Office on Aging Director Walter A. Manglona said the public hearing on Saipan will be held simultaneously with the hearings on Rota and Tinian.
“We would like to solicit comments from the public regarding the four-year strategy for the Senior Community Service Employment Program or SCSEP,” he said.
The state plan, he added, aims to foster coordination with the various SCSEP grantees and sub-recipients operating within the CNMI and to facilitate the efforts of stakeholders, including state and local boards under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Manglona said through the funding received from the Employment Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, his office provides jobs every year to senior citizens who are over 55 years old in the CNMI.
The SCSEP program or Title V is a community service and work-based job training program for older Americans and is authorized by the Older Americans Act.
Manglona said the program provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors, adding that the maximum durational limit for each participant is 48 months.
SCSEP participants gain work experience in a variety of community service activities at non-profit and governmental agencies, including schools, hospitals, and senior centers, Manglona said.
Usually, participants work an average of 20 hours a week, and are paid the federal minimum wage.
The training serves as a “bridge to unsubsidized employment opportunities for participants,” Manglona said.
Participants in the program must be at least 55 years old, unemployed, and have a family income of no more than 125% of the federal poverty level.
Manglona said copies of the plan are now available at his office on Saipan. For more information, email waltermanglona670@gmail.com
On Tinian, copies can be accessed electronically by emailing eflamingdavid@gmail.com or from Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Resident Director Bonnie Borja.
On Rota, copies are available at the Aging Center there through administrative officer Valerie Apatang.
Community members can also pick up hard copies of the state plan from DCCA office through Mercy Ayuyu.
The results of the public hearing will be submitted, along with the other comments, to the U.S. Department of Labor-Senior Community Service Employment Program.
