a major change that occurs in employability when a person is older than 40 or 50 years is in obtaining appropriate employment. This difficulty is encountered by the most able, intelligent, and willing individuals from the senior group and is seldom heard or discussed. Most jobs are geared towards entry level candidates, which mean employers seek young, fresh graduates without much experience. Many older jobseekers from various fields are not considered for a wide range of jobs due to their age, despite their strong knowledge and experiences in the field. As a result, many seniors feel isolated and neglected by their community. This feeling is often more pronounced within the Asian American community, where language proficiency impacts communication in certain cases.

KCS has recognized this growing problem and had taken the initiative to address this issue for the last 14 years. It is the part of our mission to lend a hand to the senior community to induce in seniors the confidence, faith, and the sense of independence by helping them to find appropriate job placement. KCS provides an inspiring and interactive environment to its members from different parts of Asia. A professional climate and mood is achieved by recruiting interested seniors from Asian American communities and providing them with the required training and access to resources.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program is a free service to the employer and matches low-income Asian American older adults with positions commensurate with their backgrounds and interests. While training for a position the program pays the enrollees wages, up to eight holidays, sick days and unpaid vacation. The enrollee receives experience training in an assignment and also receives job search assistance. A timeline will be set for the completion of training prior to beginning. When training is complete, enrollees are hired through the job search assistance services by the program or hired by the participating host agencies at a rate that is appropriate with the duties of the position. Currently KCS is providing this program to about 135 Asian American adults a year, including 55 % of Koreans, 35 % of Chinese and 10 % of other Asians, and has arrangements with over 40 different social service and non-profit organization sites.

• Funded by National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA)