STRIVE’s fourth office in Michigan is open in Dowagiac at 109 Pennsylvania Ave. and starting a free, three-week job training class at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 24.

Please be there at 9 if you have not already registered.

Classes run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

STRIVE, an acronym for Support and Training, Results and Valuable Employees, moved here from Decatur and also has locations in Benton Harbor (since 2006), Pontiac and Flint, according to regional director Tammy Bentley of Edwardsburg.

A partner with Michigan Works! and Southwestern Michigan College, STRIVE can temporarily be reached at (269) 532-9969.

Bentley said Thursday that 84 percent of individuals who graduate from STRIVE are successfully employed or go on to further their education.

Classes for the free training to find and keep a job all include computer training, leadership training, proper interviewing techniques, creative resume writing and communication skills.

“Michigan Works! focuses on employers,” Bentley said. “We focus on employees. With our support and some training, the result is valuable employees. We’re international. We started in Harlem, N.Y., in 1984. We have 25 sites. Decatur was good when there was transportation to get people there, but then funding got cut. Bus services from Cass County didn’t go into Van Buren County. Transportation is a huge issue. Now that we’re here, Michigan Works! is just down the road and we get a lot of our participants from them. Entry-level, basic computer training is the first thing we do. With many employers, you need to use the computer to clock in.”

Bentley, who grew up in suburban Chicago, moved out here at 30 and loves the area.

“More and more employers are going to temp agencies to hire because they filter out people for them, so it makes sense for us to also partner with an employment agency,” Employment Plus, she said. “They offer benefits and insurance after 90 days and start out above minimum wage at $11 an hour. We give Employment Plus an office in each one of our sites. They’re in our Benton Harbor office as well.”

STRIVE encompasses two storefronts. Natalie’s Mexican restaurant, its kitchen removed, houses the classroom and computer room, with the counter and offices at 111 Pennsylvania.

Bentley worked for 10 years with Woodlands Behavioral Healthcare Network in Cassopolis doing job development for people with disabilities.

“As much as I loved that,” she said, “when I heard about STRIVE, I started in 2008 in Benton Harbor as a job developer. Then I was office manager in Decatur and director and now I’m regional director” for the two sites.

Her staff of six was produced by the program.

“When you love what you do, you’re good at it,” Bentley said. “I don’t want people to come in here and just expect a job. Let’s find out where your strengths and interests are. I do a career development test with every one of them during our computer training. When you place them in a position they like, they’re more likely to be successful. I’ve got to have passion for what I do, and that’s what I try to tell our classes. I have to have at least 10 people to start a class, but I want 40 or 50. You know there’s 50 unemployed people in Dowagiac.”

Her program is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

“All STRIVES are non-profit, but they’re not all funded by the same grant. The grant we’re under is called Pathways Out of Poverty. I think there are eight of us,” she said. “I can’t give away a lot. The gentleman who created our program is a psychiatrist who designed this program to get people out of their comfort zone. If you’re comfortable, you’re not going to change. We have accountability for being here and on time, with consequences if you don’t follow through. I’ve been a job developer for 15-plus years and employers always tell me they want someone who’s going to be here every day, punctual and with a positive attitude.

“STRIVE is known internationally (London, Jerusalem) for professionalism. Gentlemen have to wear ties and the women have to dress in professional attire, and we have resources to help them with it. The whole three weeks prepares them for the interview process. We do mock training to get them used to the right answers. Eye contact is huge. If a guy’s looking at the floor all the time are you going to trust him? Handshakes and smiles, something that simple. Professionalism will not only help you attain a job, but keep it.”

Southwestern Michigan College waives admission fees for STRIVE program participants.

“We linked up with SMC because it helps train guys in green construction. This initiative is funded by the Department of Labor, but we’ve been funded in the past by Michigan Works! Flint, our main Michigan site, is funded by the Mott Foundation. Every STRIVE has different funding sources.”

“Once you graduate and you relocate, we’ll hook you up to the nearest STRIVE and they will help you,” Bentley said.

From her vantage point, “This is a challenging time to be a job developer. The last two years we’ve had the hardest time placing people. We specialize in five categories of customer service because you always have to know how to deal with the public, with people, to complete orders. It’s a big demand. I hate it when I go to (fast food chains) and they have attitudes and cannot get the order right. It drives me crazy.

“They have to take a customer service test at the end of the class for a certificate. We actually tell employers we will train their staff in customer service, including several companies in Benton Harbor. At graduation, people give life-changing testimonies. Some people have low self-esteem and need encouragement. We embrace them and really let them know somebody cares, which empowers them. Shy people who walk in the door with their heads down, graduation day they’re confident and able to do public speaking.”