Building Skills for a Brighter Future

The ZoNE Essential Skills program is a six-week career development series that provides unemployed and underemployed women in Northeast Spokane the opportunity to develop their workplace skills and build their professional confidence. This partnership between Gonzaga University and the ZoNE saw tremendous success this year, with 18 women taking part and graduating from the program – the largest number of participants so far!

Since the Essential Skills program began in 2021, over 30 women have participated, graduated, and gone on to new career and educational opportunities. Through this program, Spokane women not only develop a community of support throughout their neighborhood but have been given the opportunity to flourish where they otherwise believed they couldn’t.

This year’s program ran from late June through early August and was hosted at the Gonzaga Family Haven, providing a welcoming space for women, along with childcare for those who needed it. Participants engaged in many topics including training on financial literacy, essential office skills, mindfulness, and career resources. They also had the chance to collaborate in creating a cookbook and take part in mock interviews held at Gonzaga University.

A wide breadth of community partners have come together in this opportunity to help women nurture their professional skills. Partners have included colleagues from the ZoNE, Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, Gonzaga’s Women Lead Program, Center for Lifelong Learning, Office of Organizational Development, and Career and Professional Development, Providence, YWCA’s Our Sister’s Closet, Work Source Spokane, Charles Schwab, KSPS and more.

Many of this year’s participants have found professional and educational opportunities at Gonzaga University. From working at ZagDining, to serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Center for Community Engagement, to beginning an externship with the Gonzaga University Events Services Team (GUEST) program, alumni are well represented on campus. Two participants enrolled in continuing education opportunities through Gonzaga’s Center for Lifelong Learning to continue building on the skills they gained earlier this year. Others have found meaningful work or educational opportunities, including an externship with Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington.

The Essential Skills program is made possible in part by generous funding from Spokane Teachers Credit Union and an OPRE grant through the Federal Administration for Children and Families.