Christian Clothing Companies Support Job Skills Training Throug
Missions around the world offer education and training for those in need. Christian clothing companies that give to these missions improve the workforce by supporting job skills training. The #1 complaint by industry executives is lack of skilled workers. Business owners seek employees with proper experience and training, but workers can’t get this experience without being hired. Christian clothing companies have an opportunity to close this gap by donating to missions that offer job skills training.
Mission work is not just about providing food and shelter. People need jobs and opportunities to support themselves when they are capable. Financial donations from Christian clothing companies can pay for job coaches, skills assessment tests, educational books, and even work-appropriate clothing. GED preparation classes offered by missions ensure that people have the opportunity to complete a high school equivalency education, a requirement of the vast majority of employers including Christian clothing companies.
Missions centers also work closely with state agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Through these agencies, people can complete technical training programs in fields such as cosmetology, mechanics, and certified nursing assistants. When those people lack the capability of these jobs, missions can offer basic job skills training to help them work in sheltered workshop settings. Christian clothing companies can contribute to mission budgets for transportation to and from these state agency offices and workshops.
Teaching English as a second language is a program that more and more missions are beginning to offer. English is a difficult language to learn and requires repetition of both oral and written lessons. Christian clothing companies that give to missions can buy workbooks, pencils and audio tapes for ESL students. With enough support, some of these students can then enter the workforce as translators and provide a much-needed resource for businesses and organizations, or become bilingual missionaries themselves.
Technological advances continue to transform the work place. Even typically minimum wage jobs such as retail and food service require some technical knowledge. Using profit donations from the sale of Christian clothing, missions can provide job skills training in beginning computer skills and office equipment. For the majority of these people living below the poverty line, these missions programs supported by Christian clothing companies will be the only access they have to the technology most people take for granted.
Christian clothing companies have an opportunity to help missions fulfill one of their visions: to return people to work so they no longer need the mission. Giving to missions that offer job skills training can help many of the uneducated and undereducated get a leg up in entering or re-entering the work force and gaining financial independence.