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Show Displaced homemakers f ind hope with SPEID By JAMS STUART FARMINGTON-SPEID brings hope to displaced homemakers. The Single " Parent Economic Independence In-dependence Demonstration, a federally fed-erally funded program, has been established es-tablished to help those who, through divorce, death of a spouse, or disability or unemployment of a spouse, have to go to work after having been out of the work force for a long time, or having been employed. To be eligible for SPEID assistance, one must have a high school diploma or a GED, and be the supporter of a low income fami- The program has a two-fold benefit One benefit is received by the intern, the person learning to adapt to the business world, and one benefit is received by the mentor, the business that trains the intern then receives the productivity of that training. If they qualify, applicants can make an appointment with SPEID, at which time their abilities and interests in-terests are assessed to determine the best working environment for them. One unique feature of this program pro-gram is that the intern is allowed to interview several mentors and then indicate which business would be preferable. If the mentor is agreeable, the intern goes into training with that company explained Cindy Cortes, director, Davis County SPEID. "The intern then received a broad base of experience with on-the-job-training continued Cortes. Several companies have joined the SPEID program to aid displaced homemakers as they enter the work force. Among them are Smith's Food Stores, Chevron, Allstate, Computer Science Corp., Wilson Sporting Goods, Intraspace, Future Home Products and Albertsons. The mentor usually offers a six month training program. Ideally, the first three months are used for training the intern and then the company is paid back by the well-trained well-trained employee doing a knowledgeable knowl-edgeable job. One of the major problems a displaced homemaker moving into the working environment faces is the lack of self-esteem. With SPEID training, the intern learns the job and proves to himself and others that he can do a good job and is a value to the company. Another benefit of the SPEID program is the establishment of a monthly support group. Members can get together and discuss with others in the same situation their problems and how to handle them. Interns are also assigned an advisor at the work place who can give advice ad-vice on how to cope in a business setting. The SPEID program gives a displaced homemaker a 'foot in the door' to the business environment. SPEID has only been in operation opera-tion about eighteen months and has already placed approximately 80 percent of the interns in permanent job positions. That means about 50 people have been eased through the transition from being unemployed with little or no work experience, to becoming a valuable, self-confident employee. |