The Columbus Chamber and CD102.5 have partnered to bring the first business-themed podcast to Columbus. During cbuzz, host and local comedian Dan Swartwout will speak with local business owners and entrepreneurs and allow them to tell their story and highlight their organization, while further inspiring the entrepreneurial spirit that is buzzing in the city.
Greenleaf Job Training Services, Inc. isn’t just finding clients jobs, it’s putting them on a path to self-sufficiency and independence.
“We work with individuals who otherwise have multiple challenges to face when trying to become employed,” says Founder Jennifer Kuntz.
Greenleaf creates a system that takes an individualized approach to each client, and has a number of unique processes in place to foster success.
“We work with them assessing their skills, what they enjoy doing, where their dreams lie, and we work with that and try to find them jobs so that they can begin to earn an income,” Kuntz says.
She discovered the need for a service like Greenleaf during her time working in the special education department at a local school district. A work program found special education students jobs for school credit, but when the school year ended, all support services stopped. Kuntz says many students would lose their jobs over the summer because they didn’t have support for how to handle certain work situations.
Instead of having to essentially start over at the beginning of every school year, Kuntz offered herself as a resource for students to check in and provide guidance. Working in a world of regulations, Kuntz had to set herself up as a business. She initially saw it as a summer job the first year, but by the next found herself essentially balancing two full-time jobs.
During the podcast, Kuntz shares more about what makes Greenleaf’s services unique.
“We are an organization who places then trains,” she says.
Greenleaf completes many assessments prior to placement to ensure the individual is capable of the position. A job coach is also there to lend extra support.
“The coach is learning the job along with the individual they just hired, so if the person they just hired should need a little extended training time, our coach is there to augment whatever the training is that the employer had done,” Kuntz says.
Listen to the full podcast below to hear more about Greenleaf’s job training services and their larger impact in the community, and why Kuntz wakes up every morning saying she loves her job.
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