Lifestyle

BY AN ACT OF GRACE

Laid off from her job at a Toys ‘R’ Us warehouse last year, Inwood resident Yasmin Garcia spent almost ten months hunting for a new job. But without adequate computer skills, her prospects were dim.

Then a temp-agency representative suggested she look into the Grace Institute, a nonprofit offering free business-skills classes and job-placement services to women. Just weeks after graduating from the institute, Garcia landed a position at the Board of Education with a salary of more than $30,000 a year — far more than the $11 per hour she was making at the warehouse.

“I wasn’t sure I could juggle taking care of my kids and taking classes fulltime,” says the 36-year-old mother of two. “But there was such a strong support network, both from the teachers and the other students. I could say to my children, ‘Mommy’s working hard in school to have a better life. And so can you.'”

Founded in 1897 by shipping magnate and former NYC mayor W. R. Grace, the Grace Institute was originally established to teach his employees’ wives basic domestic skills. But by the turn of the century, women were being trained to enter the business world.

“Mr. Grace was an self-made man who believed that you had to be economically viable to move ahead,” says Mary Mulvihill, the executive director of the institute. “And we still believe that today. We won’t just send a woman out with a minimum-wage job. It has to be a competitive salary with benefits, otherwise she’s just treading water.”

Prospective enrollees must have a high-school diploma and be eligible to work in the US, but there are no strict admission guidelines.

“We assess their needs and abilities case-by-case,” says Mulvihill. “We only end up taking one out of every three women who apply because we don’t want to accept someone who’s going to fail and be discouraged.”

The Institute’s daytime program lasts 18 weeks, with classes meeting daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students are required to dress in business attire, and are taught MS Office, memo-writing and business math, among other coursework. Evening classes, which run three nights a week from September to May, appeal primarily to already-employed women looking to get a leg up.

“You might have a job at a big company, but because you don’t have the skills, you’re stuck in the mailroom,” says Mulvihill.

While the student body is diverse, on average women enter the program earning $6,000 a year, and leave with jobs garnering $32,000 plus benefits. They come from all five boroughs and range in age from 18 to 65, though most are in their twenties and thirties.

More than just instructing students in the latest computer programs, the institute also teaches what Mulvihill calls the “soft skills” — proper business attire, phone etiquette, conflict resolution.

“Those are important elements you can’t learn from a manual,” she says. The institute has partnered with the nonprofit Dress for Success to help job seekers find appropriate work outfits, and conducts mock interviews with staffers from the high-powered accounting firm Deloitte.

They also work to foster a sense of community among the students, with luncheons, holiday celebrations, and even a student chorus that performs at graduation ceremonies.

At the end of each semester, students interview with prospective employers at a job fair. Traditionally, the placement rate has been 85 percent and, even in the current economic climate, most graduates receive offers. The fairs also give employers a chance to offer feedback.

“They’re very honest,” admits Mulvihill, who says based on the feedback they were getting, “We started teaching diction and focusing more on proofreading.”

Institute grads have gone on to work in clerical and administrative positions for New York Life, Con Edison, the MTA and other major companies. Mulvihill recalls one student who landed a job in the radiology department at Sloan Kettering.

“Seven months later she got a $7,000 raise because she was so good,” she says. “This was a single mother of three who didn’t know how to use a computer!”

Recent Grace graduate Brenda Boyce is still looking for work, but says her prospects have improved considerably, as has her confidence.

“I’m not afraid of going on interviews anymore. When I tell an employer I have a certain skill, I know I can back it up.”

As much as the Grace Institute has to offer its students, Mulvihill says it’s only half the equation.

“The women we work with, for one reason or another, life has sort of passed them by. We give them the tools and the self-confidence to get their foot in the door. The rest is up to them.”

Grace Institute holds open houses each Wednesday. For info visit graceinstitute.org.