Employment & Training

The Tri-County Adult Education, GED Preparation program provides adult learners age 16 years old and older with the support you need to pass the GED test.   Services are delivered through in a classroom environment, with classes offered during daytime and evening hours.  Individual tutoring, and distance learning opportunities are available. Participants must be RI residents.

Students will be required to complete a comprehensive academic assessment.  Case Managers & Career Counselors help our adult learners to schedule their GED tests.  Students in need of financial assistance can apply for a testing fee waiver to cover the $120 cost of the exam.  There is no cost to enroll in GED Preparation classes.

All participants in the Tri-County Adult Education, GED Preparation program will have access to a computer and/or other technology.  Students under 25 who are in need of career exploration, work preparation and job placement services will be dual enrolled in the Tri-County Workforce Development Program funded by the Governors Workforce Board of Rhode Island.  Alternative Learning Plans are available for students under 18 years of age who are looking for an alternate pathway to achieve their general education diploma.

Classes are free and space is available on a first come, first served basis.  Call now to receive more information and to reserve a slot in our program!

Classes are offered at the following career center locations:

33 Maple Ave. North Providence, (401) 519-1929

415 Tower Hill Road, North Kingstown, (401) 208-4933

23 Friendship St Westerly, (401) 604-0211

Each of our three full service Career Center sites are equipped with a state of the art computer lab, designed to provide computer and other technology access to job seekers. RI residents, age 14 to 24 are encouraged to use the computer labs to search for jobs, create resumes and submit job applications.  There is no cost to use services on the computer labs. Our trained professional, full time, year round staff are available to help job seekers with the following services Monday through Friday:

• support in developing and updating resumes and cover letters
• mock interviews to help prepare perspective employees for in person or virtual interviews
• support in navigating social media based platforms like LinkedIn and EmployRI to better market yourself
• On site printing, scanning and fax capabilities are available at all career center locations

Students age 14-24 work in partnership with department staff to explore a variety of career options in high wage, high growth industries that are matched to your skills and interests.  Students work with Career Counselors to develop individual career plans, which will outline a specific career pathway to help you reach your employment goals.

The Tri-County Career Exploration & Work Preparation “Boot Camp” program is a 20 hour training program designed to help better prepare job seekers for the world of work.  All Career Center program participants are required to complete this week long training program.  Participants will be introduced to principals of Financial & Digital Literacy, while reinforcing essential skills and customer service skills needed to “get and keep a job”. Participants must be RI residents, and eligible to work in the US.

Through the Governor’s Workforce Board “Real Pathways” network, the Tri-County Employment & Training Department has the ability to refer eligible clients to a diverse partnership of FREE occupational training opportunities throughout Rhode Island.  Tri-County currently offers Teacher’s Assistant Certification Training and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Training.  The Teacher’s Assistant Certification Training is a 4 week program that runs for 10 hours per week.  Participants are required to pass a certification exam upon completion of the classroom based portion of the program, which qualifies graduates to apply for Teacher’s Assistant positions in public and private schools, as well as day care and Head Start programs.  We currently have existing relationships with local school departments in our service areas, as well as larger school districts who typically hire throughout the year. Participants must be 18 years old or older, and have a GED or high school diploma.

Tri-County offers several options for youth and young adults, age 14-24 years old, to experience “on-the-job” training and work experience.  Participants must be RI residents, and eligible to work in the US.

• Summer Youth Employment Program – Young adults have the opportunity to participate in a Paid Summer Career Exploration, Work Preparation Program. This 6 week long summer program runs for 20 hours per week at each of our 3 Career Center locations in July and August.  Program participants from grade 6 up to age 24 have the opportunity to earn money during the summer months, while gaining work skills and exploring career pathways that fit their skills and interests.  Youth participants will receive $11.50 per hour at their job shadow site (80 total hours) and will receive a $200 program stipend for successful completion of all of the required classroom based activities (40 hours total).
• CTE Career Exploration Camp Program – This 6 week program runs for 20 hours per week for youth entering grades 6th – 8th in the fall of the upcoming year. Each week, program participants will explore a different Career & Technical Education (CTE) Pathway Program offered through local public schools.  This program is designed to provide students with an interactive learning experience, and gives them the opportunity to immerse themselves in a specific career pathway with emphasis on high wage, high growth industries.  Previous week long camp themes include; Sustainable wind energy, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Robotics, Cyber Security, Engineering, Computer Science, Agriculture Sciences, Cosmetology, Building Trades, Education Pathways, and Business & Finance.  Participants in this 6 week program receive a $50 weekly stipend.
• Career Exploration Academy -The Career Exploration Academy Program targets young adults who have already entered high school or above. This program will also run for 6 weeks total, 20 hours per week, however, content will build on the CTE Career Camp curriculum and program participants will be expected to complete more advanced assignments and take a deeper dive into exploring each Career Pathway in greater detail.  Due to the advanced nature of this program and rigor of the curriculum, the weekly stipend is $100 per week.
• Paid Work Based Learning Experience (School Year Based) – Similar to our Summer Youth Employment Program, the Paid Work Based Learning program allows young adults the opportunity to gain specific work skills aligned to their skills and interests during non-summer months, while earning $11.50 to $14.00 per hour. Participants will work closely with Career Center staff to identify an appropriate worksite that contributes to long term employment goals.

