30 | FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 J
N

G

esher Human 
Services will begin 
offering paid, 
on-the-job training for local 
residents who would like to 
start a human service career 
in working with people with 
disabilities. Gesher was pre-
viously called JVS Human 
Services before it merged 
with another nonprofit orga-
nization called Kadima in 
2022. 
The Gesher Direct Support 
Professional Apprenticeship 
program will provide unem-
ployed and underemployed 
individuals with on-the-job 
training and 155 hours of 
related technical instruction 
to earn a nationally recog-
nized Journeyperson Direct 
Support Specialist Credential. 
Apprentices will be matched 

with a journeyperson at 
Gesher who will provide 
training, support and mentor-
ing to the apprentice. 
Direct care work at the 
nonprofit organization could 
include working in residen-
tial homes with people living 
with mental illness or other 
disabilities, or providing job 
support to Metro Detroiters 
living with intellectual and 
other disabilities who are 
employed at work sites in the 
community. 
The new program will be 
ongoing and there is no limit 
to the number of openings, 
although it is expected that at 
least 20 apprentices will train 
in 2024. 
“We have launched the 
apprenticeship because we are 
constantly hearing about peo-

ple who would like to work in 
direct care but are told they 
aren’t suitable because they 
don’t have the needed experi-
ence,” explained Gesher COO 
James Willis. “Although being 
compassionate and caring are 
important requirements for 
direct care work, there are 
many skills that direct care 
professionals need, and we 
can now provide that specific 
training and the opportuni-
ty for people to start a new 
career for themselves.” 
Participants in the program 
do not need to be current 
employees of Gesher nor do 
they need prior experience, 
but they will need to formal-
ly apply, pass background 
checks, be available to work 
35 hours per week, attend 
classes and apply for services 

with Michigan Works. The 
cost of the classes will be 
covered by Gesher Human 
Services, and classroom time 
will need to be scheduled out-
side of work hours. 
“Direct care workers play 
such a vital role in supporting 
vulnerable members of our 
community, and we know 
there are many caring people 
who would like to transition 
to this type of work,” Willis 
said. “We are hopeful our new 
program will allow Metro 
Detroiters to take this leap 
into a new career by provid-
ing them with job training 
and mentoring, plus offering 
them an opportunity to serve 
our community.” 
For more details and to 
apply for the internship, visit 
www.geshermi.org. 
 

Apprentices offered on-the-job paid training 
to learn to do direct care for people with disabilities. 

New Gesher Program

STAFF REPORT

OUR COMMUNITY

A direct care 
workers with 
a client

COURTESY OF GESHER

