John Jay College - College Opportunity to Prepare for Employment (COPE) Program / Student Development / Career Development Services

College Opportunity to Prepare for Employment (COPE) Program,
Rms 3215N, 3216 & 3137 - 212-237- 8017, 8113, 8018
Division of Student Development, Career Development Services
Department Hours , Email: hberridg@jjay.cuny.edu

The COPE Program is funded by and operated in collaboration with the Family Independence Administration (FIA) of the City of New York Human Resources Administration (HRA).
Services are available to anyone who is a current or former CUNY student or applicant, and who is either receiving public assistance cash benefits (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Safety Net Family Assistance, Safety Net Single Assistance), or who meets federal income guidelines for families with income under 200% of the federal poverty level. COPE's mission is to aid John Jay students, alumni and prospective students who qualify to successfully navigate college and obtain gainful employment leading to economic self-sufficiency from HRA.
In accordance with this mission, COPE offers comprehensive services to program participants. Furthermore COPE assists all students, whether or not they are on public assistance, with issues related to the Agency for Child Development (ACD), food stamps, housing and other social service concerns. In this endeavor, COPE aids students in completing forms for ACD, food stamps and housing. Realizing the difficulty and stress that is related to successfully meeting HRA requirements while remaining in satisfactory academic standing, managing or searching for employment and often times running a household, there are trained COPE staff members in place to assist students with all of these challenges.

OVERVIEW OF SERVICES OFFERED

COPE offers the following services to prospective, current and former students who have or are on an active Public Assistance case:

I. ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT:
   * Academic planning
   * Course scheduling
   * Career exploration

II. JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE:
   * Resume & cover letter writing
   * Interview techniques
   * Professional protocol
   * Professional attire and etiquette

III. HRA LIAISON:
   * Update students regarding frequent changes in HRA mandates.
   * Aid students in interpreting HRA rules and regulations.
   * Assist students in meeting Work Experience Program (W.E.P.) requirements.
   * Complete paperwork required for students' HRA compliance.
   * Acquaint students with their rights as a Public Assistance recipient.
   * Assist students in identifying and applying for adequate childcare services.

IV. INFORMATION:
   * Upcoming John Jay and CUNY special events
   * Bulletin boards of various topics of interest
   * Handouts on diverse aspects of professional development
   * Brochures of diverse support service programs
   * Websites offering various scholarshipand professional enhancement info.
   * Personal and professional enhancement handouts

V. REFERRALS:
   * Student support service referrals
   * Job/career referral services
   * Referralsto tutoring programs/labs
   * Counseling referrals services

Office Hours
COPE operates from 8am to 5pm on Mondays through Thursdays
Fridays from 8am to 4pm