SAFE HARBOR
WORKFORCE ACADEMY
Skills • Credentials • Paid Work-Based Learning • Job Placement • Entrepreneurship • Career Advancement • Greater Stability
WE DON'T STOP AT THE CERTIFICATE.
Safe Harbor is being designed to connect training to a real next step. Participants can move toward employment, Registered Apprenticeship, on-the-job training, additional education, Veteran employment services, Vocational Rehabilitation, entrepreneurship or another individualized pathway toward greater economic and housing stability.
Training Designed Around Real Work.
Classroom education is paired with practical training, appropriate credentials, employer involvement and work-based learning wherever possible.
Construction & Property Maintenance
- Construction fundamentals
- Apartment/property maintenance
- Rough carpentry
- Finish carpentry
- Electrical fundamentals
- Masonry fundamentals
- Painting & wall finishing
- Drywall/basic repair
- Grounds maintenance
- Construction math
- Hand & power tools
- Worksite safety
Automotive, Truck & RV
- Automotive maintenance
- Basic automotive repair
- Truck maintenance
- RV repair & maintenance
- Small-engine repair
- Preventive maintenance
- Vehicle electrical fundamentals
- Diagnostic fundamentals
- Shop safety
- Parts & inventory
- Customer service
Culinary & Food Service
- Cooking
- Baking & desserts
- Food preparation
- Food safety & sanitation
- Commercial kitchen operations
- Cafeteria operations
- Nutrition fundamentals
- Food-bank operations
- Inventory & receiving
- Disaster feeding
- Mobile field-kitchen operations
- Hospitality/customer service
Computer, Digital & Office Skills
- Computer fundamentals
- Digital literacy
- Internet & email
- Office productivity applications
- Online job applications
- Résumé technology
- Virtual interviewing
- Cybersecurity awareness
- Basic troubleshooting
- Communications technology
- IT certification preparation where appropriate
Disaster Relief & Emergency Response
- Disaster preparedness
- First Aid / CPR pathway
- Mass-care fundamentals
- Shelter operations
- Emergency feeding
- Warehouse/logistics
- Volunteer operations
- Donations management
- Damage-assessment fundamentals
- Emergency communications
- Field deployment experience
- FEMA/partner training pathways where available
Truck Driving, Equipment & Logistics
- Commercial-driving career preparation
- CDL pathway preparation
- Equipment-operator preparation
- Vehicle inspection
- Fleet fundamentals
- Warehouse operations
- Transportation logistics
- Load safety
- Material-handling safety
- Forklift/equipment credential pathways where appropriate
Outdoor Skills, Fishing & Conservation
- Outdoor safety
- Fishing fundamentals
- Conservation
- Environmental stewardship
- Grounds care
- Gardening & food-growing skills
- Outdoor equipment care
- Recreation-support skills
Entrepreneurship & Small Business
- Starting a business
- Business-plan development
- Market research
- Pricing & costing
- Bookkeeping fundamentals
- Business budgeting
- Business-credit education
- Marketing & advertising
- Customer acquisition
- Procurement education
- Government-contracting orientation
- Capital-readiness preparation
Employment & Professional Skills
- Résumé writing
- Job applications
- Interview preparation
- Workplace communication
- Professional conduct
- Time management
- Conflict resolution
- Professional appearance
- Job-search strategy
- Employer matching
- Career advancement planning
Life Skills & Financial Literacy
- Personal budgeting
- Banking fundamentals
- Credit education
- Credit rebuilding
- Saving
- Household budgeting
- Independent-living skills
- Understanding wages & benefits
- Transportation planning
- Housing-stability planning
Vocational & Supported Employment
- Individual vocational assessment
- Florida Vocational Rehabilitation navigation
- VA VR&E navigation for eligible Veterans
- Ticket to Work referral
- Benefits counseling referral
- Workplace accommodation education
- Assistive-technology referral
- Supported-employment pathways
- Self-employment pathways where appropriate
Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning
- Registered Apprenticeship preparation
- Paid on-the-job learning pathways
- Employer mentorship
- Progressive skill development
- Classroom-related instruction
- Industry credential preparation
- Employer interviews
- Job placement
- 90 / 180 / 365-day follow-up
Training Connected to Recognized Credentials.
