Boca Helping Hands Opens Justin D. Webb Training Center to Accommodate Job Training Programs

Boca Helping Hands has opened the Justin D. Webb Training Center, to accommodate its Job Readiness and other training classes. This building was made possible through a generous grant from the Ruth and Hal Launders Charitable Trust. The facility houses the Leah and Samuel Hochman Health and Wellness Classroom, a second classroom dedicated in Memory of Henry Weitz, an administrative office that was dedicated in Memory of Dr. Herbert L. Watchtel along with a smaller interview room for professional development sessions. The building is across the street from the Boca Helping Hands Remillard Family Resource Center, 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton.

The new center means that Boca Helping Hands can conduct classes in a dedicated area designed for that purpose and will eventually be able to offer afternoon, evening and weekend classes. Free job training Programs available through Boca Helping Hands include Hospitality, Commercial Driver’s License, Customer Service Representative, Home Health Aide and IT Help Desk Technicians.

“The Training Center will provide hundreds of people with job training to enable them to become self-sufficient. Justin was always helping his friends get jobs, so it’s particularly appropriate that this Center be named for him,” Jack Webb, Justin Webb’s father said.

Boca Helping Hands also announced that it has purchased the neighboring Warehouse Pub property. The City’s Planning and Zoning Board has approved plans to convert the property into much-needed parking for staff and volunteers.

People interested in the Job Training Programs are interviewed to see if they are eligible for enrollment. Once accepted into their designated Job Training Program, they then proceed to Job Readiness (Phase I), a Professional Development Curriculum which is now housed in the Justin D. Webb Training Center. Once students have completed the Job Readiness Program, Boca Helping Hands pays for them to attend an accredited school for their technical training and certification program (Phase II). When the student graduates, they proceed to Phase III and meet with a Job Mentor from Boca Helping Hands who helps them work on their resume, apply for jobs and prepare for interviews.

Recently, social worker Ariella Block joined the staff of Boca Helping Hands to help students be successful during their training and subsequent job hunt. Based on her assessment of the students, Ariella is able to provide on-going case management support, which may include counseling or referral to a partner agency for behavioral health services.

Other no-cost classes held at the Justin D. Webb Training Center include English as a Second Language (ESOL), The Reading Project (an adult literacy program), and Living Well. Boca Helping Hands partners with Boca Regional Hospital on Living Well to provide talks on health and wellness, early detection of illness and healthy eating. There are also Learning Lab classes where students can practice computer skills. In addition, Wells Fargo provides financial literacy classes.

“We have greatly expanded the scope of Boca Helping Hands’ services to better enable our clients to become self-sufficient,” Gary Peters, Board President said. “The goal is to get students trained, certified and assist with employment so they don’t need Boca Helping Hands services in the future.”

For more information or to apply for enrollment, contact Jose Irizarry at 561-417-0913, Ext. 224.