They have made the move from “trainee” to “store associate.”
A group of 14 individuals who arrived at New Community’s ShopRite Training Program as hopeful job seekers have landed jobs as associates at the Brookdale ShopRite in Bloomfield. The Brookdale store is owned by Neil Greenstein, who has partnered with New Community’s Workforce Development Center in anticipation of hiring hundreds of employees upon opening his second ShopRite on Springfield Avenue in Newark this year.
Rodney Brutton, NCC’s director of Workforce Development, said he was proud that 14 students from the first cohort of the training program, which relaunched in 2014, secured jobs.
“Our graduates are well trained and well positioned to assume front-end positions at any area ShopRite stores,” Brutton said.
“At ShopRite, we are committed to our customers and to making a positive impact in the communities where we do business,” said Greenstein, owner of the future ShopRite of Newark. “That’s why I am so proud to collaborate with New Community Corporation and to be a part of this endeavor to bring jobs and a better life to Newark residents.”
Kenya Cooper said she worked for ShopRite years ago as a teenager but decided to train at NCC with her sights set on a position at the Newark store. The miniature NCC store, which boasts fully functioning checkout lines, cash registers and shelves lined with products like cereal, coffee and cleaning products, offers training that 41-year-old Cooper finds valuable.
“Some people learn by hands-on” and not just by modules or watching a video, she said.
Brutton also lauded the magnificently outfitted training space, complete with computers for online training and ShopRite logos.
“Our ShopRite students are receiving hands-on cashier training on state-of-the-art equipment provided by Wakefern/ShopRite,” he said.