Final credentials will depend on approved curriculum, qualified instructors, credentialing organizations, licensing requirements and participant eligibility.
| Training Pathway | Credential / Certification Pathways | Hands-On Job Training | Potential Career Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | OSHA 10/30 where appropriate; First Aid/CPR; trade-specific credentials; Registered Apprenticeship credentials where applicable | Campus maintenance, supervised construction labs, employer OJT/apprenticeship | Maintenance technician, carpenter pathway, construction worker, grounds/property maintenance |
| Automotive / RV | Industry credential preparation such as appropriate ASE/RV-related pathways where available | Supervised shop training, maintenance projects, employer work-based learning | Automotive technician pathway, RV technician, fleet maintenance, small-engine technician |
| Culinary | Food-handler / food-safety credentials; ServSafe-type credential preparation where applicable; First Aid/CPR | Safe Harbor cafeteria, food bank, community feeding and supervised disaster feeding | Cook, prep cook, food-service worker, institutional kitchen, hospitality |
| Technology | Digital-literacy credentials and appropriate entry-level IT certification preparation | Computer lab, help-desk simulations, office technology and supervised practical projects | Office support, computer support pathway, digital services, administrative work |
| Disaster Services | First Aid/CPR; FEMA Independent Study coursework where appropriate; partner-specific training where available | Shelter drills, warehouse/logistics, feeding, communications and supervised deployment opportunities | Emergency-support services, logistics, warehouse, mass care, disaster-response support |
| Truck / Equipment | CDL preparation and applicable equipment/forklift/safety credential pathways | Fleet inspection, logistics, equipment labs and approved employer training | Commercial driver pathway, equipment operator, logistics, warehouse operations |
| Property Maintenance | OSHA/safety pathways plus relevant maintenance/trade credentials as programs are developed | Supervised Safe Harbor facilities maintenance and employer OJT | Apartment maintenance, facilities maintenance, grounds technician |
| Entrepreneurship | Business-training completion; SBA/SBDC/SCORE/VBOC training resources as applicable | Business-plan development, pricing, budgeting, marketing and supervised enterprise projects | Small-business owner, contractor, service business, social-enterprise pathway |
The Goal Is a Path Forward — Not a One-Size-Fits-All Program.
Training should reflect ability, experience, health, disability, career interests and the participant's own goals.
Employment Path
Business Ownership Path
Disability / Rehabilitation Path
Career, Disability, Veteran & Business Pathways.
Safe Harbor's role is to help participants identify and navigate legitimate programs for which they may qualify — not promise an award, loan, grant or benefit.
SBA & Resource Partners
Business planning, entrepreneurship education, lender readiness, counseling and connections to appropriate capital resources.
CIVILIAN + VETERANVeterans Business Outreach Centers
Entrepreneurship counseling, training, mentoring and SBA resource navigation for eligible members of the military community.
VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIPBoots to Business / Reboot
SBA entrepreneurship education available to qualifying military-community participants through the applicable program.
BUSINESS EDUCATIONVA VR&E
Eligible Veterans with service-connected disabilities may have access to employment, education, training, independent-living and self-employment tracks.
CHAPTER 31Vocational Rehabilitation
Eligible people with disabilities may be connected to individualized rehabilitation, training and employment resources.
DISABILITY EMPLOYMENTTicket to Work / Benefits Counseling
Eligible SSI/SSDI beneficiaries can be referred to qualified employment and benefits-planning resources before making major work decisions.
BENEFITS-TO-WORKRegistered Apprenticeship
Paid employment, structured on-the-job learning, mentorship, related instruction, progressive wages and recognized credentials through approved programs.
EARN + LEARNWorkforce / WIOA Resources
Eligible participants may be connected with workforce-system training, employment and work-based-learning resources.
CAREER PATHWAYCDFI / Microenterprise Resources
Business-ready graduates can be referred to appropriate community-development and microenterprise financing resources.
CAPITAL READINESSA Documented Staff Pay Scale — Not Arbitrary Salaries.
Safe Harbor intends to use a written, classification-based compensation structure designed to support fair pay, responsible budgeting, grant compliance and long-term workforce retention.
Job Classification
Every staff position will have documented duties, qualifications, responsibility level and employment classification.
Market & Government Wage Benchmarks
Compensation planning may reference applicable U.S. Department of Labor wage information, local labor-market data and other reliable compensation benchmarks appropriate to the position and funding source.
