One year ago, Haymarket Center opened a fully operational kitchen where over 900 meals and snacks per day are prepared for our residential patients. Clients in our Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Center (FEC) programming can now work in the kitchen and gain job experience while earning sanitation and food handling certifications. Aramark, the company we partner with to provide food services at our facility, launched IN2WORK Food Service Training at Haymarket this year.
The training is 22 hours a week and is set to last 6 weeks, at no cost to program participants. Participants will be training in Kitchen Basics and will have the ability to obtain their Serv Safe Manager’s Certification. Just one year into this program, we have seen the IN2WORK program give several patients the confidence, accountability, and team-building skills that they need to kickstart their career in the food industry.
“Here at Aramark, we believe that second chance employment is the right thing to do,” states Trace Ludewig, Field Support Staff for IN2WORK at Aramark, “We want to hire the best candidates for each position, no matter what background they may have. Our unspoken motto is to educate, engage, and employ.” The IN2WORK program humanizes justice-involved individuals as well as those struggling with substance use disorder while reducing the stigma around these issues, creating a path for program participants to find work at Aramark or other fair-chance employers.
Upon completion of this program, participants will have the opportunity to apply for employment within the Aramark organization or one of our other employment partners. These certifications open new doors for patients searching for employment during their recovery, and our staff at FEC provide support every step of the way, including resume development and teaching computer basics to aid patients in completing online job applications.
Finding employment during recovery from a substance use disorder can be a difficult process, especially after justice system involvement. Some may finish their treatment and not know where to start when it comes to the next steps of their career. At Haymarket Center, our goal is not only to provide treatment services, but also to aid our patients throughout the many aspects of recovery as they reintegrate into the community, including the job market.
Our employment and training program through the FEC provides services to individuals with employment barriers and who also require assistance with launching a career or returning to the workforce as tax-paying citizens. While Haymarket partners with companies and other agencies in surrounding areas to find employment opportunities for patients, some of those opportunities are even closer to home.
Job training is just one of the ways Haymarket Center helps to address the social determinants of health for the people we serve. Learn more about our recovery support services here.