Higher Opportunities for Women training program starts Feb. 21

The next session of Project Self-Sufficiency’s employment skills training program, Higher Opportunities for Women (HOW), will launch Feb. 21.

The 16-week program combines intensive computer skills training with classroom instruction and on-the-job experience.

The curriculum prepares women who have been out of the work force or underemployed to seek entry-level office administrative positions.

Classes will operate from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the agency’s campus, 127 Mill St., Newton.

Open houses about the program will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 13 and 23 and Feb. 13; 1 p.m. Jan. 17; 2 p.m. Feb. 8; and 5 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 2.

Interested participants may call 973-940-3500 or go online to https://www.projectselfsufficiency.org/higher-opportunities-for-women to enroll.

Women who take part in the agency’s HOW program can expect 80 hours of computer skills training, including instruction in Microsoft Word, Excel and other applications.

It also includes 40 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hours of an unpaid externship at a community employment site, which prepares participants to successfully venture into the job market.

Additional coursework focuses on workplace navigation, life skills training, resume preparation and interviewing strategies.

Since the program began, more than 1,000 women have gained self-confidence and learned marketable skills, which placed them on the path to economic self-sufficiency.

“The job market is constantly evolving, and the Higher Opportunities for Women program gives participants the skills and confidence they need for success,” said Deborah Berry-Toon, executive director of Project Self-Sufficiency.