The Life Skills Educator supports participants enrolled through the New York State Department of Health Direct Caregiver Flexibility Grant by providing individualized career planning, life skills education, barrier assessment, and resource navigation. This position works directly with trainees preparing for employment and advancement in long-term and community-based care roles, including Personal Care Aide, Home Health Aide, and Certified Nurse Aide pathways. The Life Skills Educator helps participants identify career goals, address barriers to training and employment, connect with community supports and build the personal and professional skills needed for successful program completion and workforce retention.
Performance Responsibilities and Standards:
Individualized Career Planning and Participant Support
- Meet with trainees to complete individualized assessments that identify career goals, strengths, barriers, support needs, and readiness for training and employment.
- Develop and maintain personalized career plans that outline short and long-term goals, action steps, timelines, and follow-up needs.
- Support trainees in understanding career pathways from entry-level direct care roles, including PCA and HHA, to advancement opportunities such as CNA and related health care positions.
- Provide ongoing coaching, encouragement, and accountability to promote attendance, engagement, training completion, and successful transition to employment.
Life Skills Education and Barrier Reduction
- Provide education and coaching on essential life skills, including communication, professionalism, time management, conflict resolution, financial literacy, self-advocacy, and workplace readiness.
- Assist participants with identifying and addressing barriers related to transportation, childcare, tutoring, technology access, emotional support, housing instability, food insecurity, or other needs that may affect training or employment success.
- Connect trainees with appropriate community resources, public benefits, support services, and partner organizations across the Central New York region.
- Assist eligible participants with accessing reduced-cost childcare and other supportive services when available.
Program Documentation, Tracking, and Grant Support
- Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential documentation of participant assessments, individualized plans, referrals, follow-up contacts, progress, outcomes, and barriers addressed.
- Track participant engagement, training progress, completion status, employment readiness, referral outcomes, and retention support activities as required for grant reporting.
- Collaborate with program leadership to support Direct Caregiver Flexibility Grant deliverables, data collection, quality improvement activities, and required reports.
- Protect participant privacy and maintain compliance with organizational policies, grant expectations, and applicable confidentiality requirements.
Collaboration, Outreach, and Retention Support
- Work collaboratively with training center staff, support hub team members, community partners, employers, and subcontracted training programs to coordinate participant supports.
- Participate in outreach activities to promote awareness of caregiver training opportunities and support services.
- Support mentoring, peer connection, alumni engagement, and caregiver retention strategies designed to strengthen long-term workforce success.
- Represent the program in a professional manner and promote a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning environment for all trainees.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of program goals and participant success.
Required Skills and Competencies
1. Participant-centered coaching and motivational support.
2. Career planning and goal-setting facilitation.
3. Community resource navigation and referral coordination.
4. Life skills instruction and workforce readiness education.
5. Accurate documentation and outcome tracking.
6. Professional communication with trainees, staff, employers, and community partners.
7. Cultural sensitivity, confidentiality, and ethical decision-making.
Qualifications:
- Associate degree required; bachelor’s degree preferred in human services, social work, education, counseling, health care administration, workforce development, or a related field.
- Minimum of two years of experience in case management, workforce development, adult education, human services, community outreach, or participant support services preferred.
- Experience working with adult learners, entry-level health care workers, caregivers, or individuals facing employment-related barriers strongly preferred.
- Knowledge of community resources, public benefits, transportation supports, childcare resources, and workforce development programs in Central New York preferred.
- Strong communication, documentation, organization, coaching, and problem-solving skills required.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse populations and maintain a respectful, trauma-informed, and participant-centered approach.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, electronic documentation systems, virtual meeting platforms, and basic data tracking tools required.
- Valid New York State driver’s license and reliable transportation preferred or required based on program needs.
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, virtually, and in writing.
- Ability to sit, stand, walk, and use a computer or mobile device for extended periods.
- Ability to travel locally to training sites, community partner locations, outreach events, and meetings as needed.
- Ability to lift and carry training materials or supplies up to 20 pounds occasionally.
- Ability to drive in ALL weather conditions (rain, sleet, snow, wind).
- Visual/hearing ability sufficient to comprehend written or verbal communication
- Ability to use telephone and communicate over the phone
- Frequently uses a laptop computer to enter orders and obtain product information
- Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Category I - Employee has tasks that routinely involve exposure or potential exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues.
Compensation & Benefits:
Competitive Salary [This position is an S01-S01a exempt position with a min-max rate of: $62,353- $81,000 /annually] with:
- Retention Bonuses
- Internal Mentoring Program
- 401K with generous Employer match
- On-Site Gym (free for all employees)
- Medical, Dental, Vision plans
- Tuition Reimbursement (BSN after only 6 months of employment!)
- Partially funded HSA
- Employee Recognition Platform
- Paid Time Off, Holidays, Sick and Extended Sick Leave
- Short/Long term Disability
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Much More!
About Nascentia Health:
Nascentia Health is leading the way in home care, post acute care and long-term community health. A healthcare system without walls, Nascentia is an innovator in the concept of healthcare, truly focused on the patient as a whole. By serving people in their homes, Nascentia Health is able to provide true holistic care. We can address immediate needs, help support positive long term medical and lifestyle choices that provide for better outcomes, leverage cutting edge in-home care technologies, and help avoid unnecessary visits to busy healthcare facilities.
Our employees are our greatest asset. They work hard every day to make our system amazing and are dedicated to our mission of being the premier home and community-based care system for the regions we serve. We want everyone to love what they do, be excited about coming to work, and take pride in being part of our team.
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Nascentia Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)
Employment is contingent upon negative results of a pre-hire drug screen and background check
