Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist

General Description The Division of Adult and Continuing Education at LaGuardia Community College is seeking a full-time social work, psychology or human service graduate to play an important role in a community-centered training program. The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist (ECM/RS) will be an important contact for participants and candidates during training. The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist will work under the supervision of the Program Manager for the Mental Health Peer Specialist training program to provide support services to participants to insure successful retention at various points along each step of their chosen healthcare career pathway. The Mental Health Peer Specialist training program is an eight-month workforce program that prepares participants with lived experience with mental health and recovery or experience with trauma to work in the peer support sector. Participants will learn the fundamentals of peer support, develop key digital skills, receive support earning their NYS peer specialist certification, participate in internships with employer partners, and receive job placement assistance. Participants receive career development support and connections to the health industry and employment opportunities throughout the program. The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist is responsible for working closely with two cohorts of students until September 2025 to support them throughout the program and ensure they maintain active participation, retention and transition to successfully complete all aspects of the program, including courses, certification exams, internships, and employment. This can be accomplished through case management, coaching, troubleshooting, and connecting participants to resources available at the college and beyond. The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist is also responsible for assisting with recruiting and managing applicants' assessments, selection process, coordinating employment services and leading professional development and internship seminars, and other responsibilities as needed. Under the supervision from the Program Manager, the Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist will have these key responsibilities: Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: Participate in the recruitment and assessment of program applicants via information sessions and in-person interviews Communicate information to applicants regarding the assessment and intake process Support applicants complete human resources requirements such as physicals, drug tests, and others in preparation for internships experiences Provide support to participants to aid retention in the program and transition via in-person, phone, email, and slack communications Observe classes in order to identify barriers to learning in the classroom, provide feedback to program staff and participants on overcoming these barriers Work with participants to trouble-shoot barriers to successful retention, transition and completion and connect participants to resources at the college and beyond that will help them overcome these barriers Coach participants through challenges that they face during the course of the program and motivate them to develop creative strategies to overcome barriers Provide weekly professional development group check-in during the program training Provide weekly support during the internship component through the internship seminar Work collaboratively with the CTEA Office to coordinate or provide workshops in resume writing, interview preparation, job retention assistance and other job readiness skills Coordinate with the CTEA Office to offer a sequence of job search, resume, and interview workshops throughout the program to best prepare participants for employment after program completion Work collaboratively with other departments and partners to ensure retention goals are met Collect required data from participants and work with participants to complete administrative requirements such as signing contracts, signing photo release forms, registering for classes in the student information system, and completing Day 1 surveys Track, analyze, and report on participants' outcomes and performance metrics Meet regularly with the project team to reflect on progress to date and identify strategies for retention and completion improvement About LaGuardia Community College Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens, LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York/CUNY. LaGuardia offers more than sixty associate degree and certificate programs, as well as dozens of workforce training, ESOL, GED, and pre-college programs. In 2023, LaGuardia served approximately 25,000 students. More than one-third of our degree-seeking students were born outside of the United States, coming to LaGuardia from 136 countries and speaking forty-three heritage languages. More than half are first-generation college students. Sixty-nine percent live in Queens; the rest live in Brooklyn and beyond. Approximately two-thirds of our degree students receive financial aid. Since forty-five percent of them identify as Hispanic, the US Department of Education has designated LaGuardia a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Please visit to learn more. Other Duties Performs other duties as needed and as assigned by the program managers Qualifications Required Qualifications: Experience in the social work or psychology fields; experience working with individuals experiencing mental health challenges Understanding of peer services and familiarity with the field of peer services a plus Knowledge with recruitment and assessment for workforce training programs Knowledge of resources available to low-income students Ability to motivate others to remain engaged, be retained and complete what they started Team player who is flexible and takes initiative to solve problems Excellent time management and organizational skills including attention to detail Invested in participants' retention, transition and completion to ensure success throughout all aspects of the program Additional/Preferred Qualifications Ability to travel to Long Island City for in-person classes Excellent oral and written communication skills Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills Good technology skills, with a high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office including MSWord and MS Excel Demonstrated interest in working with diverse communities and supporting the retention and success of underserved populations Education: Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree preferred Two (2) years' experience working with unemployed or underemployed New Yorkers in a training, education, or workforce development program One (1) years' experience providing counseling, coaching, or case management services This is a grant-funded position, currently funded until September 2025. RFCUNY Benefits RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals About the Research Foundation The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award). RFCUNY stands between CUNY's principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Created: 2024-11-10