This early, she said, her office is already collaborating with the Northern Marianas Trades Institute for the training of senior citizens under the Title V program.
“There’s no chance in the government,” she said, referring to job opportunities.
“We need people to be trained and have access to private sector jobs,” she added.
She said her office has received more than 60 Title V applicants who are now on the waiting list.
Currently, she said they train 38 low-income senior citizens who are 55 years or older and have been unemployed and have poor employment prospect.
The 38 trainees include 29 from Saipan, four from Tinian and five from Rota.
Mondala said they have six trainees at the Office on Aging while the others are assigned to the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center, the Tanapag Youth Center, the Commonwealth Health Center and various public elementary schools.
Two more trainees will be assigned to day care centers, she added.
The program participants receive training and get paid for four hours a day, Mondala said, as she stressed that the Senior Community Employment Service is a training program and not new jobs.
She said all trainees must comply with the application process and meet the income threshold requirement.
Unless extended by the federal government, the current trainees will continue to be part of the program only until Dec. 2011, she said.
She said they will recertify for training other senior citizens under Title V who have failed to find work.
Early this month, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Melvin Faisao disclosed the approval of the CNMI’s program year 2011 for the Senior Community Employment Service Program which will get a grant of $330,000.
