If Fort Greene City Council Member Laurie Cumbo was trying to find gainful employment through the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless (ACE) she wouldn’t even make it through the probation period.
That after the Fort Greene lawmaker failed to show up for her own job training information session held yesterday at Ebbets Field Senior Center, 1680 Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights.
The ACE program gives a three-week trial period for perspective workers, referred to as “probation,” where attendance and work ethic is assessed. Once the trial period is up, perspective workers learn computer skills, how to write a resume and cover letter and qualifications in order to earn various certifications.
According to an advisory Cumbo’s office sent out before the event there was to be two sessions – at 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m. – in which constituents and other attendees would learn about job training opportunities with ACE.
The advisory specifically noted that Cumbo would attend only the 2 p.m. session, but she was nowhere to be found.
The lawmaker’s office did not return an email as to why she missed her own event , but did send a nice quote.
“In communities across the City of New York, there are households that are struggling to survive each and every day. Due to the challenges met while reentering the workforce, thousands of New Yorkers remain unemployed and unable to provide for their families. Through partnerships with community-based organizations, such as the Association of Community Employment (ACE), we can create opportunities for professional development that will help New Yorkers gain critical skills to thrive in a competitive job market. In nearly two decades, ACE New York has helped thousands of New Yorkers pursue a path towards economic independence by providing job training and experience,” said Cumbo.
While Cumbo’s absence would have meant termination from the program, other past participants and perspective new ones did show up for the event.
“ACE has helped me in so many ways. To be determined, committed, perseverant and to get back in the workforce. Without ACE, I was heading towards a life in the streets or in prison,” said Wili Hollington, who found ACE through a friend nearly a year ago.
