Paid Job Training for People 55 and Older From AARP Foundation
The AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program, known as SCSEP, matches eligible jobseekers with local nonprofits and public agencies, such as day care centers, senior centers, schools and hospitals, in paid training assignments. It is built for someone who has been out of work for a while and needs recent experience and new skills to land a better-paying job.
To apply for job placement, you must be age 55 or older, unemployed, and living on a low income. No income figure is printed, so if you are not sure whether you qualify, the program will check with you.
Berks County is one of the Pennsylvania counties served by AARP Foundation SCSEP. The Pennsylvania office is at 2020 Ardmore Blvd., Suite 210, Pittsburgh, PA 15221, and its list of counties served includes Berks.
If you qualify, you are matched with a part-time training assignment, where you get: - Work experience you can put on your resume - On-the-job training in new computer or vocational skills - Professional job placement assistance to find full-time or part-time employment - An average of 20 hours per week of paid work
To find out if you are eligible and get assistance applying, call the AARP Foundation Work Resources Helpline at 1-855-850-2525. AARP Foundation team members answer Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern Time. Conversations are completely confidential, and the helpline staff note "Se habla Español." The SCSEP locator at my.aarpfoundation.org/locator/scsep lets you enter your address or ZIP code to see whether the program is available in your area, but the application itself goes through the helpline.
For more than 50 years, SCSEP has provided people age 55 and older with opportunities to work in a variety of community service roles at local nonprofits and public facilities. AARP Foundation SCSEP is supported by the U.S. Department of Labor. For program year 2025-26, a total of $90,571,960, or 90 percent, will be funded with Federal funds and $10,063,551, or 10 percent, funded by AARP Foundation.
A few things are not stated: what the training assignments pay, how long an assignment lasts, how long it takes to be matched, and whether there is a waiting list. Ask about all of that when you call.
Source: aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/income/scsep, read November 3, 2026.
The details
In AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program’s words
SCSEP matches eligible jobseekers with local nonprofits and public agencies — day care centers, senior centers, schools, and hospitals — in paid training assignments.
Organization
AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program
Organization profile in our directory →About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/income/scsep. Last recorded review: November 3, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.