Senior Voice -

Are you 55 or older and seeking work? Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Training (MASST) is a community service and work-based job training program. In Alaska, there are MASST programs covering the state by region: Anchorage, Northern and Interior, Gulf, Southeast and Mat-Su.

Learn while you earn

Through MASST, subsidized community service assignments are provided in public and non-profit agencies, allowing these agencies to enhance and provide needed services to the community while older workers gain job skills. Program participants work an average of 20 hours a week and are paid the highest of the federal, state or local minimum wage.

Participant services include Individual Employment Plan development, orientation, community service placement, training specific to an individual’s community service assignment, and other training as necessary. Supportive services, annual physical exams, assistance in securing unsubsidized employment, and access to local American Job Centers are also available.

Eligible participants

Program participants must be at least 55 and have a family income of no more than 125 percent of the federal poverty level. Enrollment priority is given to individuals with at least one of the following characteristics: are veterans, are over age 65, have a disability, have limited English proficiency or low literacy skills, reside in a rural area, have low employment prospects, or are homeless or at risk for homelessness. Individual participation is limited to 48 months, unless an extension is authorized based on statutory requirements. SCSEP serves over 60,000 seniors annually.

For more information, visit the Alaska MASST website at https://labor.alaska.gov/masst/home.htm. 

Monica Wafford is the Southeast Alaska MASST coordinator.