Federal Wage Determinations When Applicable
Where a specific federally funded or federally contracted activity is legally subject to Davis-Bacon, the Service Contract Act or another applicable wage requirement, Heaven Sent will follow the wage determination and fringe-benefit requirements governing that covered work.
Grant-Allowable Compensation
Compensation charged to grants will be budgeted and documented in accordance with the applicable award, approved budget, cost principles and funding rules.
Consistent Pay Administration
Comparable positions will be evaluated through a consistent framework, with differences supported by duties, qualifications, responsibility, experience, funding requirements and labor-market conditions.
Annual Review
Wage ranges can be reviewed periodically against current market conditions, applicable wage determinations, organizational resources and approved budgets.
This compensation framework does not mean every Heaven Sent position is subject to a federal prevailing-wage law. Applicability depends on the specific work, contract, award and governing requirements.
Help Us Train the Workforce You Need.
Safe Harbor can become a talent pipeline only when training reflects the real requirements of employers.
Curriculum Advisory
Help identify current skills, credentials and workplace expectations.
Guest Instructors
Qualified professionals can provide demonstrations, technical knowledge and career insight.
Equipment & Materials
Donate tools, vehicles, technology, materials and appropriate training equipment.
Apprenticeship / OJT
Create structured work-based-learning opportunities where appropriate.
Interview Graduates
Give qualified participants an opportunity to compete for real jobs.
Hire & Mentor
Help turn skills into careers and careers into long-term stability.
A Dollar Should Move a Person Forward.
The Academy is designed around a measurable progression rather than training activity alone.
Training Completion
Track participants completing planned instruction.
Credentials Earned
Track applicable certifications and credentials.
Employment / Apprenticeship
Track movement into jobs and work-based learning.
Business Starts
Track viable participant businesses launched where applicable.
Day Follow-Up
Early retention and support needs.
Day Follow-Up
Employment and wage progression.
Day Follow-Up
Longer-term career/business stability.
Economic Stability
Measure progress in earnings and housing stability.
These are proposed performance measures, not claimed historical outcomes or guaranteed participant results.
Academy Training Resources.
Skully Ryan Computer Learning & Technology Lab
Digital skills, technology access, job search and credential preparation.
Ronny Smith Outdoor Skills, Fishing & Conservation Program
Outdoor education, conservation, stewardship and practical skills.
Carl Jackson Memorial Library
Literacy, career research, education and independent professional development.
Ron Small Active Disaster Team
Disaster preparedness, emergency communications, logistics and field experience.
The Destination Is Not the Same for Every Person.
The Goal Is for Every Person to Have a Path Forward.
Students • Veterans • People With Disabilities • Employers • Trade Professionals • Apprenticeship Sponsors • Workforce Partners • Banks • CDFIs • Foundations • Manufacturers • Technology Companies • Government Agencies • Community Organizations
Joseph “Joe” Ryan
Founder & Executive Director
Heaven Sent Community Services & Veterans Assistance
Office: (407) 279-0520
Cell: (717) 623-0164
joepres@heaven-sent-veterans-outreach.org
Program Development Notice: The Safe Harbor Workforce Academy is a developing component of the Safe Harbor Master Program. Courses, facilities, credentials, instructors, apprenticeship relationships, schedules and capacity remain subject to funding, equipment, qualified personnel, employer participation and applicable licensing, accreditation, credentialing and regulatory requirements.
References to VA, VR&E, GI Bill, SBA, VBOC, SBDC, SCORE, Vocational Rehabilitation, Ticket to Work, WIOA, CareerSource, Registered Apprenticeship, CDFIs and other resources describe potential referral, eligibility, funding or collaboration pathways. They do not represent an award, endorsement, formal partnership or funding commitment unless separately documented.
Heaven Sent does not guarantee grants, loans, benefits, certifications, apprenticeships, employment, wages, business financing or business success. Eligibility and awards are determined by the responsible organization.
Compensation: References to U.S. Department of Labor wage information, Davis-Bacon wage determinations, Service Contract Act wage determinations and other wage benchmarks describe Heaven Sent's intended compensation-planning and compliance framework. A federal prevailing-wage requirement applies only when the particular project, award, contract and work are legally subject to that requirement.
© 2026 Heaven Sent Community Services & Veterans Assistance. Safe Harbor Workforce Academy original program materials. All rights reserved.