This eight week project and experience based learning program will challenge students to work collectively to develop their own business plan.  The Entrepreneurship Program will run from Jan. 3, 2022 – Feb. 25, 2022.  Activities will take place under the guidance and supervision of our Case Managers and/or Career Counselors, as well as our program consultant who currently offers trainings on how to develop your own business plan.  Space is limited in this new program.  Participants will have the opportunity to share ideas, research opportunities, study labor market trends, identify internal and external partners, and work collaboratively in the development of their own business plan.

Teams will meet 2x each week for 8 weeks.  One meeting will take place either virtually or in the classroom and the second meeting will take place off site and include an offsite field trip to visit other RI businesses to see how they run, learn more about how they started and the process they followed to launch their business.  Weekly meetings are designed to be both educational and informative.  The goal of the weekly field trip is to provide a hands-on experience that will help initiate more advanced thinking towards each team’s business plan.

This eight week program builds on the Tri-County Career Exploration & Work Preparedness Program, and offers participants the opportunity to further explore career pathways of choice.  Program participants will choose a career pathway that fits their skills and interests and will complete a multi-phase, paid work-based learning experience.  Phase I of the Job Ready 101 program will allow youth the opportunity to try a specific career pathway in a high wage, high growth industry. In Phase I, students complete 50 hours of paid work-based experience which is  compensated at a rate of $11.50 per hour.  Once Phase I is complete, program participants will receive an additional $100 stipend and be required to complete a program evaluation.

Phase II requires that students enroll in a short term certificate training program, which will end with an industry recognized credential for the student.  Once complete, program participants will receive an additional $100 stipend for completing their “Industry Recognized Credential”. With this credential, participants will be eligible for Phase III of the Job Ready 101 program.

In Phase III, program participants will develop a new job description with their worksite supervisor prior to starting their next 50 hour paid work experience, which will be more rigorous than Phase I.  Program participants will be challenged to use job skills learned in Phase I, and Occupational Training skills learned in Phase II.  During Phase III, program participants will be paid at a rate of $13.50 per hour.

In Phase IV of the program, participants will update their Individual Career Plan by researching what next steps would be necessary for them to make advancements towards a professional career in this specific pathway.  Participants will also be required to participate in a professional interview with their supervisor, as well as someone else in the field to learn more about why they selected this career pathway, what education they were required to complete, and what they would have done differently if they could do it all over again.  Participants will receive a final $100 stipend for completing Phase IV.

Digital and Financial literacy education provides youth with the knowledge and skills that they need to achieve long-term financial stability. Financial literacy education teaches students real-world skills such as creating budgets, setting up checking and saving accounts, managing spending, concepts of credit and debt, understanding credit reports and credit scores, and protecting against identify theft.

Comprehensive guidance and counseling provides individualized education and employment counseling to participants and students. The Case Management & Career Counseling Services program also includes substance and alcohol use counseling, mental health counseling, and referral to partner programs.

Tri-County Case managers and Career Counselors work with students to help prepare them for transition to post-secondary education and training.  Post-secondary education is education that happens after high school, and can include colleges and universities, and trade or vocational schools. These services include helping youth explore post-secondary education options, including technical training schools, community colleges, 4-year colleges and universities, and Registered Apprenticeship programs.  Examples of other post-secondary preparation and transition activities include:

• Assisting youth to prepare for SAT/ACT testing
• Assisting with college admission applications
• Searching and applying for scholarships and grants
• Filling out the proper financial aid applications and adhering to changing guidelines
• Connecting youth to postsecondary education programs.