The Career Gateway


Career Search Training Program for Job Seekers Age 50+ 

The job you want is waiting for you. Enter or return to the workforce with help from the Career Gateway

Are you over age 50 and frustrated by your job search?

Career Gateway, JCA’s award-winning job search training program, helps jobseekers aged 50 and over with intensive skills training and mentors who provide them with individualized support. We know the challenges: 

  • Sending resumes but not getting responses 
  • Feeling overwhelmed by job search sites and online application portals 
  • Uncertainty about how to market yourself. 

Career Gateway is here with support that understands your journey. Whether you are looking to return to work after being out of the job market for a time, making a career transition, or looking for work following a layoff or termination, we can give you the tools to thrive and get the job you want. 

JCA’s Career Gateway Program can help you hone your resume, polish your networking and interviewing skills, use Internet job search resources more effectively, and turn your age and experience to your advantage. Each session of The Career Gateway features 30 hours of small-group instruction over five days, comprehensive take-home materials, practical exercises, and a long-term mentor. Classes run from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Tuition for this five-day workshop is just $99*.

The Career Gateway is generously funded by the Montgomery County Department of Aging and Disability Services, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and Next50.

*Scholarships are available for those who qualify.

Interested? Tell us a bit about yourself and your availability.

Yes, I’m interested!

I am a jobseeker over 50; returning after a career break, and to a job market that bears little resemblance to the one I navigated last time I was employed professionally. JCA's Career Gateway was a lifeline!

Career Gateway offers a series of workshops featuring:  

  • Individual attention and small classes 
  • A long-term mentor 
  • Tips for creating or improving your LinkedIn profile 
  • Employment-related tech training (optional)

Classes are limited to 20 participants per session. 

“The program was rich beyond measure. Your energy, dedication, and organizational excellence shone through every day. … Thank you for including me in this life-changing session!” 

In Career Gateway, you will learn how to: 

  • Enhance your resume, using words and formats that grab employers’ attention  
  • Hone your interviewing skills to make a dynamic first impression in person, virtually, or by telephone and answer tough questions with ease Network effectively, using a 30-second “elevator pitch” and a “2-minute drill” to establish contacts in person and online 
  • Develop a personal job search plan and manage your job search campaign with easy-to-use forms  
  • Enhance your social networking skills
  • Use LinkedIn, other social media platforms, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to turbocharge your job search 
  • Handle gaps in your work experience and address age or compensation issues 
  • Sustain job search momentum in the face of rejection
  • Select and give reference names to potential employers 
  • Write effective cover letters and follow-up correspondence
  • Make contacts with recruiters 
  • Negotiate job offers and choose among multiple offers

The course also includes an overview of the state of the job market, with particular attention to challenges facing experienced workers. 

man sitting with laptop in his home


2025 Sessions

Session 1: September 8, 10, 12, 15, and 17

Session 2: November 3, 5, 7, 10, and 12

2026 Sessions

Session 3: January 12, 14, 16, 21, and 22

Session 4: March 2, 4, 6, 9, and 11

Session 5: April 13, 15, 17, 20, and 22

Session 6: June 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10

For more information, contact Jodie Rasch at 301-255-4215 or by email.

Optional employment-related tech classes are available.

Meet our facilitator, Dr. Elisse Barnes, and learn more about the Career Gateway.


I’m incredibly grateful to have received a scholarship to the JCA Career Gateway program. This five-session course—along with its optional Jobs Club and three months of mentorship—has provided not only excellent practical guidance on resume writing, interview skills, and positioning yourself as a seasoned mentor, etc., but also emotional and spiritual encouragement that meets participants where they are.

Workshops for former federal employees:

The Career Gateway presented three workshops to support former federal employees and others impacted by recent changes in the federal sector. The workshops, for people age 50+, instructed participants in creating a powerful professional image, network, tap into available resources, and transition successfully.  Follow the link below for recordings of the presentations and helpful materials from the workshops.

Workshop Recordings and Materials


Contact the Career Gateway

For more information, contact us at career.gateway@accessjca.org

Phone: 301-255-4215 or 703-425-0999

Learn about the Virtual 50+ Employment Expos