Several Leaders – One Team - Changed Lives

Last year, New Directions Career Center celebrated 30 years of service to Central Ohio job seekers. We celebrated the thousands of inspiring clients who discovered themselves within the sanctuary of our Center.  We celebrated transformed lives and realized dreams.  In short, we celebrated the generations of women transformed by passion coupled with hard work.

Hard work is something the staff at New Directions Career Center knows a thing or two about.   We have great leaders that work together to achieve mended lives, build confidence levels, discover hidden dreams, and help women nurture and realize those dreams. We recognize that every woman who passes through New Directions Career Center has a story. We assist each one to complete their next chapter with direction and focus.

People talk about building teams, working as a team, and being a team player, but few understand how to create the experience of teamwork or how to develop an effective team. NDCC strives every day to prove that we understand we are part of something larger than ourselves. Our success rate proves that our team is successful. What contributes to this success?

We communicate. We collaborate. We coordinate. We embrace the responsibility to work together effectively. By understanding the roles and responsibilities each of us has, we can apply our knowledge to ensure all aspects of our goals are met. We work with our clients to encourage self-confidence, participation and forward thinking. We help remove barriers to promote value, dreams and personal success.

Each woman that enters the New Directions Program is treated with respect. Some women experience worth for the first time. Each individual’s purpose is discovered in new and innovative ways. We work together to provide healthy appreciation for diversity, problem solving and significant discoveries.

Everything we do is geared toward delivering our clients a successful path to freedom and empowerment. At Women of Promise, our annual fundraiser recognizing exceptional women who overcame tremendous obstacles to achieve personal as well as professional success, we witness firsthand the power of individual transformation.  It’s not uncommon to hear honorees say, “I was encouraged to dream without any barriers”, “I learned that I had value.  I had something to offer the world”, and “I learned that I had to take care of myself before I could be prepared to care for others," only motivates us to do more, care more, and reach further.

With 100% of our graduates completing a career plan and over 70% attaining economic self-sufficiency, NDCC is proud of its leadership and teamwork. Our dedication to embrace life and value all people is what makes us endeavor to work together even harder to guarantee a victorious future for every woman who participates in our programs. 

At New Directions Career Center, we have clear expectations of our team and our clients. NDCC delivers career counseling, employment-related education, life skills training and job placement services. The importance of each team member’s contribution starts with their ability to be visionary leaders. (Visit our staff bios to learn about each significant person that works to bring empowerment and belief into the lives of women.)

Ultimately, the Center’s cutting-edge career development services empower individuals to achieve their goals through fulfilling, economically sustaining employment.  But it’s about more than a job.  Simply put, our mission advocates each woman’s right to work her chosen passion.  Lives get changed here!

How NDCC Is Making a Difference

Those of you who know me know how passionate I am about our work at New Directions Career Center.  Not a day goes by that there isn’t something I see or hear from a client that inspires me and helps me to feel like what I’m doing is worthwhile!  How many people can say that about their work?  In particular, we get powerful feedback from the women who complete our 105-hour New Directions Program wherein participants work through an intensive and holistic self-analysis of their interests and skills as well as how to overcome barriers to their education and employment. The goal is to empower women to change their situations for the better, and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Most of those we help are struggling financially. Some do not have a GED, others have a lot of education and strong professional experience, but are living at or below the federal poverty guideline. The thing these women have in common is that they are scared – afraid they will not be able to support themselves and their children. They may be dealing with issues of self-esteem after a divorce or an abusive relationship, or they may have a spouse who has suffered an injury that rendered them incapable of providing for the family. They may have let their professional experience lapse to be stay-at-home mothers. Whatever the life transition they are experiencing, at New Directions Career Center, we help women set goals and create a step-by-step plan for meeting those goals. Then we put people in touch with relevant resources, such as opportunities for scholarships, work-study programs, loans, and paid internships.

For our clients, our focus is not just on getting a job but in having a career that fulfills each woman professionally as well as providing financial stability for her and her family. The most common feedback I receive from program participants sounds something like: “I went through the New Directions program and it changed my life! It really helped me to have realistic career goals for myself, and to believe in my ability to achieve whatever goal I set for myself.  It helped me to know how to get from where I am to where I want to be, to map out a realistic path for myself, and to know about the resources available to help me achieve it.”

After completing a program, we continue to be part of our clients’ lives. After graduation, we follow-up and actively track the progress of each participant for 18 months. Then we encourage them to check in with us and let us know how they are doing. It is extremely satisfying to see women take these skills, knowledge, tools and resources, make them their own, and put them to work to achieve financial independence.

Lives get changed here!