Job Overview

Swan Vocational Enterprises (SVE) is a growing and expanding organization with a vision to see generations of thriving young adults in the Lower Yakima Valley grow into their God-given potential. Our mission is to equip young adults for life and work by providing training and employment opportunities, creating a supportive, faith-based environment, and partnering with local businesses and organizations. The organization is focused on making a personal investment in individuals; this investment limits the number of employees we can help at any one time. We stress individualizing our training towards the needs of our employees so they can be more productive at Swan Graphics and for future employers. We hope to encourage each employee to develop a work ethic that bridges their vocational training with future employment opportunities.

We are seeking an additional full time staff member or staff couple to join us in this ministry. We often consider ourselves as "foster parents" during the day, working with our employees on various vocational and life skills. The employees often come to work without many necessary components for a healthy and productive economic life. SVE provides a driver's education program so employees can obtain a driver's license, assists employees in opening bank accounts to engage in economic transactions, and teaches financial literacy and job preparedness classes. In addition, we provide services such as reading instruction, assistance in obtaining documents such as birth certificates and social security cards, aid in applying for food stamps and other assistance, and offer help with cooking skills and finding permanent and stable housing.

Swan Graphics, the organization's screen printing and embroidery business, employs eight young adults. Swan Seed Co employees two of these same employees plus additional employees during the summer. These businesses are the means we use to teach vocational and life skills to our participants. These young adults learn different aspects of the vocational side of the business. Specific vocational tasks such as customer service, graphics design, darkroom, screen printing, heat press, embroidery, quality control, and packaging. In conjunction with these skills, employees also learn many "soft skills" including public speaking, timeliness, work ethic, diligence, grit, financial literacy and budgeting.

All Swan Graphics employees are currently Native American and/or Hispanic. They all come from homes at or below the poverty level. Our training and workplace is oriented for those with learning disabilities or lack of skills to learn and thrive. We are learning how complex the impact of trauma can be on developing minds of young people, greatly affecting learning and decision-making skills. We strive to accommodate the impact of trauma and help these young adults build resilience.

Employees come to our organization facing significant barriers and obstacles to a successful economic life. These obstacles include significant family breakdown and lack of familial support. We are now learning more about the effects of childhood trauma on brain development. SVE is taking small steps to provide a space for employees to build resilience and re-write the impacts of trauma.

Job Description

Swan Vocational Enterprises is a Christian, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, that facilitates a vocational training program that serves the community of White Swan, WA on the Yakama Nation. Currently, we use a screen printing and embroidery business, Swan Graphics, as a means to teach young adults vocational training, life skills, and character skills. We also have Swan Seed Co., a flower form in which we sell seeds, bulbs and tubers. Employees learn the skills needed to have a fruitful economic life. As part of our training, and in additional to the vocational skills taught to be productive in screen printing and embroidery, we teach youth: driver's education, cooking, character skills, financial literacy, work preparedness training, and coping skills. We also facilitate employees getting the necessary identification documents to be employed (birth certificates, social security cards, identification cards) and can even help complete FAFSA and college applications. We would like to start new businesses to provide additional economic opportunities for young adults in this community.

Swan Vocational needs an individual that desires to minister to the young people of White Swan. This person should be willing take an active role in supervising employees and helping to starting new businesses. This person will be involved in researching and starting businesses appropriate for this community and purposes of SVE. This role will include working directly with the Executive Director to determine strategy and direction for any new business and the following implementation. This role includes all aspects of starting a business: sales, developing processes and procedures, marketing, learning the business and being able to teach to others, budgeting, strategy, and implementation of strategy. This person should also be willing to help with social services type activities. It is critical that this person desires to mentor and shepherd young adults. This person must have patience, grit, self- control, extend love towards others, take ownership of their role, and seek to make investment in the lives of young adults.

Requirements  Desire to serve God through ministering to young adults  A humble spirit that loves Jesus Christ and desires for others to come to know Him also  Experience or a desire to be an entrepreneur or education in this field  A growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit  Ability to raise funds to fund salary (or at least willingness to be active in this)  Willing to move to the lower Yakima Valley and take part in this community's activities  Naturally curious with strong desire to learn new skills and take on new responsibility  This position is full-time  Be subject to a background check