Empowering Adults Through Education and Employment

The Honickman Learning Center Comcast Technology Labs (HLCCTL) has been offering a wide range of education and employment programs to the North Philadelphia community since 2004. In addition to the K-12 afterschool and college access programs offered to children, a variety of 20 courses is available to adults. The Adult Education and Employment Program encompasses everything from basic computer skills to certifications that can aid a person’s journey in education and lasting careers. Success looks different for everyone, which is why we have a team of instructors who are dedicated to meeting each individual’s needs.

“The program falls into three categories, workforce, creative arts, and digital literacy,” says Greg Grutman, director of the program. Classes are free to anyone over the age of 18 years old with certain resources available exclusively to Project HOME residents. “We prioritize, for the purposes of enrollment, 19121 residents, 19132 residents, and Project HOME residents, but it's open to all people in Philadelphia including Project Home staff,” says Greg.

The workforce track has a variety of courses to help support an adult learner’s path to a career. Greg adds, “We have multiple trainings and certifications including forklift, Certified Peer Specialist, customer service, ServSafe manager, ServeSafe food handler, and we're launching a CRS or certified recovery specialist training soon, which I've started recruiting for.” Most of these courses offer certifications to give each participant credentials when pursuing a profession.  

Throughout the year, HLCCTL also hosts public career skills workshops that are open to the entire community. Their staff welcomes feedback and adopts new methods to improve the curriculum for their adult learners. Every three years they administer a community survey to gauge what’s most efficient, what needs work, and suggestions to improve their services. Similar surveys are given to participants quarterly. Greg explains, “For instance our Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) class, we do three weeks of customer service, computer basics, workforce skills, and guest speaker material. That's in response to our experience with participants in the past. That's also in response to what we hear from employers, and from our experience with what best sets those participants up for success.”  

It’s followed by a few more weeks of training that can involve hands-on learning to get learners comfortable applying their new skillset. In most cases, a test will be given next to ensure the new information is retained. Greg describes the process, “For our CPS class and our CRS (Certified Recovery Specialist) class, we bring the Pennsylvania Certification Board here and they test in person. We've found that we have better success when people can take a pencil and paper test, so there's one less barrier for them and they're not trying to do it on a computer.”  

Finding a good workplace can be challenging and highly competitive, especially in today’s economy. According to Workforce’s latest Global Workforce Report, job applications have surged 31 percent in 2024, compared to 2023’s increase of only 7 percent. Greg says this is why it’s crucial to have partnerships with a variety of organizations and companies. HLCCTL staff work closely with employers to help adult learners get their foot in the door. “We work with employers who are understanding and have pro-participant policies in place with consideration for people with histories of incarceration, histories of substance use, and those who are sensitive to the lived experience of our participants once we help connect them with employment.”

The program’s creative arts sector is comprised of music, art, photography, podcasting, and other creative forms of expression. Joe Venuti, Digital Music Instructor, leads several classes for adult learners – including Introduction to Music Production. “It involves beat making, creating instrumental tracks, and we also get into live vocal recording. So, people can make instrumentals and record vocals on them,” explains Joe.  

After a few weeks, participants can leave with the music they produced. The same goes for their DJing and podcasting classes. Joe takes it a step further, however. He works with participants to get their content uploaded to online platforms and shared across social media to gain more exposure. “It goes from, ‘Okay, I have this music now. What do I do now?’ There are options for uploading different distribution platforms. There are a lot of them out there. So, we compare what might be best from project to project.” Joe has always been drawn to music and considers it his passion. The industry continues to evolve, so Joe is dedicated to staying up to date and exploring new methods to keep participants informed. “I had to learn a lot of things the hard way. I think even at a college level, some of the stuff they teach is really outdated. I've always been a huge advocate for DIY releasing.”

As an instructor, Joe has the privilege of witnessing each adult learner’s creative metamorphosis. “Seeing the entire process is always a lot of fun,” expresses Joe. Whether it’s a song or podcast episode, he believes all projects are alive and should be celebrated. “For me, it's really special and it's much more fulfilling just watching people come into their own. I don't give them much direction besides what they asked for. I just unlock these tools they can use, and watching how they use them is the best part.” Throughout the year, adult learners can also participate in performative showcases, all held at HLCCTL, to share their music, poetry, and other forms of art, with staff and loved ones.  

The third branch of the program is digital literacy. It ranges from developing basic computer skills to building a functional website from scratch. New programs, software updates, and technology are advancing every day so how does their team decide which courses to offer? Greg explains, “We have launched a number of classes just in response to participant feedback.” This is achieved through surveys where adult learners share what worked well, what needs improvement, and what they’d like to see taught in the classrooms. “We use the resources we have to provide what people are looking for.”

The goal is to create an environment where everyone's voice is heard and they’re comfortable seeking assistance. The program also started Logan Center at Temple University tech drop-in hours as a direct response to their learners’ needs. “People can come in with a tablet issue or a phone issue and they can get help with that. We also offer a public computer lab that's open four days a week,” says Greg

But their services don't stop there. Jamie Deni is an employment specialist, and her role was designed to connect adult learners to external resources and employers where they can put their new skills into play. She explains, “I support the residents at Project HOME’s supportive housing sites with job seeker needs, career skills, whether that's resume help, resume edits, applications, or interviews like mock interviews, and just going over the basics of how to answer open-ended questions.”

Jamie describes their team’s efforts as long-term solutions. Meaning that they don’t simply facilitate connections that could lead to employment with an adult learner’s journey ending there. They focus on sustainability and setting each person up for lasting success in the workplace. “In order for our clients to actually feel supported they need the resources to maintain employment.” For example, Jamie says, “I started promoting a lot of city trainings that were free, a lot of low cost, or no cost, trainings just to get them connected.”

There are many instances where a person may have a concept of what they’d like to pursue but may struggle with putting those ideas into action. Jamie’s role also works to help individuals create a plan by filling in the gaps and empowering them to execute their goals. “We noticed in the past that there were a lot of turnover rates, like low retention within employment. And we didn't want to just throw people in to fail. We wanted to give them the building blocks to actually succeed.”

Currently, Jamie has a caseload of 88 individuals, some of which are already employed, and others are enrolled at HLCCTL and working towards employment. Once a person obtains a profession, they stay in her caseload for one year with routine check-ins to ensure they’re supported and thriving. “I have check-ins with them after 15 days of the employment, 30 days, 60 days, six months, or 90 days and six months in one year.” Jamie believes this model is effective and promotes retention. “We want to make sure that they are still happy at their place of employment. And if they're not, if we should work on completing more applications to other places, or if they want to continue growing.”

In 2024, the program had 632 participants, 211 completed certifications, with 62 reports of new employment with a total earning of $2.2 million. Between collaborations with outside agencies, feedback from learners and employers, and measuring metrics such as attendance, the staff aim to hit every angle. They've shed traditional methods of education discarding the idea that one size fits all. Instead, they’ve mastered an individualized approach that’s committed to each person’s growth and overall happiness. Greg says it’s both a pleasure and a privilege to serve and support HLCCTL’s adult learners. “The big thing for me is when former students refer their friends and family. That tells me they trust us to do right by the people they love, to help them – to learn and grow, and figure out their goals.  Because that’s the experience they had.”