Education and Workforce Readiness Instructor

Education & Workforce Readiness Instructor

Roca's mission is to be a relentless force in disrupting incarceration, poverty and racism by partnering with young adults, the police, and systems at the center of urban violence to create safety, address trauma, and find hope.

Roca is a fast-paced, data-driven, and relentless organization that annually serves nearly 1,300 young people at the center of urban violence – the young people most likely to shoot or be shot. Founded just outside of Boston in 1988, Roca operates a nationally acclaimed Intervention Model with five sites in Massachusetts, one in Hartford, CT and one in Baltimore, Maryland.

Over 36 years, Roca has learned that to impact urban violence, we must work directly with the young people and systems at the center of it. Roca's Intervention Model engages this population of very high-risk young adults in an intensive four-year program to address trauma, teach life-saving cognitive-behavioral skills, and break the cycle of incarceration and poverty that traditional youth programs alone can't break.

And, because it takes all of us, Roca also helps institutions like police and state agencies change the way they work with young people who are traumatized and living at the intersection of gangs, drugs, poverty, violence, immigration challenges, and involvement with multiple public systems.

Roca's approach is rooted in understanding brain development, neuroplasticity, and the impact of trauma on the brain; the Intervention Model is built on the foundational theories of Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Stages of Change and Systems Change.

Roca is in a period of tremendous growth as we continue to expand our direct service work, lead policy and system change initiatives in Massachusetts and Maryland, and increase our national footprint through the Roca Impact Institute. Complementing our direct service work, the Roca Impact Institute is the coaching arm of our work that scales Roca's work to cities across the U.S. that are seeking proven approaches to community violence intervention.

The Impact Institute enters into intensive, on-the-ground coaching partnerships, showing communities how to implement our research-based, trauma-informed approach violence intervention.

Position Overview

This position reports to the Assistant Director. The Education & Workforce Readiness Instructor will work intensively to support and motivate the target population to re-engage in education and work force readiness programming to help them successfully enter the workforce. The Ed & WFR Instructor will work as part of the Ed/Voc Team to implement GED and other educational programming and to meet the organization benchmarks for successful educational attainment with each participant.

Applicants should have experience in community-based technology training, including basic computer skills; basic internet use, safety and security; and knowledgeable support for participants in acquiring affordable computers and home internet access.

Roca strives to meet the following outcomes with each participant:
No Re-Incarcerations and Retained Employment.

General Responsibilities

• Facilitate, apply, practice, and demonstrate Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT) using Roca's Intervention Model.
• Consistently exercise and application of Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT) informally, formally and virtually.
• Assist and role model in the process of obtaining and sustaining employment through job search and overall workforce professionalism.
• Engage with other aspects of work, such as but not limited to, court engagement, work behind the wall, peacemaking circles, work with the community, productive and professional participation in meetings, etc.
• Continually learn, demonstrate, practice and improve skills related to Roca's intervention model.
• Ensure accurate and timely entry of case notes into ETO (Efforts to Outcome system) daily.
• Act as a Crew Supervisor and manage a work crew, when needed.
• Analyze and interpret ETO data as it relates to young people and understanding how data relates to a young person's progress.
• Ability to adapt outreach efforts in accordance of data collected in ETO.
• Other duties as…