The apprenticeship is a paid training program that will come to an end after a specified number of hours. This is not an offer of permanent employment.

If you have been  trained in customer service and register sales/service, you will be ready for an entry level job almost anywhere where there is a need for cash register customer service and sales. If you have extended experience training in the Front of and/or Back of house processing, you may be ready for a job processing in a warehouse. Customer service soft skills are extremely important to employers, and you may find yourself in a customer service role that you never even dreamed of!

The ReSET retail program requires that trainees have a basic comfort level with customer service, such as speaking with team members and customers in a pleasant way, and offering to be helpful. Unfortunately we do not have the capacity to provide constant one-on-one support. Any individual that would require that level of support, would need to bring a training coach with them to help them during their learning process.

Generally yes. All apprentices are expected to follow their schedule, but exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis.

The vast majority of the time is spent standing and moving, however reasonable accomodations can be made for individuals with need – reach out to us at reset@fingerlakesreuse.org so we can find a way to work with you.

This depends on the kind of experience or schooling a participant has already had coming into the program. Trainees with experience, certifications and/or degrees in the computer sciences use the ReSET tech program as a stepping stone towards getting an entry level IT position. Trainees who have had very little experience or training, will not likely be able to immediately get a position in the technology field. These trainees find that the ReSET tech program is a great foundation and start for them to go on and obtain certifications and/or higher education in the computer sciences. We recommend trainees pursue the Comp TIA IT Fundamentals certification as a starting place to build their skill portfolio.

It’s a little bit of both, but the emphasis is on Job Training. The ReSET program seeks to give trainees an on-the-job-like experience and prepare them for aspects of the workplace. We are also able to offer this program for free because we need your help processing donated materials. About 30% of the program time contains classroom style instruction, but the remainder of the time is work ranging from complex tasks like refurbishing a server to simple tasks like testing that a keyboard is fully functioning. Along the way participants are learning skills, demonstrating their work preparedness and helping serve their community by keeping electronics out of the landfill. Participants are expected to behave and commit to their responsibilities as if they were in a workplace. In return we will gladly act as a reference or write letters of recommendations for any participant who completed in good standing.

Generally no, the majority of the ReSET tech program is focused on hardware refurbishing and repair, operating system installation and configuration, and basic troubleshooting. Trainees will be given very basic introductions to different topics outside of this such as HTML and software programming.

The vast majority of the time is spent sitting however adaptations can be made for trainees who need a standing workstation. Some standing may be required but adaptations can be made for trainees who require sitting.