Catholic Charities Job & Career Training, on the campus of St. Wendelin Church in Cleveland, recently launched the ECO-Style Clothing Closet to help job seekers walk into employment interviews with confidence.
"The first thing that an interviewer sees is your attire. That's the number one thing," Director of Job & Career Services Training for Catholic Charities, Autumn Winfield, said. "We want to make sure that we're not just preparing them with the skills they need. We want to make sure that they look the part. That's more important than anything else—that they look the part and they have the skills."
Winfield said the ECO-Style name is fashioned after being environmentally conscious.
"We realized what others would discard is actually a gateway to someone’s new job opportunity," she said.
The clothing closet has a wide variety of shoes, clothing and accessories. Some of the items are designer fashions. Clients are able to pick one outfit ahead of a documented job interview. Those who land a job can return and get up to three additional outfits and an employment starter gift bag with hygiene and grooming items.
Winfield said the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation have created extra hardships for those seeking employment, and the clothing closet is another step in knocking down barriers.
The organization helps between 300 and 400 people each year with a variety of workforce development programs, including basic computer training, community health worker training, customer service training and job training.
"We definitely give them the full package, so they can go in there [interview] with a portfolio," Winfield said. "They can sell their skills and that the employer can be confident that they’re hiring somebody that they can rely on."
The closet is still in need of steel-toe shoes, shoes in general and shelves to store items.
JCTS has an open house Thursday, September 7, from 3 to 6 p.m. at their new home on the campus of St. Wendelin Church in Cleveland.
More information on JCTS can be found online and by calling 216-391-4415.
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